Stories from June, 2014
In Syria We Have All Become Killers
What do you feel when the security checkpoint where your mother was killed is destroyed in a bombing?
These 5 Experts Explain Why Alexander Sodiqov's Arrest in Tajikistan Is So Troubling
Civic activists and journalists fear the arrest of Global Voices' Alexander Sodiqov could have worrying consequences on research in Central Asia.
Trinidad and Tobago Parliament Asks Itself For Pay Raise, Says Yes
When two controversial bills are passed swiftly and unanimously by a country’s parliament, the alarm bells go off. The passage, on June 13, 2014, of amendments to two parliamentary acts governing pension payments for legislators and judges in Trinidad and Tobago has been called unconstitutional and a threat to the independence...
TJournal.ru Says Enough With Russian Media's Ukraine Coverage
Responding to a flood of anti-Ukraine propaganda in the Russian mass media, the website TJournal has temporarily halted a service that aggregates news stories trending on the RuNet.
Are Turkey and NetClean Partnering to Stop Child Abuse or Curtail Internet Freedoms?
Turkey's reported partnership with NetClean, a big Swedish cyber-security company, is worrying Turkish Internet users that the worst in Ankara's battles with the web is still to come.
The Driver Is Not to Blame, It's the Pedestrian!?
Osiris Jasso, a Global Voices contributor, reports on his personal Tumblr blog about traffic and common sense violations in his neighborhood in San Luis Potosí's historic downtown in Mexico. After an accident due to misuse of sidewalks by unscrupulous drivers, Osiris claims: Exigimos a las autoridades que liberen las banquetas...
“No Strings Attached Sex is a Multiple Rules Game”
Mariangel Calderon recommends on her blog El Ovario (The ovary) not to have unrealistic expectations after no-strings-attached sex. She writes this is one of the games with more ruels and it's even more commendable than simply falling in love by preventing someone like that gets into your life unauthorized. She...
National Heroes Get a Postmodern Makeover in Kazakhstan's #Selfie Statue Scandal
This week the eyes of the Kazakh Internet have been fixed on an ill-fated statue of two national heroes caught between historical greatness and the trappings of the 21st century.
Singing and Dancing in a YouTube Video to Cheer On the National Football Team Can Get You Arrested in Iran
"Goal Iran" includes clips of Iranians in more than a dozen countries singing and dancing. Iranian police call it "vulgar."
Uruguay's Bad Boy Footballer Luis Suárez Steals His Team's Thunder With Biting Sanction
Uruguay advanced, but everyone was talking about star player Luis Suárez chomping on Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder.
Revenge from the “Disgrace of Gijón” as Algeria and Germany Face Up Again at the World Cup
Algeria and Germany national teams are set to face up on June 30 in Porto Alegre in the knock-out round of the FIFA World Cup. The match will revive plenty of strong emotions from both sides because of their previous game in 1982 at the World Cup in Spain. In their...
Justice Matters for Ethiopian Bloggers
Justice matters is a blog that reports on the trial of detained Zone9 bloggers and journalists in Ethiopia for expressing their opinions: This blog contains the most current information about advocacy efforts, press coverage, and the legal status of the Zone9 bloggers in Ethiopia. It is dedicated to report on...
‘Tajikistan's Detention of Alexander Sodiqov Cuts to the Core of What Research Scholars Do’
"The detention of Alexander Sodiqov cuts to the core of what research scholars do. They rigorously collect data, analyze them, and disseminate knowledge."
Mexican Football Coach Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera Knows How to Celebrate a World Cup Win
Miguel “Piojo” Herrera, Mexico's coach, became the hero of the team's victory against Croatia for his passionate reactions during the match.
Western Ukraine Police Using Facebook to Increase Police Accountability
According to a report [uk] by RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe), heads of district police departments in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have been ordered to set up Facebook profiles. As of June 25, 2014, all of them can be found and contacted through the social network, which the Head...
A Masked Superhero Is Riding Around This Colombian City and Feeding the Hungry
He is known as Super Pan (Super Bread, in English), and he gives bread to those who need it in the Colombian city of Bucaramanga.
How a Local Newspaper in India Is Empowering Rural Women to Write About Their Communities
Khabar Lahariya is an award-winning rural weekly newspaper published in local languages and run by 40 women. We spoke with editorial coordinator Poorvi Bhargava to find out more.
Meet Xiaobing, the (Fun? Annoying? Creepy?) Chatbot Taking Over China's Weibo
Microsoft's artificial intelligence robot, which is modeled after a 16-year-old girl, has found new life on Twitter-like Sina Weibo after being blocked on messaging app WeChat earlier this month.
China's Pixar? A Sneak Peek From New Animation Studio Light Chaser
Below is an edited version of the post “A sneak peek from China’s new animation-house upstart” by Jason Li, originally published on the blog 88 Bar. Light Chaser Animation is a startup animation studio based in Beijing. “Little Yeyos,” a short film about seven spirits living in the mythological Chinese spirit world, is...
Interview with Wife of Laos NGO Leader Sombath Somphone Who Went Missing in 2012
Writing for the Southeast Asia Globe, Kearrin Sims interviewed Shui Meng, wife of the disappeared Laotian development worker Sombath Somphone. Sombath, a prominent NGO leader in Laos, went missing in 2012. Various global groups suspect that local state forces have something to do with his mysterious disappearance. In the interview,...
This Philippine Wedding Video of a Dying Cancer Patient Will Move You to Tears
The groom died 10 hours after marrying his girlfriend. Diagnosed with stage IV liver cancer last month, his dying wish was to marry the mother of his two-year old daughter. The wedding took place in a public hospital in Manila, Philippines. The video instantly became popular in the Internet.