Stories from August, 2014
Ukraine Blows Up Twitter with News of Russian Invasion
As Russia expanded its push across the Ukrainian border in what the media described as a stealth invasion, Ukrainian Twitter users replied with thousands of posts and trending hashtags.
Ebola Scare: Trapped on the Cameroon/Nigeria Border for Over 40 Hours
On August 19, 2014, the Republic of Cameroon closed its borders with Nigeria in a bid to halt the spread of the Ebola virus. However, the government made this decision without giving enough thought to the thousands of travelers – mostly Cameroonian citizens and Nigerians resident in Cameroon – caught...
Former Prime Minister Feeds the Meme Machine With Rejection of Trinidad & Tobago's Highest Honour
Patrick Manning doesn't want the Order of Trinidad and Tobago from current Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who he accused of breaking proper award protocol and attacking him in the past.
A Private Hospital in Bangaldesh Held a Patient's Body Ransom Because the Family Couldn't Pay Up Immediately
The deficiencies in Bangladesh's government hospitals and the uncertainties regarding service prompts people to chose private hospitals -- at a huge expense.
Why Activists Sent 128 Tomatoes to Every Single Member of Lebanon's Parliament
Fearing that lawmakers will once again extend their term without elections, Lebanese are saying #NotoExtension in protests on and offline.
‘Citizen Lawmakers’ in the Philippines Are Organizing a Campaign To Do What Politicians Won't: Abolish Pork Barrel
Hundreds of organizations hailing from various sectors have united in a historic attempt to collect enough signatures for a law abolishing the corruption-tainted presidential and congressional pork barrel.
‘Showcase of Shame’ Campaign Is Forcing Venezuelans to Confront the Uncomfortable Reality of Teen Pregnancy
The campaign set up a shop window of mannequins dressed as schoolgirls with pregnant bellies to raise awareness of the issue of teen pregnancy.
Cameroonian Striker Albert Ebossé's Death in Algeria Raises Questions About Stadium Security
The footballing world is in a state of shock following the death of 24-year-old Ebossé, killed by a projectile thrown from the stands after a match.
In Defense of the National Gallery of Jamaica's Director
Over the last month, the National Gallery of Jamaica's executive director's leadership was the target of criticism, first via an anonymous letter written to the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper, and then in a blog post written by blogger Annie Paul, which she prefaced by saying: I’ve been closely involved with the...
Nigeria Successfully Curtails Ebola to One Patient
"As I speak to you Nigeria has only one case of Ebola virus." - Onyebuchi Chukwu, Nigeria's Minister of Health
Kyrgyzstan's Soviet-era Poster Child Gets an iPad
Semyon Chuikov's 1948 painting "Daughter of Soviet Kyrgyzia" was once so popular it became a post stamp. Sixty-six years later Chuikov's muse is getting repainted with an iPad and earphones.
With Body Bags Returning from Ukraine, ‘the War’ Comes Home to Russians
At the wrong ends of bullets and bombs, people have been dying in Ukraine for months already. Now there are new signs that Russian soldiers are joining in the bloodshed.
Ceasefire Reached in Gaza After 50 Days of War and Catastrophic Damage
Seventy-two percent of the 2137 Palestinians killed in this offensive were civilians. One-third of Gaza's population has been made homeless.
Trinidad & Tobago: Back-to-School Apps
ICT Pulse shares 5 useful apps for staying organised once school starts.
Iran's Grand Ayatollah: 3G Internet Is Immoral
Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, a prominent Shia scholar, has said 3G Internet is immoral and inhumane, Iranian sites reported on Tuesday. #Iran‘s grand Ayatollah Makarem: “high-speed internet & 3G is against Sharia & moral ethics” http://t.co/kbZ3poSfJH pic.twitter.com/04IPVBXiXK — Omid Memarian (@Omid_M) August 25, 2014 Iran has the highest number of...
Two Months After Flooding, Digital Freedoms in Serbia Are Still in Trouble
In the wake of devastating floods that hit Serbia in May 2014, several local websites that published materials that criticized the government's relief efforts suffered technical attacks.
How To Find Happiness In Democracy
From Bhutan, the land of Gross National Happiness, blogger Passang Tshering shares how people can achieve happiness in democracy. He compares democracy to love marriage and says that there are three groups of people, the lovers, the haters and the concern citizens. The Lovers are the ones who swear by...
Ferguson Evocative of Civil Rights Movement, Says Trinidadian Diaspora Blogger
What’s happened – and what is HAPPENING in Ferguson makes my heart hurt. The ache won’t go away. The anger won’t go away. We’re witnessing history in the making, and history repeating itself. What will be the lessons we learn this time? What scars will we bear? Trinidadian diaspora blogger...
India’s LGBT Community Dares to Hope After Health Minister’s Comment on Gay Rights
Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that everybody has human rights and it is the job of the government to protect them.
Documenting Nationalistic Hate Speech in Macedonian Media
Human rights expert, activist, and blogger Žarko Trajanoski published a series of analyses about nationalistic, right-wing hate speech in Macedonian media, often veiled as “patriotic” speech. „Патриотскиот“ говор на омраза е препознатлив по намерата за разгорување, поттикнување, или оправдување на омраза кон внатрешните и надворешните „непријатели“. Во основата на ваквиот...
One Person Holds the Three Most Powerful Positions in Thailand Today
Prayuth Chan-ocha is Thailand’s new prime minister. He is also the army chief who staged a coup last May and appointed himself as head of the coup government.
