Stories from 5 September 2014
The Funeral That Brought Syria's Revolutionaries to a Church with Red Roses
Christians, Muslims, family members and revolutionary comrades gather at church in Aleppo, Syria for Marcell Shehwaro's mother's funeral. How to make it a space that preserves the dignity of all?
Spain's Alternative Political Party Podemos Is Growing in ‘Circles’
Since launching in March with an entirely crowdfunded campaign and a manifesto made up of public suggestions, the party claimed 8% of the national vote in the European Parliament elections.
A Former Parliament Member Says His Plan Will Heal Egypt's Political Wounds, But Critics Aren't So Sure
Muhammed ElOmda proposed his plan days after being released from prison, where he has been since his arrest during a brutal crackdown on supporters of ousted President Morsi.
Israel Moves to Make its Biggest Land Grab in 30 Years, in Palestine's West Bank
The Israeli government said it will annex 990 acres of Palestinian Territory near the Jewish settlement of Gva'ot, west of Bethlehem, leaving way for more settlements considered illegal under international law.
As Ebola Strikes, a Guinean Blogger Laments the Country's Lack of Online Community
"What happened to the Guinean blogosphere? Does Guinea even have a blogosphere to speak of? [...] Aren't we just too often the self-centered, passive spectators of the the world's convulsions?"
Blogger Puts a Naturally Formed Face of Buddha in Bhutan on the Map
Blogger Passang Tshering, a high school teacher from Wangdue, Bhutan, wrote in his blog on 31 August, 2014, about an image of Lord Buddha's face formed out of natural rock...
Iran Holds Persian ICT Week
Iran held the first annual Persian ICT week conference in Tehran's Ijlas center between August 30-31, 2014. The two day conference was a cooperative effort between Iran's ICT Guild Organization...
Activists and Bloggers Worldwide Ponder Lessons Learned From the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
There is no denying that more people are now more aware of ALS than ever before, but critics have accused the campaign of focusing on self-congratulating deeds.
EXCLUSIVE: German Companies Are Selling Unlicensed Surveillance Technologies to Human Rights Violators – and Making Millions
Data analyzed by two leading researchers on surveillance and digital security technology suggests the majority of surveillance technologies produced by German companies have been bought and sold under the table.
Latin American Music Mourns Argentinian Rock Legend Gustavo Cerati
Twitter users remembered guitar virtuoso Gustavo Cerati, former member of legendary Latin American music band Soda Stereo, who died yesterday. He was 55.
Hong Kongers See an Anti-Democratic System. Beijing Officials See Democracy, Chinese-Style
China may be using Hong Kong as a testing ground for democratic reforms that are compatible with its single-party state, just like it experimented with free-market reforms in the 1980s.