Stories from November, 2014
Kyrgyzstanis Skeptical about Government Biometric Data Drive
Over two decades' worth of state intrigue and corruption has forced Kyrgyz citizens to be cynical about anything the government wants them to do, especially if it involves submitting fingerprints.
11-Year-Old Girl Starts Petition Calling for Mexican President's Resignation
An 11 year-old Mexican girl decided to collect signatures calling for the resignation of the president of her country, Enrique Peña Nieto, due to his handling of the disappearance of 43 trainee school teachers.
Using Your Reflex Camera From Your Cellphone? Lumera!
Yes, now it's possible! Thanks to Lumera, after two years of hard work as a result of a project by Open Hardware, from Hackbo, Bogota's hackerspace. It's all about a small device that gets integrated into your reflex photographic camera, transforming it into a “smart camera”. Using Lumera, you can...
Greenpeace Activist Injured in Confrontation with Spanish Navy
Environmental activist suffers serious injuries after an armed assault by the Spanish Navy on a Greenpeace boat protesting oil exploration in Spain's Canary Islands.
Communicators Profession: Reinventing Itself Day by Day
After talking with a colleague, Cintia Oliva reflects on a reality known by many communicators: [Mi colega] me decía que con esto de las tecnologías, el periodismo como carrera estaba en decadencia. Ella, una excelente reportera y entrevistadora, contaba que cada vez le costaba más meter su pauta o que...
Colombian Economic Deceleration, Is the Government Aware of This Situation?
On a review of what is going on with Colombian economy, Daniel Bustos writes on his blog Trayectoria Económica an analysis of what he calls ‘skinny cows’ or lean times. Although the economy is still standing thanks to public and private investment and the construction industry, the oil barrel price...
Hossein Derakhshan Released from Prison
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, on Thursday pardoned the jailed blogger Hossein Derakhshan after his six years.Derakhshan thanked God, Khamenei and his family on his Google Plus page.
Opposition Representatives Propose “Freedom from Fear” Law in Serbia
Nineteen representatives of the Serbian National Assembly filed a proposal for a new law that would guarantee Serbian citizens freedom from fear. While freedom from fear is allegedly a right guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, some ruling politicians in Serbia have brought it into question in...
How the Tunisian Electoral Authority Robbed Me of the Right to Vote
On the eve of her country's presidential elections, one Tunisian expatriate suspects politics are at the root of at a rule-change by the electoral authority that prevents her from voting.
Over 2000 Macedonian Students Celebrated International Student Day in Protest
Over 2000 students went into the streets of Macedonian capital Skopje on November 17 to march against the decision of the government to impose external testing in the country's universities.
Japan's Snap Elections Overshadow a Faltering Economy
While some commentators are calling Abe's move "self-serving", others think Abe is facing political oblivion anyway and that the snap elections may be the spark that reignites Japan's moribund opposition.
Waited All Year for That Christmas Cake? If You're in Japan, Welcome to the Butter Shortage
The shortage in the lead-up to Christmas has coined a new Internet meme in Japan: butter refugees.
Paddington Bear Visits the Land of His Peruvian Forefathers
El oso Paddington, popular personaje de ficción de literatura infantil del Reino Unido, llegó al Perú, su tierra natal como parte de una campaña del Ministerio de Comercio Exterior y Turismo del país andino.
Dream Trip Around the World Becomes a Nightmare for an American Tourist in East Timor
American Stacey Addison is detained in a prison in East Timor, located between Indonesia and Australia. The tourist was arrested after sharing a taxi with a passenger carrying drugs.
Moments of Life: A Call for Sympathy
Carlos G. de Juan, blogging on Hacia rutas de cambio positivo (Towards routes of positive change), offers a reflection through a short mute film about the story of many homeless people in big cities, who had a normal life until life struck them so hard they just lost heart: Esta...
Recreating Life of Comechingon People
Villa de Merlo, in the province of San Luis, was home of one of many indigenous communities that settled in the territory of what we now know as the Republic of Argentina. Wenceslao Bottaro tells us about the Theme Park Yucat Land of Comechingones, which teach us about this culture:...
Bahrain Will Stamp Out Popular Protests, but Not Support for ISIS
The cyber-crime unit which arrests bloggers and human rights activists did not arrest the publishers of videos such as those calling for support of ISIS and inciting sectarian violence
Meet Anton Korobkov-Zemlyansky, Russia's Patriot-Provocateur
Anton Korobkov-Zemlyansky has worn many hats in the Russian news media. Russia experts in the West are inclined to dismiss him, but RuNet Echo tried to learn more.
One Year Later: Ukrainians Remember Euromaidan Online
On November 21, the official start of Euromaidan a year ago, Ukrainians flocked to social media to remember and reflect on the protests and their aftermath.
Is the ‘Sky Cycle’ Japan's Weirdest Theme-Park Ride?
Every nation has its own unique theme-park customs, and some build them in rather unexpected places. Meet Japan's "Sky Cycle" ride in Okayama Prefecture's Brazilian Washuzan Highland park.
University Teacher Unpopular with Islamist Hardliners Is Killed in Bangladesh
Professor Shafiul Islam, a professor of sociology in Rajshahi University was attacked with a machete by unknown assailants outside his home in Rajshahi city on November 15. He died from his injuries in a nearby hospital some hours later. According to news reports, the professor led a push to ban students wearing...
