Stories from February, 2015
Banksy Visits Gaza, Calls on World to Act
Famous British street artist Banksy went undercover in Gaza and released a series of thought-provoking graffiti as well as a mini documentary, calling on the world to act.
Why Did Egyptians Tie and Behead a Dog as Onlookers Watched?
News of the public "slaughtering" of a dog in Cairo as onlookers watched has sent shock waves around the world, with many questioning how people have become this violent.
Police Raid the Lesbians Who Trolled Russia's Leading Anti-Gay Politician
Being gay is dangerous business in Russia, but it’s especially risky when you troll the country’s leading opponent of gay rights.
Did Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung Newspaper Let Advertisers Dictate Its Content?
Former contributor Sebastian Heiser accused Süddeutsche Zeitung on his blog of letting advertisers influence editorial content, saying he witnessed it happening firsthand when he worked on the services supplement desk.
ISIS Destroys 3,000-Year-Old Sculptures at a Museum in Mosul, Iraq
Armed with sledgehammers, drills and pickaxes, militants belonging to the ISIS are videotaped destroying 3,000-year-old ancient artefacts in a museum in Mosul, in Northern Iraq.
How Did Palm Oil Become Such a Problem—and What Can We Do About It?
Production of palm oil is devastating for the environment. Solutions are complex, but they exist.
The Political Apartheid Against Women in Venezuela
Desireé Lozano, a blogger for the Spanish-language website Voces Visibles (Visible Voices), reflects on the existing limitations on women’s political participation in Venezuela. According to the sociologist Evangelina García Prince, a kind of political apartheid that excludes women from decision-making reigns in the Venezuelan parties: En los partidos venezolanos, el discurso oficial...
Lawrence Maxwell, the Chilean Man Who Came Face to Face With Mexican Police Brutality
Lawrence Maxwell was in downtown Mexico City to take part in a peaceful demonstration in support of the missing Ayotzinapa students when he was arrested and threatened by Mexican police.
Your Social Media Photos Could Help Protect Whale Sharks and Other Species
Open source software solutions like Wildbook allow scientists to tag and photo-identify individual animals through photos and videos posted on platforms like Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Vimeo.
Australians Shake Up Internet With Indigenous #MotherLanguage Tweets
Australians joined people from around the world for International Mother Language Day by tweeting in indigenous languages.
Caribbean Law Students Join the Fight Against Human Trafficking
"We believed the subject of human trafficking had not received the level of public appreciation which it deserved and it was our duty to bring awareness to it."
Russian Lawmakers Propose Banning Women Under 40 from Smoking
“Female smoking,” the legislation’s explanatory note says, “harms the body’s reproductive system, causing irreparable damage to the genetic stock of the nation.”
ISIS Burns Mosul Library in Iraq, Destroys Thousands of Valuable Manuscripts and Books
While reports on the attack on Mosul Library have just made the headlines, UNESCO says attacks on libraries, museums and universities have been going on for several months.
Belarus Bans Tor and Other Anonymizers
Belarus is banning anonymizers, typically used to circumvent government censorship and reach online resources banned inside the country, including many of the opposition websites.
Peru’s Mosques: Pearls of Latin America’s Muslim Immigrants
Global Voices takes a look to two mosques in Peru, in Southern Tacna and the capital, Lima.
Lunar New Year Envelopes Get a Rainbow Twist for Gay Acceptance in Hong Kong
One activist group handed out the traditional envelopes, but instead of money they contained real-life stories of the challenges that gay and lesbian people face during the holiday.
Facebook Campaign Garners Iranian Journalist Masih Alinejad Women's Rights Award
Iranian journalist wins Women's Rights Award for her Facebook page "My Stealthy Freedom."
Remembering Ukraine's ‘Heavenly Hundred’
"It's dangerous and frightening, and today one must be [in the east], like one had to be in Kyiv a year ago. Maidan has moved. It's now at the frontline."
The ‘Spy Cables’ Reveal Inconvenient Truths about Israel's Mossad
Al Jazeera and The Guardian newspaper have released leaks from spy agencies across the world. Here are the first few stories pertaining to Israel's Mossad.
‘Ministry of Truth’ Recruits Ukrainians for ‘Internet Army’
Ukrainian Ministry of Information Policy has launched a website to recruit Ukrainian social media users for a government-run "Internet Army."
Trinidad & Tobago Has ‘Carnival Mentality’. Is That Necessarily a Bad Thing?
Carnival mentality refers to the carefree attitude on display at Trinidad and Tobago's biggest party. Some argue the term should represent industriousness -- Carnival takes a lot of work.
