Stories from 18 February 2016
A Blogger Exposes Personal Data Protection Flaw on Macedonia's Election Commission Website
"The mishap is at a very amateurish level from the perspective of professional principles of working with personal data on the open Web."
Colombia Introduces Harsher Prison Sentences for Acid Attacks
Every year, an average of 100 people suffer an acid attack in Colombia, where recently a law was passed to tough sentences and take judicial benefits away from the perpetrators.
Welcome to Manchay, the Neighbourhood in Lima Resisting the Arrival of Public Transport
What is it about life in Manchay that makes the residents protest so energetically against a fare rise that would to others seem negligible?
A New Poster Shows Just How Desperate Japan's Hated Opposition Party Is for Votes
Japan's DPJ has released an election poster that asks voters to hold their nose and vote for them. Desperate?
A Voice From the Front Lines of El Niño in Kenya
"We can ensure decline in mortality rate due to famine, flooding or any climatic deserters by becoming responsible in our communities. Let’s join hands, let’s do this"
Venezuela's President Finally Discovers Facebook, a Decade After the Social Network's Arrival
"I refuse to be a hypocrite or a brown-noser, you know that the country is in a bad way, due to your and your cabinet's ineptitude."
Hungary’s Teachers Are Mad As Hell and They’re Not Taking It Anymore
Dissatisfaction with the declining state of Hungarian education has been brewing for years and has culminated in a protest by 30,000 people in Budapest.
A House in the Hills Raises Temperatures in Jamaica's Election Campaign
With elections scheduled to take place in about a week, the two main political parties bicker over a national debate while the electorate -- and Jamaica's democracy -- suffer.
This Writer and Activist Wants to Rescue the West's Knowledge of Russia, One Translation at a Time
Translator Thomas Campbell tries to bridge the gap through his blog. Last week, he visited NYU, where he described the experience of running his website and monitoring the Russian blogosphere.
Violence Claims 49 Lives in an Overcrowded, Underguarded Mexican Prison
Forty percent over capacity, short on guards and supplies, and awash in violence. This is life in many of Mexico's prisons.
The Racist Portrayal of the Philippines in Historical Cartoons as US Troops Invaded
The cartoons portrayed Filipinos as uncivilized people who needed to be educated by the invading United States army.
