Stories from 29 December 2016
The 2016 Russian Words of the Year, Explained

Like many words in Russian, the 2016 words of the year can be explained but not quite translated.
A Year of Violence in Bangladesh

Groups linked to ISIS, Ansar Al Islam or Ansarullah Bangla Team have claimed responsibility for violent attacks on intellectuals and regular citizens. What does this mean for the future?
‘The Long Arms of the Kremlin?': Kazakh Man Goes to Prison for Insulting Vladimir Putin on Facebook

With traditional media in the country heavily restricted, social media is an obvious forum for information warfare between the Kazakh nationalists and ethnic Russians.
This Was Also the Year of Citizen Heroes in Latin America
Global Voices reviews the Latin American stories in 2016 that taught us about fighting back.
In the Social Media Age, How Should Jamaica’s Head of Government Communicate?
"Jamaica’s Prime Minister [uses] social media. To imply that the press is asking hard-hitting questions that only they are capable of asking, is negating the opinions of the public."
Iranian Civil Rights Defender Continues Hunger Strike, Protesting His Wife's Arrest For Fiction Writings

The campaign to free civil rights defender Arash Sadeghi has reached a critical point. Two months into his hunger strike, many worry Sadeghi's life is on the line.
‘Painting on Death': One Syrian Artist's Mission Under Siege in Douma
"We will make a Christmas tree from your shells and bombs, and light it for peace in our wounded Ghouta."
In 2016, These YouTube Channels From India Offered Meaningful Content
YouTube India is not all songs, pranks or cat videos.
‘Learning to Live with the Narco in Mexico’, Stories from Survivors of the War on Organized Crime
"We must urgently portray the faces of those who face fear."
What We're Wishing for in 2017
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Japanese Prime Minister Observes Pearl Harbor Anniversary
When Prime Minister Abe Shinzo didn't really mention the war when he visited Pearl Harbor for the 75th anniversary of Japan's surprise attack against the United States.