Stories from 22 May 2017
Russia's State Duma Invites a YouTube Star to Speak
A woman who once submerged herself in a bathtub filled with potato chips for her 5 million YouTube subscribers, Sasha Spilberg addressed the State Duma this Monday.
An Afro-Colombian Model on “Social Bleaching”
"I wonder how many children "whiten" themselves socially without even realizing it. They are...ignorant of their ancestors and of the people who fought so history wouldn't repeat itself."
Mumbai Technologists Are Using TV Spectrum to Bring More Internet Access to India
Poor Internet infrastructure leaves the vast majority of Indians limited to mobile Internet only, making it difficult to engage deeply with Internet technology.
Diaspora* and Other Free Software Are Available in the Occitan Language, Thanks to Volunteer Translators
"I don’t like when people decide that one language has more value than another. In my opinion, every language is as equal as the next."
In Japan, Plastic Food Models Aren't Just for Restaurants Anymore
"Is there anyone out there who is going to say, "Wow, cool, I can customize my smartphone case with salmon roe?" I think I'll be the only one."
Russian Crooner Joins Effort to Attract Tourists to War-Torn Eastern Ukraine
Nearly three years into the war in eastern Ukraine, the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics are making a renewed attempt to attract foreign tourists to their Russian-backed statelets.
Malaysian Editors Face Cybercrime Charges for Posting a Video that Criticized Attorney General
In the video, which was taken during a press briefing, a former member of the ruling party called for the resignation of the attorney general.
Helping Write The Story of Sex Workers in Uganda
Every day over 300 women go to Bwaise, a slum district in northern Kampala, Uganda, to sell sex.
A Photographer Shines Light on the Abuse Women Suffer at Illegal ‘Conversion Therapy’ Clinics in Ecuador
"My first thought was that it could be me held there and told that, as a gay woman, I needed to change."
Lebanese Activists Disturb Talk by Politicians and Call for Better Political Representation
"We wanted to tell them: You Stink, your expiry date has passed...you stole people's rights by not allowing them to vote."
Panic Over Russian Online Suicide Game Sparks ‘Whale Hunt’ in China
Pro-government groups are waging a campaign against the game, and internet censors have predictably gone into overdrive.
Beirut's Municipality Deals Another Blow to the City's Green Space
The municipality's recent policies are threatening the capital's last remaining major green space