Stories from 28 January 2014
Kenya Blog Awards 2014 Open for Submissions
The 2014 BAKE Kenyan Blog awards is now accepting submissions until February 10, 2014. Users can vote online from March 1 to April 30, 2014 for their favorite blogs in 17 different categories, including the new additions of Best Health Blog and Best County Blog. The Kenyan Blog Awards, an initiative of the Bloggers Association...
South Korea: ‘Less is More’, Net Users Turn Sour on Typical Movie Poster
A massive Disney hit movie, Frozen is rapidly gaining traction also in South Korea. However, more young Koreans are turning sour on typical Korean-style movie poster, which has long been criticized for being either too confusing or overly interrupted [ko] by extra-bold text dropping names or media/net users’ reviews ridden with cliche [ko]....
Sri Lanka's Best Bus Terminal
Freelance writer, translator and blogger Nandasiri Wanninayaka writes about the multi-purpose bus terminal-cum shopping and entertainment complex in the resort town of Negombo: You wouldn’t expect a bus stand in Sri Lanka to be like a mini airport. But if you happen to go to Negombo Bus Stand, renamed as...
WeChat Users Send Virtual Envelopes Worth Real Money for Chinese New Year
In China, it is tradition to give red envelopes containing money as gifts during the Lunar New Year holiday. The red color symbolizes good luck.
So Long to Russia's Only Independent TV Station?
The only opposition television station operating today in Russia is now threatened with losing access to cable broadcasting, after a scandalous poll about the WWII Siege of Leningrad.
China Awards Tennis Champion Li Na With Six-Figure Prize
The Chinese local authorities’ decision to award 800,000 yuan to China's tennis superstar Li Na shortly after her triumph at the Australian Open has triggered criticism among Chinese netizens.
Child Artists in Syria's Largest Refugee Camp ‘Zaatari’
Syria children at the Zaatari refugee camp, on the Syrian-Jordanian border, was showing off their artistic skills, writes Syria Untold.
Guyanese Website Could Be Game Changer in Regional Crime Fighting
Crimefighting in Guyana is changing thanks to a new website - and there's hope that the technology could tip the balance in favour of the good guys throughout the region.
Presidential Debate in Panama Creates More Questions Than Answers
The second presidential debate took place on January 20 in Panama. Panamanians interacted on social media with a debate that seems to have been left in question.
INNOVATION: Containers as Student Housing at European Universities
In order to alleviate the lack of student housing available across Europe, a few universities in Denmark, Germany, France (Le Havre) [fr] and Spain have tried to turn containers into student dorms. Containers appear to be the structure of choice because they are less costly and readily adaptable to include the necessary amenities....
Critical Cybersecurity Issues for the Caribbean
ICT Pulse names the three cybersecurity resolutions it thinks Caribbean organisations should make this year.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan: Trip to the Dying Aral Sea
The Aral Sea lying between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan was once one of the world's four largest lakes. Over the last five decades, however, the sea has lost over 90 percent of its original size, mainly as a result of disastrous irrigation projects which diverted rivers feeding it. On the Caravanistan travel...
Supporting the Rights of Malian Youth to Education
Mali's education system faces multiple challenges, but activist groups are coming together to tackle them head on.
Calypso, Race & Political Allegiance in Trinidad & Tobago
The 2014 Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago is heating up, as a controversial calypso is banned from live performances at a venue whose owner often courted controversy himself.
Fairy Tales in the 21st Century
On the column Breviario [es] from the website El MalPensante [es], Argentinian author Hernán Casciari [es] concludes that many timeless fairy tales that are part of children's imagination and many other stories would have never taken place had their main characters had access to the current technology: What happens with...
Anonymous Acts of Kindness
The blog BuzzFeed shares a series of images that portray simple acts of kindness by ordinary people that might have huge effects on those who receive them: “35 Pictures That Prove The World Isn’t Such A Bad Place.“
Qaraqalpaqstan, the ‘Forgotten Stan’ of Central Asia
Qaraqalpaqstan (or Karakalpakstan) is one of the least-known “stans” of Central Asia. Part of Uzbekistan, this region is a true gem for a curious traveler. On the Caravanistan blog, Steven writes about this “forgotten stan”: …Living under the shadow cast by the desiccation of the Aral Sea, this little-known stan has gotten...
Trinidad & Tobago: Evading Exercise
Diaspora blogger Afrobella lists “the dumbest excuses we make to avoid exercising.”