Stories from 14 May 2015
Khamenei's #Letter4U Bots Still Active Four Months After Its Launch
On January 21, during the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei penned an open letter to the 'youth in Europe and North America' defending Islam, and the Western world's skewed reception of the religion. He also started tweeting the sentiments of the letter on his @khamenei_ir twitter account, starting the hashtag #Letter4U. A closer look of this hashtag indicates it remains active through bots, which are still crawling through Twitter four months after the launch of the campaign.
Bahrain Court Upholds Six Month Sentence Against Rights Defender Nabeel Rajab Over Tweet
A Bahrain court today upheld a six-month sentence for human rights defender Nabeel Rajab over a tweet. Rajab is already in custody under investigation for other tweets.
An Egyptian Official Resigns After Saying Garbage Collectors’ Sons Cannot Become Judges
In Egypt, a janitor's son cannot become a judge, says the country's Minister of Justice Mahfoodh Saber, whose comments spurned a social media storm, forcing him to resign.
Israeli Professor Shows the World: ‘This Is What a Feminist Looks Like’
Hebrew University of Jerusalem professor Dr Sydney Engelberg shot to internet stardom after his photograph comforting a fussy baby while continuing to teach went viral, reports Maya Norton
Gaza Rolls Out Red Carpet For Film Festival in War-Battered Neighborhood
Gazans roll out the Red Carpet throughout the destroyed Shuja'iyya neighborhood for the 2015 edition of the Karama Gaza Film Festival.
A Japanese Town Wants UNESCO Recognition for Kamikaze Memorabilia
Before the young pilots flew to their deaths in WWII, many left behind letters and other artifacts. The town of Chiran wants them given UNESCO's "Memory of the World" status.
One Year of #LunesDeBlogsGV (Monday of Blogs on Global Voices)
The Global Voices in Spanish team reflects on the first year of #LunesDeBlogsGV along with some of the participants.
The Marshall Island’s Momentum-Changing Proposal for Shipping Carbon Emissions
"We are an island nation and shipping is one of our lifelines. At the same time, carbon emissions...pose an existential threat to our people and our country."
‘Uber Is Doomed to Be Investigated in China’
Web users are criticizing local Chinese authorities for cracking down on crowd-sourced taxi service Uber, accusing them of protecting the taxi industry and attacking yet another foreign Internet company.
Chilean Campaign to Prevent Child Grooming Goes Viral
The Chilean Police campaign against grooming, in which adults earn the trust of minors online to later abuse them, has already reached more than 5 million views. It has become a success going way beyond the borders of the South American country, according to Verne website. The video was published on Facebook to raise...
Bolivia's Civil Service Wracked by a Series of Social Media Slip-Ups
Blunders made by Bolivian civil servants show how simple mistakes quickly escalate in social media.
‘They Belong in the Classroom, Not in Prison': Myanmar's Detained Student Protesters
"They belong in the classroom, not in prison. That's why I painted their portraits."
