It’s time to keep up with my new year’s media resolution and come up with five interesting stories that neither algorithms or virality brought to my attention.
- “Myanmar military says soldiers murdered 10 captured Rohingya” (Reuters) – The admission is notable because the official position of Myanmar is that the Rohingya do not exist. The story is also notable because two Reuters journalists are facing criminal charges that carry sentences of up to 14 years in prison for their reporting on the massacre.
- “Libya may not be ready for democracy, says military strongman” (The Guardian) – The U.N. plans to hold elections in Libya this year, but Khalifa Haftar, who controls much of Libya and enjoys Russia’s backing, tells Patrick Wintour he might not respect their outcome if he doesn’t like the results.
- “Czech election: The politically incorrect president dividing a nation” (BBC) – Czechs will vote this weekend on whether to re-elect their populist, pro-Moscow, anti-immigrant president, Milos Zeman, who has divided the 25-year-old nation between urbanites and the rural working class. Sound familiar?
- “The $100 Million Game Turkish Officials Worry Is Pyramid Scheme” (Bloomberg News) – Farm Bank, a Turkish FarmVille, is trying to convince new
dupesplayers that it is not a Ponzi scheme by investing in actual dairy farms, part of an appeal to nationalist and religious supporters of Erdogan. - “Robomart autonomous bodegas will deliver produce to your door” (Engadget) – Did you look at the unmanned pantries a Silicon Valley startup hoped would put neighborhood bodegas out of business and think, “nah, too much walking”? This other startup has you covered.