Global Voices · Citizen media stories from March 2011

March, 2011

Monthly archive · 316 posts

Stories from March, 2011

15 March 2011

Bahrain: State of National Security Called

Written by Yacoub Al-Slaise · Middle East & North Africa

On Tuesday March 15, 2011, one month after protests started on the February 14 in Bahraini capital Manama, His Highness King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa announced a State of National Security, giving full power to the army to protect national security.

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USA: Science Bloggers Explain Fukushima

Written by David Wescott · East Asia, North America

The horror of Friday 11 March's earthquake and resulting tsunami near the east coast of Honshu, Japan soon gave way to widespread panic as explosions rocked the Fukushima nuclear power plant. However, one community in the blogosphere seemed to be more measured in response to Fukushima - science bloggers.

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Argentina: After 35 years, long live carnival!

Written by Laura Schneider · Translated by Laura Schneider · Latin America

After 35 years, Argentine carnival holidays are back, and so is the fun and joy. On March 7 and 8 Argentines of all ages enjoyed a carnival holiday, something many had never experienced.

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China: Controversial Speeches from Party Members

Written by Oiwan Lam · East Asia

The Fourth Session of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) closed yesterday (March 14 2011) in Beijing. One-Party leadership was not a subject up for debate, so people have turned their attention to the speeches and proposals made by the so-called "people's representatives".

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Japan: Tell the World to Help

Written by Chris Salzberg · East Asia

A simple search for pictures posted on Twitter can bring up amazing things. Search the characters “宮城” (Miyagi) and a handful of different pictures come up from the prefecture, one of the hardest-hit in Japan by the recent tsunami. Scroll down, and one picture stands out, a blob of brown and blue until you click it…

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14 March 2011

Bahrain: Letter from a Blogger, as Saudi Troops Enter

Written by Solana Larsen · Middle East & North Africa

Hundreds of troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arrived in Bahrain on Monday to help the government quell protests. Television news is saying nothing about what will happen, and many fear the worst. Here is a letter from a Bahraini blogger.

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Updates from March, 2011

22 March 2011

Guatemala

As previously reported, Guatemalan First Lady Sandra Torres announced her candidacy for president; a bid that violated the constitution which forbids that the president's relatives become president. As a result, the presidential couple will get a divorce, and Mike from Central American Politics argues that their decision “is another example of the weakness of Guatemala's political parties.”

• Silvia Viñas

Peru

Juan Arellano gathers several videos from this year's presidential campaign in his blog Globalizado [es].

• Silvia Viñas

Bolivia

Blogger Mario R. Duran in Palabras Libres [es] regrets a decision by the Municipal Council of El Alto, La Paz to reject funding from the World Bank to build a bike path (”ciclovía” in Spanish) in that area of the city.

• Silvia Viñas

Antigua and Barbuda

On Wednesday, March 23, the first full-scale simulated tsunami alert exercise will take place in 33 countries in the Caribbean to test the effectiveness of alert, monitoring and warning systems (Hashtag on Twitter: EXERCISE - NOT REAL #CW11) . Open Street Map France [Fr] and Crisis Camp Paris [Fr] will join this exercise to encourage awareness and use of social media tools during emergencies in the French speaking West Indies.

• Claire Ulrich

Trinidad & Tobago

“Literature doesn’t just mean fiction and poems — it’s also about ideas, questions, and debates, and using the tools of reading and writing to understand the world”: The Bocas Lit Fest announces its programme and list of participating authors for its inaugural event.

• Janine Mendes-Franco