Stories about Breaking News from March, 2011
China: Day two of salt-buying panic
With supermarkets in many Chinese cities now out of salt, Roland Soong at EastSouthWestNorth has published a second post on the panicky salt buying spree, comparing discussion of the frenzy on Twitter and domestic microblog Sina Weibo. “To summarize Chinese reactions to the Japan earthquake: hoard salt, create rumors, scare...
Japan: TV Ads Instead of Earthquake Warning
Boing Boing blog points us towards a video that shows us the programming in 6 main TV channels in Japan during the Earthquake: sadly, most channels didn't even bother to noticeably show the earthquake warning, opting instead for continuing with the advertisements. TimeOutTokyo commented: “This is why we watch NHK.”
China: Salt Radiation Rumors Fuel Widespread Panic Buying
An official message went out today aiming to reassure people that salt supplies would not be affected by radiation from Japan having leaked into the ocean. This sparked rumors which led to panic buying which gripped major cities which are now out of salt.
Japan: Earthquakes Moving South? Anxiety Builds in Kansai
Just days after the massive earthquake which struck northeastern Japan, further geological tremors are taking place elsewhere on the island of Honshu. A series of quakes naturally has people living west of said areas feeling a bit nervous about what is to come.
Russia: Tweets From State Duma “Internet Law” Hearing
Inna Smbatyan, analyst at “Social Networks” Agency, tweets [ru] from the Russian State Duma “Internet Law” hearing. The draft of the law that would regulate online activity in Russia can be found here [ru].
Bahrain: A Full-Scale Attack
Protesters at Bahrain's Pearl (Lulu) Roundabout were dispersed early this morning, as military and police forces have waged a full-scale attack on them.
Bahrain: State of National Security Called
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.
Russia: Police Requests IP Data of a Designer For Drawing Political Posters
Mr Edisonic writes [ru] about a graphic designer known as “Isabelle.” After Isabelle drew a series of political posters (most of the mock the ruling party “United Russia”) [ru] and posted them at NevinkaOnline.ru, police have requested [ru] her IP-address. The discussion of the case here [ru].
Bahrain: Letter from a Blogger, as Saudi Troops Enter
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.
Russia: Will Prosecutor's Office Use Crowdsourced Data To Fight Illegal Gambling?
While discussing the issue of illegal gambling with the Prosecutor General, President Medvedev has stated that the Prosecutor's office can use crowdsourced data of gdecasino.ru, a mapping portal offering users the ability to map illegal gambling sites, interfax.ru reported [RUS]. Right after the news broke, the site went down, though....
Libya: Al Jazeera Cameraman Dies in Ambush
An outpouring of support has followed news that Ali Hassan Al-Jaber, a cameraman for Al Jazeera television from Qatar, was killed during an ambush near Benghazi, Libya. This report is part of our special coverage 'Libya Uprising 2011'.
Japan: Onagawa, the Hometown I Once Knew
A personal account of evacuation in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture: Twitter user @kombu_s evacuated to Sendai City and posted tweets and images from her journey, saying "I am an ordinary person that went to pick up her family."
Japan: Fear in Fukushima
The day after a 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, an explosion at Fukushima Daiichi power plant, 150 miles north of Tokyo, is causing both fear and confusion on Twitter about what may happen next.
Philippines: Tsunami Monitoring and Quake Hoax
Following the strong earthquake that rocked Japan, a tsunami alert was issued in 19 coastal provinces of the Philippines. #Batanes and #Samar became global trending twitter topics. Batanes refers to the northern province of the country while Samar refers to the false report that an earthquake hit the Samar province
Japan: Tsunami Strikes Coast, Leaves Nothing in Wake
Following the country's largest earthquake in recorded history, Japan is being hit by it's most ferocious tsunami. People across the country are glued to their TV screens as scenes of a tsunami measuring more than 7 meters in height sweeping away cars and buildings flashes across the news.
Largest Earthquake in Recorded History in Japan
On Friday, March 11, 2011 at 2:46:23 p.m. local time, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, the largest in recorded history.
Photos of Quake in Japan, by Tweeps
South Korea’s citizen media, Wiki Tree posted photos [ko] of quake in Japan, sent by Tweeters.
Japan: Russian Twitterers Report the Earthquake
The attention of Russian twitter-o-sphere is riveted on six Russian-speaking Twitterers that are currently reporting from Japan (all of them situated in different locations of the country): @msvetov, @japanreports, @mig22k, @sanmai, @touzoku, and @harunoko.
Yemen: Did Government Use Nerve Gas on Protesters? (Videos)
Doctors say the protesters attacked by Yemen's security forces on Tuesday (March 8) showed different symptoms than those usually exhibited by victims of tear gas. Some of the protesters had convulsions, they lost muscular control and some were even temporarily paralyzed. It begs the question: Did Yemen's government use some form of nerve agent on its own people?
Gabon: Two Rival Presidents, One Accused of Embezzlement
As the power struggle between two opposing presidents continues in Gabon, Ali Bongo (the official president) now stands accused of "misappropriation of shares for personal profit" in a World Bank suit. Supporters of the opposition led by Mba Obame anxiously await his next move.
Côte d'Ivoire: Fear of Medicine Shortage Looms
The political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire is ongoing, without any prospect of a solution in the short-term. Doctors in the country have warned of the prospect of imminent medical shortages, as a result of embargos that have been placed on ships docking in Ivorian ports. In this article, netizens and tweeps discuss the issue.
