11 March 2011

Stories from 11 March 2011

Russia: Sochi Mascots, Politics, and Some Twitter

RuNet Echo

In an unprecedented move, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Committee was going to let the Russian people participate in the choice of the mascots, from their creation to the very selection. However, it all got mired by political controversy, "Russian style."

11 March 2011

Libya: Sub-Saharan Africans in Serious Danger

The crisis in Libya since the uprisings against Colonel Mouammar Gaddafi has not only had dramatic consequences for Libyans, but also for Sub-Saharan African citizens residing in Libya. Thousands of refugees are exposed to terrible conditions on journeys to the nearest borders, and numerous black Africans currently do not dare to leave their homes.

11 March 2011

Azerbaijan: Youth Protest in Baku

Inspired by pro-democracy protests in Egypt and Tunisia, youth activists in Azerbaijan took to the streets in actions encouraged and coordinated by social media in what was their largest action staged in two years.

11 March 2011

Nigeria: Nigeria Votes 2011

Myweku.com speaks with Bayo Lambo about his new site, NigeriaVotes2011: “It’s a website and platform where potential voters and the curious alike can visit to view, research and indeed review...

11 March 2011

Cameroon: Twitter Ban Will Stifle Innovation and Development

The government of Cameroon has forced mobile operator MTN to end its five-month old partnership with the microblogging site Twitter and to discontinue its Twitter short code service, Cameroonian blogger Dibussi Tande reports. Dibussi argues that the ban will stifle innovation and development.

11 March 2011

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

11 March 2011

Maldives: Fostering Extremist Ideas

Hassan Ziyau is not happy with Maldive's efforts to suppress extremist ideas where “hate preachers continue with hate mongering and brain washing the youth”.

11 March 2011

Haiti: At the Intersection

Throwing Down the Water witnesses a scene which reminds her that “we contain infinite possibilities. And that if we accept the excuses most easily available to us, we are selling...

11 March 2011

Bhutan: Verdict On Raising Taxes

The Supreme Court of Bhutan has made a landmark verdict ruling that the government violated the Constitution by raising taxes without seeking the Parliament’s approval. Tshering Tobgay has more.

11 March 2011

India: Euthanasia Debate Re-kindled

The Indian blogosphere is buzzing with mixed emotions after the Supreme Court of India rejected the mercy killing petition filed by journalist Pinki Virani on behalf of Aruna Shanbaug who has been cared for and kept alive for 37years at the KEM hospital, Mumbai, India. Conversations abound on blogs, forums, comments on published news posts, Twitter and Facebook.

11 March 2011

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.

11 March 2011

Cuba: “Could Cuba become the next Egypt?”

The popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa have members of the Cuban blogosphere wondering: could Cuba become “the next Egypt”? Although reports and footage from Cairo inspired many posts devoted to this question, few bloggers were optimistic that a similar movement could take hold in Cuba today.

11 March 2011

Japan: Tweets From Lviv, Ukraine

Ukraine-based @hiranotakaci (Hirano Takaci) tweeted this (UKR) and this (UKR) a while ago: “As for the earthquake in Japan, it's chaos in my feeds now. No gas and electricity, fill...

11 March 2011

Japan: In Tokyo after the Earthquake

This post is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011. On Friday, March 11, 2011 at 2:46:23 p.m. local time, an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan, the largest in recorded...

11 March 2011