Stories from 16 March 2011
Bahrain: Police and Military Clear Protesters in Manama (Videos)
This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011. On Wednesday March 16th, a day after the King of Bahrain announced a State of National Security, police...
Russia: An Alternative Rating of Russian Bloggers

LJ-user Ognenna have compiled an alternative rating of Russian LiveJournal bloggers based on the citation of their names in wordstat.yandex.ru. According to the rating, the most cited bloggers are: Artemiy...
Japan: Tokyo's Crowded Metro

@MIG22K (RUS) is tweeting from Tokyo's extremely crowded metro – here, here and here (a few pictures and short video).
Japan: Social Art and Design for Earthquake Relief
Three design-related projects have emerged out of the destruction of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeast coast of Japan last Friday 11 March, 2011. They encourage the sharing of artwork and logos to help in the wake of the disaster.
Brazil: Two more cyclists get hit in Porto Alegre
Two cyclists were run over on March 13 in Porto Alegre, informs the blog Massa Crítica (Critical Mass) [pt]. Just a few days before, Global Voices had reported on a...
East Timor: Konis Santana, a Humble Guerrilla Hero
Like any country born out of a protracted armed resistance, stories in East Timor of division from within the resistance are various, and quite potent. But one guerrilla figure who appears to have a powerful and unifying appeal is Konis Santana, who never lived to see his people gain independence.
Brazil: International Women's Day and Amnesty
As part of the celebrations of the International Women's Day, on March 8, six former political prisioners received the offical amnesty by the Brazilian Government, says [pt] Rogério Tomaz Jr,...
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.
East Timor: Why is Transparency Important?
Curt Hopkins, from the blog ReadWriteWeb, comments on the Timor Leste Transparency Portal [en, pt, tet], recently launched by the Timorese Government. Hopkins raises some questions on the relevance of...
China: Rap on Chinese Price
Ministry of Tofu translates a parody rap on the soaring consumer prices in China.
China and Japan: Complicated Relationship
Jottings from the Granite Studio has two posts looking into the the Sino-Japanese relation. The first post depicts a mixture of envy and empathy; the second post looks into the...
China: Netizens Admire Japan’s Post-Earthquake Behavior
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translates Chinese netizens comments on the orderly reaction of Japanese people to the earthquake.
Ukraine: Comparing Fukushima to Chernobyl?
The media are increasingly present the situation at Fukushima as the world’s worst nuclear accident since the Soviet-era Chernobyl disaster. This news has hit home in Ukraine, where Chernobyl is located and where memories of the terrible events of 25 years ago are still very much alive.
Taiwan: Problems with Chinese-language pedagogy
Lao Ren Cha discusses problems with the pedagogy of teaching Mandarin in Taiwan. She wants to see a mutiny that will result in an overhaul in how Mandarin is taught.
Lebanon: Bloggers Snub Hariri Rally
Inspired by uprisings across the Arab world, former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri held a rally in Beirut on Sunday calling for the disarming of the powerful Shi'ite Hezballah movement. Despite attracting thousands of supporters to the rally, Hariri failed to make an impact online as the Lebanese blogosphere largely snubbed his demonstrations.
Bahrain: Bloody Crackdowns on Villages
On Tuesday, before King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa announced a State of National Security giving powers to the army and other forces to secure the country, police carried out crackdowns across a number of villages in the central area in Bahrain.
Taiwan: Country's Nuclear Power Plants Are High Risk
The nuclear power plants in Taiwan are not immune to the force that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The panic escalates when the fourth nuclear power plant was ordered to be rush into operation in 2011.