· March, 2009

Stories about Breaking News from March, 2009

Pakistan: Lahore Police Academy Attack

Today morning Pakistanis were shocked by the news of the attack on Manawan police training school in Lahore. Some 10-12 masked gunmen dressed as Policemen attacked from four sides when...

30 March 2009

Indonesia: “Mini-Tsunami” hits village as dam collapses

Last Friday the Situ Gintung dike collapsed in Indonesia which killed almost a hundred people and injured 190 others. At least 300 houses were destroyed and 1,600 residents were displaced. The extent of the tragedy reminded many Indonesians about the deadly tsunami which hit the region five years ago.

30 March 2009

Indonesia: Deadly dam burst

A dam burst outside of Jakarta Friday dawn which killed more than 50 people. Twitter user Indrika Kurnia writes: praying for my friend's father who was carried away by the...

27 March 2009

Barbados: Suspect Named

“Further media details indicate that the suspect is a 24 year old man. Apparently, the man was found with a camera, jewelry and an imitation firearm”: Bajan Dream Diary links...

26 March 2009

Brazil: Controversial demarcation of indigenous land confirmed

Five indigenous tribes of Brazil have won a 30-year battle to reclaim 1.7 million hectares of their ancestral land in Roraima in the Amazon on the border to Venezuela and Guyana. On March 19, the Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) ruled on the integrity of the Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous land, keeping its size and borders intact as a continuous area, disappointing ranchers and rice farmers who coveted the land.

19 March 2009

Long awaited victory for Baha'is in Egypt

After many years of being denied the right to legal documentation, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court removed any grounds for preventing Baha'is from receiving proper official identity documents.

19 March 2009

Pakistan: Suicidal Attack in Rawalpindi

While Pakistanis were celebrating today's victory for Long March the country faced yet another suicide attack in Rawalpindi. “As many as 12 people, mostly poor people taking the local transport...

16 March 2009

Pakistan: Triumph of Democracy

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry has been reinstated which has fulfilled the primary objective of the ongoing judiciary movement and the Long March. This was announced by...

16 March 2009

Madagascar: A Changing of the Guard?

The Madagascar crisis may have reached a major turning point: the beginning of the end of the President Marc Ravalomanana's regime. While there is still confusion about who is currently in charge, the army seems to have chosen to stand with former mayor Andry Rajoelina. The prime minister's office, as well as the national TV, are now under Rajoelina's control. Twitterers in Madagascar described events as they unfolded.

16 March 2009

Pakistan: Media Muzzled Again

All Things Pakistan reports that GEO News (a private TV news channel) was blocked in different cities of country as crackdown on the Long March continued in Pakistan.

14 March 2009

Paksitan: Where The Long March Is Heading?

Chowrangi reports that a deal may be struck before the ‘Long March’ of Pakistani lawyers movement reaches the capital Islamabad. The blogger comments: “(The) future of Long March will be...

13 March 2009

Bangladesh: Fire At Bashundhara City Shopping Mall

E-Bangladesh is posting roundups of eye-witness reports and photos from bloggers and updated twitter messages describing the fire at Bashundhara City, the largest shopping mall in South Asia situated in...

13 March 2009

India: The Third Front

A number of political parties in India have announced a third front to offer an alternative to the ruling Congress party and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Modern Indian...

12 March 2009

Pakistan: Sharif Brothers Under House Arrest

Open Pakistan reports quoting GEO TV that “Pakistani authorities on Wednesday decided to put Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif and his borther Shahbaz Sharif under house arrest to...

11 March 2009

Pakistan: Live Coverage Of The Long March

A section of the Pakistani Lawyers and political activists have finished all their preparations for a scheduled Long March and sit in protest starting tomorrow to reinstate the deposed judges. Tensions are running high in Pakistan because the opposition leader Nawaz Sharif's party (PML-N) is participating in the protests and the government has started crack down on activists and imposed ban on protests. Pakistani citizen journalists have started to cover the events as they unfold using live blogs, live picture updates, email/SMS and Twitter messages.

11 March 2009

Pakistan: Section 144 imposed

Usman Latif at Lahore Metblogs reports that Pakistan government is trying to stop the upcoming lawyers’ march: “Section 144 was imposed in Lahore and in several other cities of Punjab...

11 March 2009

Sri Lanka: Blast at Akuressa

Musings from Toronto reports that Tuesday morning an LTTE suicide bomber has attacked a Muslim civilian gathering in the south region of Akuressa in Sri Lanka killing 10 people and...

11 March 2009