· May, 2007

Stories about Disaster from May, 2007

Israel: Volunteers for Sderot

“Right, volunteers are being called for to come to the aid of citizens in Sderot. Below I’m going to append the information so that folks around and about can get involved if they so wish in the many ways they can help out. I’m particularly interested in going down to...

Lebanon: More on the Crisis in the Country

For the second week, Lebanese bloggers have posted anecdotes, reflections, updates, photos, videos, jokes, sarcasm and drawings on the issue that is taking precedence over all other topics. The issue is the ongoing violence which is taking the form of clashes in the north between the army and the militants and the terrorist explosions jumping from one location to another around the country, writes Moussa Bashir.

Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

If you read nothing else in Global Voices today read this post. I mean it. Everything is here from going to schools in a war zone, review of the latest political scene in Iraq, must-see video blogs, stories of extreme bravery and extreme pathos, a $1000 KFC meal, and if you read to the end, how gays cruise in Amman.

Bahrain: The ‘two seas’ are now a concrete jungle

From 'blog wars' to work ethics, the Bahraini blogosphere is bubbling with new ideas and excitement. Ayesha Saldanha sheds more light on discussions taking place this week about Bahrain's jungle of concrete, compensation for the victims of the capsized Al Dana dhow, the historic Bab Al Bahrain (Bahrain Gateway) and much more.

Syria: Presidential Referendum and Lebanon Clashes

Today, Syria is reelecting president Bashar Assad for a new seven-year term in office. The process is done through a referendum, which means there will be no other challengers. The referendum paper has a green circle that says "Yes" and a gray one that says "No". The result is expected to be 99.xx% in favour of the president - as is the tradition in Syria for the last 37 years. Yazan Badran sums up the reactions of Syrian bloggers here.

Syria: 14 Killed in Bus Accident

“14 people have died after an Iraqi bus crashed on the Aleppo to Raqqa highway. 20 others are injured. The bus had just crossed the border from Iraq, and was travelling on the wrong side of the road. The Aleppo to Raqqa highway is one of the country's accident hotspots,”...

Join the Debate on Darfur 10am (EST) TODAY!

  24 May 2007

Further to our earlier post, here's a quick update on the Reuters Newsmaker event on Darfur, which takes place in New York starting at 10am EST today. Our Sub-Saharan Africa editor Ndesanjo Macha will be live-blogging the event at his blog, Jikomboe, so you'll be able to follow the proceedings there. Reuters will be tossing to the GV team from time to time for questions and feedback, so please leave any comments you may have either on this post or on Ndesanjo's blog. In related news, Reuters Alertnet this morning released the results of its poll on the situation of Aid workers in Darfur (full coverage here).

Bulgaria: Rainy Days

“Dusty Sofia becomes muddy Sofia,” writes Sofia's Hidden Beauty. But – “While nature is ravaging the capital and the region, politicians are suffering overheating after the end of the elections day for Bulgarian members of the European Parliament.”

China: Three Gorges dam

  22 May 2007

Zhaoshilong wrote a very elaborated report(zh) on the environmental disasters (earthquakes, drought, warming effect etc.) as a result of the three Gorges dam project.

Ukraine: High-Risk Politics

LEvko of Foreign Notes writes on the most recent accidents involving Ukrainian politicians. “One thing is certain – participation in top-level politics in Ukraine carries risks,” he concludes.

Earthquake in Laos, Felt in Thailand

  16 May 2007

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck north western Laos on Wednesday afternoon. There are only a handful of bloggers inside Laos and no one has talked about the quake as of yet. In neighboring Thailand, some bloggers wrote about the tremors.

Kenya: National Day of Mourning

  14 May 2007

“Today is the National Day of Mourning for all those who lost their lives in Kenya Airways flight KQ507. There doesn’t seem to be much going on in the way of commemoration apart from flags flying at half mast,” writes Mental Acrobatics.

Arabeyes: Muslim-Coptic Clashes in Egypt

Sectarian strife rocked the quiet Egyptian village of Bahma in Giza on Friday over alleged plans to open a new church. Blogger Nora Younis (Ar) tells us what happened and why. She also criticises the deafening silence of authorities in the civil war which saw the burning of five shops, 25 homes and an undisclosed number of casualties and provides a solution to the crisis.

Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

There's never is a dull moment in Iraq and bloggers tell us why. This week's quick round up of Iraqi blogs discusses venturing out of your house in a war-torn zone, the equivalent of US television shows in Iraq and why one Iraqi blogger refuses to panic in the face of increasing turmoil. Read Salam Adil's report to learn more.

Ethiopian bloggers pay tribute to jet crash reporter

  11 May 2007

Ethiopian bloggers have flooded the internet with tributes to Associated Press reporter Anthony Mitchell who was one of 114 people killed when Kenyan Airways flight KQ507 crashed in southern Cameroon early on Saturday May 5. Anthony worked as a journalist in Ethiopia for five years and led the reporting of violence that broke out after the country’s controversial national elections in May 2005.