· February, 2009

Stories about Disaster from February, 2009

Bangladesh: Why The BDR Massacre?

  27 February 2009

Shada Kalo analyzes the motives behind the BDR (Border guards) mutiny in Bangladesh and discusses the intelligence and negotiation failures as the horror of massacre of army officers by the mutineers came to light today.

Uganda: Fire destroys Owino Market

  27 February 2009

A massive fire gutted Kampala's Owino Market early Wednesday morning, seriously injuring five people and destroying thousands of stalls. As many as 25,000 traders, mostly women, are estimated to have suffered losses.

Bangladesh: Massacre Cannot be Justified

  27 February 2009

“What do you call it when a group of ‘disgruntled’ BDR soldiers [Bangladesh border guards] started their expression of grievances by open-firing on the commissioned army officers? Mutiny? Rebellion? Revolt? Uprising?” asks Kotha-Chilo. The blogger concludes the post with: “BDR soldiers – now I feel ‘disgruntled’ at your massacre. I...

Bangladesh: Mutiny Is Over, But Question Remains

  27 February 2009

Yesterday it was a tensed day in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The 33-hour long mutiny and siege by aggrieved lower rank officers of paramilitary forces BDR ended as they surrendered their arms in the evening at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters. According to news paper reports seventeen BDR members...

Brunei: Fund drive for flood victims

  25 February 2009

As part of the efforts to collect donations for flood victims, charity drives have been organized in recent weeks in Brunei. The heavy downpour last month caused heavy floods and landslides in the country, affecting homes of more than 200 families, and destroying milllions of dollars in properties and crops.

Indonesia: Tsunami museum

  25 February 2009

A Tsunami Museum opened in Aceh, Indonesia last Monday to commemorate the 230,000 people who died in the 2004 Asian tsunami. But some have criticized the project since they want the government to prioritize the homeless tsunami refugees.

Egyptians on the verge of insanity

  25 February 2009

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Egyptians are struggling to maintain their sanity, faith, and stability. Marwa Rakha presents the following selection from Egyptian blogs which discuss dreams, suicide, unemployment and the gruesome murder of a woman and her children - at the hands of her husband.

Global: Convoy to Gaza Makes History

  23 February 2009

History was made yesterday in the Maghreb as a convoy headed from the UK to Gaza was allowed to pass through the border between Morocco and Algeria, which has been closed for nearly 15 years. The border closed in 1994 after Morocco suspected Algerian involvement in the attack of a Marrakesh hotel.

Egypt: Bloggers React to Cairo bombings

  22 February 2009

A French tourist was killed and around 20 people were injured when a bomb exploded outside the Al Hussein Mosque in Cairo's popular tourist area Khan Al Khalili. And as the world was coming to grips with what was happening on the ground, Egypt's bloggers were quick at work, exchanging updates, information, analysis and concerns.

Victorian Bushfires stir compassion and conflict

  19 February 2009

The grim toll of the Victorian bushfires now has 201 confirmed deaths, including a volunteer firefighter, and 1834 homes destroyed. There have been moving, controversial, bizarre and even innovative responses in the blogosphere to the tragedy.

Argentina: Solidarity with Tartagal

  17 February 2009

Tartagal is a town in Northern Argentina that suffered flooding due to heavy rains. A group of bloggers created a site of solidarity [es] to collect donations and share information about the disaster.

Palestine: A community oven in Gaza

  14 February 2009

Canadian activist Eva Bartlett describes how a community oven has been set up in a village in southeastern Gaza: “For the many villagers who can’t afford, or can’t find, cooking gas and who are exhausting firewood supplies (although the Israeli military’s bulldozing and tank-ravaging of olive and fruit trees provides...

Sudan: Video Declarations on Darfur Genocide by the Perpetrators

  12 February 2009

A video recently released by Aegis Trust shows the testimony of four men who state they actively participated in the violence and massacres on Darfur, and who are not afraid to call it genocide. The video was uploaded on The Hub and it is hoped that people will see it and then pass it on to others in order to spread this information.

Philippines: Dumaguete Flood

  11 February 2009

The roads of Dumaguete suddenly became rivers when heavy rains battered the central Philippine city over the weekend. I Hate My Job shares his account of the flooding along with photos and videos. He also posted more pictures of the destruction left in the flood's aftermath. Meanwhile, Anthology of Snippets...