· January, 2011

Stories about Disaster from January, 2011

Saudi Arabia: Jeddah Rain .. Again

Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Jeddah has been lashed with rain again, bringing back the ill-fated #Jeddahrain hashtag to our Twitterfeeds. Following are reactions from netizens, who poured their wrath on corruption and Jeddah's deteriorating infrastructure.

30 January 2011

Vietnam: Saigon earthquake

Adventure as Miss Saigon blogs about the recent 4.8 earthquake which hit Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Twitterers like MoodyRain, eds_m, and nguyenhimself also tweeted about it.

28 January 2011

A Korean Vessel Rescued from Somali Pirates, Worries of Retaliation Grow

Last Friday, South Korean special forces successfully rescued its 21 crew members who had been held as hostages by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Prudent net users have raised worries over possible retaliation and complaints against mainstream media for neglecting important domestic issues and the efforts of the individuals who have actually saved the crews.

24 January 2011

Haiti: Time for a Change

“I thought that after Duvalier left, things in Haiti were going to improve. What I never imagined was that the leaders who came after Duvalier were going to take Duvalier's...

20 January 2011

Haiti: What About Aristide?

Wadner Pierre wonders how come exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has been granted a diplomatic passport to return to Haiti while the country's former democratically elected President has not been extended...

20 January 2011

Poland: More Reactions to IAC Report – on Microblogs and via Cartoons

The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on last April's Smolensk plane crash has provoked many insightful posts from bloggers, but microblogging platforms - Twitter and Blip.pl - have also become good spaces for Poles to express their opinions, and quite a few of visuals criticising the report have appeared online as well.

20 January 2011

Poland: Initial Reactions to Russian Report on Polish Air Force One Plane Crash

The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on the crash of TU-154M airplane near Smolensk on April 10, 2010, has generated an outburst of strong opinions about the validity and objectivity of the document, as well as the effect it might have on the Polish politics in 2011. Most discussions in various social media are highly negative of the document's content, but gradually bloggers are beginning to elaborate on the topic.

19 January 2011

Panama: Fire in Youth Prison Sparks Controversy

A fire in a correctional facility for juvenile offenders has generated all types of reactions on Twitter and Panamanian blogs. The police officers involved are trying to defend themselves and explain what happened, and on the other side the Panamanian people are divided between those that want heads to roll among the prison guards and those that justify the police actions.

19 January 2011

Haiti: Duvalier Visit Political Red Herring?

A little more than a year after a debilitating earthquake practically leveled the Haitian capital and destroyed innumerable surrounding towns, killing thousands and leaving survivors homeless (tent cities are still full, despite millions of dollars in relief aid pledged), exiled dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to his homeland. Many bloggers are still stunned at this latest political development and remain unclear as to the motive behind his visit.

17 January 2011

North Korea: Drugs Rampant, Even Among Teens

North Korean insiders and defectors have testified that drugs are widespread in North Korea. Most recent reports told that drugs are popular gifts among teens and even ordinary middle-class citizens are frequently abusing them.

17 January 2011

Brazil: Flooding in the Mountainous Region of Rio de Janeiro Devastated Cities

The mountaineous region of Rio de Janeiro is suffering what is being considered Brazil’s most-deadly natural disaster: there are more than 500 fatal victims and countless people left homeless so far. This tragedy, which gives only its first steps in the aid of the victims, still doesn't allow us to assess the damage and the work to be done, but it already brings back the debate about the urgency of creating a policy for climate catastrophes in the country.

16 January 2011