· November, 2012

Stories about Disaster from November, 2012

40,000 Syrian Lives Lost in 20 Months

  30 November 2012

According to human rights organizations, more than 40,000 Syrians have been killed during the 20 months conflict in Syria. The violence in Syria has caused rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation, where 4 million people expected to require assistance in Syria by early 2013, writes Rami Alhames

Iran: Flood Kills Four People

  29 November 2012

Iranian authorities announced on Tuesday, 27th of November, flood in Brozjan killed at least four people. Watch the video here.

Photos From Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

  27 November 2012

A freelance photographer Takashi Ozaki published photos from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The plant was the scene of a nuclear disaster following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. More photos are available on fotgazet.com [ja], an online magazine by Japan Visual Journalists Association.

“8 out of 10 Earthquakes Prefer Chile”

  26 November 2012

Whenever I feel a quake in Chile, one of the first things I do is go on twitter … mainly to laugh. Yes, that is how used to them we are. Rob from the blog South America writes about the recent “swarm of quakes” in Chile and how netizens react...

Bangladesh Protests Against Open Pit Coal Mining in Phulbari

  25 November 2012

In Phulbari, 350 kilometers northwest of the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, local communities have come together to raise their voices against the proposed Phulbari open pit coal mining project. If implemented, it will evict almost 100000 inhabitants from more than 100 villages within a 59 sq. km radius and will create a long term impact on the environment.

Coming out of the Water Closet: Haiti on World Toilet Day

  19 November 2012

Today is World Toilet Day. Of a global population of 7 billion, a staggering 2.5 billion people have no access to clean toilet facilities - that's about 1 in 3 people. Some of them live in the Caribbean; many of these live in Haiti - and the lack of this fundamental human right to sanitation continues to cause unnecessary disease and death.

What is the Role of the Army in Africa Today?

  16 November 2012

The army has often played a determining but ambiguous role in the African political process. Between 1950 and 2000, 53 African countries were subject to military coups leading to regime change. After a period of respite in the 1990’s, the African continent was once again the scene of many military coups in the first decade of the 21st century, with 27 attempts at takeover. Being both a factor in the consolidation and the destabilisation of regimes, the army is regarded with suspicion in most countries and does not seem to know how to adapt to changing mindsets.

Myanmar Hit by 6.8 Magnitude Earthquake

  11 November 2012

An earthquake with a magnitude 6.8 hit the towns of Mandalay, Pyin Oo Lwin, Shwe Bo and Sagaing in Myanmar at 7:40 a.m (GMT+6:30). According to reports, 4 workers died and 25 were injured at the construction of a bridge[my] in Shwe Bo. The earthquake was the strongest to hit...

Red Alert in Guatemala After 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake

  7 November 2012

Reports on the damages caused by the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that hit off Champerico on the Pacific coast of Guatemala are coming in quickly on Twitter. Netizens are sharing photos and reports with the hashtags #TemblorGT, #TiemblaenGuate, #TerremotoGT, #FuerteSismoGT, #TiemblaenGuate and more.

A Mauritanian Blogging Week Against Foreign Mining

  5 November 2012

For a week, Mauritanian bloggers took part in a campaign entitled "Against foreign mining companies." Ahmed Ben Jedou shares with us blog posts and tweets from the campaign, which aimed at exposing the financial, environment, humanitarian and health toll of those companies.

Cuba: “Hurricane” Damage

  4 November 2012

Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter calls Fidel Castro “Cuba's longest and most damaging hurricane”, while Through the Eye of the Needle refers to Hurricane Sandy as “‘The Matador,’ — The Killer — who has come to give the final mortal blow to a bull already greatly injured by stabs...

Saudi Arabia: First Reactions to the Riyadh Explosion

  1 November 2012

A huge explosion rocked eastern Riyadh this morning, sparking a discussion on mainstream media coverage and praising Twitter for being a source of instant news. Initial reports said that a tanker carrying flammable liquid crashed into a flyover in the Saudi capital, leaving at least 10 people have been killed and over 50 were injured. Video footage shared on video-sharing site YouTube shows the charred remains of cars and extensive damage to surrounding buildings.