Stories about Disaster from June, 2010
France: Reflections on Being Part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Miloud was on board of a Greek ship sailing to Gaza with the Freedom Flottilla that was raided by the IDF. Back in his home town of Marseilles, he tells [Fr] Marseille Bondy Blog about his experience.
Bangladesh: The Death Traps
Photo journalist Abir Abdullah at ShahidulNews posts a photo essay on the recent tragic fire in a building in old Dhaka. With lack of building codes and absence of fire fighting measures, these buildings are open death traps.
Japan: Two years since Akihabara knife rampage
Last week marked the second anniversary of the Akihabara knife rampage. Akibasuki [ja] went to pay his respects and photoblogged his visit. The scars of the rampage are still raw in the area: the ban on the vehicle-free zone (hokoten or walker's paradise), which Akihabara was famous for, still hasn't...
Oman: The Aftermath of Cyclone Phet
Oman was hit a few days ago by cyclone Phet, a tropical cyclone originating from the Indian Ocean. This is the second major cyclone to hit Oman in three years. Bloggers report on developments in this post.
Haiti: Grass Roots
“Mainstream media sources in the United States have rarely mentioned this type of local organizing initiated by activists and every day Haitians”: Tande blogs about a few grassroots organisations doing important work in Haiti.
India:Taking responsibility for the Bhopal disaster
Dilip D'souza at Death Ends Fun is bewildered by some of the reactions to the Bhopal verdict and writes that the blame for the travesty of justice in Bhopal lies squarely at India's feet.
Haiti: Farmers’ Rights
The Haitian Blogger republishes a Facebook report that supports Haitian farmers “in their epic fight against the Monsanto multinational corporation.”
Haiti: What Would Jean-Juste Say?
“If father Jean-Juste were alive, what he would say to the earthquake survivors? What he would say to the international and Haitian government bureaucracies?”: Wadner Pierre remembers the late Father Gerard Jean-Juste, whom he describes as “an adoptive father” to him.
Bahamas: Cleaning Up the Spill
“There is oil in the water, disaster in the air”: Womanish Words wants to know what we're going to do about the oil spill in the Gulf.
India: Bhopal Gas Tragedy Verdict – too little too late?
More than 25 years after India's worst ever Industrial disaster, a court in Bhopal has pronounced a guilty verdict on the Indian arm of Union Carbide (UCIL) and also convicted 8 former UCIL officials for negligence in the large-scale, Bhopal gas leak tragedy. Bloggers react.
Malaysia: Petrol station blamed over girl's death
A girl was trapped in a burning car in Malaysia. A bystander rushes to a nearby gas station to borrow or buy a fire extinguisher but was refused. The girl's death was blamed on the gas station. A boycott campaign was launched. Bloggers react
Poland: Approaching presidential elections
Polandian sums up the candidates for the June 20 Polish presidential elections with a twist on the country's election system.
Bangladesh: Burning Inside
Asif Saleh at Unheard Voice writes about a tragic fire in a building in the congested old Dhaka, where more than 100 people died and questions the fire safety measures and medical facilities in the Bangladesh capital.
Haiti: “No” to Monsanto
“Today, tens of thousands of Haitian farmers and earthquake-displaced peasants will gather on the occasion of International Environment Day to preserve the agricultural lifeblood of the nation”: Repeating Islands blogs about protests against Monsanto and their genetically modified seeds.
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Gulf Spill
Labrish Jamaica wonders whether the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will affect the Caribbean, while the incident has made Trinidad and Tobago's This Beach Called Life “think about our very own offshore drilling efforts”.
Guatemala: Video Shows Aftermath of Storm Agatha
A video (in English) posted on HablaGuate shows the aftermath of storm Agatha in Ciudad Vieja, a “coffee-growing community located on the base of the ‘volcán de agua’ (water volcano) just outside of Antigua, Guatemala.” The post also provides a link where donations for relief efforts can be sent.
Syria: Lash Out Continues Against Israel's Raid on Gaza Aid Convoy
The deadly Israeli raid on the aid convoy headed to Gaza to break the blockade has once again brought the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza into the limelight. The political and public outcry has been remarkable and has generated a heated global debate on what had happened. Syrian and Palestinian bloggers speak up.
India: Train Accident And Politics
Words From Solitude captures all the politics after the accident of a Mumbai bound train, which caused death of many civilians. The Maoists derailed it near Jhargram, India.
El Salvador: Storm Agatha Sinking the Country
Conversaciones con Neto Rivas [es] highlights the outcome of storm Agatha in El Salvador, showing an infograph that, according to the blogger, shows that 80% of El Salvador is sinking. The blog also points out that Winter is just starting and authorities should warn about the high-risk areas and begin evacuating people...
Brazil: Freedom Flotilla, Human Rights and Cartoon
Conceição Oliveira writes [pt] at Maria Frô blog about the Freedom Flotilla attacks. Her commentary analyzes the declarations from UN High Comissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay and is ilustrated by a Carlos Latuff's cartoon.
Palestine: “Gaza wanted to greet you as victors”
People throughout the Middle East - and around the world - have been shocked and outraged at the news of the deaths on board the Freedom Flotilla early on Monday. Palestinian bloggers reacted immediately to the news of Israel's raid on the Gaza-bound aid ships.
