Lebanese inventor makes “alive” app for war-torn regions
“I’m alive.” I’ve made that call, maybe you have too. That surreal statement instantly erases panic in whomever’s on the other end of the line. It reconstructs a momentarily unglued world.
natural disasters
Gulf Countries Fear Leaks from Iranian Nuclear Plant
Representatives from six Arab Gulf countries that form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) recently expressed concern about the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Southwest Iran after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale struct the region earlier this year.
Israel’s Earthquake Proof Table Added to MoMA’s Permanent Collection
Students are typically advised to crawl under their desks when an earthquake strikes, but then they often become trapped when the table collapses. Israeli designers Arthur Brutter and Ido Bruno designed a solution to this problem called “the Earthquake Proof Table”. It’s able to withstand one tonne of weight, and meets the needs in developing […]
Solar Bridge in Pakistan Replaces One Swept Away by Floods
As if they didn’t have enough trouble on their hands, residents of 15 towns and 45 villages in Pakistan’s Swat Valley have been completely stranded since a bridge linking them was swept away by last year’s floods. This isolation officially ended last Friday when the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Pakistan inaugurated a new 448 […]
Saudi Jails 21 People for 100 Drowning Deaths
At least 1833 people died when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, but – as far as we know – nobody went to prison for building houses on land that had sunk 17 feet below sea level in New Orleans. But Saudi Arabia recently sentenced nearly two dozen people to prison in connection […]
Croatian Firm to Design Istanbul’s First Disaster Prevention & Education Center
Radionika Arhitekture from Croatia won an international design competition to design Instanbul’s Disaster Prevention and Education Center, which is hoped to create more public awareness about earthquakes in particular. In the last two months, two large earthquakes in Turkey claimed a total of 670 lives – deaths that might have been prevented with better disaster […]
The Green Sheikh Calls for Action Against Ecological Crimes
Pictured on the far left, the Green Sheikh took a break from his environmental activism to support breast cancer awareness at a polo event in the United Arab Emirates. We have been warned that the earth has reached a dangerous borderline. Here I’ll give you my personal opinions about the environment, in order to hopefully […]
Breaking News: Devastating 7.3 Earthquake Hits Eastern Turkey
A devastating earthquake has hit Turkey near its border with Iran. A 1976 earthquake in the same vicinity killed 5,000 people. The Kandilli Observatory has reported that a very powerful earthquake measuring up to 7.3 on the richter scale has hit near the city of Van in eastern Turkey. Described as devastating and expected to […]
Amazing Water Capsule Makes Escaping Global Flooding a Dream
If you are a victim of global flooding, how do you want to float out? If there’s going to be a global flood of epic proportions, we may as well approach it with imagination and style. That’s the thinking behind this crazy Water Capsule designed by Jay Stoughstenger. With global temperatures gradually increasing, there has […]
How Climate Change Threatens Alexandria, Casablanca, and Tunis
In the coming decades, natural disasters could costs Alexandria, Casablanca, and Tunis $1 billion each. The Middle East/North Africa region is the second most vulnerable to climate change, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC). Especially vulnerable are some of North Africa’s most famous cities, including Alexandria, Casablanca, and Tunis. A new World […]