Feeds in the Members' Diary of Development Network
With unemployment still high, job seekers who have been discouraged by a lack of work might be inclined to take the first opportunity they're offered. That will help pay the bills, but it could cause other problems: A new study suggests that some…
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--Japan charity donations: With thousands of people feared missing and concerns about radiation leaks after an explosaion at a Japanese nuclear power plant, rescue and recovery efforts have already begun and are expected to last for months, with…
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A massive earthquake has hit the north-east of Japan, triggering a tsunami that
has caused extensive damage.
Japanese television showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away by a
vast wall of water after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake.
The quake has sparked fires in several areas including Tokyo, and numerous
casualties are feared.
Here BBC News website users in Japan recount their experience of the moment the
quake struck.
Mike Hall, Hokkaido
I live in Hakodate, which is on the southern most peninsular of Hokkaido.
We have been really lucky, my apartment was shook up for several minutes, a few
things fell over etc but there was no major damage.
It is very much like a swaying rolling motion, with jolts that really put the
fear of God in you.
Initially, I didn't pay any attention as we've had earthquakes before. But this
time, it went on for longer and there were several big aftershocks. The last
one was about an hour ago (1000 GMT).
Power and water supplies are fine at the moment and cell phones and the
internet seem unaffected. But we have a major tsunami warning in effect.
The bay area of the city has been flooded, though I'm not sure how badly.
We haven't had any visits from local emergency wardens or city officials. Most
of the information has come through the various news broadcasts
Yukiko, Tokyo
I have never felt such strong quake in my life.
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
I have never felt such strong quake in my life"End Quote
My flat is on the fifth floor (British fourth floor) and the building shook
slowly at first, then more and more violently. It was really scary.
TV is showing a fire in a tall building in the Odaiba area in Tokyo, and also
tsunami waves carrying lorries and cars. It looks like there are more fires
breaking out in Sendai, a major city in northern Japan.
Until a few minutes ago I was with neighbours who jumped out of the building
and shared what little information we had and consoled each other.
Lifts have stopped in our building, and I guess have in most buildings. There
are still aftershocks every few minutes.
Ryosuke, Tokyo
Although we're far from northern Japan, the quake here was very big.
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
The first quake was very long - everyone in the office was screaming"End Quote
The first quake was very long - everyone in the office was screaming. Then we
had another long one about 30 minutes after that. Paper and items were falling
off the desks. We can hear the walls. We can hear the walls going back and
forth.
Things have started to calm down now and some people have started to get back
to work.
Transportation has all stopped. The company has asked us to stay in the office.
Robert Koch, Tokyo
Everything that is meant to be inside is now outside. My beloved audio system
is trashed as is the CD collection.
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
My flat looks like a bomb has hit it"End Quote
Thank goodness it did not happen at midnight with my four-year-old son at home.
None of the trains here are running, buses seem to be fine and no-one here has
been hurt. It was just really scary being in a high-rise building during an
earthquake. My flat looks like a bomb has hit it.
There is almost a buzz of excitement around. I live about 20 minutes away from
central Tokyo. Being a South African, one is not very used to ground that
ripples and wobbles under your feet.
Jeffrey Balanag, Higashi-Shimbashi, Tokyo
The quake shook and rolled our building in Shiodome Sumitomo Building.
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote
There is no panic but I am almost seasick from constant rolling of the
building"End Quote
We are stuck in our offices because elevators are stopped. We are watching the
TV which is showing the tsunami rushing landward.
The trains have been stopped. We can see Yurikamome Line and JR Yamanote Line
stopped.
We can also see fires. You can see the fires across the bay in the Odaiba area.
There is no panic but I am almost seasick from constant rolling of the
building.
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MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - LinkedIn, the Internet social network for professionals, launched a service on Thursday that creates a customized online newspaper from articles being shared by the network's more than 90 million members.
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It said the positive gender indicators in health and education had not always
translated into equal opportunities for women
The UN said: "Sri Lanka has achieved significant progress towards equality for
women with positive gender indicators in health and education; however, these
have not always translated into equal opportunities for women. The recent
progress report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Sri Lanka
highlights a range of inequities between men and women; one of the most
apparent being the labour force participation rate where Sri Lanka records the
twentieth largest gap in labour force participation between the sexes. The
participation of women in parliament continues to be low with only 5.7% of
parliamentarians being women.
"The 100th commemoration of International Women's Day stresses the importance
of equal access to education, training and science and technology to drive
economic growth, empower women and ensure the well being of their families,
their communities and nations. The UN calls on all nations to strive to ensure
the full and equal participation of women in all areas of public and private
life.
This year's theme -- equal access to education, training and science and
technology: pathway to decent work for women, is more important now than ever
before because wide differences within and across countries continue to persist
despite a closing gender gap in education. Women and girls continue to endure
unacceptable discrimination and violence often at the hands of intimate
partners or relatives. In the realm of decision-making, fewer than 10 per cent
of countries have female heads of state or government, and even where women are
prominent in politics, they are often under-represented in other areas of
decision-making, including at the highest level of business and industry.
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his message said the use of
tools such as Internet and cell phone backed by education and training, could
help women to break the cycle of poverty, combat injustice and exercise their
rights.
"Only through women's full and equal participation in all areas of public and
private life can we hope to achieve the sustainable, peaceful and just society
promised in the United Nations Charter," Mr. Ban said.
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