Stories about Environment from April, 2007
Bangladesh: Water Bully
The 3rd World View on the Farakka Barrage. “Construction of the Farakka Barrage was started by India in 1960 unilaterally violating the international norms of any construction for diversion of water on any international river. It was completed in 1974 to divert Ganges River water into the Bhagirati-Hooghly River in...
Lebanon: Art, Water and Tensions
This week was marred by the kidnapping and killing of two Lebanese youth, bringing back memories from the dark years of the Lebanese civil war. This was the topic updated and analysed by most Lebanese bloggers. In addition to this sad event, there are blog posts featuring paintings, poetry and political analysis about the expected water crisis in the Middle East as well as the huge billboard with photos of the captured Israeli soldiers that was place on the southern Lebanese borders.
Kenya: Kenya Investment Forum in Toronto
Recently, Kenyan blogger and Global Voices author, Steve Ntwiga, attended the Kenya Investment Forum in Toronto, Canada: “I found it very telling that the Kenyan Government choose to present Vision 2030 to Kenyans in the diaspora at exactly the same time that the plan was being revealed to Kenyan back...
Hong Kong: Hollywood Star Chow Yun Fat Supports Queen's Pier Preservation
Citizen reporters at inmediahk.net put up an exclusive report, with youtube clip (zh), on how Chow Yun Fat visited the Queen's Pier at 5:30am this morning (April 28), to show his support for preserving the historical landmark, Queen's Pier, in Situ. An English version of the report can be found...
Japan: Gore's “An Inconvenient Truth” popular among Japanese
Ken at What Japan Thinks reports on the results of a recent survey by MyVoice indicating that almost half of all Japanese want to see “An Inconvenient Truth”, Al Gore's recent film about climate change.
Uganda: Uganda ratifies Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Jackie Tumwine reports that the Uganda government has ratified Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC): “Uganda signed this first ever global public health treaty back in March 2004- the same month that the national ban on smoking in public places came into force.”
Sketches of Contradictions, Complexities, and Beauty of Life in Uganda
Here are some sketches that detail the contradictions, complexities and beauty of daily life in Uganda. In Apac, two women go in search of vegetarian food: Thus it began: the most epic search for food I have ever experienced. We didn’t ask for much: beans, rice, maybe chapatti — something...
Tamil Blogs: Agriculture, Street Threatre and Children
187 countries observed ‘Earth Day’ on April 22nd. This month we have a new blogger in Tamil blogosphere whose blog is titled ‘iyarkai vivasaayam‘ or ‘Ecological agriculture’. In this blog Samsari talks about path-breaking, successful farmers, their techniques and issues related to farming in Tamil Nadu(TN), India. He introduces us...
Brazil: ‘Reverse Globalization’
In an act of “reverse globalization”, a North American in Brazil reports on the ‘Amazonia’ soap opera, the Santo Daime religion, the legacy of Chico Mendes and current efforts to protect of the Amazon forest. Lou Gold reports about ‘Amazonia, Acre and Earth Day‘ at VisionShare.
Ukraine: Chernobyl
MoldovAnn takes photographer Michael Forster Rothbart along on a trip to the Chernobyl-affected areas and posts an account that's both informative and poignant, and comes just days before the 21st anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl Catastrophe: “I felt very sad walking around, looking at the crumbling walls, thinking of everything...
Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko's Article
Taras Kuzio discusses Yulia Tymoshenko's lengthy Foreign Affairs piece – and her allegedly good command of English: “In Tymoshenko’s case we can thank her growing knowledge of English on my home region of Yorkshire which produced her rock n’roll son-in-law.”
Peru: What Didn't Fit in Print
Freelance reporter C. J. Schexnayder paddled deep into the heart of the Peruvian rain forest to profile indigenous rights activist Julio Cusurichi for the San Francisco Chronicle. In his Klephblog, he writes that, “there is a lot more to this story than what I was able to fit in the...
US Virgin Islands: Heavy Rains
St. John has been experiencing some nasty weather – Frank Barnako posts an update, along with a photo of “exactly what many folks on island are worried about – tremendous runoff from the land and construction sites, filing in the bays, and choking the coral.”
Mongolia: Important Bird Areas
Birding Mongolia discusses initiatives to protect important bird habitats in Mongolia.
India: On Corporate “Greed”
My Himachal on corporate play in the state. “Hydro-electric power projects of private firms in Himachal Pradesh are being pushed by local officers who have made it clear to the people that they have vested interest in these projects. Officers of the state government have tried to influence local activists...
A week goes by in Kuwait
The unpredictable weather, shoddy telecom services and the rapid surge in the stock market are just some of the topics keeping Kuwaiti bloggers entertained this week.
Iraq: Oil Law Threats
Iraq's new oil law threatens to tear apart the war-torn country even further, writes Raed Jarrar. “The law threatens Iraq unity through decentralizing the major authorities related to petroleum operations. Many Iraqis view the law as an “Iraq separation fund”. Many observers this that a number of Iraqi separatist leaders,...
Japan: Greenpeace's Anti Whaling Video
James from Japan Probe criticizes Greenpeace's anti Whaling Video as anti-Japanese and inappropriate.
China: How Sand Storm Makes a Difference
Michael, from the Opposite End of China blogs two pictures, one is before the sand storm, the second is taken after 11 minutes. The reader can see how sand storm makes a difference to the environment.
Colombia: Al Gore's Snub
President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia has been attracting a lot of criticism for his alleged ties with paramilitary forces in his country. Because of these unclear links, former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore officially dropped out of an environmental conference where Uribe would be in attendance. The Colombia Herald writes about...
D.R. of Congo: post by park ranger blogger picked up by Voice of America
A blog post by a Congolese ranger about a fellow park ranger who escaped from a rebel group is picked up by Voice of America: “From the post on Tuesday about Jean Marie’s escape from the rebel leader 106, Samantha Newport from the WildlifeDirect team saw the story and wrote...