· December, 2008

Stories about Environment from December, 2008

Bhutan: The Next Data Hub

  31 December 2008

The New Horizon analyzes the economical growth potential of Bhutan in the energy sector. The country has also the possibility of becoming a cyber hub of Asia with the help of increasing data centers being set up by the multinational companies.

Jamaica: Communing

  31 December 2008

“We won’t be condemning the Palestinians or the Israelis…we won’t be contributing to the chaos on frontlines…[we] have decided that our approach will be to help bridge communities”: Jamaica's Abeng News Magazine has a very clear goal for 2009.

Nepal Facing Energy Crisis

  30 December 2008

Saving energy, finding environmentally friendly source of energy is being actively discussed around the world. For developed nations and their developing counterparts, energy is quickly turning out to be one of “the” issues. Fear of energy starved future is now being seriously discussed-from Washington to Riyadh. Nepal, one of the...

Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba: City of Contradictions

  29 December 2008

Trinidadian blogger Tattoo spends Christmas in Havana and comes away with the impression that “the revolution has not achieved a new equilibrium. Instead, it has re-appropriated the inequalities inherent in any capitalist society and ensured that those in power are the haves as opposed to the have nots. And this...

Tanzania: Friends of Ruaha blog

  28 December 2008

Samuel Maina of Theatre of Inconveniences introduces the recently launched Friends of Ruaha blog devoted to the conservation of the Ruaha Park in Tanzania which is “arguably, one of the largest and most beautiful wildlife parks in Africa”, according to him. The post includes a video from the Friends of...

UAE: World's First Refrigerated Beach

  27 December 2008

Dubai's new Palazzo Versace Hotel is set to feature the world's first refrigerated beach, reports Norma of Bloggin’ Banat. She comments: “Clearly, nature is no obstacle for this lavish playground. The beach’s sand will be cooled via an underground system of heat-absorbing pipes and giant wind blowers… Apparently the refrigerated...

Global Health: 2008 Blogs In Review

  27 December 2008

Bloggers in 2008 showed all the ways in which global health is interconnected with other issues, by covering health stories that touched on everything from poverty and women's rights to the environment and economics. They shared stories such as the prohibition of cannabis in Japan, how ads for children's food...

Northeast Asia: 2008 Review

  27 December 2008

The northeast Asia region is becoming more integrated politically, economically and socially. State leaders from China, Japan and South Korea recently signed a Joint Statement for Tripartite Partnership to address the serious challenges in the global economy and the financial markets. Peace talk between North and South Korea continues, while...

Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008

  26 December 2008

For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.

Japan: The year in Japanese blogs

  24 December 2008

What were bloggers writing about this year in the Japanese blogosphere? The year in Japanese blogs at Global Voices included posts on everything from an American Enka singer making waves in Japan, to debates on the regulation of “harmful” Internet content, to the Olympic torch relay in Nagano.

Cuba: Be Part of the Solution

  24 December 2008

Generation Y‘s Yoani Sanchez has the solution to Cuba's problems: “Let everyone speak, no matter whether in complaint or in support of a proposal designed to address the problems…only freedom of opinion will allow those who can advance remedies to dare to do so.”

Guyana: Bridge Opens

  24 December 2008

Living Guyana congratulates the government on the opening of the Berbice bridge, but reserves the right to ask a few questions.

Taiwan: Pandas arrive at Taipei Zoo

  24 December 2008

Two pandas arrived in Taiwan yesterday from China and are now in quarantine at Taipei Zoo. They will go on public display in late January. Michael Turton explains the pandas are likely to be a fad. The Foreigner in Formosa writes that accepting the pandas means sacrificing Taiwan's sovereignty.

Russia: Gas News

  24 December 2008

Siberian Light and Robert Amsterdam's blog write about “the annual Russo-Ukrainian gas crisis”; the latter also writes about the fledgling “gas OPEC.”

Russia, Serbia: Gazprom, NIS, and Gas Prices

  24 December 2008

Streetwise Professor posts an update on Gazprom's “vaporware” in Serbia, which includes a recent resignation of the “anti-Gazprom” Serbian economics minister, Mladan Dinkic (more on that – at Robert Amsterdam's blog). Meanwhile, gas costs $5.80 per gallon in Serbia, according to Bill's Blog: “To put the $5.80 into perspective, the...