Stories about Environment from April, 2010
Trinidad & Tobago: Drought
“Here in Trinidad our reservoirs are at record lows. This combined with severe, chronic, bush fires has meant that food prices have continued to inflate”: TriniGourmet.com blogs about the regional drought.
Azerbaijan: Dozens reported detained at anniversary commemoration
Twitter and Facebook users, as well as local news agencies, report that dozens of youth activists were today detained in Azerbaijan as they attempted to mark the first anniversary of shootings in Baku's Oil Academy which left 12 dead. Although not related to their online activity, among those detained were...
Japan: Plastic duck race
Photoreporter Damoncoulter uploaded original pictures of the duck race held at the second Ashigara River festival in Matsuda city (south of Tokyo). Some hundred yellow, plastic ducks are emptied into the river and “the monies raised are plowed back into environmental organizations that clean up the river and Ashigara area.”
Ukraine: Chaotic Ratification of the Gas-for-Fleet Deal
Below is some of the Anglophone blog commentary on the ratification of the Ukrainian-Russian gas-for-fleet deal, which took place in a chaotic environment on April 27 in Kyiv. Among other things, security guards were forced to employ two umbrellas to shelter the parliament speaker from the eggs hurled at him by opposition members.
Bahamas: Free Markets & the Environment
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith blogs about Earth Day and free market environmentalism.
South Africa: The woes of a South African blogger
Project Me blogs about the woes of a South African blogger: “I know, it’s nearly half way through the day and still ni blog. Well that’s because I’m a South African blogger who has days when I wake up to no electricity or no internet connection.”
Haiti: Visiting the Capital
Adventures in Life visits downtown Port-au-Prince, while Chronicles of an Unplanned Return blogs about Haiti's school system.
India: Drinking Water Problem In Uttar Pradesh
Ram Banshal at India In Peril gives a real life example showing that the priority of the government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh “is not to tackle problems of the poor in a sympathetic way but to make huge expenditures on the display of alliance with the poor.”
Ukraine: Russian Black Sea Fleet Stays On in Crimea
236 Ukrainian MPs (UKR) have voted in favor of the ratification of an agreement allowing the Russian Black Sea Fleet to extend its stay in Crimea until 2042. Ukrainska Pravda posts a selection of photos and video (UKR) of fighting and egg-throwing inside the parliament building this morning. On Twitter,...
Guyana: More than bravado
Signifyin’ Guyana thinks the actions of the country's President have something endearing about them, adding: “I hope it turns out to be a lasting positive part of his legacy…”
Ukraine: Chernobyl's 24th Anniversary
April 26 marked the 24th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Ukrainiana writes about a 1990 movie, “an irony-packed perestroika-era drama offers an X-ray of Soviet crisis mismanagement.” Chernobyl and Eastern Europe reviews three documentaries on the catastrophe. Michael Forster Rothbart‘s Chernobyl photography project is featured in zReportage online magazine...
ICT for Development in Francophone Africa
Although there is undoubtedly a strong push to grow information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives for development in francophone Africa, the region is still somewhat lagging behind their English-speaking neighbors.
Guyana: Jagdeo Wins Environmental Award
Repeating Islands notes that Guyana's President “was one of the six recipients of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEDP) 2010 Champions of the Earth award—the UN’s highest awards for environmental leadership.”
Russia, Ukraine: Gas/Black Sea Fleet Deal
Leopolis comments – here and here – on the gas/Black Sea Fleet lease extension deal signed by the Russian and Ukrainian presidents on April 21.
Bangladesh: Confronting Energy Famine
Kh. A. Saleque at E-Bangladesh decribes the reason for the recent energy crisis in Bangladesh: “not only foreign investors but also the local investors are seemingly disinclined to invest at any segment of energy value chain.”
Egypt: Economic Vegetarians
Red meat prices have risen dramatically in Egypt in recent weeks. Amidst calls for meat boycotts, many Egyptians are being pushed to vegetarianism due to high prices.
Haiti: Food Aid
A mainstream media news story which highlights “the problems posed by continued food aid to Haiti”, grabs the attention of Ellen in Haiti, who says: “The problem with the article is that it just talks about food aid….in Port au Prince. There is so much else in Haiti that needs...
Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago: Happy Earth Day
In honour of Earth Day, Guyana-Gyal wishes everyone “plastic-free…poo-free seas flinging up liquid diamonds”, while Survivein’ Trinidad adds: “A little will certainly go a long way if we all make a conscious effort to take better care of the environment.”
Uruguay: International Court Rules in Paper Mill Conflict with Argentina
The International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled on the conflict between Argentina and Uruguay about the latter's construction of a paper mill on the Uruguay River shared by both countries. Bloggers in Uruguay react to the court's ruling.
Haiti: Threat of Rain
Concern Blogs reports that “the United Nations has determined that 9,000 of [Haiti's] Bourdon Valley’s residents are at immediate risk of losing their lives in this area due to dangers posed by the rains.”
Haiti: Part of History
The Haitian Blogger republishes an article by Melanie Newton which suggests that what happens in Haiti post-earthquake “is a question of world historical significance.”
