February 2008
Thailand’s dirty history
HONG KONG, China, The new prime minister of Thailand has outraged many by refusing to admit that an infamous massacre ever occurred. In two separate interviews Samak Sundaravej claimed that only one person died on Oct. 6, 1976, when police and paramilitaries stormed Thammasat University, killing at least 46 and forcing thousands into hiding. He [...]
Precious froglets arrive in time for Leap Year
What looks at first to be a slimy mess in a Petri dish represents a highly-significant advance in conservation and restoration ecology. Ecologists from both the Sanctuary and Victoria are celebrating the arrival of the first Maud Island frogs (Leiopelma pakeka) to hatch on mainland New Zealand for many years. Clustered together to conserve moisture, [...]
World’s Largest Marine Protected Area Established
Arlington, VA - The small Pacific Island nation of Kiribati has become a global conservation leader by establishing the world’s largest marine protected area - a California-sized ocean wilderness of pristine coral reefs and rich fish populations threatened by over-fishing and climate change.
The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) conserves one of the Earth’s last intact [...]
Sea Shepherd Launches Seal Defense Campaign 2008!
Captain Paul Watson and some of his crew will not rest after defending whales when they return to Australia after three and a half months of chasing and harassing Japanese whaling ships, and will instead continue on to defend baby seals.
Within days of returning to Australia in late March, they will be flying halfway around [...]
Secretary-General Ban welcomes accord ‘breakthrough’ in Kenya
Urging further measures to end the deadly tensions that erupted after disputed presidential elections in Kenya, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon warmly welcomed the agreement on principles for a coalition Government announced in Nairobi today.
“The ‘Acting together for Kenya’ agreement marks a breakthrough toward resolving the crisis and gives hope to the people of Kenya for a [...]
Opportunity or Threat: The US Resettlement Offer for the Bhutanese Refugees
According to Bhutan’s State media on 21 February 2008, the Bhutanese security forces arrested eight people from the Nepali speaking minority in Bhutan. They were detained in connection with a series of bombings apparently aimed at disrupting the forthcoming elections. The Bhutanese security forces claimed that the detained persons are members of the Communist Party [...]
New Land Use Alliance Focussed on Planting Eroding Land
Some of the countrys largest exporting companies have joined forces to seek changes to the proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that they say will encourage the planting of more than 800,000 hectares of seriously eroding hill country land.
The Flexible Land Use Alliance, launched in Wellington today, consists of Blakely Pacific Ltd, Carter Holt Harvey Ltd, [...]
Security Council Should Take Decisive Action Against Sudan for Recent Attacks
(New York) The UN Security Council should strongly denounce the Sudanese governments recent bombardment of civilian villages in West Darfur and impose targeted sanctions on those responsible, Human Rights Watch said in a letter today. Human Rights Watch warned that the Councils inaction has given Sudan a green light to continue attacking civilian targets, [...]
Non-GM Breakthroughs Leave GM Behind
Non-GM breakthroughs keep coming thick and fast for problems that GM proponents claim require GM, but GM solutions, if any, are years away. Does the mention of allergen-free peanut, salt-resistant wheat, beta-carotene rich sweet potato, and virus-resistant cassava make [...]
Wellingtons Air Quality Safety Agencies Are Dangerously Misleading
Failure by Greater Wellington Regional Council, CentrePort and the Department of Labour to detect toxic methyl bromide gas at CentrePorts Port Wellington boundary on Tuesday shows that monitoring is inadequate, according to the Soil & Health Association.
Following log fumigation under tarpaulins, a large volume of neurotoxic methyl bromide gas was released at Wellingtons waterfront on [...]
Serbia: Protect Civil Society and Minorities
Serbias government should act quickly to reduce the dangerously hostile climate for human rights groups, independent journalists and ethnic minority communities in the country, Human Rights Watch said today. The Serbian government should speak with one voice against violence as a means of protest and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric, said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central [...]
UK Soil Association response to Horizon programme on Organics
A BBC Horizon programme, Professor Regan’s Supermarket Secrets’ due to be broadcast on Tuesday, 26 February claims that there is little scientific evidence of organically produced food having any nutritional differences or benefits compared to non-organic food. Robin Maynard, Campaigns Director of the Soil Association said, “Contrary to the programme’s assertions there’s a large body [...]
Potential Health Hazards of Genetically Engineered Foods
This article discusses the potential health risks of genetically engineered foods (GMOs). It draws on some previously used material because its importance bears repeating. It also cites three notable books and highlights one in particular - Jeffrey Smith’s “Genetic Roulette: The Documented Health Risks of Genetically Engineered Foods.” Detailed information from the book is featured [...]
Pesticides & Breast Cancer: A Wake Up Call
Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa New Zealand announces the launching of an important new book Pesticides & Breast Cancer: A Wake Up Call, authored by New Zealand scientist, Dr Meriel Watts.
Three years in the writing, Pesticides & Breast Cancer: A Wake Up Call is a thorough assessment of the scientific evidence showing how exposure to [...]
NZ relying on diesel generation in February
National Party Energy spokesman Gerry Brownlee says the Governments energy strategy is in turmoil, leaving Labours climate change strategy in tatters. Its still summer, and stand-by generation capacity has been needed six times in February. Contact Energy has confirmed Whirinaki has burned around 1.15 million litres of diesel so far this February, on three occasions [...]
Show you care Fonterra - dont pick up the milk
The Green Party is challenging Fonterra to back up its disappointment over the many milk suppliers who are still breaking the law and polluting waterways by refusing to pick up the milk from those recalcitrant polluters. We welcomed the Clean Streams Accord in May 2003 and we congratulate those farmers doing the right thing by [...]
Orange roughy court decision show changes are needed
The Environment and Conservation Organisations today expressed its disappointment that the High Court had overturned a decision of the Minister of Fisheries, Jim Anderton, to reduce the quota for the northern orange roughy fishery. ECO spokesperson, Barry Weeber, said ECO considered the Ministers decision to cut the roughy quota was long over-due and the Court [...]
Bhutan: Start Of Government Crackdown
Like in early ninetys, the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) started crackdown in Bhutan. On 16th February 2008 a team of Royal Bhutan Police with arms went to the house of Lal Bahadur Chettri, who was arrested in May/ June 2007 on allegation of being the Communist Party of Bhutan (CPB-MLM) member and is in [...]
Arab League: Reject Proposal to Restrict Satellite Broadcasts
Arab governments should publicly reject those elements of a proposed regional policy on satellite television broadcasting that would seriously restrict freedom of expression and information, Human Rights Watch said today. During their meeting in Cairo on February 12, Arab ministers of information adopted Principles for Organizing Satellite Broadcast and Television Transmission and Reception in [...]
Miliband’s moment of truth
In a recent speech in honour of the Burmese opposition leader Aug San Suu Kyi, David Miliband said the UK should be on the side of what he called the ‘civilian surge’, those pushing for greater freedom and democracy in authoritarian states. Furthermore, the foreign secretary argued that being on the side of democracy abroad [...]
Svalbard’s Doomsday Vault: The Global Seed Vault Raises Political/Conservation Debate
The swarm of media attention focusing on today’s opening of the Global Seed Vault in Norway’s high Arctic may overshadow an even bigger news story. Yesterday, 26 February, the Norwegian government pledged to give 0.1% of money spent on commercial seed sales to support Farmers’ Rights, and challenged other governments to do the same. The [...]
Renewable Energy Accelerates Meteoric Rise 2007 Global Status Report Shows Perceptions Lag Reality
Washington, D.C.-The renewable energy industry is stepping up its meteoric rise into the mainstream of the energy sector, according to the REN21 Renewables 2007 Global Status Report. Renewable energy production capacities are growing rapidly as a result of more countries enacting far-reaching policies. Prepared by the Renewable Energy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) [...]
Compost can turn agricultural soils into a carbon sink - but no match to biochar
Applying organic fertilizers, such as those resulting from composting, to agricultural land could increase the amount of carbon stored in these soils and contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research published in a special issue of Waste Management & Research. The findings are interesting, but the bioenergy community has [...]
UK/US: Revelations about detention flights in Diego Garcia highlight need for full inquiry
Further inquiries into allegations of rendition flights announced by the UK government should not be a substitute for a full, independent investigation into any other UK involvement in renditions, Amnesty international said following the admission by the US and UK governments that two rendition flights had landed in Diego Garcia in 2002.
“As recognized by the [...]
Vast amounts of hazardous electronic waste unaccounted for
Amsterdam - The fate of large quantities of electronic waste is unknown, according to a Greenpeace report Toxic Tech: Not in Our Backyard, published today. While some electronic waste may be accounted for by storage in attics or garages, much may be disposed of with mixed waste in landfills and incinerators or exported - often [...]
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