C. RAJA MOHAN Indian Express 13 June 2005 LHASA, JUNE 13 As its internal transport infrastructure expands rapidly, Tibet is looking forward to eventual rail and road links with India and other neighbouring countries to promote greater cross-border trade and tourism. Once it develops tourist facilities near Kailash Manasarovar, Tibet will be ready to receive […]
The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) will allow developing countries whose populations suffer heavily from malaria to continue spraying the controversial insecticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) until an effective vaccine is found. UNEP’s decision, which was announced in early May, is seen as acknowledging a need among developing countries to use DDT to fight malaria, while urging […]
Signs of growth in the Israeli tourism industry may be related to a period of relative stability between Israelis and Palestinians. According to the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, 25% more tourists visited the country during the first three months of 2005 than during the same period last year. Tourism has also increased in the Palestinian […]
Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recently authorized the creation of a 6,500-square-mile reservation for indigenous people in the country’s northern state of Roraima. The president’s decision begins another chapter in a 30-year-long struggle that has resulted in the deaths of more than 20 Brazilian Indians, according to Amnesty International. Creating the reservation will […]
A case brought by Burmese villagers against U.S. oil company Unocal was settled out of court in late March. The company was accused of allowing human rights abuses – including murder, rape and forced labor – to occur during construction of the Yadana oil pipeline in rural Burma (Myanmar) during the 1990s. The settlement came […]
The snow and ice that usually top the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) have virtually disappeared in what geoscientists estimate is the first time in approximately 11,000 years. Environmental activists say the icecap’s loss is a direct result of rising temperatures in recent decades. According to Greenpeace, the damage to Mt. Kilimanjaro is a harbinger […]
Officials from nine Central American countries met last month to work out a plan for looser border regulations – a first step toward operating as a regional unit similar to the European Union. Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama and the Dominican Republic collaborated to change border policies to allow greater freedom in travel and […]
Global warming trends and changes in weather patterns will have disastrous effects across Asia by 2050 unless greenhouse gases are reduced globally, say numerous climatologists and green groups. Citing current weather trends, they predict that, over the next 50 years, rising waters will force residents of many Asian islands to evacuate, water-borne disease will spread […]
Forest department officials in India’s state of Kerela are implanting sandalwood trees with tracking devices in an effort to protect dwindling forests from illegal logging. Once the devices are activated, satellites will be used to monitor forests and detect attempts to cut wood or smuggle timber from forest areas. The trade in contraband sandalwood is […]
