BRISBANE, January 28, 2011 (AP) — Deadly floodwaters that have swamped huge parts of Australia will cost the nation 1 billion Australian dollars ($990 million) in agricultural losses and billions more in lost coal exports, the nation’s treasurer said Friday. The damage figures released by federal Treasurer Wayne Swan were the first official estimates of […]
By Annalyn Censky, staff reporterJanuary 28, 2011: 5:11 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Food prices have been rising worldwide, as the cost of raw materials and agricultural products surge, contributing to political unrest around the globe. In December, international food prices broke an all-time high when they rose 25% for the year, led by […]
By Marwan Ibrahim Marwan IbrahimSat Jan 29, 5:43 am ET KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) – A worsening water shortage in Iraq is raising tensions in the multi-ethnic Kirkuk province, where Arab farmers accuse the Kurdistan region of ruining them by closing the valves to a dam in winter. “We are harmed by the Kurds, and the […]
COLOMBO, 28 January 2011 (IRIN) – Weather experts in Sri Lanka warn of more heavy rains and possible flooding in the country’s eastern and northern regions. GB Samarasinghe, head of the country’s Meteorological Department, told IRIN strong winds were being predicted for end-February. “Weather experts warn of the possibility of extreme weather again,” he said, […]
By Jeremy Hance, www.mongabay.com January 27, 2011 An interview with Ian Craigie. The big mammals for which Africa is so famous are vanishing in staggering numbers. According to a study published last year: Africa’s large mammal populations have dropped by 59% in just 40 years. But what is even more alarming was that the study […]
By Damian Carrington Friday 28 January 2011 Lester Brown argues the pressures of rising population, consumption, water stress and global warming will pose the first serious challenge to civilisation through our food The world is in the midst of a “food bubble” that could burst at any time: that’s the conclusion of the eminent environmentalist […]
By Anwar Faruqi Anwar FaruqiThu Jan 27, 11:08 am ET BAGHDAD (AFP) – Record low water levels at Iraq’s largest hydroelectric dam have ground turbines there to a halt, amplifying a power shortage that led to riots last summer, a top official said on Thursday. Adel Mahdi, advisor to the electricity minister, said water levels […]
January 29, 2011 (AAP) – Queenslanders are being urged to prepare for the worst as two powerful cyclones threaten to batter the flood-ravaged state. Tropical Cyclone Anthony is hovering off the Australian eastern seaboard, with authorities warning it will increase in intensity and hit landfall as early as Sunday afternoon, local time. It’s feared a […]
By Gregory WhiteJan. 22, 2011, 12:08 PM Food inflation is now a reality for much of the world. It contributed to the overthrow of the Tunisian government, has led to riots across the Middle East and North Africa, driven up costs in China and India, and may only be getting started. Whether you blame a […]
Survey shows almost a quarter of children under five are malnourished in Sindh province, six months after floods By Declan Walsh in Islamabad, www.guardian.co.uk Thursday 27 January 2011 09.56 GMT A “humanitarian crisis of epic proportions” is unfolding in flood-hit areas of southern Pakistan where malnutrition rates rival those of African countries affected by famine, […]
