Scientists find extensive logging and lemur poaching in Madagascar national park, despite moratorium

By Rhett A. Butler, www.wildmadagascar.orgNovember 16, 2010 A biological survey in Northeastern Madagascar has turned up evidence of extensive logging in Masoala National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its biologically-rich rainforest. The findings suggest that harvesting of valuable hardwoods—including rosewood, ebony, and palissander—continues despite an official ban on the logging and export […]

Autopsy of Deepwater Horizon blowout preventer finally begins

By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 4:13 PM Forensic testing finally began Tuesday on a key piece of evidence from April’s Deepwater Horizon rig explosion and well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, and the FBI is keeping a close eye on the work at the NASA Michoud facility in eastern New […]

Years of drought and mismanagement hit Syria water supply, cause largest internal migration in country’s history

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis; editing by Alistair Lyon and Janet LawrenceMon Nov 15, 2010 9:32am EST JUB SHAEER, Syria (Reuters) – The ancient Inezi tribe of Syria reared camels in the sandswept lands north of the Euphrates river from the time of the Prophet Mohammad. Now water shortages have consigned that way of life to […]

Bhopal survivors appeal to Obama

Washington (AFP) Nov 4, 2010 – Survivors of world’s worst industrial accident at Bhopal, India, appealed Thursday for a meeting with President Barack Obama about corporate accountability when he visits next week. Campaigners said that Bhopal activists would head to New Delhi on Monday to hold a sit-in protest during the visit by Obama, who […]

Video: Madagascar’s president linked to illegal logging

www.wildmadagascar.org November 05, 2010 Video released by Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency reveals Chinese rosewood traders have direct links to Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, who seized power during a March 2009 military coup. The undercover investigation found several instances of dealers in China who claim direct dealings with the highest levels of Madagascar’s […]

At least 148 BP oil pipelines in Alaska ‘on the verge of collapse’

By Brett Michael DykesWed Nov 3, 12:01 pm ET All eyes remain on BP’s actions in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of this year’s oil disaster. But a new report suggests the oil giant might be contending with another catastrophe soon enough, as its network of Alaska pipelines appears to be on the […]

We’ve been conned: The deal to save the natural world never happened

The so-called summit in Japan won’t stop anyone trashing the planet. Only economic risks seem to make governments act. By George Monbiot, www.guardian.co.uk Monday, 1 November 2010 21.00 GMT ‘Countries join forces to save life on Earth”, the front page of the Independent told us. “Historic”, “a landmark”, a “much-needed morale booster”, the other papers […]

Oil Spill Commission finds Halliburton’s cement was unstable, failed multiple tests before Deepwater Horizon disaster

By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune Thursday, October 28, 2010, 12:30 PM National Oil Spill Commission investigators have found that the Halliburton cement used to seal the bottom of BP’s wild Gulf well in April was unstable and was used despite multiple failed tests in the weeks leading up to the massive well blowout. What’s more, […]

China’s soaring demand for luxury wood fuels destruction of Madagascar’s forests

By Staff WritersNagoya, Japan (UPI) Oct 26, 2010 China’s soaring demand for luxury wood furniture is fueling the destruction of Madagascar’s forests, says a new report launched Tuesday at the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity meeting in Nagoya, Japan. The report from Global Witness and the Environmental Investigation Agency shows that about 98 percent of […]

In Pakistan, corruption and floods are keeping al Qaeda fat and happy

By Haider Ali Hussein MullickBest Defense chief Pakistan correspondent Monday, October 25, 2010 – 10:53 AM I just got back from my third trip to Pakistan this year, where I examined the scope and scale of its counterinsurgency strategy and al Qaeda’s response. The bottom line is that al Qaeda’s big plans for world dominance […]

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