Secret files expose global impact of shadow banking – ‘I’ve never seen anything like this. This secret world has finally been revealed.’

[cf. Shadow banking grows to $67 trillion industry, regulators say] By Gerard Ryle, Marina Walker Guevara, Michael Hudson, Nicky Hager, Duncan Campbell, and Stefan Candea3 April 2013 (icij.org) – A cache of 2.5 million files has cracked open the secrets of more than 120,000 offshore companies and trusts, exposing hidden dealings of politicians, con men […]

Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge: ‘Climate change is a national security threat’

By  Robert J. Vickers | rvickers@pennlive.com   25 February 2013 WASHINGTON (Penn Live) – Former Gov. Tom Ridge joined 37 prominent political figures at that U.S. Capitol Monday calling for policymakers to figure climate change into national security strategy and budget considerations. “The U.S. national security community, including leaders from the military, homeland security, and intelligence, […]

An avalanche of decline: Snow leopard populations are plummeting

By Erica Santana 3 January 2013 The trading of big cat pelts is nothing new, but recent demand for snow leopard pelts and taxidermy mounts has added a new commodity to the illegal trade in wildlife products, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Traditionally, the market for large cat products has centered around tiger […]

FAO chief warns Pakistan of future floods – ‘The emergency triggered by climate change is unfolding fast’

By Sikander Shaheen6 December 2012  ISLAMABAD (The Nation of Pakistan) – A top UN diplomat has cautioned that Pakistan faces potential threat of flash flooding for the next year, saying that over a million flood-affectees in Sindh are still in need of food assistance. “Climate change is causing extremely unexpected changes in the weather, a […]

Graph of the Day: Flood Extent and Standing Water in Pakistan, 9 October 2012

16 October 2012 (ReliefWeb) – Flash floods prompted by monsoon rains across Pakistan in the third week of August 2012 affected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) provinces, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ & K) state. A second spell of monsoon rainfall started over the southern parts of the country from the end […]

Floods trigger humanitarian crisis in Pakistan – Donations urgently needed for UN aid efforts

12 October 2012 (United Nations) – With nearly five million Pakistanis hit by floods that have already claimed some 400 lives, ruined tens of thousands of houses and vast swathes of crops, and left hundreds of thousands living in camps or simply under tarpaulins, the United Nations today appealed for more donations to bolster relief […]

Kashmiri farmers face drought losses without government support – Spring and autumn have disappeared due to climate change – ‘We are helpless before nature’

By Roshan Din Shad 10 October 2012 CHAKOTHI, Pakistan (AlertNet) – The failure of Muhammad Saddique’s maize crop following a three-month drought has left him threatened with lack of food and economic ruin. But the government of Pakistani-administered Kashmir, where Saddique lives, seems unprepared and unable to help farmers like him adapt to changing weather […]

Pakistan: No end to humanitarian crises after three successive years of devastating floods

Islamabad/Brussels, 9 October 2012 (ICG) – Three successive years of devastating floods threatening the lives of millions, coupled with the displacement of hundreds of thousands due to military operations and militancy, gives Pakistan’s radical Islamist groups opportunities to recruit and increases the potential for conflict. “Since the democratic transition began in 2008, some progress has […]

Over 450 dead, 4.5 million people hit in Pakistan floods

By Arslan Sharif 01 October 2012 Islamabad – At least over 450 people are reported to be dead and another 4.5 million are said to be affected by floods caused by monsoon rains in Pakistan this summer, especially in the south, said the National Disaster Management (NDMA) on Friday. Floods this year began in early […]

Report warns of global food insecurity as climate change destroys fisheries

By Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent, www.guardian.co.uk24 September 2012 The Persian Gulf, Libya, and Pakistan are at high risk of food insecurity in coming decades because climate change and ocean acidification are destroying fisheries, according to a report released on Monday [pdf]. The report from the campaign group Oceana warns of growing food insecurity, especially […]

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