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Reservoir-Triggered Seismicity in Armenian Large Dams

(Fall 2009) Reservoir-triggered seismicity (RTS) is a phenomenon, which has been observed in several large dam projects all over the world, especially for the reservoirs which are constructed in seismically active regions. Practically all the territory of the Republic of Armenia is characterized as the high seismic active area. A review of reservoir triggered seismicity in Armenia shows that it mainly occurs in large dams which are located near active faults. In this paper it has been shown that the number of microearthquakes increase after Tolors reservoir operation, cause changes of seismic regime in the observed regions.

Needed: Economists, not accountants, to manage the Philippine economy

(October 21, 2009) A recent article in the Filipino broadsheet Business Mirror by Walden Bello – a Member of the House of Representatives – suggests that one way to spur the country’s economy would be to renegotiate some of its debts with creditors. Mr. Bello says the mood for refusing to pay back odious debts or for declaring moratoria on debt repayments has never been higher. Because of this sentiment, the government should look for ways to either suspend debts payments, or seek ways to eliminate this debt, as some of it was taken under suspicious circumstances.

UK taxpayers foot the bill for PR campaigns by foreign aid groups, says UK economic development think-tank

(October 20, 2009) Stimulus packages aside, the so-called “Great Recession” is forcing government leaders across the world to look for ways to cut back on the cost of public services. No sector, or service, will be spared they say. But Carl Mortishead, writing in The Times, reports there is one government office in the UK that—far from being forced to trim costs—will be given a larger budget: The Department for International Development (DfID), the British government’s foreign aid flagship.

China’s guest of honour status at fair debated by Chinese writers

(October 17, 2009) Frankfurt – Exiled Chinese authors attending the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany disagreed amongst themselves Wednesday about whether the invitation of China to the event as guest of honour was a good or a bad thing. This year’s fair has been unusually controversial after China tried to prevent critical authors attending, breaking an unwritten rule that free speech reigns at the annual book-publishing show.

China’s guest of honour status at fair debated by Chinese writers

(October 17, 2009) Exiled Chinese authors attending the Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany disagreed amongst themselves Wednesday about whether the invitation of China to the event as guest of honour was a good or a bad thing. This year’s fair has been unusually controversial after China tried to prevent critical authors attending, breaking an unwritten rule that free speech reigns at the annual book-publishing show.

Throwing the book at China

(October 16, 2009) Every October, the German city of Frankfurt hosts the world’s biggest book fair. The event is no stranger to local controversy. Yet the storm brewing between the fair’s organizers and China is of global importance, because it will expose the limits of Beijing’s tolerance for free speech.

Why all the “Howling” about Sudan’s debt?

(October 16, 2009) Mr. Badawi in his recent post “Indebted to the Save Darfur Coalition?” plays loose with the numbers and the definition of Sudan’s “odious” debt. In addition, he mischaracterizes the objectives of the Save Darfur Coalition’s position related to how the international community should deal with Sudan’s debt crisis and ignores the coalition’s support thus far of the Obama Administration’s engagement strategy with Khartoum.