(October 14, 2006) (Article excerpt) … [Engineering professor Maria Feng and her colleagues at University of California (Irvine)] have developed sensors that monitor stress on everything from bridges and high-rise buildings to dams that are prone to damage from earthquakes. One of the devices is a fiber optic sensor that’s the size of a half dollar.
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Polluters feel impact of ignoring assessment
(October 13, 2006) Eight construction projects have been blacklisted by the country’s environmental watchdog for failing to meet environment impact assessment (EIA) targets.
Three Gorges Dam turbines ready to generate power
(October 12, 2006) Fourteen power turbines on the Three Gorges Dam are ready to generate electricity, a local official said Thursday. The turbines are capable of generating power in full load once the water level in the Three Gorges reservoir reaches the 148-meter mark, which has been recorded on Monday, said Ma Zhenbo, director of the Three Gorges Power Plant in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province.
China's investments in the Third World
China makes huge loans and donations of aid to neighboring countries for gargantuan construction projects quite often. The tradeoff is clear: poor Asian countries get roads, dams and other infrastructure.
E.U. companies guilty in aid fraud, notes Israel Rafalovich
(October 10, 2006) Three European multinationals convicted of bribery in groundbreaking Lesotho corruption trials.
Norway’s historic illegitimate debt write-off shows way for creditor nations
(October 9, 2006) Norway’s decision earlier this month to cancel some of its Third World debt claims after implicitly acknowledging them as illegitimate has inspired debt activists around the world: campaigners in the Philippines have since called on the Arroyo administration to stop paying back suspect loans incurred under former president Ferdinand Marcos, reports Alecks Pabico for Inside PCIJ (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism).
Burma to lose out in Thai energy industry shake-up
(October 9, 2006) Thailand will not rely on Burma for gas supplies or electricity from controversial river hydro dam schemes for the country’s energy needs in the next decade, new Energy Minister Piyasvati Amranand said in Bangkok Friday.
From murky waters grow lucrative deals
(October 9, 2006) From the heights of this sprawling hillside city, the turbid, coffee-colored waters of the Jialing River, sluggish and drawn low by a once-in-a-century drought, seem an unlikely raw material for a thriving business.
China needs daily pollution fines, official says
(October 9, 2006) China should slap daily fines on firms that pump untreated waste into lakes and rivers, because current penalty limits make long-term pollution profitable, an official was quoted on Saturday as saying.
Cargo ships run aground in Yangtze River’s longest tributary
(October 8, 2006) Dozens of cargo ships loaded with coal, sand and ore have run aground on the Hanjiang River, the longest branch of the Yangtze River, due to the lowest water level for 77 years.
Vietnam hydro dams threaten Cambodian food security
A new study predicts hydro dams on the upper Srepok River in Vietnam will reduce fish stocks and make riverside agriculture impossible, with major negative impact on people’s diets and livelihoods.
Norway takes historic step
(October 6, 2006) In a stunning move, the Norwegian government has become the first creditor country to implicitly acknowledge that some of its Third World debt claims are illegitimate and says it will cancel such debts outright and unilaterally. The Norwegian Parliament must now approve the government’s debt cancellation plan, details of which are contained in the government’s budget being submitted to Parliament today. If the plan is accepted, five countries – Ecuador, Egypt, Jamaica, Peru and Sierra Leone – will be relieved of some $80 million they owe Norway.
Top official tough on polluters
(October 6, 2006) A top environmental official advocated establishing legislation that fines polluters each day they violate a reform of the current fine system, which has a set maximum.
‘We won’t win’ unless aid money flows
(October. 06, 2006) Even though Canadian officials admit they are unable to track aid money, they call for millions more.
Water in Three Gorges reservior up 8.58 meters since Sept. 20
(October 4, 2006) Water in the Three Gorges reservoir reached the 144.28 meter mark on Wednesday, a rise of 8.58 meters since Sept. 20 when water flowing downstream was reduced.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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Probe International 