(September 28, 2009) The Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), the largest trade show of its kind, turned messy this year before it had even started. At the center of the brouhaha: China, the official guest of honor of the book fair 2009. Or, to be more precise, the row over the revoked invitation of two Chinese “dissidents,” Dai Qing and Bei Ling, to a symposium in the run-up to the Book Fair.
More money, more problems: The World Bank’s way
(September 25, 2009) In the wake of recent financial crisis, the World Bank called on the developed world to drastically increase lending to developing nations. Robert Zoellick and company say that countries in Africa and other parts of the developing world need this money to combat rising levels of poverty and an economic collapse.
China bans author from the Frankfurt Book Fair
(September 24, 2009)The problems surrounding the Frankfurt Book Fair continue to grow, with the Chinese government refusing to allow author and political dissident Liao Yiwu to travel to attend the event in October.
Chinese author banned from traveling to Germany
(September 24, 2009) Doubts have arisen as to whether China is the right country to be the guest of honor at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair
World Bank projects in Kenya suspected of fraud
Internal auditors in Kenya’s Ministry of Finance have discovered losses of about 131 million shillings ($1.8 million) from what the country’s Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta says “appears to be fraud and corruption” in two World Bank-funded programs.
China begins tweaking the price of electricity
(September 22, 2009) The Chinese government is playing economic games with the country’s electricity rates, announcing recently that it is planning to raise hydropower prices. According to Zhang Guobao, the new hydropower electricity prices will be raised in order to “subsidize” residents who were forced off their land to make way for the projects.
The implications of the dispute between Chinese officials and the Frankfurt Book Fair
(September 22, 2009) The dispute between the organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair and this year’s guest of honour at the event, China, has garnered a considerable amount of press coverage. Recently, two articles in the Wall Street Journal have responded to the dispute—first by highlighting the issues confronting Chinese officials in the build-up to an event that is based on free speech and cultural expression, and second by looking at the diplomatic implications of China’s decision to try and censor the proceedings.
Who to blame? UN wants to make auditors of carbon credit projects liable for their work
(September 21, 2009) The UN’s new plan to help regulate the carbon market will make auditors liable for their work, writes Brady Yauch.
Expert: State grid unable to use wind power on large scale
(September 21, 2009) The intermittent nature of wind power output and technical obstacles are preventing the state grid from using wind power on a large scale, a senior engineer from the State Grid Corp. of China said recently.
German Book Fair’s dissident guests roil China
(September 21, 2009) A dispute between China and organizers of the famed Frankfurt Book Fair threatens to overshadow the world’s premier publishing event and become a diplomatic headache for German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of elections later this month.
The Chinese government is not telling the whole truth about the cost of the Three Gorges dam
(September 18, 2009) The Chinese government is vastly underestimating the costs of the Three Gorges dam, says Probe International.
Beijing announced new regulations to ban urban landscape from using tap water
(September 17, 2009) Urban landscape such as fountains and man-made lakes will be prohibited from using underground water or tap water.
The Sino-Indian water divide
(September 17, 2009) As China and India gain economic heft, they are drawing ever more international attention at the time of an ongoing global shift of power to Asia. Their underlying strategic dissonance and rivalry, however, usually attracts less notice.
Chinese officials still angry over the appearance of dissident writers at last weekend’s symposium
(September 16, 2009) A Chinese government official is expressing outrage at the organizers of last weekend’s symposium, which was part of the run-up to next month’s Frankfurt Book Fair, after dissident writers Dai Qing and Bei Ling were allowed to participate in the event.
Probe International signs letter calling for a halt to monoculture tree plantations
Probe International has signed the World Rainforest Movement’s declaration to end the practice of monoculture tree plantations. We urge our supporters to follow suit and sign the petition.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
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Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
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