(November 6, 2006) Protests by the World Bank that odious regimes should not receive funding from new lenders ring hollow when viewed alongside the loans that have been knowingly made to oppressive and corrupt regimes, senior economist for the UK-based think tank, New Economics Foundation (NEF), Stephen Mandel writes.
Soft power and hard raw materials: China’s African campaign
(November 6, 2006) Hailed by some as a diplomatic triumph, China’s meeting with the representatives of 48 African states in Beijing at the weekend has also been described as another shift in the geopolitical center of gravity and a sign that China’s economic growth over the last two and a half decades has increasingly global implications.
Yunnan appoints acting governor
Xinhua November 6, 2006 Kunming: Qin Guangrong was appointed acting governor of southwest China’s Yunnan Province on Monday and Luo Zhengfu was appointed vice governor. The appointment was made at the 25th […]
Standards, what standards? A critique of the World Bank’s new model dam project in Lao PDR
(November 5, 2006) Full text of presentation at the Global Perspectives on Large Dams Conference: Evaluating the State of Large Dam Construction and Decommissioning Across the World. The speech was published in a report of the conference held November 3-5, 2006.
China to begin construction of another hydropower plant on Yangtze River
(November 4, 2006) China will begin working on another hydropower station on Yalong River, a major tributary on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, this month.
Taiwan’s premier faces corruption case
(November 3, 2006) Pressure is mounting for Taiwan President Chen Shun-bian to resign: his wife, Wu Shu-chen, and three former presidential aides, face charges of graft and embezzlement; prosecutors say there is evidence to charge the president as well − once he loses the immunity he has while in office.
Water quality remains sound at Three Gorges Dam area
(November 1, 2006) Little water pollution has been detected at the Three Gorges Dam area since the water level of the gigantic dam reached the 156-meter mark on Friday, the latest monitoring reports show.
Multinational corporations in China blacklisted for pollution
(November 1, 2006) A pollution blacklist has been issued by the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, a Chinese NGO.
Foreign aid: This kind of ‘help’ is just no help at all
(October 31, 2006) The multi-billion dollar aid industry has largely failed in Africa. Not only have they failed along with others in the aid industry, most nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have become part of the problem. Not that they will admit their failure.
Odious Debt: definition, application and context
(October 30, 2006) The co-author of Advancing the Odious Debts Doctrine addresses how the doctrine can be applied and in which contexts.
Three Gorges generating units pass full generation capacity test
(October 30, 2006) Fourteen generating units of the Three Gorges Project, the world’s largest hydropower plant, have passed a 72-hour full operating capacity test, an official in charge of the project said on Sunday.
Seismologists: further destructive earthquakes in China city unlikely
(October 30, 2006) Seismologists in central China’s Hubei province have ruled out the possibility of a stronger quake jolting Suizhou city, which was hit Friday by an earthquake measuring 4.7 degrees on the Richter scale.
Pollution threatens China’s oldest hydropower station
(October 30, 2006) Water pollution is threatening China’s oldest hydropower station — built nearly a century ago — and has forced it to halt operation several times.
Experts: Dongting Lake to disappear after a century
Changsha: Dongting Lake, the second biggest freshwater lake in China, will completely disappear from the earth because of accumulated silt after a century, experts have warned.
Weeding out corruption
(October 29, 2006) A recent Vatican document summarizing some of the lessons learned in the fight against corruption recommends increased public exposure of wrongdoers and punishment for the guilty, as well as more cooperation between governments in extraditing criminals.
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