We have 1 billion cars - but can't feed ourselves

Video: Climate change is cause of Ethiopian drought - Telegraph: "During a tour of the Somali Regional State, Valerie Amos said: “Everything I've heard has said that we used to have drought every ten years, then it became every five years and now it's every two years. And it you don't have the rains at the beginning of the year or towards the end of one year then you are going to have a problem into the next year.""

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Freeways are not free: Ndebele - Times LIVE

Freeways are not free: Ndebele - Times LIVE: Ndebele said that after years of underspending, the government was making "steady progress" towards ensuring that rail was the backbone of South Africa's public transport system.

"As of 1 April 2011, government is spending R30.2bn over the next three years for rail upgrades across the country, with R19.5bn earmarked for capital spending to upgrade existing infrastructure, signalling systems and rolling stock," Ndebele said.

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) was embarking on "a bold programme" to invest in new rail rolling stock worth an estimated R100bn over 18 years.

This would significantly improve the country's commuter rail transport, Ndebele said.

Niger delta oil spills clean-up will take 30 years, says UN | Environment | The Guardian

An oil spill near Oloibiri Town, Bayelsa, Nigeria. Photograph: Ed Kashi/Corbis

Niger delta oil spills clean-up will take 30 years, says UN | Environment | The Guardian: "Devastating oil spills in the Niger delta over the past five decades will cost $1bn to rectify and take up to 30 years to clean up, according to a UN report."

New sleek, fast, train in USA

BusinessDay - Gautrain’s glitch-free opening: "This morning saw the opening of the much-anticipated Gautrain route linking the capital city of Pretoria with the economic hub of Johannesburg.

Dr Barbara Jensen, Gautrain’s head of communication, said by midday the company had transported more than 11 000 people across the newly-linked stations. The average journey time on the new route between Hatfield and Rosebank stations is just under forty minutes.

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele who boarded the Gautrain at Hatfield station this morning, said the opening marked a new era for South African public transport.

'The train travels at 160km per hour, and I didn't even have my seat belt on,' he said from the platform at Sandton station."