Must the poor go hungry just so the rich can drive? | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian

Must the poor go hungry just so the rich can drive? | George Monbiot | Comment is free | The Guardian: "Biofuels are the means by which governments in the rich world avoid hard choices. Rather than raise fuel economy standards as far as technology allows, rather than promoting a shift from driving to public transport, walking and cycling, rather than insisting on better town planning to reduce the need to travel, they have chosen to exchange our wild overconsumption of petroleum for the wild overconsumption of fuel made from crops. No one has to drive less or make a better car: everything remains the same except the source of fuel. The result is a competition between the world's richest and poorest consumers, a contest between overconsumption and survival."

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Insight: A year on, Nigeria's oil still poisons Ogoniland | Reuters

A man samples crude oil at the bank of a polluted river in Bidere community in Ogoniland in Nigeria's delta region August 20, 2011. Picture taken August 20, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Akintunde AkinleyeInsight: A year on, Nigeria's oil still poisons Ogoniland | Reuters: "(Reuters) - A bright yellow sign above the well in this sleepy Nigerian village says 'caution: not fit for use', and the sulphurous stink off the water that children still pump into buckets sharply reinforces that warning."

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Wikileaks: U.S. cables show Shell controls Nigeria government

m.guardian.co.uk: "The oil giant Shell claimed it had inserted staff into all the main ministries of the Nigerian government, giving it access to politicians' every move in the oil-rich Niger Delta, according to a leaked US diplomatic cable."

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Nigeria regulator wants Shell to pay $5B fine over oil-rich nation’s worst spills in decade - The Washington Post

Nigeria regulator wants Shell to pay $5B fine over oil-rich nation’s worst spills in decade - The Washington Post: "LAGOS, Nigeria — A Nigerian regulator says it wants Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s local subsidiary to pay a $5 billion fine for the worst offshore spill in the oil-rich nation in more than a decade."

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Nigeria: the wages of oil -- death

AFP PHOTO/STRSTR/AFP/GettyImages Photo: Str, AFP/Getty Images / SF

At least 95 killed in Nigeria tanker truck fire - SFGate: People gather next to a burnt minibus after a Nigerian petrol tanker tipped over and pools of spilled oil caught fire in Okogbe on July 12, 2012. More than 100 people who rushed to scoop up fuel after a Nigerian petrol tanker tipped over on July 12 were killed. Children were among those killed, while dozens more were badly burned, despite a warning from troops who arrived at the crash site that a blaze could ignite at any moment. The tanker driving in the southern Rivers state swerved as it was trying to avoid a collision with three oncoming vehicles including a bus, said Kayode Olagunju, head of the state's Federal Road Safety Commission.

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Morocco protests fill Casablanca streets | CollapseNet

Morocco protests fill Casablanca streets | CollapseNet: ""There are more than 50,000 people who are demonstrating to call on the government to start a genuine dialogue addressing our country's social ills," opposition Socialist MP Hassan Tariq said on Sunday.""

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If we had no oil, we would not be attacked.

South Sudan civilians are trapped in conflict over oil - The Washington Post: "Since the attack, there have been more bombings, more deaths and a growing unease that this nation’s prized asset is becoming its biggest misfortune. “If we had no oil,” said Nyak, 27, seated outside her hut, “we would not be attacked.”"

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People of Egypt continue to reject U.S. puppets

AP

The Associated Press: Tens of thousands protest military's rule in Egypt: "CAIRO (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters packed Cairo's downtown Tahrir Square on Friday in the biggest demonstration in months against the ruling military, aimed at stepping up pressure on the generals to hand over power to civilians and bar ex-regime members from running in upcoming presidential elections."

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People of Egypt have to overcome their own army which is funded by the U.S.

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Egypt

To keep access to oil regions, the U.S. backs corrupt governments. The people of Egypt are fighting back. As long as oil continues to be wasted with the auto-and-sprawl system, the oil companies will have tremendous power. As the oil runs out, they will switch to gas. We have to stop the waste, or the wars, dictators, and corrupt regimes will have an endless supply of  money.

Nigeria reduces petrol subsidy, but does not provide free public transport

Egyptian people react furiously to brutality and degradation

Egyptian women protest in Cairo against brutal treatment | World news | The Guardian: "Hundreds of women have taken to the streets of Cairo to protest against military rule and the brutal treatment of female protesters by Egypt's security services." (video)

U.S. backed rulers brutalize people to protect access to Saudi oil

People of Egypt show incredible courage

Eight killed in unrelenting Cairo clashes | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Eight people have been killed as clashes between troops and protesters in central Cairo spilled over into a second day, Egyptian state television said on Saturday."

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Lagos buses make a dent in traffic

Attention dictators and thugs of the 1%. Here is your fate.

Oil thug has lost his swagger.

Photo Reuters

Climate change could push staple food prices up 130% – study | Environment | The Guardian

Zambian farmer Amelia Nyundo in a field of maize which failed to grow due to drought: Maize shortages in sub-Saharan Africa could push prices up. Photograph: Martin Godwin

Climate change could push staple food prices up 130% – study | Environment | The Guardian: "Climate change could lead to shortages and punishing 130% price rises in staple foods within our lifetime, raising the spectre of riots and civil unrest, a new study warned today."

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The Endless Oil Spill | EcoGyrl

The Endless Oil Spill | EcoGyrl: "The full Gulf incident lasted about 1 and 1/2 years, whereas, in the Niger Delta there has been an oil spill for 50 years! To them, the constant spills has morphed into one big one, that has already cost the Nigerian government 10 MILLION dollars a DAY.
The delicate balance that supports the ecosystem around the Niger Delta has been attacked, year after year, day after day. Primates, birds, and mangroves have been killed off, and violence and conflict has been growing. Shell, the company causing the spill, has been told to “clear out” by inhabitants, and people have died while others try to get there point across. Welcome to living life with the endless spill.
"

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Enfin - Algiers' New Metro

PRI

Auto traffic choking South Africa

Lift club portal opens | News Update: "CONGESTION on Joburg’s roads is a daily frustration for many residents, but commuters should bear in mind that transport should not only be restricted to cars. This is according to the member of the mayoral committee for transport, Rehana Moosajee, who also encourages the use of public transport, cycling and lift clubs."

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Public transport drivers threaten to operate buses for free | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt

Photographed by Fouad Elgarnousy

Public transport drivers threaten to operate buses for free | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt: "Striking public bus drivers have threatened to transport the public for free and deprive the Public Transport Authority of income."

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At Least 75 Kenyans Dead After Pipeline Explosion | TheLedger.com

Joseph Mwangi, 34, sits in a state of shock after discovering the charred remains of two of his children, one aged 6 the other of unknown age, at the scene of a fuel explosion in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Sept. 12, 2011. A leaking gasoline pipeline in Kenya's capital exploded on Monday, turning part of a slum into an inferno in which scores of people were killed and more than 100 hurt. (AP Photo | Ben Curtis)

At Least 75 Kenyans Dead After Pipeline Explosion | TheLedger.com: "Mwangi had been feeding his cow when the call went out around 9 a.m. — a section of pipe had burst near the river that cuts through the slum and gasoline was pouring out. Men, women and children grabbed pails, jerry cans, anything they could find to collect the flowing fuel.

Mwangi had planned to get a bucket and join them — he'd done so before with earlier diesel leaks without any problem, he said, and a bucket of fuel could pay a month's rent. "Everybody knows that fuel is gold," the 34-year-old said."

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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."

Drought and flood, flood and drought

Nigeria News ->Articles, Commentary, Personalities: "Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has declared Monday, July 11, as a public holiday after heavy rains on Sunday caused massive flooding of homes and roads across the state. Movement and commercial activities were paralysed, and some vehicles broke down in the heavy rains and passengers were stranded at bus stops."

Millions hit by East Africa drought - The Irish Times - Thu, Jul 07, 2011

Millions hit by East Africa drought - The Irish Times - Thu, Jul 07, 2011: "Some 10 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance as East Africa struggles with the worst drought in decades.

Large areas of Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia are affected by the drought conditions."