Ugandans walk to work to protest high fuel prices

Ugandan police have again arrested three opposition leaders as they tried to continue the Walk to Work protest campaign. The campaign was started by a group called Activists for Change protesting the high fuel prices. They called for protests every Monday and Thursday for a month, in which Ugandans would peacefully protest while walking to work.
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Libyan people are fighting a ruthless dictator

Friday prayers in Benghazi - 2100-Mar-11

Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters

True Friend of Gadaffi - Berlusconi

Colonel Gaddafi, with his ever-present female guards, meets Silvio Berlusconi. Photo: REUTERS

Telegraph - UK

We will not surrender

Libya 17th February 2011

If, one day, a people desires to live, then fate must answer their call » Blog Archive » Enough!Khalas

If, one day, a people desires to live, then fate must answer their call » Blog Archive » Enough!Khalas: "Rulers can only govern with the consent of the ruled—whether tacit or explicit—and this they often achieve through coercion and violence, through the instillation of fear and apathy, and through the creation of illusions: illusions of strength, illusions of indestructibility, and above all, illusions of futility and hopelessness. The latter is the deadliest weapon at a tyrant’s disposal, and represents the most effective way of consolidating and maintaining power over the longterm."

5 Year Old Child Heads Million Strong Demo in Alexandria Egypt

Egyptian Solidarity Demonstration, Pretoria, 4 Feb 2011

An Under-Reported War Over Water

© EVAN ABRAMSON

A young man from the Nyangtatom tribe patrols a water access point on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya. 

An Under-Reported War Over Water: "Almost unnoticed by the mainstream media, the political consequences of global climate change are now playing out in East Africa. Tribes that have co-existed peacefully for centuries along the border between Kenya and Ethiopia are going to war over diminishing water resources as their livestock dies, their crops fail, and they starve."

South Africa floods kill more than 100 - AlertNet

South Africa floods kill more than 100 - AlertNet
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Flooding in South Africa has killed more than 100 people, saturated farms in the major food producer for the continent and led the government to declare 33 municipalities disaster areas.

Ninety-five percent of Lake Chad gone in 50 years

Nigeria | Flickr - Photo Sharing!: "Once serving as part of the floor for a much larger Lake Chad, the area now known as the Bodele Depression, located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in north central Africa, is slowly being transformed into a desert landscape. In the mid-1960s, Lake Chad was about the size of Lake Erie. But persistent drought conditions coupled with increased demand for freshwater for irrigation have reduced Lake Chad to about 5 percent of its former size. As the waters receded, the silts and sediments resting on the lakebed were left to dry in the scorching African sun. The small grains of the silty sand are easily swept up by the strong wind gusts that occasionally blow over the region. Once heaved aloft, the Bodele dust can be carried for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers." Photo - NASA

Flood here, drought there. Climate change everywhere.

An emaciated cow forages for pasture in Daaba in Isiolo on January 12, 2011. Herders are losing their cattle as drought continues to bite in most parts of the country. The government has now moved to tackle the famine crisis in the country. Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI 

By GATONYE GATHURA gathura@kenationmedia.comPosted Thursday, January 13 2011 at 22:00

Daily Nation: - News |Sh236bn needed to tackle Kenya drought crisis: "The first comprehensive Action Plan ever prepared by the government on climate change says the evidence of a warming Kenya is unmistakable and will have serious effects on all sectors of the economy."

Burning up biodiversity: forest fires increase in Madagascar

Burning up biodiversity: forest fires increase in Madagascar: "The number of fires burning in and around forests in the northeastern part of Madagascar increased during the 2010 burning season relative the the year before, according to analysis of NASA data by WildMadagascar.org / Mongabay.com. The rise in burning corresponds to an especially dry year and continued illegal logging of the region's biologically-rich rainforests."

Tunisia - Government shoots people for being unemployed

Developed world, after stealing for years, now wants all forgiven.

Imagine that you live in a small town on a river downstream from an affluent, yet polluting, city. For decades, the city grows richer and richer while it continues to spew out pollutants into your drinking water.

You're not happy about this and demand the city stop polluting and pay you compensation. After years of dragging their feet, city officials finally acknowledge a problem but say everyone along the river should be responsible for cleaning it up, whether they contributed to the pollution or not.

Not very fair, is it?

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/business/Africa+climate+change+costs/4032135/story.html#ixzz19PoqZgme

WikiLeaks reveals how Shell infiltrated Nigeria

WikiLeaks reveals how Shell infiltrated Nigeria: "The petrol giant Shell has thoroughly infiltrated the Nigerian government, newly leaked WikiLeaks documents show. The multinational corporation inserted its employees into every key government ministry to gain unparalleled influence in policy-making in the oil rich Niger Delta. Al Jazeera's Jesse Mesner-Hage reports on how the revelation fits into the decades-long troubled relationship between Royal Dutch Shell and Nigeria."

Railway Gazette: ONCF to buy 14 Duplex high speed trains

Railway Gazette: ONCF to buy 14 Duplex high speed trains: "MOROCCO: Alstom Transport is to supply national railway ONCF with 14 Duplex high speed trainsets for Tanger – Casablanca services under a contract worth ‘nearly €400m’.

The contract, signed in Tanger on December 10, foreshadows the opening of Morocco’s first high speed line between Tanger and Kénitra in December 2015. This 200 route-km section is the first phase of the planned Tanger – Casablanca high speed line. From 2015, the double-deck dual-system Duplex trainsets will operate at 25 kV AC on the high speed line at a maximum speed of 320 km/h and between 160 km/h and 220 km/h on ONCF’s existing 3 kV DC main line between Kénitra and Casablanca."

Climate disruption harder on girls

Climate change poses the greatest risk to the most vulnerable members of society. For this reason, children pay a high price for climate change, often bearing the brunt of increases in hunger, disease, population displacements and resource conflicts. And recent research by Plan International in Bangladesh and Ethiopia shows that girls are worse affected than boys. Plan-International

Reuters AlertNet - Sea level rise threatens Alexandria, Nile Delta

Reuters AlertNet - Sea level rise threatens Alexandria, Nile Delta: "ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Twenty years ago, Taher Ibrahim raced his friends across Alexandria's beaches, now rising seas have swept over his favourite childhood playground.
Alexandria, with 4 million people, is Egypt's second-largest city, an industrial centre and a port that handles four-fifths of national trade. It is also one of the Middle East's cities most at risk from rising sea levels due to global warming.
'There were beaches I used to go to in my lifetime, now those beaches are gone. Is that not proof enough?' asked Ibrahim, a manager at a supermarket chain who is in his 40s."

Free trip on Car Free Day - Times LIVE

Free trip on Car Free Day - Times LIVE: "'This [free trips] will give car users an opportunity to learn more about public transport and save on petrol costs, while at the same time contributing to the reduction of emissions,' city spokesman Nthatisi Modingoane said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Rea Vaya C3 Inner City Cycle Route would be offering free services from October 20 to October 23. Gautrain bus trips would also be free on October 20.

'Residents of Johannesburg are urged to take part in the celebration by using public transport such as buses, trains, taxis or joining lift clubs.'

Doing so would ease traffic congestion on the roads."

Private auto will destroy Africa

There’s an environmental disaster in the making that has scientists issuing warnings about the collapse of an entire ecosystem.

If you’ve already leapt to the conclusion that I’m talking about the Gulf of Mexico and the fate of its fish, shrimp and birds, you’d be forgiven. We certainly have plenty to worry about here at home.

But the story I’m referencing — a proposed highway through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, the last great wildlife sanctuary on our planet, home to wildebeests, zebras, lions, cheetahs, and too many more species to name — is no less urgent and every bit as heartbreaking. The difference here is that this is a disaster of choice. It can still be stopped.

change.org

Bicycle Portraits - everyday South Africans and their bicycles. A photographic book. by Stan Engelbrecht / Nic Grobler — Kickstarter

Bicycle Portraits - everyday South Africans and their bicycles. A photographic book. by Stan Engelbrecht / Nic Grobler — Kickstarter: "We've noticed that as our major centers develop there still seems to be a trend to make cities more friendly for cars, not people. While this might be happening in many places around the world the effect on individuals seems to be very dramatic in a country like South Africa, where there is a growing divide between those who can afford motorised transport and those who struggle to. Owning a bicycle in this social climate can be very empowering, if the correct infrastructure exists."

free public transport | Africa Streets

free public transport | Africa Streets: "World Streets is pleased to announce publication in the weeks ahead of� a series of articles and other media to investigate this idea in-depth in these pages.� We would ask our readers to bear in mind that there is a … Continue reading →"

Flood and drought cost of cars and sprawl

Floods Heighten Food Crisis in Niger | Africa | English: "Floods in Niger are compounding an already urgent food crisis in the region, as the Niger River reaches its highest level in more than 80 years.

Floods in Niger are worsening the West African country's food crisis, says the communications director for the Red Cross Society of Niger, Amadou Tidjani Adamou.

Adamou says that homes, latrines and rice fields have been destroyed in the recent flooding.

He added that the people living the area rely heavily on the rice fields that have been destroyed, and there will be consequences for the surrounding populations."

World Environment News - Rising Temperatures Threaten Rice Yield Growth: Study - Planet Ark

World Environment News - Rising Temperatures Threaten Rice Yield Growth: Study - Planet Ark: "Rising temperatures could slow the growth of rice production unless farmers adapt by changing management practices and switch to more heat-tolerant varieties, scientists say.

Rice is among the world's most important crops and a staple for people in Asia and Africa, with Asia producing and consuming more than 90 percent of the world's output.

A drop in production could lead to higher prices, fears over food security and more hunger in a world with a rising human population."

No socially redeeming qualities -- the private auto

The automobile is very likely the most influential and most harmful invention in the history of the world. If guns had never been invented, the world’s worst genocides could still have taken place under cudgels and swords. It is true that the atomic bomb has made possible the earth’s complete annihilation, but for the most part this remains only an unrealised possibility. The automobile, on the other hand, has already left hecatombs beneath its wheels and has helped unleash an ecological holocaust that is slower but not necessarily less destructive than any nuclear cataclysm. Nonetheless, the greatest danger of the automobile goes far beyond its tendency to crash and to pollute. Progressive movements for safety regulations and clean fuel, while admirable, do not address the most fundamental problem of the automobile: the deeper danger of cars is that even if they are some day made safe and clean, they will still have restructured nearly every aspect of human society according to their antisocial laws of motion. CarbustersMagazine

Climate change could destroy 80 per cent of rainforest by next century - Telegraph

Climate change could destroy 80 per cent of rainforest by next century - Telegraph: "Rainforests currently hold more than half of all the plant and animal species on Earth.
However, scientists say the combined effects of climate change and deforestation may force them to adapt, move, or die.
By 2100, this could have altered two-thirds of the rainforests in Central and South America, about 70 per cent in Africa."