World

Dim Views on War on Terror

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Respondents in 22 of 23 countries surveyed think U.S. action has failed to weaken terrorist groups, according to a BBC World Service poll. According to the poll, only 22 percent of 23,937 respondents said al Qaeda has been weakened. Roughly 30 percent believe the ‘war on terror’ has had no effect, while the same percentage of respondents think U.S. efforts have made al Qaeda stronger. Roughly half of those surveyed believe neither side is winning the conflict, while 61 percent feel negatively toward al Qaeda. France and Mexico had the highest number of participants who believe U.S.led action has empowered terrorists.

Environment

A Different Shade of Green Revolution

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While much of the developed world is talking about environmentally sustainable “green” technology, Africa is desperately seeking a green revolution of a different kind. The original Green Revolution was a wave of new agricultural technology and government policies which are often credited with ending starvation in Asia in the second half of the 20th century. Although more recently linked with pollution and disease from pesticides and other chemicals, its successes have been much discussed in recent news reports about hunger in Africa. There is even an organization called The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, seeking to build a continent that can feed itself. In a recent op-ed article about the food crisis in Ethiopia, United Nations top relief official John Holmes wrote, “Africa, and Ethiopia, need a new Green Revolution — one that is agriculturally productive, economically profitable and environmentally sustainable.”

World

Attack on Muslim Cemetary Comes Amid Rightist Gains

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The Times of London reports that over 90 graves in a Muslim cemetary were “severely damaged” in Traun, Austria, during a general election that saw big gains for anti-immigrant political parties. Austrian police attribute desecration to far-right extremists, whom officials say attempted to shield themselves from association with the crime by spraying Jewish symbols over some of the graves. The Freedom Party and The Alliance for Austria’s Future captured almost 30 percent of the vote, boosted by young populist voters concerned about what they deem as an ongoing “Islamisation” of Austria and Europe. The Freedom Party campaigned against headscarves, burkas and ethnic foods, while both pledged to ban the construction of mosques and minarets. The International Herald Tribune reported that mainstream parties such as The Social Democratic Party and the People’s party remain prevalent, but are increasingly unpopular.

Economy

Zimbabwe Currency Crisis Peaks

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More than 600 shops and services are now licensed to trade using foreign currency in Zimbabwe, the southern African country with the highest rate of inflation in the world. The International Herald Tribune reported that Zimbabwe’s Central Bank authorized the use of foreign moneys, such as the U.S. dollar and South African rand, which are already common in the black market. Zimbabwe’s government, still reeling from a long-term economic crisis, hopes the move will build up supplies of food and basic necessities in local markets. An inflation rate of 11 million percent has caused many Zimbabweans to cross the border into neighboring countries to buy corn meal, medicine, cooking oil and fuel. Commodities are in such short supply, the article said, that aid agencies fear close to two million Zimbabweans will need food supplies in October.

World

Burma Underground Simmers

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A growing number of young activist monks in Burma (Myanmar), frustrated by years of suppression, are considering taking up arms as a way to fight the military junta. Writing for the Christian Science Monitor, Anand Gopal said younger monks are more educated about human rights theories and think the Buddhist teachings on nonviolence aren’t bringing about the changes they want. This change in thinking comes after the harsh crackdown in 2007 on large anti-government protests led by thousands of monks and nuns. The military junta responded harshly with strict crackdowns that left some dead and hundreds imprisoned. “Last September the Army proved too powerful for us and defeated our nonviolent tactics.

Environment

Methane Harvest Debuts in Texas

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San Antonio, Texas will be the first city in the United States to harvest methane gas from human waste on a commercial scale and turn it into clean-burning natural gas. San Antonio’s Business Journal said the city signed a 20-year lease with Ameresco Inc., who will convert the city’s “biosolids” — sewage — into natural gas. “The citizens of San Antonio produce about 140,000 tons of biosolids each year,” said Steve Clouse, chief operating officer of San Antonio’s water system. Methane gas, the main byproduct of human and organic waste, is a major component of natural gas that is burned in power plants, furnaces and combustion generators. The city’s biogas will be prepared in a processing plant built in San Antonio and then sold on the open market, making it the first city to do large-scale conversion of methane gas to fuel for generating power.

World

Sri Lanka War Nearing End?

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One of Asia’s longest-running wars could soon be over if Sri Lanka’s government is to be believed. Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the BBC on Friday that government forces will soon recapture the rebel stronghold city of Kilinochchi, in the far north of the island nation. “Our numbers are very much greater than theirs, our firepower is much greater. We are very confident we can win and we want to finish this very soon,” the BBC quoted him as saying. The 25-year-old war between government forces and the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers, has killed 70,000 people, and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, according to news reports.

Nation

Veteran PTSD on the Rise as New Therapies Emerge

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Iraq war veterans are seeking out new forms of therapy to help heal psychologically as reports of post-traumatic stress disorder and army suicides have increased dramatically. United Press International reported that the suicide rate of soldiers in 2008 would likely surpass that of the nation’s suicide rate, while an article in the Washington Post noted that reports of post-traumatic stress disorder remain high for both wounded and uninjured soldiers. New solutions to the problem may be emerging, however. At the University of Southern California, psychologist Albert “Skip” Rizzo anticipated the return of thousands of soldiers with PTSD and developed a “Virtual Iraq” program that he says has been successful in treating the troops. Rizzo told NPR that one of the best treatments for PTSD is for the person to relive their trauma using their imagination – something most soldiers want to avoid.

Environment

Can 'Geo-Engineering' Save the Earth?

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Perhaps recycling and compact fluorescent lights aren’t exciting anymore — but media have recently latched onto the concept of geo-engineering as a means of combatting climate change. For now, geo-engineering remains theoretical, and imagines large- scale projects such as man-made volcanic eruptions and giant algae farms.
Shell Oil is already exploring the field, according to the environmental Web site Mongabay, by investing in a project that adds lime to seawater as a means of increasing carbon dioxide absorbtion by the world’s oceans. At least some climate scientists are apparently excited about the field, too. British science group the Royal Society this month published a special collection of papers on geo-engineering, and the Economist magazine published a run-down of some of the most elaborate ideas. One of the better received plans appears to be that of Jonathan Latham of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, who proposes a fleet of unmanned ships that would pump seawater vapor into the atmosphere in order to make that clouds reflect sunlight back into space.

World

Heavy Spin Cycle on Iran Reporting

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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s annual visit to the United Nations General Assembly has brought the usual round of troubling stories about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and his anti-Israel views. But a glance at the world’s press offers some less-expected — and sometimes less credible — angles. Hong Kong’s Asia Times newspaper gives a new image for the country, that of Iran the diplomatic power. According to contributor Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Iran has recently helped to reduce tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in post-war Georgia and Russia. This is not entirely selfless, however.