Tsunami Aid. Among the 5 million people affected by the tsunami, there are at least 150,000 pregnant women who may be facing complications of pregnancy, and need urgent medical aid. Over 50,000 women will give birth in the next three months and the damage to health facilities has jeopardized their chances of safe delivery. Many midwives who provide home-based delivery support have been displaced and no longer have basic supplies. Women who experience birthing complications will require assistance to ensure the survival of their babies. Women and girls have particular hygiene needs which must be considered if they are to be able to carry on their daily lives, yet these are often overlooked. In some communities women have lost everything and do not have even the most basic clothing. Yet they assume the burden of caring for other family members. UNFPA has made available $3 million for the provision of the most basic maternity and hygiene support for women throughout the region. The Fund is asking donors for funds to support the reestablishment of basic reproductive health care in affected communities. December 27, 2005 United Nations Population Fund rw
U.S. Population Rises 3 Million to Nearly 294 Million. Idaho is fourth in the list of fastest-growing states, and it's planners are scrambling to update plans and zoning ordinances. The US added 3 million people last year for a population of 294 million. The fastest growth came in the West and South, with Nevada, Idaho, Utah and New Mexico leading the way as urbanites moved to rural areas with three things in common: affordable living, lots of outdoor recreation and plenty of space. Utah's population is 2.4 million, up 1.6% over the past year and 7% since 2000. Nevada, spurred by the growth around Las Vegas, grew 4.1% to 2.3 million. Arizona had the second-largest growth, up 3% to 5.7 million, while Florida was third with a 2.3% increase to 17.4 million. Georgia, Texas, Delaware and North Carolina also were in the top 10. Massachusetts had a population decline of 3,800 people, or 0.1%, to 6.41 million that could have been caused by an exodus of people escaping rising costs in the Boston area. In North Dakota the July 2004 population of 634,366 was 966 higher than the previous year. There also has been growth in Montana and Wyoming, due in part to folks seeking a small-town lifestyle. December 22, 2005 Associated Press rw
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society President Captain Paul Watson's Response to the Essay on the Death of Environmentalism by Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus. Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus state in their introduction that, "modern environmentalism is no longer capable of dealing with the world's most serious ecological crisis." I cannot imagine any movement being capable of dealing with the enormity and complexity of global warming. But more of a problem is human overpopulation, which leads to global warming. The Earth will lose more species of plants and animals by 2050 then it has lost over the last sixty-five million years. As for global warming, the environmental organizations have done the best they can with pens, computers, cameras and meetings and within the limitations allowed by society and the law. They did not mention radical activism, which they consider unacceptable. They are promoting technical policy like pollution controls and higher vehicle mileage standards that provide neither the inspiration nor the political alliances the community needs. There are individuals that are articulating such a vision. The environmental movement is a global network of diverse organizations and activists, stronger than it was 25 years ago and growing every day. It is claimed that environmentalists are responsible for the predicament the world because they have failed to resolve the problem and are learning all the wrong lessons from Europe without giving much thought to the politics that made the policies possible. The problems of global warming, overpopulation, destruction of bio-diversity and pollution were not created by the environmental movement which is a reaction to the problems. What may be expected from democratic European political systems will not necessarily work within the restrictive democracy of a two party system. The Green Party, in Canada and the U.S., have given thought to the politics that made those policies possible and many environmentalists in the U.S have dismissed the Green Party and Ralph Nader in favor of the crumbs of interest thrown to them by the Democrats. The claim is made that the achievements in Europe will reduce carbon emissions from 50 to 80% over the next 50 years. But these reductions will be insufficient to solve the problem and expanding human populations, especially when an increasingly industrialized China will negate them. We as a community must think differently about our work. There are plenty of people thinking differently but none of these people were will be interviewed because they are not recognized as legitimate spokespeople. The "Death of Environmentalism" paper is premised upon interviews with the most conservative, most entrenched and most bureaucratic environmental leaders and restricted to the U.S. and has no grasp of the complexity and the diversity within the environmental movements. Most of the progress in the environmental movement has been accomplished by individuals and groups focusing on specific objectives. It is the cumulative success of these objectives that makes a movement. The strength of the environmental movement is the thousands of small organizations that form the true backbone of the movement. The problem is is plain and simply that there is a continual daily and global violation of the four basic laws of ecology. 1.Biodiversity 2.Interdependence 3.Finite Resources. 4.The the survival of a species takes precedence over the individuals of another species. It is not credible to conclude that the environmental movement is a failure based on the movement's inability to stop the hominid juggernaut from charging forward towards destruction. The problem is gargantuan whereas the movement is relatively small. The movement will always be small while 1. Humanity focuses on issues that are human oriented and therefore other species are dismissed as unimportant. 2. Humanity has is increasingly becoming more consumptive of global resources. 3. Escalating populations aspire to increased wealth and material possessions. 4. Technological advances translate into greater resource extraction - not less. 5. Individuals will not change in an environmentally positive way because there is no motivation for such change. 6. A majority of human beings suffer under religions where reality is abrogated for fantasies that justify the alienation of the human species from the ecology of the Earth. We are approaching the limits to resources like fossil fuels, fisheries, arable land, minerals and water. There will not be one pocket of oil, gas, coal or tar sands on this planet that will not be consumed. The environmental movement cannot and will not stop them. December 2005 Paul Watson rw
Pakistan: Clerics Express Reservations on Use of Contraceptives. Clerics have expressed reservation on the use of contraceptives as they restrict reproduction and conflict with Islamic injunctions. Some clerics have called for separating married HIV patients from their spouses although NACP officials said it would be a social boycott of infected people. Sources said the clerics were not impressed by the NACP standpoint. Clerics said if a person committed ‘adultery’ and was infected with the virus, he/she did not have the right to deceive his/her family and there were no guarantees that using contraceptives would avoid transmitting the disease. NACP observed that it was difficult to determine whether an individual was infected through sexual intercourse, a contaminated syringe or unscreened blood. The NACP prepared an information kit for the clerics, which covered HIV among young people, the diseases transfer from mother to child and HIV reduction measures. The text was revised to suit Islamic ideologies and by taking into consideration Pakistan’s unique characteristics. June 01, 2005 Daily Times rw
Gas Pains: One of the U.S. Military's Greatest Vulnerabilities in Iraq is Its Enormous Appetite for Fuel. The Insurgents Have Figured This Out. The DOD has about 27,000 vehicles in Iraq and to power that fleet the Defense Logistics Agency must move huge quantities of fuel in truck convoys from Kuwait, Turkey, and Jordan. All that fuel gives American soldiers a tremendous battlefield advantage but this requires the work of 20,000 American soldiers and private contractors. Every day 2,000 trucks leave Kuwait for Iraq. The Army's logisticians must also deal with the variety of fuels. The Pentagon now relies primarily on a jet-fuel-like substance called JP-8, but is currently supplying fourteen kinds of fuel in Iraq. May 2005 The Atlantic Monthly rw
In Turkey, Muslim Women Gain Expanded Religious Authority. Women have brought change to Turkey's Muslim order in recent years. Two years ago, women were appointed for the first time to lead groups of Turks making the pilgrimage to Mecca. And last year,a government body that oversees mosques and trains religious leaders, added 150 women preachers and is selecting a group of women who will serve as deputies to muftis. They'll monitor imams in local mosques, particularly as it relates to women. While these changes come from a growing demand from women for more religious education and Islamic intellectuals say they are also being forced by a new class of educated religious women who are demanding more rights. They are learning by reading and asking; for many women who come from traditional homes, religious education becomes a path to a kind of independence. It's a path that more women seem to be exploring; for example, one mufti's office has 583 women teaching courses on the Koran to women. Women now also make up the majority of students in the theology departments of several Turkish universities. In Islamic doctrine, men and women are equal. There are signs of loosening in Turkey, but Muslim orthodoxy says that women cannot lead prayers, particularly in the Arab Muslim heartland. Sunni preacher of Qatar issued a religious ruling, saying leadership in prayer is reserved for men only, and a women leading prayers might arouse men. Teaching in an Istanbul neighborhood, Seker tells the head-scarfed women that not all of the traditions they have been taught are part of Islam. She brings up the murder of young women considered to have damaged a family's honor that still take place in Turkey. There is no such thing in Islam, and to kill someone is the biggest sin. Seker acknowledges that her work might not sit well with the husbands as they feel like their throne is being shaken. April 27, 2005 Christian Science Monitor rw
Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam Called Sex Tourism Hotspots. Victims of sex tourism in Southeast Asia are usually girls between 10 and 18 with the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam the hotspots. Abduction and false promises of jobs are among the methods used to recruit youngsters. Children of increasingly young ages are being forced into prostitution. The increasing appetite for Internet child pornography is another emerging trend. Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) pledged to fight human trafficking, especially of women and children. Globally, the US maintains that more than 1 million children are exploited annually. Singaporeans make up the largest number of sex tourists, visiting Indonesia's islands and southern Thailand and have sex with girls as young as 14 because they know the Indonesian police will turn a blind eye. Of the 300 girls the NGO has helped since 2003, a small proportion were guaranteed jobs as maids in Singapore. Instead, they were forced into prostitution. April 27, 2005 Deutche Presse-Agentur (Germany) rw
The Battle Over Birth Control. Does the morning-after pill prevent or terminate pregnancy? Opponents equate the pill to a chemical abortion. Supporters counter that it blocks a fertilized egg from becoming implanted. But contraception may be the next battleground for reproductive rights. From pharmacists refusing to dispense birth control pills to abstinence-only programs and anti-condom campaigns. Now members of the right are focusing on contraception, in the hope that they can curb birth control choices. This goes beyond a woman's right to make decisions regarding abortion. An FDA committee has given the drug support as safe and effective, and Canada approved its nonprescription status. The nominee to head the FDA, Crawford, says his indecision on the drug has nothing to do with ideology, but said it raises concerns, alluding to arguments that the pill will encourage promiscuity. Crawford's views suggest trouble for reproductive rights advocates if he is confirmed. New contraceptives would all be jeopardized by an FDA using ideology instead of science. So far, Crawford's confirmation vote has not been rescheduled and his appointment has been held up on a different issue -- albeit a "moral" one. The Republican chair, Michael Enzi is calling for a probe into charges Crawford had a "personal relationship" with a female FDA staff member. The American Life League (ALL), one of the largest antiabortion lobbyists with 300,000 families as members claims that many forms of contraception prevent the implantation of an already created human being, kills a baby and is abortion. ALL also says that hormonal birth control methods and the IUD cause abortions and they want to force manufacturers to put that description on contraceptive labels. They also seek to cut government funding for Planned Parenthood, which it believes misinforms women about how contraception works. ALL is not the only threat to Planned Parenthood's funding. In every one of his budgets, Bush has frozen funds for the program that pays for family-planning. Bush has appointed to agencies like the FDA and Health and Human Services people who have publicly said they opposed the use of birth control for the unmarried. Concerned Women for America (CFA) says it does not take a position on contraception, but opposes abortion and has been defending the drive by anti-choice pharmacists to stop distributing emergency contraception, which CFA considers an "abortion pill." A survey of teachers found one in 50 schools taught abstinence-only in 1988; one in four in 1999. The government has spent more than $1 billion since 1982 on those programs that say abstaining from sex is the most effective means of preventing the transmission of HIV, STDs and preventing pregnancy. The American Pharmacists Association supports a compromise that would allow pharmacists to "step away" from dispensing drugs they oppose as long as another pharmacist is on hand to fill the prescription. Condoms remain on most drugstore shelves, but conservatives have made significant inroads on those. There's a campaign to say condoms don't prevent disease and the government's Web site shows that condoms are only 50% effective in preventing chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. The National Institute of Health says condoms provide an 'impermeable barrier to disease.' Twenty-one states mandate contraception coverage in insurance policies but half of Americans are covered by employers who self-insure - which is exempt from state requirements. Last year Illinois became the first state to allow federal employees an insurance plan that does not cover contraceptives, fertility treatment or abortions. Sen. Murray insists that as the conservatives' contraception agenda is exposed, they'll lose ground. People cannot believe that access to birth control is in jeopardy and the more they're aware, the more they'll act. Polls show most Americans support abortion rights. A poll found 78% of Americans favor requiring pharmacists to fill prescriptions for birth control. ALL says that if the public knows that most contraception constitutes abortion, the majority will oppose birth control. A new poll found that in eight states Bush won Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, New Mexico and Nevada, 47% of voters and 51% of white women said religious faith influenced their votes. April 27, 2005 Salon.com rw Intelligent Americans will make their own decision about what is abortion and what is not. Go to http://www.population-awareness.net/abortion.html for more information on abortion.
New UN Program to Help Women in Morocco. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has implementated a program aimed at educating Moroccan women on New Communication and Information Technologies (NTIC). The program, is supported by the Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education and the Formation of Scientific Research and by the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, and funded by USAID and Cisco Systems Inc. The main objectives are "to reinforce the capacities and competences of women in the field of NTIC", "to increase the possibilities for professional progression for women" and "to promote the socio-economic status of woman through the development of the market of NTIC in Morocco". April 27, 2005 Al-Bawaba rw
Birth Rates in Hong Kong Fall Faster Than Anywhere in World. The number of children per woman in Hong Kong, a city of 6.8 million, has plummetted from three in 1980 to less than 0.8 today. More than one in every four babies born in Hong Kong today is to a mainland woman travelling to the city to give birth and not to a native of Hong Kong. Late marriage, the postponing of child birth and a growing number of women staying unmarried has created a potential population crisis. No other country had experienced such a steep decline in birth rates over the past two decades. The report suggests the government should find means of financing care for an expanding aging population. The population imbalance will hit crisis point around 2013 when the "baby boomer" generation reaches 60 years old. Hong Kong's acting leader acknowledged the population imbalance and appealed to couples to have three children each. The government is considering tax incentives and other policies to encourage bigger families. Sociologists say families have shrunk as Hong Kong becomes more densely populated and the cost of living rises. Most people in the city live in small one-bedroom flats. April 27, 2005 Deutche Presse-Agentur rw This is a case where lack of planning for a sustainable future forced a choice between having children or growing old far beyond child-bearing years with a comfortable lifestyle. The citizens of Hong Kong may have no other choice than to sit out the years until the elderly die of old age and incurable diseases before new people of child bearing age can come in and take their place.
U.S.: Democrats Aim to Reduce Abortions by Increasing Family Planning Funding. Democrats have released an agenda that includes a bill aimed at reducing the number of abortions in the US by increasing funding for family planning. The bill aims to increase funding by $100 million for programmes which cover family planning, teenage pregnancy prevention and emergency contraception (EC). The measure would require private health insurance plans that provide prescription drug coverage to include coverage of contraceptives. The legislation is part of Senate Democrats' effort to find common ground on the issue of abortion. About half of the six million pregnancies that occur each year result in about 1.3 million abortions. Democrats believe they have an opportunity to push legislation while Republicans are "bogged down" over judicial nominations, Social Security and ethics. The measures are regarded as having a slim chance of being passed, but could serve as a "political document" for the Democrats to indicate that they are more in touch with "average Americans" than the Republicans. April 26, 2005 Kaiser Network rw
Namibia: The Future is Green, With Education. In response to Global Education for All Week, the children from Windhoek said educated citizens form a healthy nation and with education, the future is green. Their posters read: "Stop discriminating against farm children to end poverty". However, a challenging situation remains how to provide quality education, as the region grapples with an influx of learners. To provide access to education means enough facilities to accommodate learners and adults seeking formal and non-formal education. The influx of learners puts pressure on resources, which has led to the region introducing the platoon system and accommodating learners at the After Day Care Centre facilities for children who could not find place in schools. Better education contributes to higher lifetime earning, robust national economic growth and informed choices about fertility. Education reduces exposure to HIV/AIDS, but on Namibia the epidemic continues to decimate the teaching population, and infected teachers are bed-ridden for long periods. Affected teachers also go and mourn and bury their loved ones. Namibia is 78 out of 127 among EDI medium countries. The adult literacy rate has gone up from 74.% in 1990 to 83.3% in 2004. The survival rate of females is higher than that of males and action must be taken to keep boys in school. The goals agreed by 164 countries at the World Forum in Dakar, Senegal, include: - Expanding early childhood care and education; - Ensuring that by 2015 all children, have access to quality education, which is free and compulsory; -Promoting the acquisition of life skills by young people and adults; -Achieving 50% adult literacy; -Achieving gender parity and gender equality by 2015, and -Improving every aspect of the quality of education. April 26, 2005 New Era (Namibia) rw
Rise in Use of Natural Planning. The use of natural family planning methods among Filipinos has increased despite accusations that the government is pushing for artificial family planning methods with its acceptance of millions in contraceptive donations from foreign sources. About 300,000 couples were surveyed in a door-to-door campaign and the number opting to use natural family planning methods had risen to 18% from only 0.9% in 2003. This proved the Government was not pushing for only one type of family planning method. April 26, 2005 BusinessWorld (Philippines) rw
Women Cry From Pinches of Civil War in Somaliland. In traditional Somali culture men are the breadwinners and provide food, shelter and clothing for their families. But a World Bank survey shows Somaliland women being breadwinners in almost 70% of households. This turnaround was necessitated by deaths of their spouse due to the war, widespread abuse of khat, polygamy, displacement and divorce. Other factors included family negligence by husbands, dis-inheritance, female genital mutilation (FGM), polygamy, domestic violence, illiteracy and poverty. Social injustices against women have not changed the perception about women. In a random observation at Hargeysa market, there were a number of women vendors, selling every conceivable item while being housewives and loving mothers. Most start at 4 a.m., traveling by bus to Hargeysa from various suburbs to set up their stalls, and sell their fresh foodstuffs to customers who comprise a large number of women. They are forced to toil due to abandonment by their husbands. Despite dozens of public toilets in Hargeysa town, women are using none of them, due to cultural barriers that discourage women to mingle with men. Most of the women said that government and humanitarian organizations have not done much to address their plight. Most men in Somaliland have forsaken their families and become addicted to chewing khat. The huge amount Somaliland men spend on buying khat, could have made a great impact on the living standard. Statistics show that khat companies remit some $ 200,000,000 daily to Ethiopia from the sale of the stimulant in Somaliland. Even though the Somaliland government has offered them two ministerial posts, the reality is that majority of Somaliland women remain submerged in poverty. April 25, 2005 Panafrican News Agency rw
U.S.: Climate Research Faulted Over Missing Components. The administration's study of climate change fails to include assessments of how rising temperatures affect people and the environment. The investigators conclude that none of the 21 studies that the administration plans to publish by September 2007 address the potential effects in eight areas specified by a 1990 law, including agriculture, energy, water resources and biological diversity. Without them it may be difficult to use this information effectively. The program is behind schedule, with one report out of nine on track. The law requires a report to Congress every four years on the consequences of climate change. The official in charge said that he would not comment because he had not seen the final version. However, Dr. Mahoney said the report would include information on effects on humans and nature. Mr. Bush began reorganizing research in 2001, focusing on the relationship between rising temperatures and concentrations of heat-trapping emissions. His critics say the shift in focus was meant to distract attention from the scientific consensus that humans have caused most of the new global warming. April 22, 2005 New York Times* rw
Study Says Antarctic Glaciers Are Shrinking, Sea Levels May Climb. Most of the coastal glaciers along the 1,200-mile Antarctic Peninsula have shrunk in the past 50 years, and sea levels may climb. About 212 of the 244 glaciers have retreated as temperatures have risen. The glacial retreat puts Antarctic ice shelves and sheets at risk. Inland glaciers that flow into the ocean and keep continental ice sheets in place are retreating. The Antarctic Peninsula extends from the continent and ends 600 miles from the tip of Argentina. Its eastern side is flanked by the Larsen ice shelf. More than 2,000 aerial photographs from 1940 to 2001 and more than 100 satellite pictures taken after the 1960s were compared with a composite of images from NASA's Landsat satellites. April 22, 2005 Washington Post rw
The End of Oil is Closer Than You Think. A group of Swiss financiers asked Colin Campbell, a retired English petroleum geologist who helped to found the London-based Oil Depletion Analysis Centre, to tell them about the end of the oil age. He has worked for BP, Texaco, Shell, ChevronTexaco and Exxon in a dozen countries. "Oil won't run out for many years," he said, "But the issue is the decline that will change the world". Campbell reckons peak production of conventional oil is approaching fast, perhaps next year. About 944 billion barrels of oil has been extracted, 764bn remains in known reserves, and a further 142bn are expected to be discovered. Then global oil production will decline at 2-3% a year. But the US Geological Survey (USGS) states that reserves were about three trillion barrels and peak production will not come for 30 years. The International Energy Agency (IEA) believes that oil will peak between 2013 and 2037 and countries with much of the world's known reserves, report little if any depletion of reserves. The oil companies say there is no shortage of oil and gas and the world holds reserves for 40 years of oil and 60 years of gas at current consumption rates. Today, the industry is producing 83m barrels a day, with new fields soon expected on stream. But estimating oil reserves is contentious and political and according to Campbell, companies seldom report their true findings. Most official figures, he says, are unreliable. According to Campbell and oil industry sources, the two widely used estimates of world oil reserves rely on estimates provided by governments and industry and do not question their accuracy. Companies, "under-report to comply with strict US stock exchange rules, but then revise them upwards to boost their share prices. He and other oil analysts and geologists accuse the US of using questionable statistical models to calculate global reserves and OPEC countries systematically exaggerated theirs in the 1980s to win greater allocation. Middle East reserves jumped 43% in 3 years despite no new major finds. In the wake of the Iraq war, the rise of China, global warming and record oil prices, the debate has shifted from "if" there is a global peak to "when". The US government knows that conventional oil is running out fast. According to a report by the US office of petroleum reserves last year, "world oil reserves are being depleted three times as fast as they are being discovered." The disparity between increasing production and declining discoveries can only have one outcome: a practical supply limit will be reached and future supply to meet conventional oil demand will not be available. In the absence of official figures, analysts are turning to the grandfather of oil depletion analysis, M King Hubbert, who in 1956 showed that exploitation of any oilfield follows a bell curve which is slow to take off, rises steeply, flattens and descends steeply. The biggest and easiest exploited oilfields were always found early in the history of exploration, while smaller ones were developed as production from the big fields declined. He accurately predicted that US domestic oil production would peak around 1970. Many analysts now take the "Hubbert peak" model seriously, and the USGS, national and oil company figures with a dose of salt. Similar patterns of peak discovery and production have been found throughout the world's main oilfields. US Wall street energy group Herold predicts that the seven largest producers will begin seeing production declines within four years. Deutsche Bank reports that global oil production will peak in 2014. The Energy Institute in London says conventional oil reserves are declining 4-6% a year. 18 oil-producing countries have declining production; and Denmark, Malaysia, Brunei, China, Mexico and India will peak in the next few years. Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome, Chad and Angola are are all expected to grow strongly. World oil demand is surging. The International Energy Agency says developing countries could push demand up 47% to 121m barrels a day by 2030, and oil companies and oil-producing nations must spend about $100bn a year to keep pace. Demand rose faster in 2004 than in any year since 1976. China's oil consumption grew 17% and is expected to double over 15 years to more than 10m barrels a day. India's consumption is expected to rise by 30% in the next five years. If world demand continues to grow at 2% a year, then 160m barrels a day will need to be extracted in 2035, twice as much as today. According to industry consultants, 90% of known reserves are in production, suggesting few major discoveries remain. Shell last year only found enough oil to replace 15-25 % of what the company produced. BP replaced only 89% of its production in 2004. All the major discoveries were in the 1960s; since then they have been declining over time. The world has been seismically searched and picked over and it is inconceivable that major fields remain to be found. There may be a big field in Russia, and in Africa, but these would have little bearing on world supplies. Tar sands and shale may only slow the decline. "The first half of the oil age" says Campbell, "lasted 150 years and saw the rapid expansion of industry, transport, trade, agriculture and financial capital, allowing the population to expand six-fold. The second half will be marked by the decline of oil and all that depends on it, including financial capital." 'Unconventional' reserves include: Heavy oils that are thicker, more polluting, and require extensive refining are found in more than 30 countries, but 90% are in the Orinoco "heavy oil belt" of Venezuela, which has an estimated 1.2 trillion barrels with one third potentially recoverable using current technology. Tar sands must be dug out and crushed but it takes 5 to 10 times the energy, than it does to process conventional oil. The Athabasca deposits in Alberta, Canada are the world's largest resource, with estimated reserves of 1.8 trillion barrels, of which about 280-300bn barrels may be recoverable. Production now accounts for about 20% of Canada's oil supply. Oil shales are the US government's energy stopgap. They exist in large quantities in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah at varying depths, but the process needed to extract the oil demands hot water, making it expensive and less energy-efficient than conventional oil. The mining operation is also extremely damaging to the environment. Oil companies are investing billions of dollars in this expensive oil production method. April 21, 2005 Guardian (London) rw This is probably the most important article I have seen in the last few years. How do we arouse our citizens to understand just how critical this is to all our futures?
Religion and Family Planning. Catholics, struggling to care for large families amid poverty and an AIDS pandemic faced a dilemma over Pope John Paul II's opposition to contraception. The head of UNFPA is hoping that all would focus on what is needed to fight HIV and take the correct decision on how to do that. President of Catholics for a Free Choice said the Vatican's position is dangerous because Catholic health agencies provide treatment to a quarter of all HIV victims and the longer they survive the more opportunities they have to infect others. Brazil, the world's largest Catholic country, saw a decline of 15% in the number of adherents during the 26 years of John Paul's papacy, because they disagree with some principles, among them no contraception. Unlike its work in some other countries, the church does not create obstacles to the Brazilian campaign for greater condom use, including free distribution. In AIDS work, Vatican rules and realities often clash, at times prompting decisions against Rome's dictates. Church officials said that they distributed condoms in cases, such as when only one spouse is HIV-positive, or have sex outside committed relationships. The bottom line is we can't save all lives, but we can save some lives through the use of condoms. Uganda has cut HIV infection rates to around 6% of the population from 30% in the 1990s. Many Ugandans attribute success to early frankness about condoms, in contrast to the silence of many African leaders, but ministers are emphasizing abstinence and fidelity. At the center of debate between the Church and the Philippine government is the assertion that the country's rapid population growth is threatening to counteract any economic gains. The Church says there is no population explosion, and blaming population growth for the country's poverty is disingenuous. April 20, 2005 Planetwire rw
U.S.: Where Would ANWR Oil Go?. The Senate vote makes no promise the oil pumped from ANWR has to be sold to domestic refineries. Some say a final bill could include this but wouldn't apply to other Alaskan oil. The House, meanwhile, is expected to vote this week on the energy bill, which would allow drilling in ANWR. Drilling proponents say it's highly unlikely there would ever be enough oil to warrant selling to foreign consumers. There's a demand on the U.S. West Coast and that's where Alaska oil will go. Much of the oil would wind up in West Coast refineries that once consumed more Alaskan oil than they do now. As the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was authorized to open Alaska's North Slope oil fields, Congress banned exporting the oil. Oil companies and Alaskan leaders lobbyied to lift the ban that artificially depressed the price of Alaskan oil and oil shipments to parts of the U.S. that lay farther from Alaska than Asian ports. The ban was overturned in 1995 but never produced the jump in foreign shipments predicted, though it boosted prices for Alaskan oil. Now West Coast refineries soak up nearly every drop, with Washington the major destination. A string of refineries near Anacortes and Bellingham rely on Alaska for more than 90% of their crude oil. If the refuge is opened to drilling, it could raise Alaskan oil production from 908,000 barrels of oil a day in 2004 to between 1.1 and 2.1 million barrels per day in 2025 which could be more than West Coast refineries can use. At their peak they used 1.44 million barrels of Alaskan oil a day. Refineries have increased production since then but not enough to process the potential increase. Even with an export ban Alaskan oil could be sold overseas if it met all the domestic needs of West Coast markets because oil is traded around the globe and the U.S. is in a strategic position if it has oil to trade. Oil exports from Alaska do nothing to reduce U.S. reliance on global petroleum. April 19, 2005 The Seattle Times rw
China's Problem With 'Anti-Pest' Rice. Crop growers in this area call this "anti-pest rice" because it acts as its own insect repellent. But some Chinese growers say they suspect this region's rice has been genetically modified and in China, it is illegal to sell on the open market. Greenpeace says tests show that some of the rice was altered. Experiments with gene-altered rice are under way in most rice-producing countries, including the US - but not for sale. There have been criticism over possible environmental consequences although no such effects have been proved. It has prompted reluctance among growers to embrace a crop that may be labeled Frankenstein food. Yet in several small villages in Hubei province, genetically engineered rice appears to be for sale, even by government officials. China hopes the commercialization of genetically engineered rice will be a global event, because rice is the world's most important food staple and it could offer higher yields. But activists are warning that the possible risks are worrisome because genetic engineering is still in the experimental stage. If biotech rice has found its way into the food system, China is the first place in the world where a major crop is being consumed by humans. There are many questions, starting with the existence of risks to health. A scientist said there was no evidence that genetically modified crops were harmful to humans and the gene in China's rice could be similar to what is called BT corn and cotton, approved in Europe and the U.S. The Chinese government is investigating, so there are no answers to questions about how much or how long the rice has been sold and how many people may have eaten it. Greenpeace said the supplies came from a local university that specializes in biotech rice research. But the university store was out of the rice. They started to sell it in January, and it was and sold out in the middle of February. April 17, 2005 New York Times* rw
U.S.: Exemption Likely to Drilling Rules - fracturing, Used by Energy Firms to Extract Oil and Gas, is Set to Get a House Panel's OK Despite Concerns That it Imperils Drinking Water . The House Energy Committee appeared poised to exempt "fracturing" from future regulation. The technique involves injecting pressurized fluids underground to encourage oil and gas to rise to the surface. Energy firms have been fighting efforts to regulate the practice under the Safe Drinking Water Act. "Hydraulic fracturing", is generally considered safe but there has been concern as its use has proliferated in coal bed methane fields and in geologically fragile oil and gas repositories. One proposal would require a study of the practice before the exemption took effect, a second would prohibit use of diesel fuel in underground injection. Both were defeated. The nation's leading fracturing firms have signed an agreement with the EPA promising not to inject diesel fuel. Further, an EPA study concluded last year that the technique "poses little or no threat" to drinking water. Environmental activists, landowners and an EPA whistle-blower argued that hydraulic fracturing might be causing problems. The whistle-blower said that an agency review did not use established standards and relied on a review panel dominated by energy personnel. His claims are under review by the EPA's inspector general. Residents of Colorado and Alabama claimed that their water and health had been damaged by fracturing on their property. In the late 1990s, a group of Alabama residents went to court seeking to force regulation of the practice, claiming that their drinking water had been fouled by fracturing fluid. The Court of Appeals in Atlanta ruled that fracturing should be regulated under federal drinking water law and requires permits and special oversight. It hasn't been applied outside the 11th Circuit. A spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute said the organization was gratified that the legislation was moving forward with the fracturing exemption. He said that fracturing had proven safe and was subject to other forms of federal regulation even if it was exempt from drinking-water laws. April 15, 2005 Los Angeles Times rw
Latin America Gold Rush Comes with Concerns; Locals Worry About Cyanide and Strip Mining. Protesters fired shots, threw stones and put up barriers to stop a truck bringing equipment to the Marlin strip mine, in the western Guatemala town of Solola. Police shot one man to death and seriously wounded about 16 others. The government said it had to honor the mining concession, or risk a lawsuit by the company. While Glamis is winding down its gold mine in California, it is operating or opening mines in Mexico and Guatemala. The anti-mining group Earthworks says new mines employ few people and generate large amounts of waste. Foreign mining companies have been moving into Latin America since the 1990s and the surge in gold prices. But the Latin American colonies dug tunnels that didn’t alter the landscape as much as strip mines. Nor did they use refining, which involves pouring a cyanide-laced solution over heaps of ore in containment ponds. Also, hills and mountains hold religious significance for some Andean societies. Glamis plans to start the Marlin mine by 2005, but the Guatemalan government has promised to grant no more mining concessions. The U.S.-based Newmont Mining Corp. closed an exploration site under pressure. In December, Costa Rica’s highest court annulled a gold-mining concession saying it would jeopardize the environment. The government had declared a moratorium on mining in 2002, but didn’t cover earlier concessions. Honduras canceled the concession of another Canadian company, ruling that its strip-mines intruded on a nature reserve. Activists fear the centuries-old church and haciendas will be demolished or polluted the proposal for a strip mine that would scoop San Pedro hill but Metallica said it would leave the buildings intact and Mexicans are misinformed and his company, has adequate measures to prevent cyanide leakage. People welcome the jobs and revenues from the mines but opponents argue the land was not leased from the rightful owners and it intrudes on a nature reserve. In Mexico and Guatemala agreements allow investors to sue for damages if their operations are affected by changes in environmental rules. April 15, 2005 MSNBC.com rw
U.S.: Study Cites Risk of Compound in Plastic Bottles. The authors of a report urged the EPA to re-evaluate the risks of bisphenol A (BPA) and consider restricting its use. It is used in the manufacture of clear polycarbonate plastics, including food and beverage containers and can leach from the plastic when heated, cleaned with detergents or exposed to acidic foods or drinks. Toxicologists say that exposure skews the developing reproductive systems and brains of newborn animals and could have the same effects on human fetuses and young children. Experiments have found no effects at the dosage people are exposed to, others have suggested that the chemical mimics estrogen, and harms lab animals at low doses. Plastics industry says the trace amounts pose no danger and are far below thresholds set by the EPA. 115 studies have been published and 94 found harmful effects. A reproductive biologist said there is "overwhelming evidence" that the compound is harmful. An explanation for the conflicting results: All 11 funded by chemical companies found no risk, 90% of the 104 government-funded reported harmful effects. Scientists at Harvard found no consistent findings but the report was prepared before 60 other studies found harmful effects in male lab animals. The director of the polycarbonate business unit said a new report lists data without analyzing them to determine whether they are relevant to human beings. All the evidence together supports the conclusion that BPA is not a risk to human health at the low levels people are exposed to. Vom Saal and the plastics industry have been in a battle since Vom Saal became the first researcher to reveal effects in mice exposed to low doses of BPA. The EPA evaluated its risks in the 1980s, and a review by the EU was published in 2003. California is considering a bill that would ban products intended for children that contain BPA or phthalates. The plastics industry says there is no scientific basis for this. Polycarbonate plastics cannot be made without BPA and have a good safety record for more than 50 years. BPA lines food and beverage cans and is found in dental fillings and sealants. Some government-funded tests on rodents have reported decreased testosterone, enlarged prostates and lower sperm counts in newborn males and early puberty and disrupted hormonal cycles in females. April 14, 2005 Los Angeles Times rw As population grows, more ways to produce clean drinking water are needed; many of them are found to have problems of their own. We used to be able to drink out of our streams.
No Refuge is An Island; Drilling in Arctic Could Set Dangerous Precedent for U.S. Refuge System. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Pelican Island in Florida each provide migratory birds with habitat and sustain valuable wetlands. In the controversy whether petroleum development in the Arctic Refuge is worth the threat to habitat and wilderness, a broader issue has been lost: how will drilling and development affect the 95 million-acre refuge system? Most people don't think of wildlife refuges but national parks. Yet the National Wildlife Refuge System is an even larger network of public lands, whose primary mission is protection of nature. The system has evolved into an integrated web of habitat for protecting nature. By the 1990s, scientists understood the need to protect an interconnected network of healthy habitats and now host more than 250 imperiled species and 1.7 million acres of protected wetlands. Congress charged the National Wildlife Refuge System with conserving healthy populations of plants and animals and requires management that maintains "biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health." Recreational uses must be compatible with the refuge system goals and commercial development must make affirmative contributions to the mission. The question of leasing oil in the Arctic Refuge has sprouted regularly in legislation. But to frame the debate in fiscal terms, or allowable harm to this specific refuge, turns the clock back to the days when we thought we could protect nature by saving isolated fragments. Drilling proponents ought to explain how development advances the conservation mission of the refuge system as a whole -- or why the Arctic Refuge does not belong in this vital patchwork of environmental protection. April 12, 2005 Grist magazine rw
Chemical Factory Pollution Sparks Riot in Eastern China . Thousands of farmers rioted in eastern China against encroachment of the fast-growing industries onto their land, and the pollution and health problems that result. Villagers set up roadblocks to interfere with deliveries to and from the 13 chemical plants that sit on what used to be cropland. When 3,000 police were sent to remove the roadblocks and restore production at the plants, villagers rioted, smashing buses, overturning cars, and attacking the police. Locals say the factories -- which produce fertilizers, pesticides, and dyes -- damage their crops, foul their water, and release clouds of gas, causing birth defects and stillborn babies. Said one villager, "I'm afraid my children won't live to reach my age. I want my land back, I want my food back, and I want my water back." April 12, 2005 Guardian (London) rw
Carbon Emissions Calculator. Follow the link to see how fuel and electricity usage converts to emissions. April 12, 2005 Carbonfund.org rw
Energy Quest Sets Up Power Struggle. 100 miles north of Reno a subsidiary of Sempra Energy is proposing to build a coal-fired power plant that could supply enough electricity to California and the Pacific Northwest to light up 1.5 million homes. Green-power advocates are pushing to harness wind, and the heat of the sun and the Earth's core, to create enough electricity to power 1.2 million homes. Both would connect to the same transmission line, but there is only enough space on the electrical freeway for one of them. Government regulators and politicians must choose. That choice is between fossil fuel energy that could curtail the West's chronic electricity shortages, and renewable power, but the latter is an unproven option that promises a future free of CO2 emissions. Los Angeles runs and partly owns the transmission line that passes through northern Nevada and would have to agree to allow one of the projects to connect to the line, which moves megawatts between Sylmar and Oregon together with Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank and Southern California Edison. Sempra said their proposal, would bring badly needed electricity to Western states, where the managers recently warned of operating margins that could lead to shortages this summer. The plant would provide jobs and tax revenue to a corner of Nevada whose main economy is gambling and produce 80% less pollution than most coal plants. Proponents of green power said their proposals also would add jobs and boost tax coffers, without dirtying the air. However, the green-power proposals do not have financial backing and supporters concede that they may not come together for years. Sempra's figures predict it would emit 3,315 tons of each of CO2 and sulpher dioxide. But will the new link affect the line's ability to reliably move power to Los Angeles customers. Though virtually unknown the proposed coal plant has aroused strong passions in Gerlach. The town of 500 residents, a gateway to the Black Rock Desert, relies heavily on tourism. Don Asher, who founded an opposition group called Keep California's Pollution in California. said that we can wait for the renewable energy. We don't need mercury and smog dumped on us for the next 30 years. More than 100 coal-fired power plants are being proposed across the U.S. while a growing number of states are passing laws that require utilities to invest in green power, to propel a burgeoning market in biomass, wind, solar and geothermal energy. Building a transmission line costs from $130 million to $150 million and Sempra is the only player with enough money. The coal plant would need a capacity of 1,450 megawatts, but Sempra is proposing to build a connection with excess space for about 200 megawatts of renewable power. From an economic standpoint, renewables alone would not generate enough power to make a project viable. Green-power proponents consider 200 megawatts of renewable power to be a fraction of what northern Nevada is capable of producing. A recent California Energy Commission report listed the region as a location for renewables. Global warming is becoming an issue, and California is beginning to look at where its power is coming from. Green power may indeed be the electricity source of the future. But for the time being and for years to come coal's reliability cannot be beaten. We are going to buy two-thirds of our energy from fossil fuels two decades from now. There is just no viable alternative. April 11, 2005 Los Angeles Times rw
Come Gather Around Together: An Examination of Radio Listening Groups in Fulbari, Nepal. Messages via mass media-based entertainment can improve family planning; audience participation in the form of listening groups may enhance their impact. In Fulbari (Nepal), a partnership between local government agencies, community leaders, audience members and program staff are complementing a mass media family planning initiative. The study demonstrated a relationship between radio listenership and behavior beyond the association with the radio program. Use of contraceptives among respondents exposed to both radio and listening groups is twice that of respondents who are exposed to neither. April 08, 2005 John Hopkins CCP rw
U.S.: Leavitt Defends Agency Web Site on Sexual Abstinence for Teens. The new government Web site was designed for parents who are embarrassed about talking with their children about sex. We want them to talk with their teens about abstinence so that they can stay safe and healthy. Promoting abstinence is fine, but the government should address the needs of teenagers who are already sexually active, gay or lesbian, or who have been sexually abused. The site should promote the proper use of contraceptives, and not imply that homosexuality is wrong. More than 100 advocacy groups are asking HHS to take down the Web site but an HHS spokesman said that if you practice abstinence you will not have an unintended pregnancy or catch a sexually transmitted disease. The site paints a bleak picture for teens who get pregnant: "Families started by teen mothers are more likely to be poor and end up on welfare." The site describes condoms as imperfect, and there's the misconception that giving young people negative information about contraception will encourage them not to have sexual intercourse. A conservative think tank said the Web site's information about condoms looked accurate. Groups protesting the Web site contend it is biased against gays and lesbians as it implies that being gay was a sexual preference rather than a sexual orientation. Teenagers involved in homosexual acts need the same information on the effectiveness of condoms and the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. April 08, 2005 Deseret News rw
Australia: Birth Rate Up after Cash Offer. Australia's birth rate had risen following the offer of money for new mums in last year's budget. Mr Costello has warned Australia's low birth rate means the nation will have a much older population in the future, with fewer workers to support them and has been encouraging a rise in fertility rates by offering new mothers a $3,000 payment. Statistics show 255,000 babies were born in Australia in the past year, the highest total in nine years. April 08, 2005 Seven Network rw Lets keep on breeding until we stand shoulder to shoulder so there are enough workers to support all the older persons. What do we do when we have no resources for more people? Some people will do anything to maintain growth.
Women Say 'No' to Pill. More women in their 20’s and 30’s have stopped taking the pill, and this has added to the number of abortions in Israel. They feel that regular use of the pill has too many side effects, some fear the gynecological tests, and others don’t take it for religious purposes. Some 20,000 legal abortions are carried out every year and 50% had not used any contraceptive. Since the pill came into use in 1960, unwanted pregnancies dropped sharply, but the trend is being reversed. Dr. Dganit Samuel from the Lis Hospital in Tel Aviv said the pill is safe, the best form of contraceptive, and if properly suited, side effects are minimal. She doesn’t recommend the "safe days" method as ovulation cannot be calculated exactly. Although many women fear certain side effects, the pill includes additional benefits. Surveys have shown that that the pill lessens the frequency of ovarian, uterus and the large intestine cancer although the occurrence of blood clots has made the pill unsuitable for some women. Doctors must go over the patient’s medical history to avoid prescribing the pill when it is incompatible. The primary risk of not taking the pill is having to undergo an abortion that involves risk. An abortion can damage the uterus and cause infertility. April 08, 2005 YNetNews.com rw
U.S.: Role of Religion in US Politics under Question. While the US is robustly secular in its separation of church and state, George W. Bush is not exceptional among presidents in using religious themes to explain his policy. It has been a constant theme of presidents that the US has a mission to transform the world, and represents the forces of good over evil. More recently the tendencies of the early Protestants have been joined by conservative evangelicals who have lobbied for a greater Israel and defended Christians against persecution. But the furore over Ms Schiavo seems to be turning inward to emphasise the "culture of life" that smacks of hypocrisy and double-standards: The Pope's opposition to the Iraq war and capital punishment were ignored by the US. Religious ideology is driving US health policy abroad. Global abstinence, not condom use, has become the main anti-Aids policy. Even church members fear that the Republican party, has overstepped the mark. John Danforth - an Episcopal minister, former Republican senator and former UN ambassador recently attacked his party for allowing its traditional principles to become secondary to the religious right's agenda. He said the party had ultimately "become the political extension of a religious movement". April 08, 2005 Financial Times (London) rw
Half-Life Is Beautiful?. Unless we deal with climate change, nothing else will matter. Energy sources must be evaluated for their long-term climate impact. Nuclear power produces waste that we have to safely manage but it does not produce greenhouse gases. We are going to run out of oil. Roel is of the Hubbert curve school of thought, which holds that we are halfway through the world's oil supply. We have about 200 to 300 years' worth of coal available, so there is no likelihood of being forced to turn from fossil fuels in the near future. But our climate will continue to transform before our very eyes. What options do the impending end of oil and the ecological disaster of coal leave us with? A shift to natural gas would mean either a pipeline from Alaska or liquefied natural gas shipped from 'round the world. But natural gas is neither sustainable nor renewable nor carbon-free, and supplies are expected to run out shortly after oil. Wind, solar, hydropower, and nuclear are the remaining major energy sources that could help meet current demand. Biomass fuels and tidal and geothermal energy may come into play in the future. The nation's hydro sites are all in use and solar energy is fighting to be affordable. Wind power is growing, but not fast enough. Nuclear energy produces 20% of electricity in the U.S. Nuclear waste is an unsolved problem, plant meltdowns are disastrous, and nuclear material can be used to horrifying ends. But nuclear energy must, at least, be given a fair hearing. April 08, 2005 Grist Magazine rw Geothermal and biomass fuels are not sustainable. Hydro dams silt up. Coal and nuclear are dirty. Solar costs almost as much energy to produce as it puts out. And the article does not even mention conservation as an option.
US Ohio: Drivers Spending More Time in Cars. Butler residents spent 98 hours per year commuting in 2003, up about eight hours compared to 1990. Drive time is up because of road construction and the population boom. The average county resident has a 23-minute round-trip commute. Those in Morgan Township have the longest commute at 34 minutes. Oxford residents have the shortest at 16 minutes. The construction of Ohio 129 and Union Centre Boulevard have added capacity, but the population growth/road improvement cycle is self-fueling. One of the biggest problems is congestion on Interstate 75. Within Butler County, longer drive times are a function of having more people on the roads. Clinton McKnight of Carlisle spends about an hour every day on the road to and from Sharonville. "You've got to do what it takes to support your family." Freeman said. "Any time we have longer commute we're consuming fuel and polluting air. The AAA lists several options including telecommuting, traveling during off-peak, using public transit or carpooling. Commute times are likely to increase unless development patterns change. Butler daily commute times are lower than the national average of 24 minutes and lower than on the east coast, which posted some of the highest. New York City has an average daily commute time of 38 minutes. April 08, 2005 US Census Bureau rw
U.S. Oil Drillers' Strategy: Today ANWR, Tomorrow the Coastlines? With rising dependence on fuel imports and soaring prices, energy producers believe they now have an opportunity to relax restrictions by opening access off the coast of California or the Carolinas. Environmentalists say the industry is seeking offshore drilling because of the Senate vote to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They worry that the public may take the 24-year-old offshore ban for granted but proponents of drilling rights do not expect changes overnight. The Bush administration indicated that it intends to give the industry access, to an area off the Florida coast that is twice the size of the Arctic refuge and rich in natural gas. Legislation is proposed that would give governors power to open their states' offshore lands. Trade groups are throwing weight behind the oil and gas producers' campaign. The Natural Resources Defense Council opposes any attempt to weaken the ban on offshore drilling but is confident that coastal communities will put up a formidable fight. Roughly 90% of America's coastal acreage is federally protected. An estimated 16 billion barrels of oil and 78 trillion cubic feet of natural gas lie in offshore areas, enough oil to meet U.S. demand for more than two years and enough natural gas to supply the country for 3 ½ years. Interior Secretary Gale Norton sent a letter to Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., signaling her agency's intention to sell oil and gas leases in 3 million acres off the Florida. The acreage is not covered by the federal moratorium, but was promised protection by the Bush administration. This may be a first step to end the moratorium in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. In Virginia, legislators are seeking help from Congress to exempt the state from the federal moratorium. Aside from the oil and gas producers the most forceful advocates for removing restrictions are trade groups that represent industries that consume large quantities of energy. They are promoting legislation that would end the federal ban and give states the authority to reject exploration within 100 miles of their coasts and receive a greater percentage of the revenues from federal lease sales. April 08, 2005 The Seattle Times rw
U.S.: 2 Sides Do Battle in Court on Whether E.P.A. Should Regulate Carbon Dioxide. A federal appeals court heard arguments over whether the EPA has the authority to regulate CO2 emissions from motor vehicles. Lawyers have been asking the EPA to explain why the Clean Air Act does not empower them to regulate emissions for global climate considerations. Joining the government are 11 states that oppose CO2 regulation and 19 industry groups. The arguments before a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals, reflected a fault in current environmental battles: the extent to which CO2 can be linked to global warming. The Bush administration has taken a skeptical view, resisted international treaties like Kyoto that govern some countries and not others, and has worked to protect industries that would be adversely affected if carbon dioxide were regulated. Exchanges focused on whether Congress intended the agency to regulate CO2 even if its link to global warming is uncertain. Congress's wrote into Section 202 of the act that the E.P.A. administrator "shall" regulate any air pollutant from any new vehicles that "may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare." But the section makes no specific mention of carbon dioxide as a pollutant. Mr. Clark compared the case to an effort by the FDA to regulate tobacco as a drug and the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had never intended tobacco to be considered a drug. Regulation of CO2 emissions has been a major environmental issue since President Bush first won election and the administration has resisted regulations on such emission. Conflict over CO2 is one reason Congress has not passed new antipollution legislation for power plants. Motor vehicles account for about a quarter of the nation's CO2 emissions. The courtroom audience included lobbyists from leading car manufacturers. The judges are expected to take as long as six months to issue an opinion. April 08, 2005 New York Times* rw
India's River Linking Will Only Focus on Linking Peninsular Rivers. Indian authorities assured Bangladesh that their river-linking project would focus on linking the peninsular rivers and they would not do anything that could have implications on neighbouring countries. Bangladesh was concerned with India's proposed inter-linking of rivers and the construction of Tipaimukh Dam, saying they would have "devastating effects on the ecology and environment of Bangladesh". The Bangladesh minister also met Indian Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss and exchanged views on matters of mutual interest and assurances of cooperation including the positive developments in Bangladesh on the social front with impressive achievements on maternal and child health and mortality. He also described the steps to encourage women's empowerment and participation in the mainstream activities. He cited an excellent relationship between Bangladesh and India. He underscored the need of building up an equitable balance of trade for a mutually beneficial relationship. He reiterated the need for India to facilitate greater access of Bangladeshi products, including pharmaceuticals, to the Indian market. The Indian minister assured they would consider Bangladesh's request. April 07, 2005 United News of Bangladesh rw
U.S.: Reproductive Health: A Win for Freedom. The Republican-controlled Senate voted to repeal the gag rule on international family-planning assistance. The restriction blocks the use of U.S. money by any organization that even mentions the availability of abortion to women. Even if the House of Representatives goes along with the Senate, the president might veto the repeal. April 07, 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer rw
India: Population Control: Implementation is the Challenge. The biggest challenge to population and health issues is implementation by States as health is a State subject since the Centre had given up targeted approach to population stabilisation. Several States followed the two-child norm - which promotes incentives and disincentives - with disastrous consequences including Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Rajasthan. The Centre has not been able to prevail upon the States to do away with this distorted policy. A two-child norm has the potential to cause harm to women's health where son preference is high and women's status is low. It is believed that the two-child norm was derived from the one-child norm in China. But the decline in population growth rate took place before the one-child norm was introduced. The population growth continued to be high because a large population which was in the reproductive age group was contributing about 60% to growth, unmet need for contraception, high fertility and girls being married at a young age. The declining sex ratio of girl-child in the 0 to 6 age group is reported as Ahmedabad (822 per 1000 males), followed by Surat (827), Kanpur (855), Delhi (870), Jaipur (882), Pune (903), Lucknow (907), Greater Mumbai (919), Bangalore and Kolkata (941), Hyderabad (945), Chennai (967). The answer is in monitoring sex ratio at birth from Civil Registration Data. April 07, 2005 Hindu (The) rw Not only is the policy out-data, but so is the term 'population control'. Today it is about voluntary family planning.
Contraception Debate Delays Nomination of FDA Chief. The nomination of Lester Crawford as commissioner of the FDA was put on indefinite hold by two Democratic senators to protest the delay in deciding whether to allow non-prescription sales of Plan B. Sen. Crawford, FDA's acting commissioner, left the meeting without commenting. The FDA approved emergency contraception as a prescription-only drug but its manufacturer applied to sell Plan B without a prescription, and an advisory panel voted to support the application and FDA's scientific staff recommended approval. The acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research rejected the application. The FDA was supposed to decide on a revised application in January and it has become contentious -- with conservatives saying it would encourage promiscuity and advocates saying it would prevent pregnancies. Some religious conservatives consider emergency contraception a form of abortion. Most medical professionals do not. A lawsuit wants Plan B to be available on pharmacy shelves, while the manufacturer proposed that it be available without a prescription but only from a pharmacist. April 07, 2005 Washington Post rw
Negative Birth Rate and Rapid Society Ageing Face Poland With Challenging Questions. Poland's population could shrink by 1 million by 2020, and another 1.5 million in the following decade. By 2030, the country's population would be down to 35.7 million from the present 38.2 million. Average age would be 45 from the present 37. Women over 60 and men over 65 will grow to 6.4 million from the present 5.8 million over the next 5 years. After 2020, ageing will accelerate sharply. The main reason is Poland's falling birth rate. The decision to have just one, or at most two children is rational and responsible, as they believe they cannot afford to have more. Shortly after the war living conditions were more difficult than today, and yet in 1950 a woman had 3.7 kids. By mid-next decade, when living conditions improved the average was down to 2.3. In the 1980s, an average woman still gave birth to 2.1-2.3 kids. By the end of the decade, that figure was down to 2. And by 2004 to 1.22. There are several reasons. First, Poles are more consumption-oriented. Second more women know how to protect themselves against an unwanted pregnancy. Third, Poles work more than they used to. Young people realise that if they want a successful career they have to put work before everything else. Though men have increasingly participated in the family chores, it is women who bear the costs of having a baby (maternity leave etc.) The fiercely competitive labour market requires extra skills, this costs a lot and many would-be parents realise they will not be able to afford it. Fifth, the majority of pro-procreation incentives have been scrapped. Child allowance are now paid only to lowest-income families. Sole income providers are no longer protected against dismissal. Nursery and kindergarten fees have gone up. Education and health care, officially free, cost a lot. Preferential tax rates on children's products have been scrapped. The pension system means that each year spent on parental leave reduces one's future pension. Taken together, they create a situation which is not conducive to procreative decisions. Women will not give up their professional careers, and both them and their husbands are reluctant to accept the lower living standards from living off one wage instead of two. It would also be naive to expect that the vision of Poland's depopulation will cause people to start having more kids. Demographers have stressed the need for alternative population policy scenarios such as importing population, or implementing such organisational, fiscal, and legal regulations that will encourage people to have more than two kids. This could be a fiscal system that takes into account the number of children in a given family; a system of child allowances; or a scholarship system for children from low-income families. The proportion of professional women in Poland is expected to grow from 58% and will cause Polish women to have even fewer babies. Attempts to implement a pro-procreation policy would probably be opposed by those 42% of Polish families that have no kids. If the trends continue, Poland will have no choice but to import labour from less developed countries. However, irrespective of the ethnical, cultural, and other problems involved in immigration, this appears to be short-sighted solution. Immigrants adopt the social patterns of their new country and would start having less kids, and only increase the pool of pensioners. April 07, 2005 Polish News Bulletin rw When will people recognize that we must begin to plan for a population that the world can sustain. THAT MEANS FEWER PEOPLE!!!!
Duke Energy CEO Proposes Carbon Tax. Duke Energy Corp. will lobby for a tax on carbon dioxide emissions to reduce fossil fuel consumption and address global warming, CEO Paul Anderson told business and civil leaders. Anderson acknowledged it would mean bigger utility and gas bills, but unless industry leaders take the lead, the long-term outcome could be disastrous. In a letter, Anderson vowed to be proactive in shaping national policy on global warming and climate change and said that political leaders must break through the congressional stalemate. Duke Energy follows Cinergy Corp., which addressed global warming in an annual report. Anderson said the attraction of a mandatory carbon tax is that we can share the cost of reducing emissions across the economy. But even with Duke's support, a carbon tax is not politically realistic at this time. Duke Power Co. relies heavily on nuclear energy to produce its power. Bush withdrew the US from the Kyoto Protocol that requires more than 30 industrial countries to reduce their emissions by a combined average of 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. April 07, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle rw
Mobilizing Men in Nepal. With 539 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, Nepal has one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates. A MAP pilot project in Nawalparasi District is the first intervention of its kind in Nepal and features two major components: 1) To educate men about health issues; and 2) To improve family planning and reproductive health services for men and women. The MAP project trained 200 male peer educators from across Nawalparasi. These men provide informal education to their peers in tea shops, workplace sites, and community gatherings. Strategies include one-on-one counseling, group health talks, street theater, participation in community health fairs, and distribution of pamphlets and of condoms. The educators serve as a vital referral link to reproductive health services, including vasectomy, and to screening and treatment for STIs. One key target group was men whose wives were pregnant. The MAP project organized meetings for small groups of men to educate them about safe motherhood, healthy pregnancy, and the nutritional needs of mothers and children. The men were encouraged to bring their wives for care and delivery at the facilities that the MAP supports. Clinics received training on men's reproductive health issues. New services were introduced, including syndromic management of STIs and protocols were established for counseling during antenatal visits to ensure that women and men are informed about safer motherhood. Three sites were equipped to offer delivery services. Men received reproductive health counseling and were encouraged to participate in family planning counseling with their female partners. Vasectomy services were initiated at one site, while the others referred male sterilization. MAP Project Impact As a result contraceptive use has increased, more men accompany their wives to clinics, men are more supportive of their pregnant wives, and there is greater community awareness of STI issues. The Nepal Pilot Project has been well received, in the words of a doctor at a local clinic, "involving men is the demand of the hour." April 06, 2005 EngenderHealth rw
UN Report: All Mothers Should Have Professional Care When Giving Birth. WHO (World Health Organization) highlights the plight of mothers and young children in the developing world who often don't have access to basic health care. About half a million women die in childbirth every year and almost 11 million children under 5, including four million newborns who die before they are a month old and there are 3.3 million stillbirths every year. The conditions which cause those deaths, premature birth, unclean childbirth, respiratory infections, diarrhea and malaria, can be prevented through cheap and simple treatments. Improving maternal health care does not require expensive technology, but to provide care from the start of pregnancy and parents need to be educated while the child is still young. Having a skilled birth attendant is among the key measures necessary for the UN to achieve goals. Effective professional care can make the difference between life and death for both women and their newborns. Less than two thirds of women in developing countries give birth with qualified assistance, and that drops to less than one-third in the poorest countries. World leaders pledged to reduce maternal deaths by 75% percent and child deaths by two-thirds. A number of developing counties have reduced child mortality in recent years, but with the highest rates have made the least progress. 29 countries have small reductions in mortality rates but are outweighed by the increasing number of births. They include Afghanistan, North Korea, Papua New Guinea and Yemen. The UN said $9 billion needs to be invested every year over the next decade in those countries most affected, if they were to reach goals on child mortality. April 06, 2005 Associated Press rw
Armenia: 11 Newborn Infants out of Each 1,000 Do Not Live up First Week of Life. The Ministry of Health of Armenia said that about 11 newborn infants out of each 1,000 do not live up the first week of life. Last year about 36 women in childbirth out of 100,000 died during delivery. During the last 10 years the Ministry of Health has implemented a series of programs and reduced the percentage of infantile mortality under 5 years old, as well as the maternal mortality. 10 large-scale and 10 local programs aimed at protection of health of mother and child are implemented in the republic today, both by the government and international organizations. By 2015 it is planned that infant and maternal mortality will decrease by a third. April 06, 2005 Arminfo (Armenia) rw
Religious Figures in Egypt Argue over Virtue of Sex Education. Egypt's senior Islamic cleric rejected any sex education that discusses safe sex and abortions saying that Islam teachings deal with sexual education issues in a way that doesn't propagate sin or corrupt youth. It is better than teaching sex to school students and permitting the so-called safe abortion and calling for equality between man and woman. Attempts to revamp reproductive health education in schools has prompted widespread debate on the subject. Discussing sex is a taboo in conservative Egypt where premarital sex and homosexual relations are considered a sin. Government ministries and civil groups have been trying to find ways to teach reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention without raising religious objections. The term "sex education" might push clerics against the program. Reproductive health issues are included in science classes, but some teachers simply don't teach them. Islam recognizes only one way of making a family, through marriage between man and woman that avoids issues of premarital sex and providing contraceptives to young people and the need for abortion. Egypt's Grand Mufti rejected any teaching children safe sex and how to avoid pregnancy and disease on the grounds that it would promote sexual activity. April 06, 2005 Associated Press rw
Colorado Governor Vetoes Requirement for Rape Victims to Get Info on Emergency Contraception. The Colorado governor vetoed a bill requiring hospitals to tell rape victims about emergency contraception, saying it would force church-backed institutions to violate their ethics. The governor, a Roman Catholic who has campaigned on conservative values, said the measure was probably unconstitutional and did not provide victims with balanced information. State Rep. Fran Coleman said she was disappointed, saying rape victims didn't ask for that procreation. The measure passed 46-19 in the House and 22-13 in the Senate but did not have the two-thirds vote needed to override the veto. Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput objected to the bill because it did not require rape victims to be told that some medications stop a fertilized egg from being implanted, which he says amounts to abortion. He said the church does not object to rape victims taking steps to prevent ovulation when there is no risk to a fertilized egg. April 06, 2005 Associated Press rw
European Population Growth Comes to a Standstill, Study Finds. Europe's population grew by 0.23% in 2003, with 2 million immigrants. Turkey had the highest natural growth, followed by Albania, Ireland and Azerbaijan, while Ukraine, Georgia and Bulgaria saw the lowest. Europe's population is the world's oldest, with the median 10 years higher than the world average. The median was 37.7 in Europe in 2003, compared to 35.4 in N.America, 30.7 in Oceania, 26.1 in Asia 24.2 in Latin America and 18.3 in Africa. There are no indications of changes in either European fertility or mortality, and the population aging is here to stay. European women have 1.5 children on average, a decline from 1.8 in 1990, while overall life expectancy has increased over the past 15 years, from 77 to 78.8 for women and from 70 to 72.1 for men. April 06, 2005 Associated Press rw As populations age and the baby bulge group becomes older, there will be fewer women capable of having children. Is there a danger, as we extend our lifespans out with medical technology, of losing the capability of having children at all?
Pill Ads Can't Be Blocked, Legislators Told; Law Against University of Wisconsin Advocating Contraception Would Be Illegal. Legislation that would prohibit the U of Wisconsin from advocating or providing emergency contraception to students would be unconstitutional the Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager said in an advisory opinion. He was responding to a request from Democratic lawmakers, who are trying to block a bill that would prevent the university from advertising or dispensing the morning-after pill. Republicans said lawmakers usually turn to the Legislative Reference Bureau for advice on legislation being drafted. They took opponents to task for seeking an opinion on a measure that has yet to be introduced. The legislation is to be introduced later this week. Rep. Dan LeMahieu developed the legislation in response to advertisements in student newspapers that urged students to pack a dose of the morning-after pill in their suitcases for spring break. It remains controversial because some abortion opponents consider its effect to be a chemical abortion. Lautenschlager's opinion said it would be unconstitutional because it would: Violate female students' right to privacy. Discriminate against female students by denying them access to medication that only women may need. Infringe on free speech protections by preventing the UW System from advertising emergency contraception. Few students had heeded the advice in the advertisements and obtained a dose of the morning-after pill for spring break. University Health Services is funded by student fees, not taxpayer dollars and is a key part of student life. Half of the student body receive care from the university agency during the school year. April 06, 2005 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rw
Uganda: Women Benefit From Dairy Farming. Local efforts to reduce on poverty in Sironko have scored through a Women dairy co-operative society. 500 exotic cows have been given out to women at family levels and had resulted in a decline in poverty levels at households. The co-operative started with 9 cows and now boasts over 500 exotic cows that benefit more 1000 people at household level. If the current trends continue, there would be more than 1000 animals in a year's time. The government plans to introduce zero grazing livestock farming in Kapchorwa, and should borrow lessons from the Women dairy co-operative that can help the government programme take off. President Yoweri Museveni had donated more 20 exotic cows to the project to boost the efforts of local women in the fight against poverty. April 06, 2005 The Monitor (Uganda) rw Sorry, this article did not say what these non-grazing 'exotic' cows eat. ;-)
Study Finds Vulnerabilities in Pools of Spent Nuclear Fuel. Terrorists could mount a successful attack on the pool of spent fuel at a nuclear power reactor and scientists say federal regulators should evaluate each plant to determine if some of the fuel should be moved into dry casks to lower the risks. This contradicts the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which says that the pools are as safe as casks. An unrestricted version of the report was delayed by arguments over what could be made public. Experts say the most vulnerable are the older boiling-water reactors, where the fuel pool is high above the ground, made of reinforced concrete with stainless-steel linings. They called for independent reviewers to assess security measures and called for water-spray systems at the pools to keep fuel from catching fire, even if the water were drained. The scientists said they hoped their findings would prompt the government to provide money for cask storage at sites found vulnerable. Spent fuel in the storage pools contains more radioactive materials than the reactors. Most of the plants now operating were designed to store fuel for only a few years and The Energy Department was supposed to begin accepting fuel for burial in 1998 but has not yet done so. As a result, the reactor operators have squeezed more into the pools, raising the heat and raising the risk of fire if the pools were drained. Building casks to keep up with waste would cost millions of dollars a year. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said that the pools "are not easily breached structures." After an attack you get a couple of fire hoses, and spray them, and you have many hours before there could be any radiological release. April 06, 2005 New York Times* rw
Nepal Wooing Expectant Mothers to Hospitals. Women in Nepal who go to health centres or hospitals will be given allowances as part of the government's initiative to reduce the maternal and infant mortality of 539 per 100,000 births. An estimated 4,500 women die each year due to pregnancy-related complications. Women will be given $7, $14 and $21 respectively in the terai, hilly and Himalayan regions to encourage them to go to the health centres or hospitals for childbirth. Almost 90% give birth at home often leading to complications in the newborn and the mother, endangering their lives. April 05, 2005 Indo-Asian News Service rw
Artic Wildlife Refuge: How a 2,000 Acre Footprint Would Bring 1.5 Million Acres of Industrial Sprawl. Proponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge insist that only 2,000 acres would be disturbed. But U.S. Geological Survey studies have found that oil is spread across the coastal plain in more than 30 small deposits, which would require networks of roads and pipelines. Please follow the link to see the map. April 05, 2005 NRDC rw
U.S.: Pollution Worse Inside School Buses Than Out. Researchers reported that exhaust from buses was leaking into the passenger cabin, and probably affecting the children. In a single day, a child riding a school bus will breathe anywhere from seven to 70 times more exhaust than a typical Los Angeles resident will inhale from all school bus emissions in the area. The report did not specify whether the problem was caused by damaged exhaust pipes or faulty design. They analyzed results from tracer-gas experiments that measured the air in six empty school buses traveling through established routes, with windows opened and closed. Five were diesel and built between 1975 and 1998. One 1998 model was equipped with a particle trap and a sixth, ran on compressed natural gas. Concentrations of key air pollutants were higher inside the bus cabins than outside. Because so many children ride school buses, reducing the emissions would give policymakers more bang for their buck than the same reduction from other diesel vehicles. April 05, 2005 Reuters rw
Kenyan Village Serves as Test Case in Fight on Poverty. A settlement in western Kenya has become a giant test tube and there will be 10 such test villages across the world's poorest continent. The project aims to fight poverty to prove that conditions for millions of people can be improved in just five years. If it fails, initiatives like increased foreign aid to Africa may seem foolhardy. The project grew out of the Millennium Development Goals, and today they keep slipping further into the future. The remoteness of this settlement has allowed poverty to get a foothold here. The Millennium Development Goals seem to have been forgotten in a country that has seen corruption devastate its economy. Researchers behind the program are keeping track of every penny to demonstrate that for a modest amount, around $110 per person, a village can be tugged out of poverty. Every home was surveyed to get an accurate portrait of the population. Blood tests were taken for a nutritional analysis and to determine how widespread malaria is, and then later, to see whether the mosquito nets given to every villager help keep people alive. A new health clinic has gone up. Villagers did the labor, and the project pitched in the sacks of cement, the sheets of tin and the white and blue paint. The Kenyan government must provide the drugs. Before the health clinic, villagers relied on the district hospital, which got its first government doctor as part of the project. The villagers will receive a truck to double as an ambulance and for farmers to get their produce to market. Projects come and go in this part of the world and some people participate to get a free lunch and do not see the long term benefits. People need to stay involved after the experts go home. Most of the aid will come from shared knowledge from experts on health, agriculture, energy and economics. Residents will lift themselves out of poverty. A soil scientist is advising the people how to revive their damaged fields and plant trees as a way of fertilizing the soil for free. Yields could double or triple. Not all the new food the farmers produce will remain theirs. In exchange for free fertilizer and seeds, farmers had to agree to give 10% of their yields to local schools that will start a program to feed children at noontime and, bring more of them into class. The project plans to bring electricity by extending the power grid that never actually reached them. It is too early to say whether this will be another failed venture. Village leaders persuaded one farmer not to sell his free fertilizer. Although an estimated one-fifth to one-third of the people are H.I.V. positive, many fear the stigma if others find they have the disease. Some volunteers came by the village to encourage people to have their blood checked. The reward was a free bed net and a free paper visor to shield one's face from the sun. April 04, 2005 New York Times* rw
UN Warns Three Billion May Be Living in World's Slums by Mid-Century. The UN warned that growing poverty and urbanization may triple the population of the world's slums to three billion by the middle of the century. Urging global action to fight poverty, if not the unstoppable migration of people from rural areas to cities, the UN said the growth of slums was a risk to public health and development. Such poverty is more destructive than all the world's disasters and wars combined. Kofi Annan noted that slum-dwellers in Africa, Asia and Latin America account for 30% of a global urban population. Cities are engines of growth and social development, yet also bastions of inequality in health and living conditions, employment opportunities and the crime and insecurity. Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki called on rich nations to offer debt relief to reduce poverty in the developing world and slow the growth of slums. April 04, 2005 Agence France-Presse rw
UNICEF Says Human Trafficking Now a 10-billion-dollar Industry. Human trafficking is raking in an estimated 10 billion dollars every year. Governments should enact more laws and enforce to reverse the trend. Statistics of how many children are smuggled across borders were not available because this is often not recognized and hidden. The Philippines has passed a law against human trafficking, but no government has done all it could. Those most vulnerable are women and children in poor countries who are often lured by promises of education or a better job. Once out of the country, they are often forced into prostitution, child labor or slavery. April 04, 2005 Push newsfeed rw
U.S.: Teens: Intercourse Riskier Than Oral Sex. One in five ninth-graders have oral sex and one-third say they intend to try it during the next six months. They also say oral sex is less risky, and more acceptable than intercourse. While there's little data, parents and health care providers can tell teenagers that there is a potential for getting herpes, hepatitis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis and HIV from oral sex. In the survey, teenagers were instructed to imagine themselves in a situation that included unprotected oral sex with a partner who had had intercourse with other partners and asked to estimate the chance they would get various infections, including HIV, and the chance that they would feel guilty or get a bad reputation. A group that studies reproductive issues said the California survey is encouraging because it shows teenagers know that oral sex carries some health risk. April 04, 2005 Associated Press rw
Medical Alert on Birth Control Rods. Australian Doctor magazine reports that a woman who had an Implanon rod inserted less than three years ago has become pregnant. The contraceptive rods were introduced in May, 2001. Since then, more than 240,000 women have had the devices inserted in the upper arm, to prevent pregnancy for three years. About 100 unintended pregnancies have been reported. In some cases, the rod was not inserted correctly. In others, women may have been pregnant before the device was fitted. In one case, a doctor was forced to pay $140,000 to a woman to help her raise her unplanned child. A student began proceedings against her doctor for pain and suffering caused by an abortion connected to insertion of the implant. One in four women have Implanon rods removed in the first year of use. A survey of 640 women found that about a quarter of them had suffered side-effects. April 04, 2005 Telegraph rw
Women Are Forging a Democratic Middle East. Politicians, scholars and non-governmental organisations agree that social reform and democratisation will improve the status of women in the Middle East. Women are driving forward democracy as they fight for their individual rights in societies in which collective rights are traditionally more important. They are demanding change in divorce, the custody of children and economic rights, also "honour killings" and female genital mutilation. The UN development programme will outline that democracy is essential for economic and social development. If nations exclude women they will forgo the economic growth that women can generate. Political discourse is weaker in societies where women are silent citizens. In Kuwait and Saudi Arabia women are fighting for the right to vote. In Saudi Arabia some women are ready to stand as political candidates in municipal elections. Half of the registered electorate who voted in the presidential elections in Gaza and the West Bank were women. In Yemen and Egypt there are demands to include women in the political process. In Morocco women have rights in family law, while in Egypt, a woman won the right to use DNA to prove her ex-husband was the father of her son. Women in Saudi Arabia will be able to apply for driving licences. In practice, impunity for "honour killing" continues in Syria and Jordan. An initiative by the US state department to create a women's network in the Middle East so that women can learn from each other is a positive move. Female leaders in business and politics from Arab nations will meet to discuss economic rights. Where women are being denied their rights, the international community must provide support, resources and ways of integrating and linking these different campaigns. April 04, 2005 Financial Ti