BURMA: UN Aid Arrives, But Many Doors Still Closed
By Arlene Chang
UNITED NATIONS - As the first U.N. relief planes landed in Yangon early on Thursday, humanitarian officials complained that the aid flowing into cyclone-devastated Burma (Myanmar) is still encountering bureaucratic obstacles that are threatening the lives of desperate survivors.
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IRAQ: Running Out of Water in Rising Heat
By Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail*
BAQUBA - Water supply is drying out in what was once the agriculturally rich Diyala province north of Baghdad. Baquba, the capital city of Diyala, is now running out of water both for drinking and for irrigation.
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ICELAND: Road Threatens Heritage
By Lowana Veal
REYKJAVIK - Environmentalists are concerned that a proposed new road will threaten the ecology of Lake Thingvallavatn, Iceland's second largest lake.
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CHINA: Buying Farmland Abroad, Ensuring Food Security
By Antoaneta Bezlova
BEIJING - Rattled by rapidly rising global grain prices, China is looking at strategies to ensure long-term food security for its 1.3 billion people such as procuring farmland overseas and opposing the formation of any international grain price- fixing monopolies.
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INDIA: Gov't 'Helpless' as Farmers Shylocked to Suicide
By Bharat Dogra
MAHOBA - There is no let up in farmers’ suicides, say activists urging the Indian government to extend its loan waiver offer to more agriculturists in western Maharashtra and central Madhya Pradesh states where the agrarian crisis is most severe.
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ENERGY-AFRICA: From Kerosene to the LED, O-HUB and O-BOX
By Stephen Leahy
ACCRA - In many of Africa's towns and villages, smoky kerosene lamps are all that keeps the darkness at bay after sunset. However, kerosene is a dangerous and increasingly expensive source of light for Africans who do not have access to electricity -- about three-quarters of those living on the continent, according to the World Bank.
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ANGOLA: Irish Rock Star Geldof Riles Tempers
By Mario de Queiroz
LISBON - Irish rocker and activist Bob Geldof’s statement that Angola is a country "run by criminals" unleashed a political storm that could have an impact on Portugal’s large investment interests in the largest of its former African colonies.
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LATIN AMERICA: Food Summit Declares Regional Emergency
By José Adán Silva
MANAGUA - The presidential summit on "Food for Life", held in Nicaragua, has ended with 16 Latin American countries agreeing to produce more food and sell it at low prices through strategic alliances, amid criticisms of free markets and capitalism.
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DEVELOPMENT: Food Crisis Linked to Doha Deal
By Aileen Kwa
GENEVA - The issue of rising food prices was raised at the WTO's General Council meeting Wednesday, and for the first time, discussed in some detail. But there remains, as one African delegate put it, "a lot of confusion about the rising prices of commodities and the Doha Round. Somebody needs to demystify the links. The D-G (Director-General) is using this as a bait to catch us on concluding the Round as soon as possible."
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NEPAL: Poor Planning Behind Rising Food Prices
By Mallika Aryal
KATHMANDU - As the sole breadwinner in a family of five, Maya Tamang watches her food budget carefully. And she can vouch best for the way many items are steadily disappearing from the table as food prices spiral steadily.
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