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Tuesday, May 19, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
HEALTH-GERMANY: More Smoke Arises From Ban
The decision by a German constitutional court against a partial ban on smoking has led to calls for a new nationwide ban.ENERGY: Accidents Make N-Questions Bigger
The recent proliferation of accidents at nuclear power plants in France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe has made calls for greater reliance on nuclear energy questionable, experts say.ENVIRONMENT: EU Backs Away From Agrofuels
EU ministers for energy and the environment have revised their targets for renewable energy in the face of abundant new evidence that increased production of agrofuels is partly responsible for the worldwide increase of food prices.EUROPE: Germans Love Obama – For Now
The extraordinary enthusiasm with which Germans greeted U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama in Berlin Thursday may have concealed a fear: once the presidency of George W. Bush ends, Germans might be forced to close ranks with the U.S. and go back to playing the role of military junior partner of a superpower at war.FRANCE: ‘Excited Little Boy’ Takes Hold of the Media
The media in France, already in a heavy financial and credibility crisis, did not need yet another blow. But that is just what it got in President Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement that he will personally pick the directors of the public television and radio broadcasting companies.EUROPE: Mediterranean Union May Be Stillborn
The proposed Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) of 27 European Union countries and at least 13 countries from the Maghreb and Arab region may prove stillborn, analysts say.ENVIRONMENT: German Leaks Raise More Nuclear Fears
Confirmation that radioactive brine has been leaking for two decades from a German underground deposit for nuclear waste is yet another blow to the idea that nuclear power can safely increase electricity generation and simultaneously reduce emissions.RIGHTS: France Offers Europe an ‘Inhuman’ Model
The French government, which assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Jul. 1, is trying to expand its tough policy against immigration and asylum to all of the EU.
ENVIRONMENT-EUROPE: Mobile Phones Change Birds’ Tune
Many wild birds are able to imitate the simple ringtones of mobile telephones, German ornithologists report, underscoring the influence of humans on the evolution of birds.MIDEAST: Aid Pledged to Strengthen West Bank Police
International donors have promised to channel more aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA), particularly to strengthen the police and the judiciary.DEVELOPMENT: Water Flowing Back Into Public Hands
The announcement by the Paris municipality that water services will return to public hands by 2010 is in line with a global trend of ending privatisation of such services.
Mobile Phones Change Birds' Tune
As they continually adapt to their environment, wild birds in Europe have learned to imitate the ringtones of mobile telephones, say experts.AFGHANISTAN: Yet More Promises Come
The international support conference on Afghanistan this week fell short of offering an adequate answer to the multiple problems facing the country.EUROPE: Getting Allergic to Climate Change
Climate change induced by global warming is provoking health hardships in Europe, especially through new, prolonged allergies, authorities say.ENERGY: Only Nuclear Dreams Mushrooming
The proposal by the Paris-based International Energy Agency for more than 1,400 nuclear power plants to be built over the next 40 years is unfeasible, environmental activists say.BIODIVERSITY: Dump Dirt in Oceans to ‘Fertilise’ Them
When some multinational companies dump chemicals into the sea, they call it 'ocean fertilisation'. This practice is near the top of the agenda at the UN conference on biological diversity in Bonn.
BIODIVERSITY: Biological Patents Yield Unequal Benefits
The medicinal or nutritional properties of many plants can give rise to enormous economic benefits, which put patents for naturally existing plants at the centre of an ethical, commercial and legal debate.BIODIVERSITY: Nature Cannot Absorb This Growth
One day, Lucio Flores, a Brazilian Terena Indian, was travelling by truck through the Amazons region alongside a local landowner. Looking at the dense tropical forest around, the landowner said, "Look at this, there is nothing here."
Biological Patents Yield Unequal Benefits
The existing patent system does not require the petitioner to document the origins of his or her knowledge or innovation, which experts say is a boon to biopiracy.BIODIVERSITY: Indigenous Peoples Fight Theft
Amongst the suits in the luxurious hotel hall, Sebastian Haji immediately catches the eye. He is small, dark-skinned, and wears a crown of feathers on his head.ENVIRONMENT: GM Foods the Problem, Not the Solution
The food crisis has prompted some looks towards genetically modified food production as a solution. That in turn has led to stronger warnings over the consequences of such food for health and the environment.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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