Saturday, September 10th, 2011
The Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) awarded research grants to 53 local companies and institutions intended to delve into several themes on how best to compliment the Kilimo Kwanza initiative, the Green Revolution, which is meant to jack start the country from the curse of poverty. At a brief ceremony officiated by the Minister
Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Siemens is to equip 9,000 of the total 11,000 automatic train control elements in the route network of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) with the European Train Control System (ETCS) type Trainguard 100. The order is worth a total value of around 125 million euros. The contract covers the conversion of the existing train control
Saturday, September 10th, 2011
The navigation of the Danube River has been hurdled after an Ukrainian vessel became stuck near the Bulgarian Danube island of Batin, the Bulgarian Maritime Administration announced. The Ukrainian passenger cruise ship got stranded near Batin, Borovo Municipality, Ruse District, on Thurday, and has now been pulled out with the help of three other vessels. Read More
Saturday, September 10th, 2011
Germany is preparing for climate change by installing air conditioners in overheated cities and irrigation systems on dry fields. But a new federal proposal is short on details, state programs differ and there is no solid plan for preparing the country for a warming world. Read More
Friday, September 9th, 2011
Electoral monitoring association “Golos” together with gazeta.ru had launched Kartanarusheniy.ru, a crowdsourced mechanism for collecting user data on electoral violations. Ushahidi-like map (although developed on a different software) allows users to report agitation violations, administrative and police pressure, bribery, misuse of power, violation of candidates’ rights. Read MOre
Friday, September 9th, 2011
Eskom has been given a R980 840 000 loan by the Agence Franaise de Dveloppement (AFD) towards its renewable energy projects, the electricity parastatal said. “The facility, which is for 20 years, will go towards financing Eskom’s 100 megawatt Sere Wind Project in the Western Cape ,” it said in a statement. The loan forms part of Eskom’s seven-year
Friday, September 9th, 2011
The embattled Icelandic property market appears to be making a comeback after it nearly ground to a complete halt during the banking crisis. In the Reykjavik area there were 428 confirmed property purchase contracts signed and validated in August with a value of ISK 12.5 billion (EUR 76.7 million) and an average cost per transaction of
Friday, September 9th, 2011
Green energy used to be Germany’s great hope for its economic future. But now the German solar industry is in trouble amid huge losses, job cuts and the threat of bankruptcies. Chinese firms are gaining an ever greater share of the German market — and are benefiting from German subsidies for renewable energy. Read More
Friday, September 9th, 2011
The city of Beijing and GIZ officially launched a new Sino-German project on sustainable urban transport. The project “Transport Demand Management in Beijing – Emission Reduction in Urban Transport” is funded through the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).The aim of this project is
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
The heat wave, which was centered over eastern Europe and western Russia, brought with it severe drought conditions and intense wildfires. At the same time, northern Pakistan was being inundated by episodic bursts of heavy rainfall. Both of these weather events reached extreme intensities on July 28–29, when maximum temperatures in Moscow exceeded 95°F (35°C)
