Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Although hurricanes often call to mind raging winds and toppling trees, some of the worst destruction caused by these storms comes in the form of rain. Hurricane Irene, which roared up the U.S. East Coast in late August 2011, was no exception. Flooding was reported from North Carolina’s Outer Banks to New England. This color-coded
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Sean Hogan, the recently appointed Chairman of NI Water has a simple, slightly surprising, but laudable ambition: to return NI Water to the anonymity of a well-functioning organisation that no one notices! His determination is to see NI Water working so that it justifies a degree of anonymity. Of course, he is reacting to the high
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
In an effort to bring down power prices and increase carbon-free energy production, Estonia may get a underwater pump hydroelectricity plant along its northern coast. The plant which will be about 200 m below water and produce 300 mw of electricity, although the Ministry of Economy is questioning the need for such large power capacity. Businessmen
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
For years, regional government has been promising to simplify the legislation, which currently covers 1,183 separate articles but successive urban development councillors have only succeeded in adding articles rather than reducing them. But it seems all this will be consigned to the dungeons of history as new regional urban development councillor, Isabel Bonig, announced this week
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Rivers nationwide have been cleansed of their industrial past as pollutioncontrols have been tightened and enforced, and water quality gradually improved. Ian Barker, head of land and water at the Environment Agency, said: “Work that we have done with farmers, businesses and water companies to reduce the amount of water taken from rivers, minimise pollution and improve water quality
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
The Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) on Monday signed a contract with Chinese developers Vanke to design affordable housing for Beijing. Read More
Monday, August 29th, 2011
Scientists in Brazil claim to have discovered a massive 6000km river running deep below the Amazon basin, but other researchers think it might just be water trickling through underground rocks. Known for its rich biodiversity and misty beauty, researchers are now wondering if they have only seen part of the Amazon, since the “discovery” of the
Monday, August 29th, 2011
The State Department in its report said the project – which would pipe more than 700,000 barrels a day of tar sands crude to Texas refineries – would not increase greenhouse gas emissions. It also downplayed the risks of an accident from piping highly corrosive tar sands crude across prime American farmland. Campaigners accused the State
Monday, August 29th, 2011
Climate shift has at times been fingered as a culprit in triggering conflict, fuelling for instance the 1789 French Revolution by wrecking harvests and driving hungry peasants to the city. Evidence to back the theory has often been contested as sketchy or anecdotal – but the case has been boosted by the first scientific study to
Monday, August 29th, 2011
Bulgaria’s Cabinet could complete the privatization of the “Freight Services” unit of state railways operator BDZ Holding within six months, according to Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski. Moskovski told BNR Sunday that the plan for reforms of the vastly troubled state railway company coordinated with the World Bank called for the splitting of BDZ”Passenger Services” from BDZ “Freight Services.” Read More
