Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? 20 May 2014Last updated at 12:44 ET By Farouk Chothia BBC Africa Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram - which has caused havoc in Africa's most populous country through a wave of bombings, assassinations and now abductions - is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state. Its followers are said to be influenced by the Koranic phrase which says: "Anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors". Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it "haram", or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. This includes voting in elections, wearing shirts and trousers or receiving a secular education. Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, even when the country had a Muslim president.
Boko Haram has attacked many schools in northern Nigeria The group launched its insurgency in 2009 It has targeted both civilians and the military Recruiting ground. Who are the Uighurs? 30 April 2014Last updated at 16:39 ET China's western Xinjiang region has a long history of discord between China's authorities and the indigenous Uighur ethnic minority. Who are the Uighurs? The Uighurs are Muslims. They regard themselves as culturally and ethnically close to Central Asian nations. The region's economy has for centuries revolved around agriculture and trade, with towns such as Kashgar thriving as hubs along the famous Silk Road. In the early part of the 20th Century, the Uighurs briefly declared independence. The region was brought under the complete control of communist China in 1949. Xinjiang is officially designated an autonomous region within China, like Tibet to its south. What are their grievances? Beijing accuses exiled Uighurs including Rebiya Kadeer of whipping up trouble Activists say central government policies have gradually curtailed the Uighurs' religious, commercial and cultural activities.
What is the view from Beijing? What is the current situation in Xinjiang? FREE MONEY! (If You _ _ _ _ It) 28Nov2012_ST PB8_Singapore is 5th_Lee Sing Kong-smaller.pdf. Isis video shows murder of British hostage Alan Henning | World news. Islamic State militants have released a video depicting the murder of British aid convoy volunteer Alan Henning, three weeks after warning that he would be the next to die. Henning is the fourth western hostage to have been killed by the group, following the filmed beheadings of US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and Scottish aid worker David Haines. A further hostage, Hervé Gourdel, from Nice in France, was murdered by Jund al-Khalifa, a group with links to Isis, on 24 September.
The killing comes after the UK launched air strikes against Islamic State (Isis), joining the US and its Arab allies – Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – which had been targeting the group for several days. Shortly before the Ministry of Defence announced that the RAF had attacked two Isis targets, the Foreign Office arranged for Henning’s wife Barbara to make a televised appeal for his release. “Alan had gone to Syria to help get aid to people of all faiths in their hour of need. WARNING GRAPHIC: ISIS Massacres Shias. Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests. Top nine things you need to know about 'listicles' World's top firms cause $2.2tn of environmental damage, report estimates | Environment. The cost of pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world's biggest companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable, a major unpublished study for the United Nations has found.
The report comes amid growing concern that no one is made to pay for most of the use, loss and damage of the environment, which is reaching crisis proportions in the form of pollution and the rapid loss of freshwater, fisheries and fertile soils. Later this year, another huge UN study - dubbed the "Stern for nature" after the influential report on the economics of climate change by Sir Nicholas Stern - will attempt to put a price on such global environmental damage, and suggest ways to prevent it. The figure equates to 6-7% of the companies' combined turnover, or an average of one-third of their profits, though some businesses would be much harder hit than others. 25 Biggest Man Made Environmental Disasters In History.
Cancun Agreements Intro. Isi-web.org. The list of developing countries shown below is adhered to by the ISI, effective from 1 January till 31 December 2014. Developing countries are defined according to their Gross National Income (GNI) per capita per year. Countries with a GNI of US$ 11,905 and less are defined as developing (specified by the World Bank, 2012).
You can find the list that was used for 2013 here. *) "Occupied Palestinian Territory" Countries that are slightly over the amount of US$ 11,905 will be considered a developing country for the year 2014 and their situation will be reviewed for 2015. The names of the countries are based upon United Nations sources. The designations employed and the presentation of country or area names in this list do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the ISI concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 10 facts on climate change and health. German Policy Drives Clean Tech Innovation. Chile launches its biggest wind farm. 27 August 2014Last updated at 06:26 ET By Gideon Long BBC News, La Serena, Chile South America is lagging behind the US and Europe in its development of renewable energy Chile has inaugurated its biggest ever wind farm as part of its bid to wean itself off fossil fuels and tap its massive potential for renewable energy.
The El Arrayan farm is located on a coastal hillside 400km (250 miles) north of the capital Santiago. Built at a cost of $300m (£180m), it consists of 50 giant turbines with an installed capacity of 115 megawatts. But despite its size, it represents less than 1% of Chile's total electricity generating capacity. The wind farm is small by the standards of Europe and the US but is one of the biggest in South America, which is only now starting to develop "green energy" in earnest. President Michelle Bachelet said she hoped the wind farm would act as a stimulus for green energy Running on empty Energy is a key issue in Chile. Huge potential The potential is enormous. No subsidies. Strong Green Jobs Growth Potential in India. Renewable Energy, India. Environmental Issues > International Issues Main Page > All International Issues Documents Employment Potential and Financing Solutions for Solar and Wind Energy India is struggling with skyrocketing energy demands, declining energy supplies, and peak load blackouts and shortages that limit energy access.Harnessing clean and renewable energy sources can help meet energy needs in a sustainable way and the growth of wind and solar power in India can be an important driver of job growth.Providing strong policy support and diverse financial mechanisms, and ensuring that the wind and solar industries are learning from each other's experiences, can help both markets grow while increasing clean energy jobs and energy access. © Bhaskar DeolA wind mill in Jath, Maharashtra Solar Power The central government has cited job creation as part of its rationale for the Solar Mission.
Read More Wind Power The Indian government recognizes that wind energy can be a significant clean energy resource. Major UN Conference on Health and Climate. Manhattan Project (United States history) -- Encyclopedia Britannica. Manhattan Project, U.S. government research project (1942–45) that produced the first atomic bombs. American scientists, many of them refugees from fascist regimes in Europe, took steps in 1939 to organize a project to exploit the newly recognized fission process for military purposes. The first contact with the government was made by G.B. Pegram of Columbia University, who arranged a conference between Enrico Fermi and the Navy Department in March 1939.
In the summer of 1939, Albert Einstein was persuaded by his fellow scientists to use his influence and present the military potential of an uncontrolled fission chain reaction to President Franklin D. It was known in 1940 that German scientists were working on a similar project and that the British were also exploring the problem. If the project were to achieve success quickly, several lines of research and development had to be carried on simultaneously before it was certain whether any might succeed.