Japan has started to fingerprint and photograph all foreigners when they arrive in the country, joining the United States in checking foreigners in this way. (Japan will require foreigners resident in Japan, as well as visitors, to be checked each time they enter.) This kind of checking is a sad comment on the way humanity …
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The virtual world is getting harsh, with cyber-bullying
The launch by YouTube of a site where users can raise concerns about cyber-bulling puts in to sharp focus the reality of teh virtual worlds we create. While the YouTube initiative illustrates the nature and extent of personal abuse by internet or phone-text, it should not detract from awareness that traditional non-physical abuse is also …
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Japan slaughtering whales, again
A Japanese whaling fleet has set sail aiming to harpoon humpback whales for the first time in decades. The fleet is conducting its largest hunt in the South Pacific – it has instructions to kill up to 1,000 whales, including 50 humpbacks. The humpback hunt is the first since a mid-1960s global ban and has …
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Education is Number 1 in China
China is now the largest higher education system in the world: it awards more university degrees than the US and India combined. But its not just volume, its quality and growth too. China has identified education as a priority and invested in its education system so that in a few years it has transformed itself …
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School governors denigrate tests and league tables
The UK’s National Governors’ Association is calling for an end to the current system of league tables and national tests, saying the tables held information that was too narrow and misrepresented what happened in schools. Instead it wants schools to be given a grade based on comparisons with others in similar circumstances, and tests that …
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IPCC 4th report: Synthesis – abrupt and irreversible impact
The 4th IPCC report synthesises the three aspects of climate change that it has already discussed in reports earlier in the year. As well as the unequivocal blame on humanity for climate change some of the irreversible impacts include: 20%-30% of species assessed so far at increased risk of extinction. between 75m and 250m people …
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Financial sanctions for polluters in China
With China’s cities among the most polluted in the world, the authorities are introducing financial penalties for rule breakers and forcing firms to pay more towards the cost of emissions. Currently, firms guilty of environmental breaches are currently subject to a maximum fine of just 100,000 yuan (€ 10,000). Under China’s new “green credit policy”, …
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Koreas to open rail links
On 11 December a freight rail link between north and south Korea will open. This will be the first for 50 years. It follows the recent detente between the two countries. It is a good step in the right direction. Either it is a sign of Kim Jong-Il’s softening or a sign of greater desperation …
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Will Money Solve Africa’s Development Problems?
A Templeton conversation. The concensus seems to be No. Either was the participants are well informed and offer a broad insight to the challenges of Africa. Read it here. Will Money Solve Africa’s Development Problems?
Another civilisation destroyed by ecological over-consumption
In August we heard about new satellite evidence that shows how the ancient Khmer civilisation around Angkor Wat collapsed when its consumption of water resources exceeded natural limits. A new study outlined at the recent Climate and Humans conference in Murcia, Spain, and appearing in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, shows that one of Western …
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