The environment in the news wednesday, 22 August 2007 unep and the Executive Director in the News
UNEP or UN in the news The Nation : Big quiz win for Filipino students
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- Borneo Bulletin : Brunei students for ozone quiz in Bangkok
- Viet Nam News : Japanese chanteuse to sing in Ha Noi
- The Statesman : Shimla train in Unesco glare
- General Environment News
UNEP or UN in the newsThe Nation : Big quiz win for Filipino studentsPongphon Sarnsamak Two Filipino students won the first prize at an environmental quiz in Bangkok held by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Published on August 22, 2007 Lawrence Medina and Paulo Manzanilla, fourth-year students at Philippine Science High School, received US$1,500 (Bt51,500) as a grant to initiate an environmental project in school and will attend celebrations of the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol in Canada next month. "I was very surprised to be the winner because most of the questions were unexpected, even though we did prepare ourselves very well," said Paulo. He said the competition had provided him with knowledge about the ozone layer and its importance in protecting the environment. The pair will disseminate this information to their school and society to raise more awareness about environmental problems, particularly air pollution in Manila A team from Sri Lanka was second in the competition, with Thailand and Malaysia taking the third and fourth places. Apinut Wongkietkachorn and Ajaree Sattaratnamai, of Triam Udomsuksa School, represented Thailand. Apinut said it was a good chance for Thai students to share knowledge with students from other countries. "I did not feel that other students were rivals because we were aiming to help each other," he said. The Regional Ozone Quiz Competition was organised by UNEP in cooperation with Bangkok's Ruamrudee International School, where the semi-finals and final were held. Most questions tested scientific and historical knowledge of the Montreal Protocol. Thanavat Junchaya, regional network coordinator for UNEP, said the competition aimed to make students more aware about environmental problems in this region and around the world. http://nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/22/national/national_30046006.php .............................................. Borneo Bulletin : Brunei students for ozone quiz in BangkokBy Za'im Zaini Two students from the Sixth Form Centre who are representing the country at the Regional Ozone Quiz Competition left for Bangkok yesterday. Mohd Hafizuddin bin Haji Aminuddin and Mohd Zuhairi bin Haji Ahmad will be competing against students from 24 other Asean and Pacific countries during the two-day competition, which will begin today. The two students are being accompanied by an officer from the Department of Environment Parks and Recreation, Yusrin Hadi Abdul Ghani, and an officer from Science Technology Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre, Hj Fadzil bin Hj Mohd Salleh. http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/mon/aug20h8.htm ................................................. Viet Nam News : Japanese chanteuse to sing in Ha Noi(21-08-2007) Ha Noi — One of Japan’s most popular entertainers Tokiko Kato, who is also known for her work as a special envoy for the United Nations Environment Programme, will be singing tomorrow night in the capital. Kato will be performing many of the songs that made her famous, such as Hana and Anatani, Diem Xua - written by Trinh Cong Son and translated into Japanese - together with a number of Vietnamese folk songs. Kato will also be performing duets with Vietnamese artists such as Thai Bao and Thu Huyen. The 64-year-old will also be accompanied by a number of Vietnamese students who are studying in Japan. The concert is designed to promote environmental awareness and green issues. Kato has won a number of prestigious awards in her 40-year international singing career. She last performed in Viet Nam in 1999 alongside Trinh Cong Son in Da Nang. She has professed a great admiration for the late Vietnamese singer-songwriter, whom she first met in 1997. She said she plans to translate Son’s songs into Japanese. The concert, which starts at 8pm, will be held at Hong Ha Theatre, 51 Duong Thanh Street, Ha Noi. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01MUS210807 ………………………………….. The Statesman : Shimla train in Unesco glareHemendra Narayan NEW DELHI, Aug. 21: If it comes off it would signify a golden quadrilateral for the Indian Railways. The famous Railway properties in the West ~ the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus formerly known as the Victoria Terminus in Mumbai, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways in the East and the Neelgiri Mountain Railway in the South have been included in Unesco’s World Heritage list. Now is the turn of the Kalka-Shimla railway in the north. It may not be functional because of cloudbursts and landslides that have damaged tracks for the present, but the status of the 96 km route, inaugurated by British Viceroy Lord Curzon in November 1903 is all set to change. An expert team from Unesco will be visiting Shimla next month to evaluate and inspect the Kalka-Shimla link for its entry to the world heritage list for 2008. The team headed by an Australian professor Robert Lee would visit Shimla for five days. According to railway officials, the final decision, however, would be taken at the Unesco meeting to be held in Canada in July next year. A strong sense of history prevails in Rail Bhavan, which runs the second largest rail network in the world. “These are our rare properties and we make sincere effort to maintain and preserve them,” an official said. The inclusion of the Kalka-Shimla link in the select list would enhance the prestige not only of the system but also the Himachal capital. It will figure more prominently as a premier hill station in the map of the world and the itinerary of tourists visiting India
China Daily : Environmental concernsUpdated: 2007-08-22 07:12 The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) reiterated last week that those enterprises whose production is likely to cause heavy environmental pollution must have their pollution control facilities and conditions checked by the administration before getting listed. The administration will notify the China Securities Regulatory Commission about whether the enterprises checked can be listed or not. This is another coercive move by SEPA to thrust down the throat of the polluting firms the awareness of environmental protection after the green loans mechanism, which tries to prevent polluting firms from getting bank loans if they fail to pass environmental checks by SEPA. The earnestness and persistence of SEPA are indeed admirable to reverse deteriorating environmental pollution nationwide. We believe what the administration has done and is doing, including its latest move to block the financing channels of polluting firms, will get somewhere. But the undertone of excluding local governments from playing their due role in this thorny job is obvious: local governments are not doing a good job in stopping polluting firms from cutting corners and some even act as umbrellas to shelter these firms. As required by the central government's five-year-plan, local governments have the responsibility to cut pollutant discharge by 10 percent from 2006 to 2010 and reduce consumption of energy by 20 percent per unit GDP. Yet, the growth in such energy consuming and high pollution industries as power plants, steel, construction materials, nonferrous metal and oil refineries increased by more than 20 percent in the first six month this year after most parts of the country failed to meet the targets of cutting energy consumption and pollutant discharge last year. Local governments are undoubtedly to blame for these failures. And local officials are yet to change their mentality of placing economic growth before environmental concerns. In such circumstances, it will not be easy for SEPA to carry out its policy in stopping polluting firms from getting listed in the stock market or getting bank loans. It is particularly so when these firms are supported by local governments. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2007-08/22/content_6036000.htm ………………………………… Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 296.47 Kb. Share with your friends:
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