Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Wealthy Chinese drive illegal ivory trade boom


"International gangs are making a fortune by slaughtering African elephants and selling their tusks. Tens of thousands of the majestic creatures are being killed every year. The illegal market can be tracked from Tanzania and Kenya north to Cairo, Egypt."
The number of elephants been killed by African poachers are appalling. The elephants are been killed for ivory, which ends up as illegal lucrative merchandise in Cairo, Egypt. The drive behind the trade is money. Wealthy Chinese men buy the ivory for thousands of dollars simply to show status. The interesting part of the story is that even Chinese officials are involved, when ivory is illegal in China. China seems to be increasingly the final destination for African ivory. 


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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Artisanal gold mining in South Sudan - in pictures

I found these pictures to be appealing and beautiful because of the nature and culture they portray as well as the poverty and working condition these people live. The pictures are about the gold mining that is going on in South Sudan-- while locals work hard to find a few gold nuggets everyday to earn money, I assume they get paid a misery in comparison to the price of gold around the world.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2012/nov/20/gold-mining-south-sudan-pictures
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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Egyptian teacher convicted for cutting schoolgirls' unveiled hair

In a Muslim country that based on its history could have supported the teachers actions after cutting the students' hair, the incident has not turned into a scandal or riot in support of the educator. Instead the courts are on the victims' side suspending and fining the teacher for her actions. This is a good sign that Egypt's religious ethics are progressing to a more liberal state, especially in religion such a delicate topic.





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Friday, November 2, 2012

Malawi oil: A blessing or a curse?

Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Africa is facing the possibility of finding oil in lake Nyassa. The finding could be a potential valuable income to the impoverish nation which could, "transform the Malawian economy from its current struggles into a multi-billion dollar one in an instant." However, the media is already prognosticating finding of oil could only be a "valuable asset" that "facilitates the rise of fat cat oil barons". Instead of being a positive outcome for the country, it could lead to "corruption and environmental catastrophe." As a result of possibly finding oil, the situation has everyone on the edge with rumors of corruption already in the media.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/22/malawi-oil-africa-economy


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