Group items tagged

"PCs and smartphones adding to 'e-waste mountain' that could reach 50m tonnes by 2017, much of it dumped and traded in developing countries, reports "

"China is pushing ahead with a sweeping plan to move 250 million rural residents into newly constructed towns and cities over the next dozen years - a transformative event that could set off a new wave of growth or saddle the country with problems for generations to come."

Globalization is a contentious process. Ever since the term was first used to make sense of large-scale changes, scholars have debated its meaning and use. As the term became a globally popular buzzword, it served to crystallize disagreements about the direction of change in the world at large. By the end of the twentieth century, the meaning and merits of globalization were contested in the media and in the streets. Intellectual debate blended with political conflict. In the years to come, debates and conflicts surrounding globalization will increasingly affect the processes captured by the term.

"In a paper published Thursday in Science, demographers from several universities and the United Nations Population Division conclude that instead of leveling off in the second half of the 21st century, as the UN predicted less than a decade ago, the world's population will continue to grow beyond 2100. (Read "Population Seven Billion" in National Geographic magazine.)"

"Nicaraguan officials say construction of a $50bn (£31bn) canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans will start on 22 December."

was on BBC news on friday

"The Chinese authorities have set up 25 "baby hatches" across the country to allow parents to safely abandon their unwanted infants. They plan to establish many more over the coming months, despite criticism that they could encourage people to give up their babies. The hatches, which consist of an incubator and a delayed alarm, increase the chances of a baby surviving. Most of those abandoned have disabilities or serious illnesses."

I would read this as it summarises the main issues