NYMHM: Biodiesel wars, indigenous rights, Dutch Islam controversy

Wed Jan 23 16:45:12 PST 2008

======================================================================== 
=====
  NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED * January 23, 2008 * Vol. 7, No. 4

  Important but overlooked news from around the world.
  NYMHM is a free service of Newsdesk.org.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-----
  - Online this week: http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004529.html
  - RSS: http://newsdesk.org/news/atom.xml
  - Donations: http://artsandmedia.net/contribute/
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-----

QUOTED:

    "His issues are alright. But his answers are wide off the
    target. Just like the people who vote for him."

    "His comments about Islam are no different than comments
    Muslims make about us."

    -- Respondents to a Radio Netherlands survey on right-wing
    politician Geert Wilders' new film, which is critical of
    Islam (see "Top Stories," below).

CONTENTS:

    *Top Stories*
      Indigenous rights wend a legal labyrinth
      Genetically engineered trees cut down
      Dutch ponder a free-speech powder keg

    *Religion*
      Malaysia ban on "Muslim" words sparks furor

    *Energy*
      Biodiesel road proves bumpy in Southeast Asia

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-----
  TOP STORIES
........................................................................ 
.....

  > Indigenous Rights Wend a Legal Labyrinth

    Armed with a U.N. declaration on indigenous rights, an activist
    coalition is working to stake out new legal protections for
    indigenous peoples in the Western Hemisphere.

    Indian Country Today reports that the coalition met in mid-December
    in Quito, Ecuador, to discuss a variety of issues -- democracy,
    "autonomy" land rights, natural resources, economic development
    and cultural heritage.

    Activists said their goal was to enact the ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004534.html

  > Genetically Engineered Trees Cut Down

    An electric fence wasn't up to the task of protecting a field
    of genetically engineered trees in New Zealand.

    Twenty of the modified pine trees were cut down last week, and
    a spade left behind bearing a telltale "GE Free New Zealand"
    sticker.

    The New Zealand Herald reports that a hole dug ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004530.html

  > Dutch Ponder a Free-Speech Powder Keg

    Geert Wilders, one the Netherland's most notorious right-wing
    politicians, is set to make headlines around the world with the
    debut of a new film that criticizes the Koran, Islam's most
    revered text.

    A Radio Netherlands report on Dutch expatriates living in Muslim
    nations finds widespread concerns about a backlash over the film.

    A majority, recalling the murder of Theo Van Gogh by a religious
    extremist over his film "Submission," which criticized Islamic
    treatment of women, also say that Wilders' film project will put
    his own life ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004531.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-----
  RELIGION
........................................................................ 
.....

  > Malaysia Ban on "Muslim" Words Sparks Furor

    Long simmering religious tensions are heating up as Malaysia
    prepares for national elections.

    In recent weeks, the Muslim-led government of the Southeast Asian
    nation has fought over the use of Arabic words such as "Allah" by
    non-Muslims.

    According to Hong Kong's Asia Times, the Malaysian government has
    forbidden the use of "Allah" and ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004532.html

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
-----
  ENERGY
........................................................................ 
.....

  > The Biodiesel Road Proves Bumpy in Southeast Asia

    It's heralded as the clean-burning alternative to petroleum, but
    biodiesel's baggage has made a smooth roll-out seem unlikely.

    The challenges come into sharp focus in Southeast Asia, where
    economic, environmental and industrial concerns find themselves
    at odds.

    THAILAND
    In Thailand, where new laws mandate the use of biodiesel, fears
    are emerging over the effects of increased demand for palm oil,
    which is a cooking staple in private and commercial kitchens
    across the country.

    Now, with prices for palm oil spiking, government ministers are
    pondering an export ban, and also the import of 30,000 tons ...

    GET THE WHOLE STORY:

    http://www.newsdesk.org/archives/004533.html

======================================================================== 
=====
Editors: Josh Wilson, Will Crain
........................................................................ 
.....

SUPPORT PUBLIC-SERVICE MEDIA

Newsdesk.org and News You Might Have Missed are commercial-free, and
available at no charge. We welcome your tax-deductible contributions:
https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=695

........................................................................ 
.....

MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION

Subscribe, unsubscribe, etc:
http://lists.artsandmedia.net/mailman/listinfo/nymhm/

........................................................................ 
.....

News You Might Have Missed and Newsdesk.org are free services of
Independent Arts & Media: http://artsandmedia.net/

........................................................................ 
.....

E-mail list powered by Group D Communications:
http://www.groupd.com/

........................................................................ 
.....

DISCLAIMER: All external links are provided as informational resources
only, consistent with the nonprofit, public-interest mission of
Independent Arts & Media. Independent Arts & Media does not exercise
any editorial control over the information you may find at these
locations and does not have a copyright on any of the content located
at these sites.
======================================================================== 
=====