Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
(CENN)
Weekly Digest
October 12, 2005
News from Georgia
Italian Businessmen Interested in Agriculture, Food Industry and Tourism
Source: News Agency Sakre (`Mirror’), October 4, 2005
Italy Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Productive Activities, Adolfo
Urso has said at an opening ceremony of the second business forum of
Italy and Georgia today, Italian businessmen are interested in
Georgia’s
<; more Oil spill on Baku-Supsa western pipeline Source: AssA-Irada News Agency, October 5, 2005 An oil spill took place on the Baku-Supsa western pipeline in the Gardabani district of Georgia on Wednesday. <; more Georgia and Kazakhstan Decided to Continue Cooperation Within BТС Framwork Source: Black Sea Press-Turan, October 5, 2005 On October 4 Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili signed the joint communiqué on results of top-level bilateral negotiations in Tbilisi. <; more Georgia to Get $20 Million from Wild Bank to Eradicate Poverty Source: The Georgian Times, October 10, 2005 Georgian state budget will receive USD 20 million from Wild Bank (WB) this year for primary activities which will lead to eradication of poverty. <; more Georgian Section of BTC to be Commissioned October 12 Source: The Messenger, October 10, 2005 The Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) main export pipeline will be commissioned on October 12, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili told journalists. <; more Dogfights Source: Nika Tsiklauri, October 10, 2005 On Sunday, 9th of October, near Tbilisi Reservoir, dogfights were held with participation of about 50 Caucasian Sheepdogs. <; more Transportation through Batumi Oil Terminal will be Reduced Source' `24 Saati' (`24 Hours'), October 10, 2005 >From the end of October the amount of petroleum transported through
Batumi oil terminal will be significantly reduced. As Prime News was
informed by the representative of oil terminal George Kharazishvili, the
member of BTC consortium
<; more BTC pipeline's poverty reduction credentials rubbished by new report Source: Press Release of Bankwatch Network, October 11, 2005 Tbilisi, Georgia A new report out today reveals the real impacts of BP's Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and catalogues the Georgian people's unfulfilled hopes of increased welfare and development arising from BP's billion dollar project, hopes which have been fuelled by project backers the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). <; more News From Azerbaijan Birdwatch Day Held in Azerbaijan Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, October 4, 2005 A Birdwatch Day was held in Gizilgol (Golden Lake) wetland and the Heydar Aliyev Deepwater Jackets Fabrication territory, Caspian Sea, by <; more New Platform to be on Gunashli Filed Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, October 4, 2005 Construction of the new platform in Gunashli structure, one of the largest oil and gas field of the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian, will start in 2006, State Oil Company of Azerbaijan / SOCAR/ has announced. <; more ILham Aliyev Has Stated About Reliable Providing of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Source: Turan Informational Agency, October 5, 2005 <; On October 5 the president Ilham Aliyev visited administrative building of State Guard Service (SGS) and meets with personal staff of the department. He familiarized with samples of arms, devices that can be used while acts of terrorism, as well as cars and equipment bought for protection of export pipelines. <; more 9-Month Oil and Gas Production Targets Beaten Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, October 6, 2005 According to the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic /SOCAR/, oil production exceeded the targets by 178,1 thousand tons and made up 6.723.1 thousand tons in January-September, thus, beating 9-month target by 102,7 percent. <; more News From Armenia Armenia signs deal to upgrade nuclear waste facility Source: RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan, October 3, 2005 An agreement to upgrade the radioactive waste management facility at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) was signed Monday, a senior official said. <; more Armenian Agriculture Minister Calls on U.S. Counterpart Source: Press Release of Armenian Republic Embassy, October 4, 2005 On September 26, 2005, Armenia's Agriculture Minister Davit Lokian met with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns to discuss U.S.-Armenian cooperation in the area of agriculture. Ambassador Tatoul Markarian also took part in the meeting. Minister Lokian expressed his appreciation for the past USDA programs in Armenia, which he said strengthened <; more Gold Plant Near Lake Sevan Source: ARMENPRESS, October 5, 2005 Armenian nature protection minister Vartan Ayvazian has endorsed today the arguments of local ecological non-governmental organizations who claim that construction of a gold ore processing plant in Vardenis near Sotk mines would prove catastrophic for environment and especially Armenia's biggest lake of Sevan, located some miles off. <; more Two Ministers: Who Will Win in Fight for Shikahogh Reserve Source: ARMINFO, October 6, 2005 Minister for Transport and Communication of Armenia Andranik Manukyan has submitted a project of Armenia-Iran highway to the Ministry of Nature Protection. The project provides for construction of the highway via Mtnadzor, 3.5 km area of Shikahogh reserve. <; more Aarhus Centers to open in Armenian regions with OSCE support Source: Latest press release from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), 6 October, 2005 Local public environmental information Centers (Aarhus Centers) will soon open in the capitals of the Syunik, Tavush and Lori regions of Armenia with the help of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, which today signed an agreement with the Ministry of Nature Protection and local administrations. <; more Armenian-Georgian Working Group Will be Formed to Prepare Feasibility Study for Fourth Power Line Armenia-Georgia Source: ARMINFO, October 7, 2005 An Armenian-Georgian working group will be formed shortly to prepare a feasibility study for construction of a fourth power line Armenia-Georgia. Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan told ARMINFO. <; more International News Preservation of Caspian Sea natural resources is important task for Government: Kazakhstan Environmental Minister Source: Kazinform: By Serik Koshkenov, October 3, 2005 During the live broadcast with the Kazakhstan President he was asked about the situation in the Caspian region, where hydrocarbon production is performed. The Head of the State noted, the country would always take care of ecological clearness and enormous fish resources of the Caspian Sea. First of all every investor should undertake environmental commitments. Alongside with earth interior exploration we are to preserve natural resources. <; more US Government Unveils Energy Hog to Promote Conservation Source: Planet Ark, October 4, 2005 Washington - With US heating bills expected to hit record highs this winter, the Bush administration on Monday launched a conservation campaign featuring a cartoon mascot "Energy Hog," which critics said does little to discourage energy use. <; more IUCN helps set up transboundary cooperation on water resources management in White Volta Basin Source: The World Conservation Union (IUCN), October 4, 2005 `Water is life but it can also be a source of conflict if the two partners sharing the resource are not collaborating'. As a response to these opening words of Mr. Gilbert Nuriteg, District Coordinating Director of Ghana's Garu Tempane Municipality at the first White Volta Basin Community Consultative Forum, the Forum delegates agreed to set up a joint transboundary committee of water management associations. <; more Breaking waste laws costs Worcestershire company more than £42,000 Source: Environment Agency: By Oliver Blackburn, October 4, 2005 On Friday (30 September 2005) a Worcester company which ran two illegal waste dumps was fined £39,000 by Worcester Magistrates. <; more Demolition company fined for illegal waste burning Source: Environment Agency: By Mike Dunning, October 4, 2005 A Dorset demolition company has been ordered to pay £4,079 in fines and costs after neighbors were plagued by thick black smoke from burning rubbish. The case was brought by the Environment Agency. <; more UK Government to Decide Within Year on New Nuclear Build Source: Planet Ark, October 4, 2005 London - Britain must decide within a year whether it will invest in a new wave of nuclear power generation, but no conclusions have yet been reached, the government said on Sunday. In a speech to his ruling Labor party's conference last week, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged an assessment next year of all Britain's energy options, including civil nuclear power. <; more The CMS Secretariat hosts the 4th meeting of the Biodiversity Liaison Group Source: Conservation on Migratory Species (CSM), October 4, 2005 <; The biodiversity liaison group was established in response to a request from the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity ( <; CBD), in order to increase the collaboration and synergies among biodiversity-related Conventions. The Convention on Migratory Species was asked to join with CBD, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna ( <; CITES), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands ( <; Ramsar) and the World Heritage Convention ( <; WHC) and regularly meet to discuss priorities and options for collaboration. <; more Kyoto Agreement Implementation in Russia will Cost 2 Million Euros Source: Bellona News, October 5, 2005 Russia will present 2 million euros project for Kyoto agreement implementation to the European Commission on October 6th. <; more Denmark clean but not spotless European Environmental Agency, October 5, 2005 Denmark is among the European leaders in environmental performance in areas such as renewable energies, water protection and organic farming, but there are other areas which could still be improved, says EEA Executive Director Jacqueline McGlade in an interview in the latest issue of "MiljøDanmark" in connection with the launch of the Danish state of the environment report 22 September. <; more Bush Pushes For US Oil Refinery Construction Source: Planet Ark, October 5, 2005 Washington - President Bush Tuesday repeated his call for more oil refineries to be built in the United States, a need he said was highlighted by "tight" petroleum supplies and high energy prices caused by hurricanes Rita and Katrina. <; more Climate change and pollution are killing millions, says study Source: John Vidal, Environment Editor, October 6, 2005 · Poor sanitation to blame, says World Bank report · Economic growth stalled by environmental factors Almost a fifth of all ill health in poor countries and millions of deaths can be attributed to environmental factors, including climate change and pollution, according to a report from the World Bank. <; more NGO News WWF launches forest and trade network in Vietnam Source: WWF News, October 3, 2005 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - WWF, in partnership with Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will launch the Vietnam Forest & Trade Network (VFTN), the first ever network to promote business links between producers of responsible forest products in Vietnam and concerned buyers around the world. <; more Many Dangerous Chemicals in European Blood - WWF Source: Planet Ark, October 7, 2005 Geneva - European children are absorbing dangerous chemicals into their blood from computers, textiles, cosmetics and electrical appliances, according to a new study released on Thursday. The conservation body WWF said results of its first European Union-wide family testing survey found a total of 73 man-made hazardous compounds in the blood of grandmothers, mothers and children from 13 families in 12 countries. <; more Legal News Amendment of Georgian Law on Entrepreneurship On October 11, 2005 the Ministry of Justice held the Round Table in the hotel `Tbilisi Marriott'. On the meeting the representatives of the Corporate Management Group of International Finance Corporation (IFC) and German Association for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) represented <; more Job, Internship and Study Opportunities Translator/ Interpreter Source: The Messenger, October 10, 2005 For the purpose of BP pipeline projects, and under the BP management supervision, IRA Ltd is seeking to recruit a suitable qualified individual for the short-term position of Translator/ Interpreter. Translator/ Interpreter will be a third-party contractor for BP pipeline construction project in Georgia working under BP management supervision. <; more EASY ECO Training - open online application Dear Colleagues, I am happy to announce the next EASY-ECO event, the EASY-ECO Szentendre Training which will be held from 25th January-3rd February, 2006 here at the REC. The course explores key elements in sustainability evaluations and is specifically focused towards bringing together young researchers with evaluation practitioners as well as local and international experts in the field. Participants will gain knowledge applicable in practice and will be able to conduct actual sustainability evaluation projects after attending the training. <; more Seminars, conference and meetings Health & Wellness Convention 2005 in Costa Rica COSTA RICA Source: World-Wire, October 5, 2005 There are few environmentalists today who are not aware of how the increasing proliferation of pollutants, poisons, and toxic compounds in our earth, air, and water are drastically affecting our physical health. The medical and pharmaceutical industries have side-stepped the issue, preferring to market symptom-masking drugs rather than confront the corporate takeover of our health and well-being. <; more Announcement BP Publishes Sustainability Report 2004 Source: The Messenger, October 10, 2005 According to a report released by BP on October 7, the oil giant has spent nearly USD 2 million on social projects through out the country, funding everything from repair to heritage projects in an effort to encourage `sustainability' in the country. <; more Courageous Baku-Ceyhan pipeline film wins festival prizes Source: Media Advisory, October 10, 2005 Prague, Czech Republic -- A documentary film about the social and environmental implications of BPs Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline in Azerbaijan was awarded prizes at two prestigious film festivals this weekend. The Source, a joint Bionaut-CEE Bankwatch Network production shot by Czech director Martin Marecek, received the international jury prize and an award from the Czech Ministry of Environment at the Ekofilm festival in Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic and was also awarded the prize <; more ************************************************************************** Subscribing Information CENN lists are created to maintain e-mail discussions of Caucasus Environmental NGO Network members. CENN has been distributing information since 1998. All the published digests and bulletins issued in both English and Russian languages present incredibly rich environmental information base that give the reader the whole picture of the environmental process taking place during the recent 5 years in the South Caucasus region as well as abroad. To subscribe or unsubscribe from CENN mailing list service, please send an email to info@cenn.org and place the
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