The Sundarbans is the largest unbroken stand of mangrove forests in the world, and is situated near the Bay of Bengal between Bangladesh and India. On 9 December two ships collided along one of the river passages in the forest, and released an incredible amount of oil. The resulting ecological devastation was extensive and will be long-lasting. But in addition to the environmental tragedy is the sad sight of Bangladeshi children scooping up the oil so that they can sell it back to the company that spilled it. The damage to the health of these children is likely irremediable.
The Institute of Modern Russia is a New York-based think tank on political developments in Russia. It is a liberal think-tank (in the traditional sense of the world) and thus is not very favorably disposed toward Russian President Putin. It has published, however, a very thoughtful and intelligent article on Putin’s popularity in Russia and how the twin issues of Ukraine and the economy are affecting his ability to rule. One of the more provocative insights of the essay is that Putin seems to have persuaded many Russians that integration into liberal or Western society is not a desirable objective.
News about the Ebola crisis in West Africa has been scarce now that those infected have been contained in the region. But the absence of Ebola in the news does not mean that the outbreak has been contained–it continues to rage in Sierra Leone and over 7,000 have died from the disease in the three most affected countries. And medical staff have been severely depleted. Sierra Leone only had 137 doctors in the country before the outbreak, and 12 of them have been infected by the virus (almost 9%). It appears as if the outbreak is beginning to be controlled, but it remains a tragic concern.
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