Journalists, community elders, woman and children were among the 25 arrested at a community forum on gas flaring at Iwherekan community, Delta state, Nigeria.

The arrests were made by Nigerian soldiers this Tuesday who held the detainees for five hours before releasing them.

The Iwherekan community is blighted by gas-flaring as a result of oil extraction by Shell.

Environmental Rights Action (ERA) and Friends of the Earth Nigeria (FoEN) are demanding an apology from the military and Shell who work in the area.

Nnimmo Bassey, executive director of ERA/FoEN, said: "We are shocked that this kind of reckless display of crude force which we thought had died and been buried with the military junta of General Sani Abacha has suddenly resurrected under the Yar' Adua administration. Why is the government colluding with oil companies to shield the world from knowing the impact of gas flaring on the lives of Niger Delta people?"

Those arrested included Jonah Gbemre, the plaintiff in a lawsuit against gas flaring, Comrade Che Ibegura, a member of the Host Communities Network, and Chima Williams, ERA/FoEN project officer.

Nigeria is the world's largest flarer of gas from oil extraction. The flares contribute more greenhouse gases than all of sub-Saharan Africa combined.

Loyal to its supportive principles, RUW collaborates with the financing of the building of 3 classrooms in a primary school in La Colpa, Centro Educativo Primario, in Perú. Thus improving the conditions for the development of a quality education for children in La Colpa hamlet. The objective is to offer a formation true to its reality, with a comfortable schooling infrastructure, conveniently equipped with school furniture and supplies, and applying a new methodological proposal for schools in the country.

Muhammad Yunus (Chittagong, 28th July 1940), is a banker and economist from Bangladesh. He’s the founder of the Grameen Bank, and was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
In 1974, Yunus proposed a new form of social organization for the small villages, which he called Gram Sarker (country government). The proposal proved to be feasible and useful, so in 1980 was officially adopted by Bangladesh government. From that decade on, and due to the famine that ravaged Bangladesh (one of the poorest and inhabited countries in the world) became aware that, they only could overcome the pauperism going beyond the laws of the market and offering microcredits, solidarity credits without interests, to the needy so they can start up an independent and creative activity.
Taken form:http://es.wikipedia.org/

Al Gore, former vice president of he USA
Published in EL PAÍS, 31-10-2006

I don’t think nuclear energy can be the alternative to fossil combustibles, because of the high costs and for the risk of its possible military use.
Two years ago, my family and I decided to lead a life without carbon. We all do our best to emit as less quantity of carbon dioxide as possible.

Al Gore was vice president of the United States during Bill ClintonÕs government and acknowledged his defeat by a narrow margin when he strived to obtain the presidency in 2000 against George W. Bush. From that moment on, he has again focused on environmental issues and his documentary An inconvenient truth has sparked off a big polemic. He has just been signed up as consultant by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in environmental issues.

Question. In your documentary, you sketch a terrifying view of the planet. But, at the end, you declare that all we need is a change in our way of life. ArenÕt you too much of an optimistic?
Answer. Of course it isnÕt that easy. The recommendations at the end of the movie about what can do each person to improve life on the Earth are important, but they donÕt solve the crisis by itself. People have to organize and demand changes in the official politics. Each individual who adopts an ecological lifestyle is encouraging the government to take decisions in name of the preservation of the environment. This happens in California and other states of the USA that are taking a different direction from Washington, where the Kyoto Protocol was refused.

Q. Several scientists relieve it is late to avoid the disaster. James Lovelock, creator of the Gaia hypothesis assures that climatic changes will kill an 80% of the population at the end of the century.
A. Lovelock, for whom I feel great respect, is very pessimistic and is wrong to assume that human beings are unable to modify their conduct. In general, politicians are too slow, and can work fast if they receive pressure from the electorate.
Q. Ten years are not insignificant for changes that can affect us in a global level.
A. It is not necessary to do it all in 10 years. It would be impossible, and that’s not the issue. According to several scientists, if we don’t do anything, in 10 years we won’t be able to reverse the global warming process. Studies show that it is necessary to start a stark reduction of pollutant gases. The first goal would be stabilize the quantity of pollutants in the atmosphere and then, five years after that, start to reduce the emissions of CO2 of the planet.

Q. Have you started changing your own way of life?
A. Two years ago I decided to lead a carbon dioxide-free life. My family and I do our best to emit as less quantity of carbon dioxide as possible. We use green energy; we avoid hot water and turn off all the electrical appliances when they aren’t being used. Of course, I still travel in commercial planes, but my personal emissions of CO2 in my trips are balanced by the promotion I do of this issue.

Q. Nowadays, which is the biggest threat for the planet?
A. I don’t see only one threat, but a combination of several factors. The excess of population is one of them. The good news is that the size of families in countries where there’s a good education is being reduced in a way that before was unthinkable.

Q. Someday, will water be more expensive than petrol?
A. In some years, water will be a serious problem in a lot of countries. This is due to the increase of the population and to the ignorant strategies of some countries. In my opinion, now it is already more expensive than petrol. A bottle of mineral bottle is more expensive that its equivalent in gasoline.

Q. Do you think that nuclear energy is a good alternative to fossil combustibles?
A. No. It’s a complicated option for the high costs, and for the risk that World be its military use.

Q. Do you think that the Brazilian experience in the use of combustible alcohol, like ethanol, could be reproduced at a global level?
A. Alcohol is the most important substitute we have now. I believe it is a solution to the threat of global warming.

Q. Ecology can be a big business.
A. Excellent. Toyota has multiplied its benefits with its ecological car. Not long ago, General Electric decided to be a company devoted to the preservation of the environment, and they’re earning a lot of money from that. The same applies to DuPont, the giant in the chemical sector. Big companies don’t set up businesses to lose money.

Q. How World you evaluate the environment policies of the current president of the USA?
A. I cannot be objective with Bush. I’m afraid of all his policies. His actions are extremely dangerous for the whole world. He censored most of the scientific works about environmental issues. Fourteen senators have just started an investigation about that. I hope the Congress can punish our president for that.

Q. Are you still upset because you lost the elections to Bush even when you obtained more votes?
A. I don’t look back to the past, but to the future.
Q. Will you be a candidate to the White House again?
A . It is not my intention.

Q. Do you think that a program based in the defence of the environment helps or is detrimental in American politics?
A. It helps, of course. Politicians now start to realize it. Think about the case of (Arnold) Schwarzenegger in California. He’s gaining popularity thanks to his actions in favour of the environment. Of course, terrorism is also an important element. Politicians should focus both things in an intelligent way. The war in Iraq transformed terrorism in a greatest threat that it was before. But global warming is the worst crisis that we have had to face.

Q. In the Cannes Festival, where your documentary was projected, you received more attention than Tom Cruise or PenŽlope Cruz. What is more exciting, to be a politician or a film star?
A. I’m old enough not to build my hopes up with the red carpet. In fact, I’d like to make another film. The problem is that I’d need other 30 years of experience in an issue, to have the courage to present it.