湄公河是世界上主要的河流之一。它源于西藏，流经中国南部、缅甸、泰国、老挝、柬埔寨和越南，以灌溉农业和渔业的方式为住在沿河盆地上的居民提供生计。但是，堤坝也使该河成为水力发电的提供者。其中三座水坝在中国境内，还有更多的水坝在修建计划中。东南亚研究所高级研究员迈克•理查森（Michael Richardson）指出，如今正是这些水坝威胁着水供应、下游地区居民的生计、以及中国与南部邻邦的关系。小湾水坝是中国境内湄公河段上第四座水坝，预计应当产生42亿瓦特的电力，但它可能影响柬埔寨境内鱼量和越南稻田的水供应。然而，中国指出，控制水流量将阻止湄公河季节性泛滥带来的水土流失，还可以提供可再生能源。...
世界上最高的水坝，中国小湾水坝，给位于湄公河盆地上的国家带来巨大的挑战。
新加坡：回想1986年，当中国开始在湄公河上修建一系列水坝时，位于下游的东南亚国家并不怎么在意。但现在，在这条东南亚最大的河的上游，中国正赶着让第四座水坝完工以进行水力发电，这对该地区潜在的环境影响也愈发引起人们的忧虑。此外，由于害怕与中国对抗，加上东南亚的内部冲突，下游国家不大可能作出协调一致的行动。
中国利用湄公河的动力及改变其自然流向的工程规模浩大，让人警觉，尤其是在 越南、柬埔寨、泰国和老挝。...
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Click here for the article in The Guardian.
Japanese chefs, Norwegian engineers, Canadian fishermen and quirky American consumers combined over the past four decades to develop a new cuisine, one that shows how taste can be as powerful an agent of globalization as trade ministers and CEOs. Sasha Issenberg’s new book, “The Sushi Economy,”...
Click here for the original article on The Philadelphia Inquirer's website.
North Korea, intent on developing its nuclear weapons program, has conducted at least six increasingly advanced missile tests this year. The nation is a threat and could attack South Korea, Japan, US naval bases in the Pacific or even the US mainland in the not-so-distant future. Tackling this...
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