Country diary: An old haunt that’s now full of life


by The Guardian

The Guardian— Bedford: I knew this park nearly 40 years ago when there was little here but optimism. That vision been repaid handsomelyRight here, on top of a rubbish tip, I started my first paid job after college. A slab of clay slapped over a landfill site constituted much of the land that was rebirthed as Priory Country Park. There was no longer a priory, it was hardly in the country, and for those first arrivals in the newly grassed ground planted with a scatter of whips, it wasn’t much of a park. Our...

The Guardian—‘This country is what the world would like to be’: can Costa Rica’s environment minister keep the country’s green reputation intact?. Though touted as a model of environmental preservation, the country has recently signalled a shift from phasing out fossil fuels to boosting the economy. Franz Tattenbach on the tension between green credentials and growth“This country is what the world would like to be but is not,” says Franz Tattenbach, Costa Rica’s minister of environment and energy. The 69-year-old economist is keenly aware of his role as guardian of the country’s reputation for forward-looking biodiversity initiatives and...

Radio Free Asia—In reversal, China now wants to preserve Kashgar’s Old City. China has destroyed thousands of old homes and shops in the ancient Silk Road trading post.

Radio Free Asia—In reversal, China now wants to preserve Kashgar’s Old City. China has destroyed thousands of old homes and shops in the ancient Silk Road trading post.