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| January 12, 2014 |
 China defends South China Sea fishing rule Beijing (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - Beijing on Friday rejected US criticism of a measure requiring foreign fishing vessels to secure permission to enter much of the South China Sea, which it claims almost in its entirety. The rule - which comes as tensions have escalated over overlapping claims with the Philippines, Vietnam and other nations - was called "provocative" by the US. But it is largely identical to an existing ... more |  |
 One dead, widespread destruction in Tonga cyclone Nuku'Alofa, Tonga (AFP) Jan 11, 2014 - At least one person was killed when powerful Cyclone Ian ploughed into Tonga's northern Ha'apai islands, causing extensive damage and destroying houses, reports said Sunday. The full extent of the destruction began to emerge after communications were partially restored a day after Tonga's first category five cyclone struck early Saturday morning. Initial reports on Saturday said the cy ... more |  |
Researchers say magnetic fields in oceans can help detect tsunamis Tokyo (UPI) Jan 9, 2013 - Japanese researchers said they found a new way to define tsunamis: Observe magnetic fields generated by tsunami-induced movements of seawater. The researchers said such observations make it easier to determine the direction, size and arrival time of a tsunami, Jiji Press reported Thursday. The team said it successfully detected magnetic fields generated as tsunami spread after a ... more |  |
Hundreds of thousands without water after US chemical spill Washington (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - Hundreds of thousands of people in the US state of West Virginia have been left without water after a chemical leak into a key river, officials said Friday. West Virginia American Water said it had ordered residents across a wide region not to use water after chemicals from a plant were pumped into the Elk River. "Do not use the water," the firm said, in an advisory to customers. "Due to ... more |  |
 Victory for 'Avatar' tribe as India rejects miner's plans New Delhi (AFP) Jan 11, 2014 - An Indian tribe dubbed the "real-life Avatar" after the Hollywood blockbuster have won their decade-long fight to stop British resources giant Vedanta from mining bauxite in hills they regard as sacred, authorities said Saturday. The Indian environment ministry rejected Vedanta's plans for a multi-billion dollar bauxite mining project in the eastern state of Orissa after villagers voted over ... more |  |
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 Analysis: Pesticide levels high on some Canadian organic produce Ottawa (UPI) Jan 10, 2013 - Levels of pesticide residue found on some organic produce in Canada strongly indicates synthetic chemicals were used deliberately, a CBC analysis indicated. A study of two years of testing conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency found 8 percent of organic fresh fruit and vegetables would be in the category Health Canada would imply deliberate pesticide use, CBC reported Friday. ... more |  |
Canada's closure of science libraries riles researchers Montreal (AFP) Jan 11, 2014 - Canada's closure of science libraries containing a vast repository of environmental data dating back more than a century has researchers worried that valuable books and reference materials are being lost in the name of cost-cutting. Unique in its shore access to three oceans (Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific) and with the largest number of freshwater lakes in the world, Canada over the years has ... more |  |
Blue light special: 180 fish species emit color when under blue light Washington (UPI) Jan 9, 2013 - It's not a horse of a different color but fish emitting reds, greens and oranges not visible to the human eye and U.S. researchers say they want to know why. About 180 species of fish experience biofluorescence, which occurs when an organism absorbs blue light, transforms it and emits it as another color. A team of researchers from the American Museum of Natural History and other ... more |  |
Philippines bans lead after years-long campaign Manila (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - The Philippines has banned the use of lead in a wide range of consumer products including toys and cosmetics, the government said Friday, after years of vocal campaigning by environmentalists. "The chemical control order... (has) the intention of reducing unreasonable risks and injuries to people as a result of their exposure to the chemical as well as its negative impact on the environment, ... more |  |
 Mayor of Italy earthquake town quits over graft Rome (AFP) Jan 11, 2014 - The mayor of the Italian town of L'Aquila, which was partially destroyed in a 2009 earthquake that killed 309 people, stepped down Saturday following a corruption scandal involving members of his team. "I have no legitimacy left. I am tired. I am angry. I have suffered a full-on media attack. That is why I am resigning," Massimo Cialente told reporters. "I have understood that I am no lo ... more |  |
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 Smart shirt knows when you're not up to snuff Las Vegas (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - French fashion is getting smarter with the help of fabric woven with micro-sensors that can reveal when someone is weary or unwell. France-based Cityzen Sciences was at the Consumer Electronics Show on Friday with shirts made of "Smart Sensing" material that reads body heat, heart rate, motion and location. "The fabric can be made into any clothing; gloves, shirts, pants, you name it," s ... more |  |
Outside View: U.S. food safety a big issue in 2014 New York (UPI) Jan 10, 2013 - In the first week of 2014 the news has been dominated by stories related to the safety of food in the United States. The first few days of the New Year brought the news of a U.S. Department of Agriculture-mandated shutdown of a meat-processing facility in Minnesota, legal action in Oregon against the makers of a vitamin supplement and the announcement by General Mills regarding its proc ... more |  |
 Europe squabbling over greenhouse gas targets Brussels (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - European nations stand sharply divided over setting new 2030 targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming, EU sources said Friday. European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso called in commissioners to try to agree figures ahead of talks on January 22 but there was no progress, one source said. Parliament's environmental and energy committees on Thursday called f ... more |  |
 Hong Kong jails three mainland mothers over birth tourism Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - Three mainland Chinese women who gave birth in Hong Kong have each been sentenced to 12 months in jail for overstaying in the city, authorities said Friday, as part of measures to discourage birth tourism. The women - who separately entered the territory as visitors in May, June and July 2013 - were each arrested late last year after rushing to hospitals for delivery without a booking, a g ... more |  |
Typhoon sparks Philippine child trafficking fears: charity Manila (AFP) Jan 11, 2014 - A UK-based children's charity has asked the Philippines to investigate the suspected recruitment of child workers for sex trafficking in a region devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan, an aid official said Saturday. Plan International said it was concerned about five high school girls who were recruited after the November 8 typhoon in Basey and Marabut, two impoverished coastal towns on the isl ... more |  |
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 Namibia defends black rhino hunt Windhoek (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - Namibia wildlife authorities on Friday defended the auction of permits to hunt black rhino, saying the kill was aimed at conserving the endangered species. The auction conducted in the United States by The Dallas Safari Club is part of a government approved annual quota, in place since 2012. It gives permission for the killing of five black rhino per year. "We have been confronted by ind ... more |  |
 'Ardi' skull reveals links to human lineage Tempe, AZ (SPX) Jan 07, 2014 - One of the most hotly debated issues in current human origins research focuses on how the 4.4 million-year-old African species Ardipithecus ramidus is related to the human lineage. "Ardi" was an unusual primate. Though it possessed a tiny brain and a grasping big toe used for clambering in the trees, it had small, humanlike canine teeth and an upper pelvis modified for bipedal walking on the gro ... more |  |
 After a 49-million-year hiatus, a cockroach reappears in North America Annapolis MD (SPX) Jan 07, 2014 - The cockroach in the genus Ectobius is a major textbook example of an invasive organism, and it is the most common cockroach inhabiting a large region from northernmost Europe to southernmost Africa. Ectobius has a long fossil history in Europe, occurring in Baltic amber that is about 44 million years old, and its lineage was believed to have been exclusively from the Old World. However, a ... more |  |
Four years after earthquake, Haiti still in ruins Port-Au-Prince (AFP) Jan 11, 2014 - Four years after Haiti was hit by a violent earthquake, the dragging pace of reconstruction is nowhere more apparent than the capital, where its landmark presidential palace and cathedral remain in ruins. Devastation caused by the January 12, 2010 disaster, which killed more than 250,000 people, is still felt keenly in Port-au-Prince, the capital of the Americas' poorest country. "We are ... more |  |
Japan woman jailed over cow inflation: reports Tokyo (AFP) Jan 10, 2014 - A former pasture manager who lied about the number of cows her company owned in a bid to attract investors has been jailed in Japan, reports said. Kumiko Mikajiri, former president of a now bankrupt pasture, was sentenced to 34 months in prison for inflating the cattle count in a cow ownership scheme. Mikajiri "provided to about 100 customers flyers that said 'you own a cow'... despite a ... more |  |
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