 |
 |
| June 04, 2014 |
 EU greenhouse emissions fall more than expected: new data Copenhagen (AFP) June 03, 2014 - The European Union's greenhouse-gas emissions fell more in 2012 than previously estimated, according to new data released on Tuesday. By the end of 2012, the EU had reduced its output of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by more than 19 percent compared to 1990 levels, rather than the 18 percent announced in a preliminary reading in October last year. Emissions fell "largely due to reducti ... more |  |
 Half of world's forest species at risk: UN Rome (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Half of the world's forest species are at risk from climate change and farming, the United Nations warned on Tuesday, as it called for "urgent action" to manage them better. In its first global study of forest genetic resources, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said woodland was shrinking fastest in Brazil, Indonesia and Nigeria. "Forests provide food, goods and servic ... more |  |
 Spider venom may save the bees: study Paris (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Venom from one of the world's most poisonous spiders may help save the world's honeybees, providing a biopesticide that kills pests but spares the precious pollinators, a study said Wednesday. Bee populations, both wild and captive, are in decline in Europe, the Americas and Asia for reasons scientists are struggling to understand, with industrial pesticides among the suspected culprits. ... more |  |
Koala shows it's cool to be a tree hugger Paris (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Australia's cuddly koala rarely drinks water and doesn't have any sweat glands, long leaving scientists to wonder how it cools off in a heatwave. On Wednesday, zoologists announced they had uncovered the iconic mammal's secret - hugging trees, whose trunks can be several degrees cooler than the surroundings. Koalas have high mortality rates in heatwaves. Unable to sweat, they use pantin ... more |  |
 Manitoba stops zebra mussel invasion with fertilizer Ottawa (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Canadian conservation authorities on Tuesday celebrated a succesful test using liquid fertilizer to kill invasive Zebra mussels in a lakefront harbor in the western province of Manitoba. "The treatment process came to a successful end at Winnipeg Beach Harbour on Monday with all... mussels pulled from the harbor confirmed dead after day nine of the estimated 10 day treatment process," Manito ... more |  |
 | |
 Tehran warned of new sandstorm as death toll hits five Tehran (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Iranian authorities warned on Tuesday of harsh weather conditions across the country, a day after a freak sandstorm with record winds killed five people in Tehran. The warning of possible floods and drastic temperature drops, particularly in the northern parts of the country, in the next few days came after Monday's deadly sandstorm that forced thousands in the capital to run for cover in ru ... more |  |
 Tropical storm Boris downgraded, still packing heavy rain Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico (AFP) June 04, 2014 - A storm named Boris that is lingering off Mexico's west coast was downgraded to a tropical depression on Wednesday, but is still packing heavy rains that could cause deadly flash floods and mudslides. The warning from the US National Hurricane Center said Boris could dump as much as 20 inches (50 cm) of rain in some parts of the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. Boris was expected to make la ... more |  |
 The 'Sherlock Holmes' of Himalayan mountaineering Kathmandu (AFP) June 04, 2014 - When a deadly avalanche hit Mount Everest last April, reporters made a beeline for 90-year-old Elizabeth Hawley, the woman Edmund Hillary once called "the Sherlock Holmes of the mountaineering world". The ice avalanche struck a group of Nepalese guides early on April 18. By 1 pm, nine people had been killed and the toll would eventually rise to 16, making it the worst disaster in the mountai ... more |  |
 H.K. rallies for Tiananmen 25th anniversary as Beijing clamps down Beijing (AFP) June 04, 2014 - China on Wednesday imposed smothering security in central Beijing on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, as tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong for potentially the biggest commemoration yet seen in honour of the student protesters killed in 1989. The White House called for China's Communist authorities to account for those killed, detained or missing in connection wit ... more |  |
'Extinct' bat found in Papua New Guinea Sydney (AFP) June 04, 2014 - A big-eared bat which was thought to be extinct has been found in a forest in Papua New Guinea, highlighting the unique biodiversity of the developing nation, researchers said Wednesday. Until the find the bat, or Pharotis imogene, had not been seen in 120 years. "The species was presumed extinct," University of Queensland researcher Luke Leung said. Two University of Queensland stud ... more |  |
 | |
Activists urge Singapore casino resort to free dolphins Singapore (AFP) June 04, 2014 - Singapore animal-rights activists on Wednesday repeated calls for a casino resort to release dolphins from a marine life park after four of them died in captivity. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a statement that a bottlenose dolphin named Sharmila died on May 11 at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which originally acquired 27 dolphins for its marine park. ... more |  |
EU steps up call for pre-2020 action at climate talks Bonn (AFP) June 04, 2014 - UN members launched a new round of climate talks Wednesday as Europe demands early action to tame carbon emissions, two days after the United States unveiled a longer-term plan. "Although we are already looking beyond the current decade, it is also crucial to step up action before 2020," the European Union's climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, said. The EU is on track to reduce emiss ... more |  |
International academic outcry over detained China scholars Beijing (AFP) June 04, 2014 - Hundreds of international academics called Wednesday for the release of scholars and lawyers detained in China ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. China strictly limits public discussion of the June 4, 1989 suppression of political reform protests, when soldiers killed hundreds of civilians, by some estimates more than 1000. Authorities have detained dozens ... more |  |
Eyewitness: Tiananmen, the night dreams became nightmares Beijing (AFP) June 04, 2014 - "They're shooting!" The cry spreads through the Beijing crowd at 11:30 pm, as the first clicks from the army's AK-47s ring out into the darkness. On the Avenue of Eternal Peace, the wide street running north of Tiananmen Square, one protester refuses to believe it. "No, no, they wouldn't shoot," he insists, stripped to the waist on this humid June night. "They're the people's a ... more |  |
Feral cats behind extinction of unique Aussie mammals: study Sydney (AFP) June 04, 2014 - An Australian study has blamed feral cats for the extinction of native mammals and warns 100 species are under threat from the creatures that inhabited the homes of early British settlers. The Action Plan for Australian Mammals, compiled over three years, found a higher than previously known rate of mammal extinction, co-author John Woinarski of Charles Darwin University said Wednesday. ... more |  |
| |
China blocks Google sites amid Tiananmen security drive Beijing (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Several Google websites have been blocked in China, a monitoring service said Tuesday, as authorities step up arrests and censorship before the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. A stepped-up police presence is visible on Beijing's streets, while dozens have been detained in the run-up to Wednesday's anniversary, when China moves to block any public commemoration. "I've ... more |  |
Tibet leaders bid to revive drive for autonomy from China New Delhi (AFP) June 04, 2014 - Senior Tibetan exiles will meet revered spiritual leader the Dalai Lama this week to kick-start a new push for greater autonomy from China as they try to halt a horrific string of self-immolations. Exiles in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala will launch a media campaign on Thursday in a bid to pile global pressure on Beijing to resume talks on the issue of autonomy. The campaig ... more |  |
From 'Fat Years' to reality for Chinese author Chan Koonchung Hong Kong (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Chan Koonchung's novel "The Fat Years", set in a China of the near-future where a dark moment of history has been erased from public memory, has never been published on the mainland. The book released in 2009 presents a dystopian vision of 2013 in which China's rise coincides with the economic weakening of the West. Fiction chimed with reality when it was first released at the height of the ... more |  |
Taiwan urges China to face up to history of Tiananmen Taipei (AFP) June 03, 2014 - Taiwan on Tuesday urged China to face up to history and protect the rights of dissidents on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. "The unfortunate history of the 'June 4 incident' cannot be forgotten and only by facing history can (China) heal the wounds, transform and move forward," said the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan's top policy-making body on China. ... more |  |
Britain's urban rivers cleanest in 20 years Cardiff, UK (SPX) Jun 03, 2014 - Scientists from Cardiff University have found that Britain's urban rivers are the cleanest they've been in over two decades. The 21-year study of over 2300 rivers measured the presence of clean-river invertebrates - a yardstick for river health - which during the days of heavy industry and poor sewage treatment had declined considerably, but now appear to be making a comeback. Although cli ... more |  |
ADVERTISEMENT + A Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison Report  Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison The Temperflow? uses a patent pending technology that allows body heat to ventilate out the mattress, while cooler air can flow back into the mattress. See www.Temperflow.com for more information about how their technology works. Or read our comparison report on two different memory foam mattress products.+ Buy a Temperflow? bed today and sleep better tonight! | ||||
| ||||||||
No comments :
Post a Comment