Potatoes, algae replace oil in US company’s plastics
HAWTHORNE, December 22, 2009 (AFP) - Frederic Scheer is biding his time, convinced that by 2013 the price of oil will be so high that his bio-plastics, made …
Environment
Climate leaders: The rhetoric vs. the reality
COPENHAGEN, December 19, 2009 (AFP) - They had been urged to side with the angels but ultimately, base political instinct seems to have prevailed among the …
Copenhagen deal passed amid condemnation, disappointment
COPENHAGEN, December 19, 2009 (AFP) - A UN conference on Saturday rammed through a battle plan against climate change forged by US President Barack Obama and …
In Taiwan, bird catchers turn bird watchers
TAIPEI, December 3, 2009 (AFP) - When Yeh You-chin was a boy half a century ago, he ate migratory birds with relish, but now he is at the forefront of efforts …
Sri Lanka sewers to be rebuilt with ADB aid
Dec 03, 2009 (LBO) - Sri Lanka is to get a loan of 100 million dollars from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to modernise the sewerage system in the capital …
India gives conditional green light to emission cuts
NEW DELHI, November 28, 2009 (AFP) - Indian Premier Manmohan Singh said Saturday he was willing to commit his country to "ambitious" global carbon emission …
Sri Lanka flash floods make 58,000 homeless: official
November 19, 2009 (AFP) - Nearly 60,000 people were left homeless in Sri Lanka Thursday following flash floods in the capital Colombo and the suburbs, an …
No link between global warming and melting glaciers: India
NEW DELHI, November 10, 2009 (AFP) - India's environment minister said there was no scientific proof to support the idea that the melting of Himalayan glaciers …
Indian Ocean countries to stage tsunami exercise
PARIS, October 8, 2009 (AFP) - Eighteen states around the Indian Ocean rim will next week stage the first region-wide test of a tsunami warning system aimed at …
Death tolls rise in disaster-struck Asia
MANILA, October 3, 2009 (AFP) - The death toll from a week of catastrophes in the Asia-Pacific rose to 1,680 Saturday as the region struggled to cope with a …
Sri Lanka aims to save last reef on south coast
Oct 01, 2009 (LBO) - A coral reef described as the last remaining living, extensive reef on Sri Lanka's south coast was cleaned up in an effort where …
India over the moon with water discovery
BANGALORE, September 25, 2009 (AFP) - India on Friday hailed the discovery of water on the moon as a triumph for its lunar programme as the country aims to …
10 percent of world’s major species at threat: Australian report
SYDNEY, September 29, 2009 (AFP) - Almost 10 percent of the world's mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are in danger of extinction due to climate …
Sri Lanka can balance growth with environment: expert
July 09, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan policy makers should not over emphasize on pollution control as the economy is still at a early development stage, as it …
Tobacco control reduces Canada heart disease deaths
OTTAWA, June 22, 2009 (AFP) - Heart disease deaths dropped 30 percent in Canada between 1994 and 2004, likely as a result of fierce campaigns against smoking …
Doomed mammoths hung on for several millennia: study
PARIS, June 17, 2009 (AFP) - Woolly mammoths survived in Britain until 14,000 years ago, around 6,000 years longer than previously thought, according to a …
US Congress passes historic curbs on deadly tobacco industry
WASHINGTON, (AFP) - The US Congress voted overwhelmingly Friday to grant the government historic powers to regulate cigarette makers, overturning decades of …
Geothermal energy industry could create 17,000 Australian jobs: report
BRISBANE, June 11 (Asia Pulse) - More than 17,000 jobs could be created in Australia's geothermal energy industry by 2050, a new report says. The geothermal …
Maldives declares whale shark sanctuaries
June 10, 2009 (LBO) - Maldives has established three protected areas for whale sharks, the world's largest fish, the Indian Ocean atoll state which is famed …
WHO mulls pandemic threshold as flu cases near 13,000
MEXICO CITY, May 27, 2009 (AFP) - Mexico reported two more swine flu deaths on Tuesday, as World Health Organization scientists asked if it had moved too …