Taiwan typhoon victims lose compensation suit
Taipei (AFP) April 25, 2014 -
A Taiwanese court on Friday rejected a group compensation claim filed by victims of a deadly typhoon in 2009 against local authorities for alleged negligence.
A district court in the southern city of Kaohsiung ruled that the city government and a local township office did not have to pay Tw$590 million ($19.67 million) jointly sought by relatives of 175 people who died when their village wa ...
more
German mini drones rescue Bambis from hay shredders
Berlin (AFP) April 25, 2014 -
A German wildlife rescue project is deploying small aerial drones to find and protect young deer hiding in tall grass from being shredded by combine harvesters cutting hay in spring.
The pilot project has shown great promise in spotting the young animals, about 100,000 of which fall victim in Germany every year to the large agricultural machines, said project spokesman Rolf Stockum on Friday ...
more
100 percent of California currently in a drought, first time in 15 years
Sacramento (UPI) Apr 25, 2013 -
The entire state of California is suffering drought conditions, and in more than three-quarters of the state the drought is characterized as "extreme" or "exceptional" - as designated by the National Drought Mitigation Center.
It's the first time in 15 years that every portion of the state simultaneously suffered some level of drought.
"This is a really serious situation here in ...
more
Japan kicks off first whale hunt since UN court ruling
Ayukawa, Japan (AFP) April 26, 2014 -
A Japanese whaling fleet left port Saturday under tight security, marking the first hunt since the UN's top court last month ordered Tokyo to stop killing whales in the Antarctic.
Four ships departed from the northeastern fishing town of Ayukawa to cheers from local people, just weeks after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) slammed Japan's expedition in the Southern Ocean as a commerc ...
more
Re-Emergence of Ebola Focuses Need for Global Surveillance Strategies
New York NY (SPX) Apr 27, 2014 -
EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that focuses on conservation and global public health issues, published a comprehensive review today examining the current state of knowledge of the deadly Ebola and Marburg virus.
The review calls for improved global surveillance strategies to combat the emergence of infectious diseases such as the recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa that h ...
more
