Ship spends 10th day stuck in frozen waters off Antarctica - 26th Dec 2011

A research ship has arrived to help rescue a Russian fishing vessel that struck ice and became stuck in the frozen waters off of Antarctica 10 days ago, officials in New Zealand said.

The Sparta hit underwater ice December 16, leaving a one-foot hole in the ship's hull, according to the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Center.

The ship has been stranded in an area about 2,000 miles from New Zealand, where the ice has been so thick that rescue ships have had difficulty getting close.

Since becoming stuck, 32 crew members have been working with rescuers to try to patch up the hole to keep the ship from sinking. They had been given tools dropped by a New Zealand Air Force plane, helping them pump out freezing water that was rushing into the ship.

But it has been difficult for the crew to both patch up the hole and pump out water, an official said.

"They are having difficulty in trying to fix a patch to the damaged part of the hull because they need to stop one of the pumps to do this, and then the water level creeps up again," Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Neville Blakemore told the New Zealand Herald. Read More

China Discovers New Batch Of Poisonous Milk - 26th Dec 2011

In another safety scare for China's dairy industry, the country's biggest milk producer says it has destroyed a batch of milk which was found to have high levels of a cancer-causing toxin.

The problem was discovered before the milk tainted with high levels of aflatoxin was sold to the public, Mengniu Dairy Group said in a statement on its website.

"Mengniu would like to express our sincere apologies to consumers," the company said, adding none of the tainted products had made their way into the market.

"We will draw a big lesson from this incident and will work harder to meet all national and corporate standards on quality in the future," it said.

Aflatoxin is a carcinogenic substance produced by a fungus.

Mengniu said in its statement that the milk was made at one of its plants in Sichuan province in southwestern China. Read More

Indonesia's orangutans struggle to survive

Palm oil companies are suspected of killing the endangered animals to preserve their plantations.

Indonesia is home to about 90 per cent of the world’s wild orangutan population, and was once covered by lush rain forests.

But the endangered animals are quickly losing their natural habitat since more forests are being converted into palm oil plantations.

The country has become the world's largest producer of palm oil in just a few years.

In the island of Borneo at least four palm oil company employees are suspected of killing the endangered animals.

Orangutan experts say the increasing conflict between the animals and companies operating in the forest can only be solved if the government is more serious about conservation.

Around 75 per cent of the remaining orangutan population is currently being trapped in plantations.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from East Kalimantan. Source

Why it's time to worry about rise of the android workers

Earlier this week, Pete Cashmore, the founder of Mashable, published his top 10 trends for 2012. And while Cashmore's list is characteristically prescient, it misses one trend which I suspect will increasingly shape our attitude toward technology over the next year.

So let me add an 11th trend of 2012: Next year, we will become increasingly preoccupied with the relationship between new digital technologies and employment. 2012 will be the year that it finally dawns on us that more digital technology might mean fewer regular jobs and that robots could be replacing human beings as the critical labor constituency of our "new economy."

Cashmore's own Mashable website gave us a sneak preview of this revolution in August when it reported on the decision of Foxconn, Apple's Chinese manufacturer, to replace a large part of its workforce with one million robots. And in 2012, I predict, these kinds of strategic investments in artificial intelligence -- from consumer products like Apple's Siri and Google's self-driving car to automated industrial factories -- will become ever more commonplace. Read More

38 Haitians found dead in shipwreck off Cuban coast - 25th Dec 2011

The Cuban military searched for survivors after at least 38 Haitian migrants died as a boat in which they fled their country started taking in water and got stranded at sea.

The gruesome discovery was made Saturday when the Cuban Coast Guard found the half-sunken boat about 100 meters (110 yards) off Point Maisi on the eastern shore of the island, the Cuban government said.

A statement from the Cuban Civil Defense agency read on state television said the dead included 21 men and 17 women.

Another 87 people, including four children and seven women, were rescued and moved to an international migrants' camp at Point Maisi, where they have been given assistance, the statement said.

The Civil Defense agency did not elaborate on the cause of the shipwreck. But rusty, dilapidated and overcrowded boats carrying migrants from Haiti are often found in distress in the Caribbean Sea.

A similar tragedy occurred in July 2009 off the coast of Turks and Caicos Islands when a boat carrying dozens of Haitian migrants capsized and sank, forcing its passengers to jump overboard.

The US Coast Guard managed to rescue 118 of the migrants, but at least 15 were found dead and about 70 others remained missing.

Cuban officials said the Coast Guard and Red Cross continued searching for more survivors around Point Maisi. Read More

2 dead, 5 missing in shipwreck off central coast, Vietnam - 25th Dec 2011

At least 2 people are dead and 5 still missing after a military-owned ship carrying 35 passengers was wrecked offshore Quang Nam Province on Sunday afternoon.

The ship, owned by the Battalion 70 under the Military Command of the central province, was sunk at 1:00 pm by huge waves when it was just 800 meters from land, after departing 2 hours earlier from the Cham Islands about 15 kilometers off the coast.

Twenty eight have been so far rescued and moved to local hospitals by search and rescue forces that were immediately called in with coracles, canoes, and even helicopters.

Six of the passengers are civilians, the rest being soldiers and military officials, according to a list obtained by Tuoi Tre.

The rescue forces found the bodies of 2 women later the day, one of which was identified as Nguyen Thi Phuong – a 50-year-old healthcare worker on the Cham Islands – while the other is still unidentified at the moment.

Alang Bong, one of the survivors, said the soldiers and officials were on their way to Hoi An Ancient Town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – for a professional training course.

The civilians asked them for a ride to the town, the soldier said.

Most of the soldiers were enlisted 4 months ago, and have been deployed to the Cham Islands for 1 month. Source

Gas leak kills 2, injures 23 in East China's Jiangsu Province - 25th Dec 2011

A gas leak left two workers dead and poisoned 23 others in East China's Jiangsu Province on Sunday, local government said.

The accident happened around 9 am at a wire factory in the city of Jiangyin, when gas leaked from a malfunctioning stove, poisoning 25 workers at the site, the city government said in a statement.

Two workers died in hospital after treatment failed, while others are still being treated, it said.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is under way. Source

Fatal Afghan mine collapse, 13 Dead - 25th Dec 2011

Officials in Afghanistan ordered an investigation into a collapse at a coal mine that left as many as 13 miners dead this weekend.

District Chief Fazel Rahman said Sunday that the cause of the collapse at the mine in central Baghlan province the day before was not immediately known.

The South Asian News Agency said safety standards at mines in Afghanistan were often lax; however, the government was actively seeking foreign investment to expand and modernize the important industry.

The commander of the International Security Assistance Force said Sunday one of its Provincial Reconstruction Teams had been dispatched to provide medical and humanitarian aid. "Our hearts go out to the families of this tragedy and we will, of course, stand ready to provide any additional assistance necessary if called upon by the Afghan government," ISAF commander Gen. John Allen said in a written statement. Source

Chinese soldier almost kills himself with fluffed hand grenade practice

This is the hair-raising moment a Chinese soldier almost killed himself after fluffing hand grenade practice.

Footage of the army training exercise shows the soldier preparing the hand grenade to throw it under the watchful eye of his drill sergeant.

However, the new recruit fails miserably and throws it into a wall in front of him and it promptly bounces off and falls into the ditch where he's standing. Read More

Eden Project Recalls Thousands of 'deadly' seed bracelets after it reveals they are made from beans twice as toxic as RICIN

An alert has gone out for the recall of thousands of beaded bracelets sold in tourist attractions after it emerged they are made from a highly toxic seed.

The Eden Project in Cornwall, which sold 2,800 in a year, is one of 36 retailers urging customers to return the red and black wrist charms.

They are made from the Jequirity bean - a deadly seed of the plant abrus precatorious which contains the toxin abrin, a controlled substance under the Terrorism Act.

It can kill if just 3 micrograms is swallowed, 75 times smaller than a fatal dose of ricin to which it is related. It is twice as toxic as the chemical warfare agent.

The symptoms of poisoning are acute gastroenteritis with vomiting, diarrhea, shock and potentially fatal kidney failure.

People who have bought the bracelets are being urged to bag them and then wash their hands and avoid touching their eyes. They are being offered refunds by the stores.

The Eden Project in St Austell was selling the bracelets, which originated from Peru, for about a year before one of the attraction's own horticulturists spotted the poisonous seeds. Read More

Russian satellite debris lands in Cosmonaut Street - 24th Dec 2011

Fragments of a Russian satellite that failed to launch properly have landed in a street named after cosmonauts in a remote Siberian village, reports say.

The Meridian communications satellite failed to reach orbit on Friday.

Parts crashed into the Novosibirsk region of central Siberia and were found in the Ordynsk district around 100km (60 miles) south of the regional capital, Novosibirsk.

Residents of Vagaitsevo village said a piece had landed on a house there.

The owner of the house, Andrei Krivoruchenko, said that he heard a huge noise and a crash as the satellite hit the roof.

"I climbed up onto the roof and could not work out what had happened. Then I saw a huge hole in the roof and the metal object," he told Russian state television.

The head of the Ordynsk district, Pavel Ivarovksy, told Russia's Interfax news agency that the damage was being examined by specialists and that the home's owner would be compensated.

The loss of the Meridian satellite ends a disastrous 12 months for Russian space activity with the loss of three navigation satellites, an advanced military satellite, a telecommunications satellite, a probe for Mars and as an unmanned Progress supply ship. Read More

'The world's dirtiest oil': Satellite photos reveal the relentless expansion of Canada's controversial tar sands industry

The mine at Fort McMurray, on the banks of the Athabasca River, Alberta, had already been operating for 17 years of the first picture from a U.S. satellite. Today the Canadian tar sands are recognised as one of the world's largest oil reservoirs. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates the recoverable oil sands reserves at more than 170million barrels - more than any other nation except Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Source

Colombia 'fuel thieves' spark pipeline blast - 23th Dec 2011

Deadly explosion on state-run installation kills at least 11 and destroys 30 homes in Risarald province.

An explosion at a fuel pipeline in Colombia has killed at least 11 people, injuring many more and destroying dozens of homes.

The explosion, blamed by authorities on fuel thieves, occurred in the central province of Risaralda about 170km southwest of the capital of Bogota, said Carlos Mario Garcia, an emergency management official.

The blast on the pipeline, which carries gasoline and diesel and is run by state-owned Ecopetrol, also destroyed 30 houses, Garcia said.

"Ecopetrol regrets the incident in which several people were killed and others injured when an explosion occurred in the Salgar-Cartago pipeline ... apparently caused by people who were stealing fuel," the company said in a statement.

The Mining and Energy Ministry said the number of fuel thefts has fallen in recent years as the military has clamped down on illegal groups. In the past, such groups have financed themselves largely by stealing and selling crude oil, gasoline and diesel. Read More

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control step in after baby's death raises questions about formula milk - 23rd Dec 2011

The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday they are assisting in the investigation of a newborn baby who died of a rare bacterial infection that could be linked to powder-based infant formula.

The two agencies are also investigating the case of another baby who survived after being infected by the same bacteria. Both cases happened in Missouri within the past month, but it was not clear whether they are connected.

Late Wednesday, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it had pulled from its outlets nationwide all cans of Enfamil Newborn powdered formula that matched the size and lot number of the formula involved in the fatal case.

The retailer said it removed the product "out of an abundance of caution" during the investigation, because it has still not been determined whether the formula caused the baby's death. Read More

Shell oil spill off Nigeria likely worst in decade - 23rd Dec 2011

An oil spill near the coast of Nigeria is likely the worst to hit those waters in a decade, a government official said Thursday, as slicks from the Royal Dutch Shell PLC spill approached the country's southern shoreline.

The slick from Shell's Bonga field has affected 115 miles (185 kilometers) of ocean near Nigeria's coast, Peter Idabor, who leads the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, told The Associated Press. Idabor said the slick continued to move toward the shore Thursday night, putting at risk birds, fish and other wildlife in the area.

Shell, the major oil producer in Nigeria, said late Thursday the spill came from a "flexible export line" connecting the offshore field to a waiting tanker. The company published photographs of the spill, showing a telltale rainbow sheen in the ocean, but said it believes that about 50 percent of the leaked oil has already evaporated.

The source of the leak has been plugged and experts from Britain were coming to help with the cleanup, Idabor said. Nigerian Navy ships also had been sent into the area to help control the spill, he said. Read More

Police with locksmith screws breaking into houses and forcefully shutting off their natural gas lines

WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI/AP) - National Grid says technicians are continuing to work on a natural gas outage in Westerly and that some restorations will be made overnight Thursday into Friday morning.

70 technicians will be working through the overnight hours to turn gas back on, and starting at 5 a.m. Friday 200 technicians will again be going door to door to continue making restorations.

Main Street and Canal Street are among the areas affected. Not only are those streets filled with homeowners, but businesses are also impacted by the issue.

"It’s going to be devastating to be without heat or power for this holiday season. It’s our crunch, time," said Molly Silva, a business owner.

If no one is home at the time, police officers along with a locksmith have been entering homes to shut the valves off.

"Thank God no snow, no frost, no freezing temperatures yet. We just hope for the best. Hopefully we can get some things going for Christmas. I have a meal to prepare, hopefully we are good to go by then," said Westerly resident Mallory Carpenter. Read More

Permafrost science heats up in the United States

Programme will examine effect of Arctic warming on frozen soils.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is embarking on a US$100-million research programme to investigate what will happen to the 1,500 billion tonnes of organic carbon locked up in frozen soils of the far northern permafrost when they thaw in the rapidly warming Arctic climate.

The programme, called the Next-Generation Ecosystem Experiments — Arctic (NGEE), is designed to develop a fine-scale model that can simulate how soil microbes, plants and groundwater interact on the scale of centimetres to tens of metres, to control the amount of organic carbon stored underground in the permafrost zone. That model will be incorporated into the planetary-scale Earth-system models used to forecast how climate evolves under different emissions scenarios.

“Our ability to model greenhouse gases and vegetation dynamics is inadequate in today’s environment, and when we think out 50 to 100 years, that entire landscape is going to evolve and be much more complex,” says Stan Wullschleger, the principal investigator for NGEE and a plant ecologist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Read More

Six men jailed following €300million Carbon Permits VAT Scam, Germany - 22nd Dec 2011

Three Britons and three other men have been sent to jail for evading tax on EU carbon permits.

A judge in Germany said the defendants' €300million (£250million) conspiracy had undermined efforts to tackle climate change and 'brought the scheme into disrepute'.

They have been handed jail terms of up to eight years each for their role in the attempted VAT scam between August 2009 and April 2010.

Around that time, the EU's carbon market was hit by so-called carousel trade in which buyers imported emissions permits without paying VAT and then sold them to each other, adding tax to the price and pocketing the difference.

'The convicted were fraudulently involved in tax-evading trades,' said judge Martin Bach.

'They have brought the carbon market trading scheme into disrepute.' Read More

Is it too late to keep details of deadly Man-Made Mutated Bird flu a secret!

A super-strain of bird flu that could infect and wipe out millions will not be published by the virologist developers.

Dutch scientists who created ‘probably one of the most dangerous viruses you can make' have agreed to leave out details on how to construct the virus from published reports. But the scientists warned that the data had already been shared with hundreds of researchers.

The decision was made after the US government warned releasing the details could be kill millions of people if it was used as a weapon of biological warfare.

Their research focused on what it took to convert bird flu – which can kill more than half of those infected but does not spread easily – into a highly contagious virus.

Developer Ron Fouchier of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, said this knowledge would be vital for the development of vaccines and drugs to prevent a possible pandemic.

Huge Blaze Hits Lancashire Industrial Park - 22nd Dec 2011

More than 100 firefighters have been battling a large blaze on an industrial estate in northwest England.

Huge flames were seen shooting into the night sky at the Enterprise Business Park in Leyland, Lancashire, which is home to a number of businesses and warehouses.

Between 130 and 150 firefighters were called to the blaze, manning eight fire engines, two aerial ladders and a high-volume water pump.

The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said up to five buildings had been destroyed.

The force's area manager, Keith Marsh, told Sky News: "The long term effects of this, in terms of pollution, have as far as we possibly can, been kept under control."

It is thought a 80,000m sq building that houses tissue paper initially caught fire and flames spread rapidly to a neighbouring building, storing chemicals.

Local reports also suggested explosions could be heard coming from the blaze. Twenty homes were evacuated but a technical support team deemed the chemicals not to be harmful.

Trains between Preston and Wigan North West and Bolton have been hit by delays of up to two hours because of the fire, according to National Rail. Read More