With Spotlight on Pirates, Somalis on Land Waste Away in the Shadows

Above, a severely malnourished baby lay unresponsive on Thursday as the mother and father sat nearby in a feeding center in Afgooye, Somalia.AFGOOYE, Somalia - Just step into a feeding center here, and the sense of hopelessness is overwhelming.Dozens of women sit with listless babies in their laps, snapping their fingers, trying to get a [...] continue reading world news

The Next Collapsing Industry: Fishing

Unsustainable practices cost the global fishing industry $50 billion every year, and have wasted some $2 trillion in the last three decades, says a joint report from the World Bank and United Nations.The numbers might not seem like much when compared to the ongoing economic crisis or the cost of deforestation — $1.5 trillion lost [...] continue reading world news

Longest, hottest drought on record, says Bureau of Meteorology

THE long drought affecting southern Australia is officially the worst on record.Bureau of Meteorology head of climate analysis David Jones said the 12-year drought that was devastating southwest Western Australia, southeast South Australia, Victoria and northern Tasmania was “very severe and without historical precedent”.Drought has gripped the Murray-Darling Basin since late 2001. It has worsened [...] continue reading world news

Eruption of 3 volcanoes has scientists asking questions

PUZZLE: Is there a common thread or were events just coincidence?How likely is it that three neighboring volcanoes would all erupt at the same time — as the Kasatochi, Okmok and Cleveland volcanoes in the Aleutians did this summer?About as likely as a storm that only appears once in a thousand years, says Anchorage volcanologist [...] continue reading world news

Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law

The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage.Jurors accepted defence [...] continue reading world news

USDA Cuts US Corn, Soy Estimates; Grain Mkts Up (2nd UPDATE)

(Updates with closing grain prices; additional analyst comments)CHICAGO -(Dow Jones)- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday cut its projections for 2008 U.S. corn and soybean production, keeping supplies of the commodities tight and helping lift grain prices.The reduction in crop size, which was the result of poor growing weather in August, could be the start [...] continue reading world news

After Powerful Hurricane, Rescuers Scour Ravaged Areas

HOUSTON - Emergency officials pursued their rescue efforts on Sunday after Hurricane Ike barreled across a wide swath of Texas, deluging the city of Galveston with a wall of water, flooding coastal towns and leaving extensive damage across metropolitan Houston.Across the Gulf Coast, rescue workers scoured waterlogged neighborhoods and struggled to race down streets that [...] continue reading world news