By Yuri Kageyama14 April 2013 TOKYO (Associated Press) – Their demand: The right to live free of radiation. The plaintiffs who started the legal battle: 14 children. A Japanese appeals court is expected to rule soon on this unusual lawsuit, filed on behalf of the children by their parents and anti-nuclear activists in June 2011 […]
By EDWARD WONG1 April 2013 BEIJING (The New York Times) – Outdoor air pollution contributed to 1.2 million premature deaths in China in 2010, nearly 40 percent of the global total, according to a new summary of data from a scientific study on leading causes of death worldwide. Figured another way, the researchers said, China’s […]
25 March 2013 (AAP) – Victorians will face greater danger from heatwaves because of climate change and inadequate planning, a new report says. On the back of Australia’s hottest summer on record, and with heatwaves predicted to become more frequent, the state must upgrade its preparation and emergency responses, says the Victorian Council of Social […]
By GARDINER HARRIS12 March 2013 CHERRAPUNJI, India (The New York Times) – Almost no place on Earth gets more rain than this small hill town. Nearly 40 feet falls every year — more than 12 times what Seattle gets. Storms often drop more than a foot a day. The monsoon is epic. But during the […]
28 February 2013 (BBC) – People living near the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan have an increased risk of developing some cancers, the World Health Organization says. The increased risk is limited to communities and some emergency workers exposed to radiation after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, analysis shows. For those living in the […]
By Ed Flanagan, Producer, NBC News28 February 2013 BEIJING (NBC News) – Beijing and other parts of northern China were stung by hazardous air pollution levels Thursday as strong winds blew a sandstorm through the region. Air in the capital turned a yellowish hue as sand from China’s arid northwest blew in, turning the sky […]
Washington, 28 February 2013 (ANI) – Pessimism about the future may lead to longer and healthier life, researchers have suggested. According to a new study [pdf], older people who have low expectations for a satisfying future may be more likely to live longer, healthier lives than those who see brighter days ahead. “Our findings revealed […]
Contact: Michael Woods, Editor, 202-872-629320 February 2013 It may be the 21st century, with all its technological marvels, but 6 out of every 10 people on Earth still do not have access to flush toilets or other adequate sanitation that protects the user and the surrounding community from harmful health effects, a new study has […]
22 February 2013 (AFP) – China’s environment ministry has acknowledged the existence of “cancer villages”, after years of assertions by academics and domestic media that polluted areas experience higher rates of the disease. The use of the term in an official report, thought to be unprecedented, comes as authorities face growing discontent over industrial waste, […]
PARIS, 20 February 2013 (AFP) – Exposure to higher levels of fine particulates — the airborne pollution that is an emerging problem in many Asian cities — causes a sharp rise in deaths from heart attacks, a study published on Wednesday said. Research published in the European Heart Journal pointed the finger at so-called PM2.5 […]
