Environment

• Monday, August 17th 2015 - 08:07 UTC

  Ecuador declares state of emergency as volcano Cotopaxi becomes active

  

  Ecuador's President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency Saturday after increased activity the day before at the giant Cotopaxi volcano, giving the government greater leeway to mobilize financial resources in the event of an eruption.

• Thursday, August 13th 2015 - 07:05 UTC

  Rain and floods in Buenos Aires province become a political challenge

  

  Over 20.000 people are estimated to have been evacuated or suffering flooding because of continued rains in Buenos Aires province where a wind alert for the River Plate area and coastal zones is hampering draining possibilities, a situation which started last week and is expected to last until Sunday.

• Thursday, August 13th 2015 - 03:11 UTC

  Falkland Islands: Shackleton Fund delivers £10,700 in research scholarships

  

  The Shackleton Scholarship Fund, closely linked to the Falkland Islands, has announced their academic awards for 2015. Scholars come from a variety of countries, ranging from Germany to Australia, and the topics chosen are all from the natural sciences.

• Wednesday, August 12th 2015 - 08:25 UTC

  Sargassum bloom are ruining Caribbean beaches and tourism season

  

  The picture-perfect beaches and turquoise waters that people expect on their visits to the Caribbean are increasingly being fouled by mats of decaying seaweed that attract biting sand fleas and smell like rotten eggs.

• Tuesday, August 11th 2015 - 07:18 UTC

  State of emergency in north of Chile because of torrential rain and floods

  

  A state of emergency has been declared by the Chilean government in the northern cities of Antofagasta and Tocopilla due to the strong winds, heavy rains, flashfloods and mudslides. President Michelle Bachelet visited the north on Monday to observe first-hand the damage caused by a storm that left six people dead nationwide.

• Monday, August 10th 2015 - 07:20 UTC

  Pope Francis criticizes destruction of forests to plant soy bean

  

  Pope Francis criticized the destruction of forests in order to plant soy in an interview with an Argentine radio station on Saturday, reinforcing his message that the environment should take precedence over financial gain.

• Monday, August 10th 2015 - 06:05 UTC

  Scotland to ban growing genetically modified crops

  

  Scotland is to ban the growing of genetically modified crops, the country's rural affairs secretary has announced. Richard Lochhead said the Scottish government was not prepared to “gamble” with the future of the country's £14bn food and drink sector.

• Monday, August 10th 2015 - 05:50 UTC

  World Lion Day, Monday 10 August to celebrate the King of Beasts

  

  World Lion Day is to be remembered on Monday, August 10, and to celebrate this first campaign to protect the imposing animal many websites are dedicating amazing photos of the King of Beasts, as it is sometimes called.

• Friday, August 7th 2015 - 05:18 UTC

  Scottish lab identifies “super-algae” to make bio-fuels for vehicles and aircraft

  

  Researchers at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) have unlocked a treasure chest of ‘super-algae’ that could provide a previously untapped source of oil. Using a newly devised technique, scientists examined micro-algae strains in the Culture Collection of Algae and Protozoa (CCAP), an internationally important algal store based at SAMS in Oban, to find out which ocean-based strains had the highest oil content.

• Thursday, August 6th 2015 - 05:31 UTC

  Researchers identify characteristics of fish most vulnerable to trawlers

  

  Using laboratory-based experiments, researchers have identified the common characteristics of fish most vulnerable to being caught by trawlers. They found fish that were less able to produce fast burst-type swimming to evade capture were more likely to end up in trawlers' nets.