Environment

• Wednesday, May 29th 2013 - 23:00 UTC

  Argentina: The volcano has the last word

  

  With the imminent eruption of Copahue volcano, the governor of Neuquén, Jorge Sapag, said that, “the volcano will have the last word”, and has asked to wait 72 hours, as the specialists recommended, not to give rise to false expectations amongst the evacuees.

• Wednesday, May 29th 2013 - 20:37 UTC

  Copahue volcano eruption imminent

  

  After the Copahue volcano on the Neuquén provincial Andean border with Chile began spewing smoke due to an increase in seismic activity, a red alert was issued by Chilean authorities ordering the full evacuation of an estimated 3,000 people.

• Wednesday, May 29th 2013 - 20:21 UTC

  Streetview Buenos Aires

  

  By Albert Canil (*) - As Wrong As Rain - Yesterday saw Argentines fearful of a sequel to the tragic flood that took more than 54 lives in early April. For once weathermen would have chosen to be wrong but night overtook day and the heavens opened: in some neighbourhoods the rain gauges mercilessly read more than 52 mm of rainfall between 11:30 and 2 pm.

• Tuesday, May 28th 2013 - 06:00 UTC

  Fearing Andes volcano eruption, Chile and Argentina order mandatory evacuation

  

  Chilean and Argentine authorities declared a red alert and ordered the mandatory evacuation of a 25-km radius around the active Copahue volcano, which straddles the border between the two Andean nations.

• Monday, May 27th 2013 - 08:13 UTC

  Chile fines and suspends Barrick Gold for contamination at major project

  

  Chilean authorities have fined the world's largest gold mining company, Barrick Gold Corp, more than 16 million dollars for environmental offences. Construction at the Pascua-Lama mine, on the border with Argentina, has been suspended until a system to contain contaminated water is put in place.

• Monday, May 27th 2013 - 05:10 UTC

  Millions take to the streets world-wide to protest against Monsanto and GM

  

  The United States biotech giant Monsanto says it respects people’s rights to express themselves, but that its genetically-modified seeds improve farm productivity and food quality.

• Friday, May 24th 2013 - 06:35 UTC

  Russia forced to evacuate Arctic base because of melting ice field

  

  A Russian drifting Arctic research station is to be evacuated because the ice field around it is melting, the environment ministry in Moscow reports. The evacuation order plan to be drawn up within three days for North Pole 40 and its staff of 16 is already operational.

• Saturday, May 18th 2013 - 00:56 UTC

  Chile investigates alleged case of blast-fishing close to a major Humboldt rookery

  

  The bodies of sea lions, cormorants and penguins were discovered on Sunday littering a seven mile stretch of beach in Punta de Choros, northern Chile, is the proximity of the Humboldt Penguin Nature Reserve. Fisheries officials and police are investigating since there are serious suspicions that the deaths were caused by local fishermen using explosives to increase catches.

• Friday, May 17th 2013 - 02:03 UTC

  The Arctic eight-member Council has accepted China and India as ‘observer states’

  

  New emerging powers including China and India have been accepted as “observer” states in the eight-nation Arctic Council and a new deal was signed to improve oil spill response to safeguard the fragile eco-system of the region, as Canada begun its chairmanship.

• Thursday, May 16th 2013 - 19:34 UTC

  Solar activity at its 11-year peak; major flares could impact Earth over the weekend

  

  Between Sunday and Monday, and within a 24 hour period, the sun has let lose three major flares, all in the X range. Solar flares are rated on a scale with X flares being among the largest possible. The latest flare erupted Monday night and registered as an X3.2, which is so far the most powerful solar flare of 2013.