Environment

• Thursday, March 24th 2011 - 03:42 UTC

  Japan estimates cost of the earthquake and tsunami could reach 300 billion USD

  

  Japan estimated the cost of the damage from its devastating earthquake and tsunami could top 300 billion US dollars (close to 6% of GDP). The first official estimate since the March 11 disaster covers damage to roads, homes, factories and infrastructure.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 23:34 UTC

  Tepco will have to compensate farmers around Fukushima area, says Japan

  

  Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) will have to compensate farmers for losses caused by the nuclear radiation leaking from its power plants, Japan has said.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 20:13 UTC

  Falkland Islands’ tours are top three in South America

  

  Three Falkland Islands tours achieved the top ratings out of all South American excursions taken by Princess Cruise Line passengers during the 2010/11 season, confirmed Tourism Coordinator Samantha Marsh of Falklands Port and Shore Excursion Agents Sulivan Shipping Ltd.

• Tuesday, March 22nd 2011 - 08:32 UTC

  Fukushima nuclear plant seems ‘stabilized’ but smoke emissions continue

  

  Efforts have resumed at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to restore electrical power and cool its overheated reactors, seriously damaged by the 11 March earthquake.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 19:35 UTC

  Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental begins first successful flight test program

  

  The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental successfully began its flight test program Monday taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington state, before more than several thousand employees, customers, suppliers and community leaders.

• Monday, March 21st 2011 - 06:51 UTC

  IAEA says Japan’s nuclear emergency remains very serious; death and missing toll reaches 21.000

  

  The United Nations nuclear agency, IAEA, says there have been positive developments in Japan's efforts to tackle a nuclear emergency after the 11 February quake.

• Saturday, March 19th 2011 - 22:54 UTC

  Falklands reports grounding of a pod of 400 pilot whales

  

  A record grounding of an estimated 400 pilot whales was reported this week in the Falkland Islands.

• Friday, March 18th 2011 - 03:29 UTC

  If power is restored and if pumps work Fukushima reactor could be cooled

  

  Engineers at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant have managed to lay a cable to reactor 2, the UN's nuclear watchdog reports. Restoring power should enable engineers to restart the pumps which send coolant over the reactor.

• Thursday, March 17th 2011 - 07:44 UTC

  Japanese tsunami surprises Midway atoll killing thousands of albatrosses

  

  Thousands of albatrosses and other endangered species at a wildlife sanctuary north-west of Hawaii have been killed by the tsunami which devastated Japan, US officials say.

• Wednesday, March 16th 2011 - 23:25 UTC

  Wikileads cables reveal Japan was warned about poor safety at nuclear plants

  

  As concerns about a meltdown at the Fukushima plant escalate, Britain’s the Telegraph revealed a series of two-year-old cables the paper obtained from Wikileaks that show unnamed experts telling Japanese officials they needed to update their nuclear safety protocols.