Health & Science

• Thursday, December 27th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile life expectancy increases to 78, says UN report

  Chile now ranks 27th worldwide with a life expectancy of 78.3 years, according to a U.N. report on average ages in 177 countries. The figure represents a four-year increase since 2000. Chile has also moved past the United States, which fell to number 29 with an average life expectancy of 77.9.

• Thursday, December 20th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  NYT on Bali: “No real breakthroughs in climate change”

  

  Earlier this week we published an article from the United Nations which expressed satisfaction with the recent Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia. Basically the UN said that after “the successful conclusion of the landmark conference” in Bali, “developed and developing countries alike must continue to build on the momentum generated by the meeting”.

• Monday, December 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  World's sea levels rising twice faster than predicted

  

  The world's sea levels could rise twice as high this century as UN climate scientists have previously predicted, according to a study. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change proposes a maximum sea level rise of 81cm (32in) this century.

• Sunday, December 16th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Last minute compromise reached at Bali climate talks

  

  Two weeks of international climate talks marked by bitter disagreements and angry accusations culminated Saturday in a last-minute U.S. compromise and an agreement to adopt a blueprint for fighting global warming by 2009. Now comes the hard part

• Saturday, December 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Climate change has no respect for borders, warns Ban Ki-moon

  

  Global warming impacts everyone regardless of national borders, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday, calling on negotiators at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, to overcome differences and agree on a road map to tackle the issue.

• Friday, December 14th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Past decade warmest on record: 0.41 Celsius above average

  

  The past decade has been the warmest on record, with this year's global mean surface temperature 0.41 degrees Celsius, or 0.74 degrees Fahrenheit, above the 1961-1990 annual average, the United Nations World Meteorological Organization Who announced this week.

• Sunday, December 9th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  South Korea declares state of disaster in oil-spill coastline

  

  The South Korean government has declared a “state of disaster” along a stretch of coastline affected by the country's worst ever oil spill. A fleet of 100 ships are fighting to contain the (66.000 barrels) 10-000 ton spill, but emergency workers have been unable to prevent the oil washing ashore.

• Thursday, December 6th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  UN climate meeting working on pos Kyoto Protocol roadmap

  

  Special negotiating groups created this week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali are discussing the elements of a future roadmap for tackling the problem, technology transfer, deforestation and practical action on adaptation strategies for countries coping with adverse effects.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  New Australian government ratifies Kyoto Protocol

  

  Australia signed on Sunday the instrument of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol which means the country will become a full member of the protocol early next year. It was incoming Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd first official act of his new government.

• Tuesday, December 4th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Bali climate change conference takes off with warning

  

  The largest ever conference on climate change has opened on the Indonesian island of Bali with more than 10.000 delegates from 192 countries attending. The two weeks of United Nations led talks are intended to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol which expires 2012.