Residents of Oregon, Alaska, and the US capital Washington voted on Tuesday to legalize marijuana in key victories that could fuel the legalization movement as cannabis usage is increasingly recognized by the American mainstream.
Scientists have photographed the largest gathering of Pacific walruses ever recorded, on a beach in northern Alaska, blaming climate change for the estimated 35,000 females and calves huddled beside the Chukchi Sea.
Royal Dutch Shell has said that it will suspend its offshore drilling program in the Arctic for the rest of 2013 in order to give time to ensure safety. The decision to pause drilling for oil in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off Alaska was widely expected, following a catalogue of problems last year.