ENVIRONMENT: Climate Change, Yes – But How Fast?

The predictions in the new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which says the planet's average temperatures could increase four degrees Celsius by 2100, are seen as solid forecasts by some scientists, while others say they fall short.

ENVIRONMENT-CHINA: Prosperity or Pollution?

Following the release of an authoritative United Nations report that unequivocally links human activities with climate change, the rulers of the world's most populous country are faced with the quandary of balancing prosperity against pollution.

BRAZIL: Clean Water – Hold the Salt

Thousands of people in Brazil's semi-arid Northeast are slaking their thirst thanks to a technology that is little used in Latin America: the reverse-osmosis membrane, which desalinises and purifies water. A filter designed by Brazilian experts should be ready in two years.

CUBA-US: Science Bridges the Gulf

Oil prospecting in Cuban waters in the Gulf of Mexico may become another factor in the conflict with the United States, but researchers from both countries are carrying out joint studies on this body of water in order to preserve one of the planet's richest ecosystems.

ENVIRONMENT-ARGENTINA: Alarm Sounded for Patagonian Seas

Some believe it was exaggerated; others that it will help prevent future environmental tragedy. These are the two extremes in reactions in Argentina to a report on the impact of anchovy fishing in the seas off the Patagonia region.

ENVIRONMENT: Endless Summer Not As Nice As It Sounds

Warmer, wetter and stormier - the largest ever scientific review of climate change will say there is virtually no doubt that emissions from burning fossil fuels are causing the documented rise in global temperatures.

CHINA: Regaining the Innovative Initiative

Celebrated as the inventor of development milestones such as the compass and printing, China is aspiring to become a global player in science and technology in the 21st century, casting off decades of neglect of academia and political persecution of intellectuals.

ENVIRONMENT: Multimillion-Dollar Study of Polar Ice Thaw

The recent collapse of a Canadian Arctic ice shelf illustrates why Canada is the biggest contributor to the International Polar Year, reportedly the largest global scientific research programme, focused on climate change.

CHINA: Intriguingly Silent on Star Wars Capability

China’s furtive attitude regarding its growing military capability has rekindled an on-off international debate about whether its military is a paper tiger or a real power to reckon with in Asia and beyond.

HEALTH: Deadly New Strain of TB May Require Quarantines

Enforced quarantines may be needed in South Africa and elsewhere to bring a deadly, contagious and drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis under control, health experts say.

POLITICS: Doomsday Clock Ticking Faster – in Asia

The Chicago-based ‘Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ (BAS) has moved the minute hand of the legendary Doomsday Clock forward by two minutes to show that the world is now only five minutes away from the ultimate catastrophe, or the end of civilisation, symbolically represented by the midnight hour.

SCIENCE: Group Seeks Ban on “Living Machines”

Anyone with a laptop and a mailbox could create their own bacteria or virus, for good or ill, thanks to a rapidly evolving new technology called synthetic biology, activists warn.

JAPAN: Powering Ahead on Nuclear Technology

Rapidly growing energy needs in the world coupled with a warm winter season, attributed to global warming, have boosted Japan's nuclear power sector especially the export of nuclear technology to other countries, say experts here.

ENVIRONMENT: Evangelicals, Scientists Team Up on Warming

One year after the launch by nearly 100 evangelical Christian leaders of a major initiative on global warming, the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) has announced a joint effort with scientific groups to urge stronger efforts by the government to protect the global environment.

ENVIRONMENT: Cell Phones Getting Greener

Cellular telephones that contain toxic chemicals are still being sold in Latin America and other developing regions. But thanks to strict European regulations, there are progressively fewer phones being made with cadmium, lead and other dangerous materials.

ENVIRONMENT: GE Crops Slow to Gain Global Acceptance

Widespread use of genetically engineered (GE) crops remains limited worldwide, even as growing weed and pest issues are forcing farmers to use ever greater amounts of pesticides.

BRAZIL: Cell Phones – Democratising Communications

Rapid expansion in the poorer sectors of society, especially among the large number of informal workers, has taken the number of mobile phones in Brazil to over 100 million, equivalent to more than 53 percent of the population.

ENVIRONMENT: ExxonMobil Accused of Disinformation on Warming

Like the tobacco industry that for decades denied a link between smoking and lung cancer, ExxonMobil has waged a "sophisticated and successful disinformation campaign" to mislead the public about global warming, according to a major new report by the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

CHALLENGES 2006-2007: Brazil to Join Digital TV World

In a country as addicted to television as Brazil, disputes over digital TV, which is being installed this year, are naturally acerbic. The business is worth an estimated 50 billion dollars, and could bring profound social and cultural changes.

ENVIRONMENT: Indoor Air Pollution – Silent Killer of Women

Women and young girls coughing and choking as they cook food over traditional stoves that burn wood, leaves or dung is a common a sight in poor homes across Asia, Africa and Latin America. But no one notices the deleterious effects.

ENVIRONMENT: Hungry Whaling Ships Set Sail

Japan's controversial whaling fleet has arrived in the Southern Ocean, around Antarctica, and anti-whaling activists are promising to ram and sink any vessels attempting to kill whales.