Global News Headlines 07/07

[greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org]

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Greenpeace Daily Environmental News Headlines
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Wednesday, July 7, 1999
Greenbase Unit
Greenpeace International
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 TOXICS 

1) France withdraws soft PVC baby toys for a year PARIS, July 7 (Reuters)
France's health and consumer affairs ministries said on Wednesday they were
withdrawing, for one year, plastic toys for children under three that are
made with certain phtalates, or chemical additives that soften PVC. Animal
experiments currently underway show that certain phtalates can present a...

2) Farmers welcome plan for food crisis compensation By Gillian Handyside
BRUSSELS, July 7 (Reuters) Belgian farmers' union UPA-UDEF welcomed on
Wednesday plans by the "purple-green" coalition -- set to take power next
week -- to help farmers hit by the crisis over food contaminated with the
cancer-causing chemical dioxin. The legislative reforms aimed at setting...

3) 07/07 POLLUTION `KILLS THOUSANDS OF FISH' By Chris Court, PA  News.
Thousands of young salmon and sea trout are thought to have died in a
pollution incident on the river Tamar on the Devon and Cornwall
border, the Environment Agency said today. Around 13 kilometres of
river from Bridgerule to Boyton have been affected by suspected farm
waste pollution, said a...

4) 7/7 THE WALL STREET JOURNAL/CALIFORNIA: State Asked To Rethink Diesel
Stance By Marc Lifsher Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal/
California SACRAMENTO -- Will state regulators choke before going
forward with tough new rules for diesel emissions? That's what the
trucking industry and its allies are hoping for: While
environmentalists had thought that diesel's...

5) Agence France Presse HEADLINE: Kazakhstan seeks millions from Russia after
rocket crash BYLINE: Heather Clark DATELINE: ALMATY, July 7 BODY: Kazakhstan
demanded Wednesday several million dollars in compensation from Russia for
environmental damages from a botched Russian military satellite launch that
damaged a villager's backyard.    Kazakhstan on Tuesday slapped a ban on...

(GREENPEACE)
6) TAS: Greenpeace calls for national strategy against dioxin BYLINE: By Don
Woolford BODY: DIOXIN HOBART, July 7 AAP - Greenpeace today called on the
federal government to adopt strict national standards to eliminate dangerous
dioxin pollution. The environmental watchdog is particularly concerned that
proposed magnesium smelters could significantly add to the spread of the...

(GREENPEACE)
7) Business Times (Singapore) July 6, 1999 SECTION: Shipping Times; Pg. 1
HEADLINE: IMO adds scrapping to safety promotion agenda  BODY: Issue to be
discussed in March 2000 committee meeting SINGAPORE) Ship scrapping has been
officially added to the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) agenda
of safety promotion. This comes despite the reservations of some open...

(GREENPEACE)
8) The Australian, On-line, 07/07/99, Smelter's emissions undetectable:
developer By STEVEN DALLY 8jul99 THE $2 billion Bell Bay magnesite project's
proponents have said dioxin emissions from the smelter would be
"undetectable" - after Greenpeace predictions that it could become
Australia's largest dioxin producer. Greenpeace has stepped up its campaign...

 NUCLEAR POWER 

(GREENPEACE)
9) Japanese plutonium shipments stir safety fears By Lyndsay Griffiths LONDON,
July 7 (Reuters) - Two lightly armed ships carrying enough plutonium to
build 60 nuclear weapons will embark on a risky voyage to Japan this month,
environmental campaigners said on Wednesday. The shipment, whose departure
they believe is imminent, has sparked fears of nuclear proliferation,...

(GREENPEACE)
10) The Australian, On-line, 07/07/99, Pangea shifts office, not waste By ROGER
MARTIN  8jul99  FIT'S welcome to move west, but West Australian Premier
Richard Court has made it clear Pangea Resources is not welcome to move
waste when it sets up its new headquarters in Perth later this year. Mr
Court yesterday maintained his hardline opposition to establishment of an...

11) FOCUS-German government nuclear talks cancelled BONN, July 7 (Reuters) -
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his junior coalition partners, the
Greens, cancelled talks planned for Wednesday on a nuclear energy dispute,
but the Greens denied that this meant they were quitting the government.
News the meeting was scrapped was followed by rumours in some financial...

12) French firms to build nuclear storage for Chernobyl By Pavel Polityuk
KIEV, July 7 (Reuters) A group of three French nuclear firms will build an
interim spent nuclear fuel facility at Ukraine's troubled Chernobyl nuclear
plant in a bid to speed up the station's closure, industry officials said on
Wednesday. The construction of the storage facility for Chernobyl's nuclear...

13) Agence France Presse HEADLINE: Australia offers mining compromise in
environmental  battle DATELINE: PARIS, July 7 BODY: Australia on Wednesday
offered a compromise in a fierce battle over uranium mining in the country's
World Heritage- listed Kakadu National Park. The offer came at a key meeting
of UNESCO's World Heritage Bureau, chaired by Japan, which is to recommend...

14) July 7, 1999 National General News Canadian nuclear technology may be
sold to Iran TORONTO (CP) There's a tentative deal to sell Canadian nuclear
fusion technology to Iran, although details of the agreement are still
being worked out, the National Post reported today. The fusion reactor and
technology belongs to the Canadian Centre for Fusion Magnetics, a research...

15) AP Worldstream July 07, 1999 HEADLINE: Jellyfish onslaught forces Japan
power plant to lower output DATELINE: TOKYO BODY: A nuclear power plant had
to lower output by nearly 30 percent early Wednesday because swarms of
jellyfish swimming into sluice gates blocked the intake of cooling sea
water, the plant's operator said. Three nuclear reactors at the plant in...

16) 07/07 U.S. Says Nuclear Plant Safety Systems Ready For Y2K WASHINGTON
Reuters- Computers controlling safety systems at all 103 U.S. nuclear
plants are free of software bugs that could cause radiation leaks on
Jan. 1, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday. While all
safety systems have passed testing, about one-third of U.S. nuclear
plants still have some work...

 NUCLEAR WEAPONS & MILITARY 

17) UN environment team asks NATO about Kosovo targets GENEVA, July 7 (Reuters)
The head of a United Nations team investigating environmental damage caused
by the war in Yugoslavia said on Wednesday that NATO was not giving his
office detailed information on the sites hit by its bombs and missiles.
Pekka Haavisto, Finland's former environment minister, said  the information...

18) WRAPUP-Militants reject Kashmir pullout plan By Andrew Hill ISLAMABAD,
July 7 (Reuters) Militants vowed on Wednesday to fight on inside Indian-held
Kashmir "until the last drop" of their blood after rejecting a  U.S.-
Pakistani plan urging a retreat. "There will be no compromise.  There will
be no gun down," said Sayed Salahuddin, head of an alliance of  militants...

19) Moscow News July 7, 1999 SECTION: ECOLOGY; No. 25 HEADLINE: SAKHALIN:21-ST
CENTURY ATLANTIS ? BYLINE: Alexander Raskin HIGHLIGHT: The Cold War arsenals
on Sakhalin Island are theatening to turn it into an inferno BODY:
Seismologists and geologists working on Sakhalin have warned that the
ammunition dumps there may cause a large-scale environmental disaster. Their...

 OCEANS 

(GREENPEACE)
20) 07/07 Norway's Whaling Industry Struggles By DOUG MELLGREN OSLO,
Norway (AP) -- Hundreds of tons of whale blubber is sitting in
Norwegian warehouses while the government tries to figure out what to
do with it.  On Wednesday, the Greenpeace environmental group claimed
some of the blubber is as much as 13 years old. The "blubber
mountain," -- as  Norwegians call the at least...

(GREENPEACE)
21) The Independent (London) July 6, 1999 SECTION: NEWS; Pg. 9 HEADLINE: ST
KILDA AT 'HIGH RISK' FROM OILFIELDS bYLINE: Michael Mccarthy BODY: ST KILDA,
Britain's remotest island and most spectacular seabird site, is at "high
risk" from the development of the new Atlantic frontier oilfield, the
world's leading wildlife watchdog declared yesterday. The proximity of...

22) Mexico Gulf protestors block some Pemex transfers VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico,
July 6 (Reuters) - Fisherman charging environmental damage by Petroleos
Mexicanos (Pemex) blockaded transfers of staff and equipment to the oil
monopoly's offshore platforms from a Gulf port on Tuesday. The 5,000 shrimp
fishermen blockaded the port of Ciudad del Carmen in southeastern Campeche...

 ATMOSPHERE & ENERGY 

(GREENPEACE)
23) QLD: More research needed on coral bleaching, says Beattie BODY: CORAL
BEATTIE BRISBANE, July 7 AAP - The federal government should help foot the
bill for further scientific research on the health of the Great Barrier
Reef, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said today. Mr Beattie said following
the release of yesterday's Greenpeace report which predicted the reef could...

(GREENPEACE)
24) 07/07 GREEN PIONEERS SELL POWER TO BIG BUSINESS By Anjali Kwatra,  PA
News An environmentalist who uses solar panels on his roof to power
his home is selling surplus electricity to his electricity company -
but he still receives bills. Dr Jeremy Leggett spent 12,000
installing the solar roof tiles at his home in Richmond, south west
London, four months ago. He  and...

25) The Province July 7, 1999 Final News A20 Weird weather?  Not particularly,
say the experts TORONTO -- Snowboarders hit the slopes in Alberta, in-line
skaters were grounded by continuous rain in British Columbia and
Torontonians, who watched the humidex readings top 45 C Monday, breathed
sighs of relief when it was merely scorching hot yesterday.  It may seem...

26) "NATURAL" DISASTERS A MISNOMER, UN LEADER SAYS GENEVA, Switzerland, July 6,
1999 (ENS) - "It is a tragic irony that 1998, the penultimate year of
the Disaster Reduction Decade, was also a year in which natural
disasters increased so dramatically," United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday. Annan was speaking at the
closing ceremonies for the United Nations...

27) UK and EU to miss renewable energy targets- report LONDON, July 7
(Reuters) Britain and other European  Union members will miss their targets
for renewable energy sources unless  they make major policy changes, a
cross-party House of Lords committee said on Wednesday. The peers in the
British parliament's upper chamber said an  EU-wide target of getting 12...

 TERRESTRIAL ECOLOGY 

(GREENPEACE)
28) 07/07 Russian Reservoir Floods Feared MOSCOW (AP) A huge reservoir
under illegal construction in central Russia will flood half of a
national park and destroy endangered animals and plants, officials
and activists said Wednesday. The construction of the Yumaguzinsky
reservoir in the Bashkiria Region, which was not approved by the
State Environment Committee, violates...

29) Russia swept by forest fires, 290 fire epicenters ... MOSCOW, July 7 (Itar-
Tass) Russia has been swept by forest fires. A total of 290 fire epicenters,
including 97 which appeared over the past twenty four hours, have been
registered in Russia now. The total area swept by the fires has been
estimated at 2,300 hectares now, the press center of the Federal Forestry...

30) 07/07 GOVERNMENT PRESSED FOR SPEEDY ACTION TO PROTECT WILDLIF By
Jackie Storer, Parliamentary Staff, PA News MPs from all sides today
jacked up pressure on ministers to move quickly to overhaul laws
protecting wildlife and the countryside. Labour's Julia Drown
(Swindon S), opening  a short Commons debate, warned more of the UK's
best wildlife sites could be lost...

31) National Post July 7 NATIONAL@SERIES EDITIONS SECTION:FINANCIAL POST; Pg.
C12 HEADLINE: Tiomin Resources facing growing opposition in Kenya: Huge
titanium deposit: Ecological impact on parks and coast cited by critics
BYLINE: Mike Crawley DATELINE: KWALE, Kenya BODY: KWALE, Kenya - A Canadian
company is facing mounting opposition in its attempt to mine what amounts...

32) Reporter, protesters arrested at Vail VAIL, Colo., July 6 (UPI) -- Law
officers arrested six people, one of them a reporter, at a mountainside
protest aimed at blocking the 885- acre expansion of the Vail ski resort.
Colorado Daily reporter Brian Hansen and five environmentalists were taken
to the Eagle County Jail today after dozens of officers converged on a...

33) FED: Voters turn away from Court government BODY: NEWSPOLL WA SYDNEY,
July 7 AAP - Concern over the logging of old growth forests has lessened
support for the West Australian coalition government, who have slipped three
percentage points in the latest Newspoll. The survey of 856 voters by the
Australian newspaper found 44 per cent supported the government of Richard...

34) Xinhua General News Service HEADLINE: philippines' watersheds in critical
condition DATELINE: manila, july 7; ITEM NO: 0707284 BODY: around 90 percent
of the watersheds in the philippines are by now categorized as
hydrologically critical due to their degraded ecological conditions, the
department of natural resources and environment (denr) said wednesday.  in...

35) GLOBAL FOOD COMMISSION RESPONDS TO DIOXIN SCARE  ROME, Italy, July 6, 1999
(ENS) - An international food standards commission has established three
task forces to evaluate standards for biotechnology in food production,
animal feeding practices and fruit juice production.  These task forces were
set up by the Codex Alimentarius Commission during its 23rd plenary session...

36) Asahi News Service HEADLINE: ACTIVISTS DEMAND RETURN OF ORANGUTANS TO
INDONESIA DATELINE: TOKYO  BODY: Environmentalists  here and abroad are
working hard to ensure that four orangutans seized last month from an Osaka
pet shop are safely returned to their home in the Indonesian jungle. If
their campaign is successful, it would be the first time for smuggled...

37) Siberian region declares emergency due to locusts NOVOSIBIRSK, Russia,
July 7 (Reuters) - The central Siberian region of Novosibirsk has declared a
state of emergency following an invasion of locusts from neighbouring
Kazakhstan, a civil defence and emergencies department official said on
Wednesday. Alexander Chekhonin told Reuters that in the last three days, the...

 GENETIC ENGINEERING 

(GREENPEACE)
38) Moscow News July 7, 1999 SECTION: ECOLOGY; No. 25 HEADLINE: THE RUSSIAN
GM ROULETTE BYLINE: Vladimir Volodin HIGHLIGHT: Already, Russians are
treating themselves to illegal GM potatoes BODY: For two years now GM
potatoes, developed by the U.S. firm Monsanto, have been grown near the town
of Golytsino just outside of Moscow, on the testing fields of the...

39) MAFF Freezes Safety Evaluation of Bt Crops  Jul 06, 1999, (Comline via
COMTEX) -- The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) has
announced that it will freeze, the safety confirmation of Bt gene-induced
crops that have been cultivated in Japan until it sets down guidelines
stipulating the pollen toxicity of crops into which a Bt gene with insect...

40) 07/07 PRINCE AND CAMPAIGNER DISCUSS GM FOOD By Nick Meo, PA News A
Friends of the Earth leader said the Prince of Wales encouraged him
to campaign against genetically modified organisms when he presented
him with an honour today. FoE's Scotland director, Kevin Dunion, said
he had discussed the controversial technology with the Prince as he
collected an OBE. And...

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