Poverty takes hold of Russia

In Russia, new statistics have shown a 30% rise in those living in poverty. The number of people living below the poverty line rose to 24.5 million in the first three months of 2009. Russia had been experiencing a rise in living standards because of the lucrative price of oil, which has recently taken a hit. Today, the average adult wage in Russia is £110 a month, which whole families are forced to survive on. The recent global crisis has crushed the country’s recent and relatively successful efforts in combating poverty.

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Mexico and Argentina move towards decriminalising drugs

The US-initiated “war-on-drugs” has caused such a backlash in Latin America that both Mexico and Argentina have taken steps towards decriminalising drugs. The liberalisation towards drug usage started with Argentine’s Supreme Court ruling it unconstitutional to punish anyone for using marijuana for personal consumption. It followed news that in Mexico if a person is found with small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin or other drugs they are treated as patients in drug clinics, instead of being sent to prison. These bold new liberal strategies have caught the eye of other countries such as Brazil and Ecuador.

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Kiwi schoolgirls break Ribena’s facade

Two schoolgirls from New Zealand have calculated the real vitamin C content of Ribena in a school science experiment and found that many cheaper brands contained up to four times as much vitamin C than Ribena. The project involved the students testing cheaper brands of squash concentrate against the more expensive leading brands. The hypothesis of the experiment was that cheaper brands of cordial would be unhealthier than the more recognised brands and contain fewer vitamins.

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Brown encourages bonus caps in the financial sector

In response to the partial collapse of the banking system, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an international debate to agree on capping bankers bonuses. Gordon Brown plans to raise the issue at the G20 meeting scheduled for later this month in Pittsburgh, US. Another issue being addressed at the G20 summit is how to reduce bankers’ ability to cause further unstable financial environments, which could force a recurrence of the current global crisis.

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Bloodhounds used to protect ivory and bushmeat

Bloodhounds are part of a new strategy in Kenya to protect ivory and bushmeat and look after the local wildlife. The hounds are being sent from Britain to the African nation in the hope they will stop poachers in the bush. Poaching activity had been on the slowdown, but has recently started to increase once again. The bloodhounds are an effective tool as they can track poachers through thick grass, petrified lava flows and areas of terrain that obstruct the tracks from human eye. The hounds can also follow a track several days old.

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Romance ban relaxed on table tennis champion

China’s number one table tennis star has been rewarded for his commitment to the sport by being given the words number one spot and by also being allowed a girlfriend. Wang Hao, the 25-year old sportsman, is now allowed to date a fellow athlete. In the past players have been axed from their teams for having romantic relationships. In the past some athletes have even chosen to compete for another country in order to continue their relationship.

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Bomb attack on Athens stock exchange

According to a police report a bomb that was detonated just outside the stock exchange in Athens has caused damage to the building and a female passerby suffered slight injuries. The bomb was hidden in a stolen van and on explosion set fire to several nearby cars. A group of Greek extremists, the Revolutionary Struggle, are believed to be responsible.

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Australia’s warm winter is a record

Australia has experienced its warmest August on record. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the mean temperature was 2.47C above the long-term average and climatologists have blamed this on a combination of climate change and natural variability. In some areas, temperatures reached as high as 38.5C. Warnings have already been issued in the southern hemisphere that spring will bring more heatwaves and add to the long-standing draught already in the area.

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New fears for Indian tiger

The Indian tiger could be pushed further towards extinction, as China approves the sale of products extracted from the endangered species. Environmentalists warn this decision could create a huge market for poachers meaning tigers around the world could be in danger. In 2007 China allowed trade of legally obtained tiger and leopard skin, but the announcement received little media attention. The latest approval is said to be so loosely written that tiger farmers will have the go-ahead to produce tiger wine made from crushed tiger bones – a particularly potent Chinese medicine that sells for high prices on the black market.

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Revelations on how galaxies grow

Research has shown that in order for a galaxy to expand it has to digest neighbouring stars. A team of international scientists mapping out Andromeda had previously thought the stars they found on the outskirts of the galaxy were “remnants of dwarf galaxies”, but new research has suggested that each large galaxy is made up of the remnants of smaller galaxies it has consumed.

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