Britain to clear up own toxic waste

Over the past few months 90 shipping containers have arrived at several South American ports carrying a total of 1,400 tons of toxic waste from Britain. The waste was illegally exported to be recycled in Brazil. Within the containers were syringes, bags of blood and even bandages mixed in with recyclable plastics. The environmental agency is paying to ship the containers back to Britain and will commission an investigation to determine if a criminal offence was actually committed. All charges will be paid by the company if found at fault.

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India to get rid of street beggars

In a mission to clear up Delhi’s streets in time for the 2010 Commonwealth games, officials have promised to remove 60,000 beggars. Begging is seen as an ancient spectacle in Delhi but leaders now want to bring the city up to date. A vast clear-up has been planned to banish those caught begging. A police task force has joined with a mobile court in the back of a van to speed up convictions. Repeat offenders will either be sent to prison for up to ten years or banished from the city. Leaders within the begging community view the commonwealth games as an opportunity to make extra money and have even set up schools to teach children phrases such as ‘I am an orphan, I have not eaten for days and please help me in the name of God’ in many different languages ready for the assortment of visitors due for the games.

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Less fortunate stopped by glass ceiling

A recent report into social mobility has suggested that top professions within law and medicine are becoming restricted to wealthier candidates and their families. The bias is not only in the cost of education but in graduate and internship opportunities that are normally granted through connections of the family. Former minister Alan Milburn is backing a move towards letting all young people having better access to the high-status jobs. Daily Mail journalist Quentin Letts feels the ‘glass ceiling’ was broken when John Major, the son of a circus manager, who went on to be elected prime minister. The report also highlighted the ‘forgotten middle class’ who do not qualify for the benefits of the poor but can not compete with the more privileged families.

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Amateur astrologer discovers hole in Jupiter

Anthony Wesley, an amateur astronomer, has spotted a dark scar on Jupiter roughly the size of Earth. Last week Mr Wesley was in his back garden in Murrumbateman, near Canberra, Australia and by using a homemade telescope discovered the crater on Jupiter’s surface. On first view of the black ‘blob’ Mr Wesley dismissed it but after the planet’s rotation he could clearly see that something had hit Jupiter. After alerting professional astronomy scientists at NASA confirmed the ‘blob’ was from an impact rather than a storm. The impact is believed to have been caused by a small comet or cometary fragment but the precise size and nature of the impacting object is still yet to be confirmed.

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Japan plan defence against attack from the deep blue

In the next few months Japan will be preparing themselves for a suspected attack from the Echizen Kurage, or Nomura’s jellyfish. It has been four years since their last attack and recently the creatures have been gathering in numbers in the Yellow Sea off China. The armada is expected to drift along to Japan in the next few months, in a movement called a jellyfish typhoon. When the jellyfish reaches a metre in diameter, half a dozen can destroy a fishing net. The activity has caused many to speculate about the cause – suggestions range from global warming to nutrients being introduced into the sea from rivers in China, causing a feeding and mating frenzy.

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Total eclipse witnessed in Asia

Asia has witnessed the largest total eclipse this century leaving some parts of India and China in a total darkness. At its maximum point the eclipse lasted for six minutes and 39 seconds. The path of the eclipse started in India and was last seen in the Pacific. Many who gathered to witness the eclipse in India felt disappointed as thick cloud and an overcast day obscured much of the view. Tradition in India and Nepel lead the audience to bath themselves in Holy water whilst watching the view, while others saw the event as a bad omen. Hindu pregnant women were warned to stay indoors by their elders and chant prayers for the sake of their unborn children.

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US bombs poppy field to curb Taliban drug trade

In an attempt to discontinue the Taliban’s connection with drug trafficking and the production of heroin, the United States military has bombed 300 tons of poppy seeds in Southern Afghanistan on Tuesday 21. The aim of the new strategy is to stop the Taliban from profiting off the sales of drugs and fuelling their wars. Many families are intimidated into growing poppy seeds but the military is offering farmers seeds, fertilisers and improved irrigation systems in order to discourage the poppy plantations. Afghans hope that without the profits of the drug trade the fighting will leave their areas.

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First human trials of swine flu vaccine

As the announcement of the current global death toll from swine flu was made, the first human trials for a vaccine were started. The trials are being held in Adelaide and involve two biotechnology companies; altogether 540 adults are taking part in the trial. Australia is now in its winter flu season and has already had 14,703 confirmed cases of the swine flu. The results of the trial will take 6 to 8 weeks to collate and Australia has already put in an order should the vaccine be successful.

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Schwarzenegger saves the day in California

California – known as the golden state has been staring bankruptcy in the face since the beginning of the month and has been relying on IOU’s to pay many businesses. Severe budget cuts were negotiated between the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzennegger and political leaders. A shortfall of $26 billion (£15bn) had to be made. The state has the lowest credit rating in America and also has one of the highest unemployment rates. Areas that have been affected most by the cuts are: state schools $6bn, universities $3bn, prisons $1.2bn, parks $8m with 20% being shut down and the healthcare system for the poor by £1.3bn. These cuts have been made instead of raising tax rates.

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New Christian curriculum in Texas

A panel of experts has been put together to revise Texas State’s history curriculum. Fellow panel members are pushing the board towards increasing religious teachings, including that without God there would no United States. On the board is a Christian fundamentalist who wants to see more lessons in school emphasising the role of Christianity in the forming of the United States. Fellow board members are in agreement and want to see more teachings from the Bible as the Holy book is believed to be the motivation behind the colonies forming the US. In previous curriculum reviews, the court has had to enforce rules and limit how much of the creationist theories can be taught in biology lessons.

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Aging Shanghai encourages two children families

Reports from the China Daily newspaper have disclosed information detailing a new government movement from Shanghai to not only approve of two children families but encourage couples to have more than one child. The turnaround is a result of the aging population which has been putting a strain on the rest of the population, and will eventually cause a hole in the workforce market. Couples that are from single child families are now being encouraged to have a second child. The government is distributing leaflets to houses and offering emotional counselling and financial aid to those families who are eligible.

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Robot drones in warfare

Based an hour’s drive from the lights and glamour of the casinos of Las Vegas, soldiers are fighting wars without having to jeopardise their lives or leave the country. The latest in warfare technology has enabled drones to attack targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Remote control predators are being flown from a small desert air force in Nevada and are capable of attacking and spying on the other side of the world with no harm caused to the pilot. Images from the predator are relayed back to the pilot for navigation and intelligent analysts can identify ground personnel. There are now over 70,000 drones of varying description and power being used by the United States.

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