Hurricane Katrina stories
Some Reports of N.O. Violence Exaggerated
Stories of murders and rapes and corpses in the Superdome and Convention Center of New Orleans in the days following Hurricane Katrina were repeated by officials and the media, but few of them have any basis in fact when investigated. Only 2 murder victims have been found in the centres and 4 in the city. There have been no official reports of rape, though that does not mean that there were not any.
Nearly 6,000 Docs Displaced by Katrina
5,944 practicing doctors evacuated because of Hurricane Katrina. 4,486 were from the New Orleans parishes of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard. It is not known how many will retire or set up elsewhere. 1,300 medical students at Tulane and Louisiana State University moved to other programs. Doctors who remained currently have few patients and therefore little income.
Miss. Lawmakers Begin Post-Katrina Session
Mississippi legislators convened in a special post-Katrina session Tuesday. Among items under consideration was whether to allow casinos to come ashore.
Other stories
Typhoon Damrey hits Vietnam, kills 16 in China
Typhoon Damrey killed 16 people on the Chinese island of Hainan and has now struck Vietnam with sea surges of up to 5 metres (16 feet).
No one can say if warming caused Katrina, Rita
Most scientists believe that global warming is happening, that we are partly responsible, and that it will result in more extreme weather. It is hard to be sure if the large number of tropical storms lately is due to global warming or natural variation, however. It seems likely that storms are more intense because of global warming.
Cocaine Blight Spreads in Colombia
The Columbian government sprayed weed killer on their coca plants, so the drug traffickers took their plants, gasoline, cement, hydrochloric acid and other toxic chemicals into the great nature parks. There they slashed and burned clearings, giving the government a major dilemma. The rebels to whom the farmers sell their produce are armed, so it would be dangerous to go in and cut down the plants with machetes, which would be the most environmental way.
Airlines in EU's Emissions Trading Program
The European Commission is to include airlines in its emissions trading program aimed at cutting carbon dioxide, subject to approval by the European Parliament and EU governments. The plan would take effect from 2008 and be part of the EU's Kyoto Protocol commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 5.2 percent below their 1990 levels by 2012. There is disagreement about how to handle flights to and from destinations outside of the EU.
Mass. Lawmakers Eye Bill for Hybrid Cars
Massachusetts lawmakers are pushing a bill to reward drivers who buy hybrid or alternative fuel cars with tax breaks, free transponders to get through tolls quicker and open access to HOV lanes. It would also require that at least half of the state's fleet of vehicles run on alternative fuels by 2010. An Alternative Fuels Institute would be set up at the University of Massachusetts.
Los Angeles study finds higher pollution death risk
A study comparing the risks of living in affluent, beachfront neighbourhoods to the hazy and fast-growing inland parts of Los Angeles shows that the overall risk of death is 11 to 17 percent higher in the more polluted areas, particularly from heart attacks and diabetes. The researchers measured airborne pollution particles. Colleagues found that high nitrogen dioxide concentrations corresponded with higher incidences of asthma in children.
Smallest creatures in ocean hold valuable secrets
Microbes provide the planet with oxygen and helps combat global warming. They absorb carbon dioxide. Some also consume methane, another greenhouse gas. Some are highly beneficial to us in our daily lives. Huge amounts live in the oceans. The "International Census of Marine Microbes," a sub-project of the $1 billion, 10-year "Census of Marine Life" project, has been announced to study and catalogue them.
Whale-rich Mexican sea named World Heritage site
The United Nations has declared Mexico's Sea of Cortez, comprising 244 islands, protected areas. Some nearby coastline has also been designated. The area is a major whale breeding ground.
Please see the following message for the remaining stories. Sue [sysop in NewsForum, World Issues, All Animals forums] | 
