Countdown to copenhagen

Brazil announces deep emission cut Ahead of Copenhagen

Interpreter of myth

i hate travellers and explorers, Claude Levi-Strauss wrote in a 1955 work, Tristes Tropiques. It is regarded his most influential work. Perhaps the most influential anthropologist of our times, Levi-Strauss passed away in Paris on October 30.

How cheap?

WILDLIFE conservationists use the crite - rion of species diversity to identify areas that must be protected. Ecologists and zoologists from the Universidade Federal de Gois, Brazil, proposed a new model that included the economic cost of acquiring land as an important criterion. This matters as limited funds are available for conservation projects. The model identified 41 ecoregions which are the most suited for conservation. The species in these regions live under a high risk of extinction. At the

A lesson for the civil servant

Book>> Beyond Relocation, The Imperative of Sustainable Resettlement Edited by Renu Modi Sage Rs 850

According to report

Nearly extinct Rhino poaching is expected to hit a 15-year high in 2009. As many as 12 rhinos are killed every month for their horns by poachers in South Africa and Zimbabwe as against three in 2000-2005, said a joint report released by WWF, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Traffic. Poachers are pushing rhinos towards extinction in Asia and Africa, the report said. Setting an example Brazil has successfully treated its people living with HIV/AIDS, US researchers said. Brazil fought the epidemic by

According to report

Pesticides in veggies: A government of India survey found high levels of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Fourteen per cent of the samples collected from across the country had traces of pesticide residues. Four per cent had residues beyond the permissible limit. Pesticide residues were also found in cereals, pulses, marine and milk products. Landfills harbour bird flu: Poultry carcasses infected with bird flu virus can remain infectious for up to two years in landfills, said US

News 360° - Briefs

land rights Peru appeases Amazonians Peru's Congress abolished two decrees by President Alan Garcia that were aimed at opening large areas of the Peruvian Amazon to oil and gas exploration activities, logging and dams.

News 360° - Briefs

patent Human genes create stir in US

Mayor's watching

The mayor of a Brazilian town has provoked complaints after he installed cameras in a health centre to monitor the quality of service to the public. The cameras send images and sound from the reception and a pharmacy directly to the offices of the mayor of Foz do Iguacu and other senior officials. Mayor Paulo MacDonald said the move was to improve efficiency, and has suggested the Brazilian government extend it to 28 other sites. But

News Snippets

>> Brazil's Supreme Court has struck down a censorship law enacted in the 1960s. It censored news media, playwrights and writers and allowed for the seizure of publications. But it has not been a serious matter since the return of democratic rule. >> Lawyers who helped prosecute the downloading site The Pirate Bay have become targets in an internet backlash over the decision to jail the site's founders. A site of the MAQS law firm--which acted on behalf of Hollywood studios during trial in Sweden-- was taken down after it came under siege.