Natural Selection

This Borneo tree frog, Rhacophorus gadingensis, is one of 52 new species scientists have discovered on the Indonesian island of Borneo, between July 2005 and September 2006. The list includes 30 fish, two tree frogs, 16 ginger plants, three trees and a large-leafed plant. Among the most interesting are a miniature fish species, the world's second-smallest vertebrate, six Siamese fighting fish and a catfish with a sticky belly.

UP children to be vaccinated every month against polio

Children in western Uttar Pradesh (UP) will now be vaccinated every month against polio. This was recommended by the India Expert Advisory Group (IEAG), at a meeting held between December 11-12, 2006, to stem the rise of polio cases.

SNIPPETS

• China has successfully launched its second geostationary orbit meteorological satellite, Fengyun-2D (FY-2D), to provide better weather forecasting services for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The satellite will monitor weather changes at the games venues to help weather forecasts during the games.

IN SHORT

tracing the rivers: Indian and Chinese scientists have agreed to find the actual source of two of the world's mightiest rivers: the Brahmaputra and the Sutlej. A team of scientists from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation and the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of Chinese Academy of Sciences will leave in April 2007 for the Mount Kailash in Tibet, believed to be the source of the two rivers.

Colombia resumes spraying herbicide glyphosate

Breaking an 11-month-long impasse, Colombia has resumed spraying of the herbicide glyphosate along parts of its border with Ecuador. The move is aimed at destroying illegal coca crops. Coca is used to make cocaine. The aerial fumigation has, however, sparked tension between the two countries.

BYTES

numbers phobia: Children with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) have particular difficulty understanding numbers and sequences, a University of Alberta study shows. An assessment of 50 Canadian children diagnosed with FASD, a condition caused by the mother's alcohol consumption while a foetus is still in the womb, revealed that the youngsters had specific deficits in memory for numbers and sequences, which may contribute to common maths difficulties faced by these children. The study also revealed differences among ethnicities.

Mendozan parliament in Argentina suspends open-pit mining

Aprovincial parliament in Argentina recently suspended all open-pit mining and also stopped issuing new exploration and mining permits in the province, citing environmental threat. The Mendoza province parliament voted to suspend mining indefinitely since a local government had failed to draw up a plan to safeguard the environment from mining projects.

NEWS SNIPPETS

• The governor of Jakarta was feted by the organisers of a recent Better Air Quality workshop in the city for his work on air quality in the Indonesian capital, prompting criticism from NGOs denouncing the city's overall environmental record.

African Great Lakes to protect and assist regionally displaced

A new pact signed in Nairobi recently by the Great Lakes countries of Africa aims to protect and assist the displaced in the region. This is the first legally binding regional instrument specifically dealing with internally displaced persons.

ONLINE

www.amanpanchayat.org arm yourself with info If you want to get yourself updated on your rights and legislation that could help you, www.amanpanchayat.org is the website. It provides a comprehensive listing of conventions, rights, laws and acts. Included in the list are new laws ranging from the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Domestic Violence Bill to Right to the Information Act.