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FASHION FROM SCRAP HEAP This fashion creation, made from household waste, was exhibited during the Budapest Design Week that kicked off on October 3. The exhibition also presented a series of fashion creations like interior and furniture designs using recycled materials such as cardboard.

Coastal areas of Asia-Pacific countries need massive investments to strengthen infrastructure against increasing natural disasters and protect the rights of climate change refugees, said global charity World Vision.

Sri Lanka will soon issue identity cards with Radio Frequency Identity technology for deep sea fisherfolk. Th is will help the Navy verify the credibility of fisherfolk at sea.

Sri Lanka warned of a possible outbreak of Leptospir-osis, also called rat fever, after 1,150 people died from it.

The Shenzhou-7 spacecraft of China returned with its three-man crew on September 28 after successfully accomplishing the country's first spacewalk mission.

Beijing reinstated some of the traffic rules imposed during the Olympics to clear its smoggy skies. Starting from October 1, 30 per cent cars will be taken off the roads.

Siamese crocodile, a critically-endangered reptile, is threatened by a proposed dam in Cambodia, warned conservationists group Fauna and Flora International.

As Zimbabwe moves towards political stability, the government launched a scheme to boost farm produce by providing seed, fertilizers and tillage services to farmers.

10 million Ugandans have "malnourished brains" since the country lacks primary healthcare services, said Vice President Gilbert Bukenya.

70,000 people have been affected by flooding in northwestern Cameroon and southern Chad since early August. Weathermen say the rainy season could get longer.

Hugo Chavez offered Venezuelans to give up their gas-guzzler and get a free car. By next year, Chavez plans to distribute cars running on less-polluting natural gas.

Argentina banned common hake fishing in its South Atlantic waters after conservationists warned of an imminent fishery collapse.

Australia's opposition party called on the federal government to tackle Japan, which might buy the votes of three African countries that joined the International Whaling Commission recently.

Mining boom in Australia has also increased HIV infections in the country's mineral-rich states by 50 per cent, said the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Sydney.

Carbonscape, a New Zealand-based company, developed the world's first industrial microwave charcoal technology to capture significant amounts of CO₂. The technology uses woodwaste to trap carbon as charcoal.

Western Climate Initiative, a collaboration of seven US states and four Canadian provinces, proposed a carbon trading plan to reduce GHG emissions by 15 per cent of 2005 level by 2020.

California passed legislation that enables the state to take more responsibility for identifying and regulating 80,000 toxic chemicals in consumer products by 2011.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander found snow falling from Martian clouds. Data showed the snow vaporized before reaching the ground.

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50 per cent of all amphibians in Europe could go extinct by 2050 as climate change, disease and habitat destruction take their toll, warned conservationists from Zoological Society of London.

Portugal inaugurated the world's first commercial wave-power station, which will generate 21 mw of electricity. A fossil fuel plant of this capacity emits 60,000 tonnes of CO₂.

4.7 million tonnes of paper go waste each year in the UK due to wasteful printing of documents, said Envirowise, a government agency that advises businesses on environmental performance.

Largest biomass power plant of the world running on chicken manure opened in the Netherlands. It will use 440,000 tonnes of chicken droppings to generate 270,000 mw electricity a year.

CERN launched the largest computing grid to manage and analyze over 15 million gigabytes of data generated from the Large Hadron Collider. It combines over 140 computer centres from 33 countries.

Alternative energy technologies will create green jobs for at least 12 million people by 2030, says a UN report. This will replace jobs lost in traditional energy sectors.

World leaders at the UN's General Assembly endorsed a new Global Malaria Action Plan, committing nearly US $3 billion to reduce malaria deaths to near zero by 2015.

A software, Carbon Diem, in cell phones with GPS technology can automatically calculate your carbon footprint whether you are walking, driving or flying.