International

"It wasn't a secret government spraying program, Martians or gas seeping out of the New Madrid fault that killed the 5,000 or so blackbirds that died New Year's Eve in Beebe, Ark. It was someone shooting off professional grade fireworks in a residential district, scaring the night-blind birds out of their roost into a 25-mph flight that ran them into houses, signs and even the ground, says Karen Rowe, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission ornithologist."

"Scientists have found evidence of a 'drastic' shift since the 1970s in north Atlantic Ocean currents that usually influence weather in the northern hemisphere, Swiss researchers said on Tuesday."

Some time in the year 2011, the earth's human population is expected to reach 7 billion. By 2045 global population is projected to reach nine billion. Can the planet take the strain?

The earth's glaciers and icecaps seem to be melting faster in recent years. Climate change is suspected, but the behavior of the earth's cryosphere does not lend itself to simple generalizations.

"Oil prices hovered above $91 a barrel Monday in Asia as some OPEC ministers signaled the group doesn't plan to boost output to cool the recent jump in crude."

"China said on Tuesday it will cut its export quotas for rare earth minerals by more than 11 percent in the first half of 2011, further shrinking supplies of metals needed to make a range of high-tech products."

"Japan postponed plans for a national emissions trading scheme on Tuesday, bowing to powerful business groups that warned of job losses as they compete against overseas rivals facing fewer emissions regulations."

"Russian boys exposed to unusually high levels of environmental pollutants are smaller than their peers, a new study reports."
 

"Poor data, minimal funding and lax enforcement are undermining the fight to protect endangered species, raising the risks from the spread of pests and diseases, scientists say in a study made public on Friday."

"A diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks reveals that hackers launched a sophisticated attack against United States climate negotiators about the same time the Climategate hacking of scientists happened last year."