REYKJAVIK, Iceland A volcano erupted near a glacier in southern Iceland, shooting ash and molten lava into the air and forcing the evacuation Sunday of hundreds of people from nearby villages.There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, but a state of emergency was declared and scientists feared the eruption could trigger a larger and potentially more
AMSHEET, Lebanon Rose Hatem's home overlooks the Mediterranean and is just a short distance from one of Lebanon's longest rivers.But twice a week the 60-year-old has to buy water for her daily needs. I have been buying in water since I moved here 14 years ago, Hatem told AFP in the picturesque village of Amsheet, north of the Lebanese capital Beirut. In the summer, when demand is high, I'm oft
TOKYO Resource-poor Japan is planning to build at least 14 nuclear power plants over the next 20 years to reduce its reliance on other countries for its energy needs, a report said Sunday.The world's second biggest economy, which wants to double its provision for its fuel consumption, will make an announcement in June on whether it indends to press ahead with the plants, the Nikkei business dai
LOS ANGELES A California restaurant facing criminal charges for serving endangered whale meat sushi has announced it will close permanently as a self-imposed punishment. The Hump restaurant in Santa Monica and chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto face charges over the illegal sale of a marine mammal product after the Oscar-winning documentary makers of The Cove filmed them serving Sei whale sushi. The
CANCUN, Mexico The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has listened to and learned from recent criticism, but the threat of global warming is real and must be tackled, the group's head said Saturday.Rajendra Pachauri, the embattled head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning panel of experts, has been criticized for endorsing climate projections based on faulty or inaccurate evidence. There's b
SANTIAGO Chile unveiled an initial, 110-million-dollar reconstruction plan Friday to put the central region back on its feet after a devastating earthquake and tsunami.The plan focuses on immediate priorities, such as providing shelter to families made homeless by the quake, restoring school attendance and creating jobs in coastal areas that bore the brunt of the catastrophe, government spokesw
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. When snow falls on this downtown of brick buildings and glass storefronts in southern Oregon, it piles up everywhere but the sidewalks.It's the first sign that this timber and ranching town is like few others.A combination of hot rocks and water like those that created Yellowstone's geysers have been tapped by the city to keep the sidewalks toasty since the early 1990s.They al
DOHA Four rapidly dwindling shark species prized in Asia for fins and in Europe for meat will be swimming against the current at a UN wildlife trade meet days after an attempt to protect tuna was crushed.Starting Sunday, the 175-nation Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), will consider separate proposals that would require cross-border trade in these open-water p
online 44