UNITED STATES
Agency lifts rules on whales
The government on Tuesday lifted protection for most humpback whales around the globe, including some in US waters, based on evidence they have made a strong comeback since commercial whaling drove them to near extinction. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration removed humpback whales from the Endangered Species Act in nine of 14 population areas, the agency said in a statement. The stripping of safeguards means US ships and commercial fishermen in international waters will no longer be bound to check levels of underwater noise that could constitute harassment of the whales. It does not mean they can be hunted again.
UNITED STATES
Judge rejects fracking plan
A federal judge on Tuesday tentatively rejected a plan by the Bureau of Land Management to open more than 3,885km2 of lands in central California to oil drilling and fracking. The bureau failed to take a “hard look” at the environmental effects of the estimated 25 percent of new wells that would be devoted to fracking, District Judge Michael Fitzgerald wrote in the ruling. The process, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, uses high-pressure mixtures of water, sand and chemicals to extract oil and gas from rock. Fitzgerald ruled that the bureau must provide more study on the effects fracking will have in the area.
PHILIPPINES
US to donate two aircraft
The US is giving the coast guard two used military aircraft, the agency said yesterday, to help Manila expand sea patrols in the face of territorial disputes with China. The two Short C-23 Sherpa 30-seater aircraft are to be delivered in December, coast guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo told reporters. “It will help us in the movements of the Philippine Coast Guard like patrol missions,” Balilo added. He said the Sherpas would help the coast guard augment its meager air patrol capability.
UNITED STATES
WASP placed at Arlington
It took an act of Congress, but World War II pilot Elaine Harmon is finally being laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Harmon last year died at age 95. She was one of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), a group of women who flew military aircraft during World War II so that men were freed up for combat missions. The women were not granted military status at the time they served, but received retroactive status as veterans in 1977. Last year, army officials ruled WASPs ineligible for inclusion at Arlington. Harmon’s family fought the rule, and in May President Barack Obama signed legislation allowing WASPs in Arlington. Harmon’s ashes were yesterday to be inurned at a funeral service with military honors.
UNITED STATES
Man cops to child’s murder
A Minnesota man’s confession to abducting and killing 11-year-old Jacob Wetterling nearly 27 years ago has put to rest a mystery that had haunted the state and led to changes in national sex offender laws. Danny Heinrich on Tuesday made the admission as he pleaded guilty to a federal child pornography charge that could put him behind bars for decades. The 53-year-old will not be prosecuted on state murder charges as part of the plea deal. Following his prison sentence, a civil commitment is possible, meaning he could spend the rest of his life in custody. As part of the deal, which Jacob’s family approved, Heinrich led prosecutors to the boys remains last week.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed