A new strain of H5N1 bird flu has emerged in China that is poised to start yet another global wave of infection. Nearly three times as many Chinese poultry are infected with H5N1 now than last year, despite China’s insistence that all poultry be vaccinated. In fact, vaccination may be the reason for the increase [...]

The Stern Report will tomorrow reveal that if governments do nothing, climate change will cost more than both world wars and render swathes of the planet uninhabitable. Can the world find the will to act? Similar beliefs are echoed in Britain by the ‘voluntary simplicity’ movement – a mix of greens, anti-corporate activists and downshifting [...]

A full moon may have triggered the Indian Ocean earthquake that caused the tsunami on 26 December 2004, a new study concludes. Between October 2004 and August 2005 Robin Crockett from the University of Northampton, UK, and his colleagues monitored tremors and collected tidal data along the Java/Sumatra trench. They found that major quakes were [...]

The threat of a bird flu pandemic is transforming poultry industry practices around the world, but health officials must remain on high alert for five to 10 more years, a top U.N. official said on Monday. The bird flu virus can reside in flocks for long periods of time, showing no symptoms, before spreading to [...]

As Pakistan approaches the one-year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated its northern region in October 2005, time is running out for the thousands of individuals and families destined to face another winter without adequate shelter and support. AlertNet The Pakistan government did not allow aid agencies to build permanent homes. Instead it is giving [...]