Typhoon Morakot Reaches South-East China, Prompts Evacuations

Typhoon Morakot reached south-east China on Sunday, prompting mass evacuations. One million people were ordered to evacuate just hours before the typhoon made a landfall in the province of Fujian. The preliminary...

Gaza desperately short of food after Israel destroys farmland

It's no great surprise of course, but the scale of the destruction is emerging. Blockaded Gaza will need even more aid."Gaza desperately short of food after Israel destroys farmlandOfficials warn of 'destruction of all means of life' after the three-week conflict leaves...

China considering allowing Peasants to sell rights to Farmland

Due to the current Chinese Milk Scandal, Chinese leaders are considering allowing peasants the right to buy or sell land-use rights for the first time, which could allow farmers to move more firmly into the market economy.The new policy will be discussed this weekend by...

Private Cuban farmers given use of government land

Private farmers in Cuba can now use up to 40 hectares of 'idle government' land.This was published in the Communist Party newspaper Granma yesterday, but it did not say how many Cubans may apply for this new...

Archaeologists find remains of Washington's boyhood home

"From Eric Marrapodi CNN Washington Bureau FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- After nearly three years of excavation, archaeologists have confirmed the discovery of the site of George Washington's boyhood home near the banks of the Rappahannock...

Thin line between mayhem and safety

"The Mississippi River rushes through a break in Indian Grave Drainage District levee north of Quincy, Ill., and south of Meyer, Ill., on June 18.""Well before record floods overwhelmed at least two dozen levees...

Mississippi River levee breaks

UPDATE: 6:13PM ESTThe flooding could slow the US coal exports." Floods on the upper Mississippi River could slow U.S. coal exports because of stalled barge traffic and disrupted rail shipments, some industry...

Alberta Residents Return to Homes after Wildfire

Multiple small towns and hamlets were evacuated in northern Alberta over the weekend after wildfires consumed almost 2,000 hectares of land. Hot weather and dry brush often leads to massive wildfires in Western...

33 Murderers Have Own Cars At Prisons.

The ultimate in prison status, your own Aston Martin car. An 8X10 cell, three square meals a day, a TV, games and all expenses paid by the taxpayers."A Derbyshire politician has spoken out in Parliament against a...

Outcry at plan to build biofuel plant

"PLANS to build a plant which would transform waste food into fertiliser and enough power for 1,500 houses every year have been met with strong opposition. Biogen UK Limited, of Milton Keynes, wants to build a plant on farmland to the south of Rushden, Northamptonshire, UK....

Govt to earmark 30 million ha of land for permanent farming

""To date, Indonesia only has about 7.4 million hectares of farmland. We hope we can have a total of 30 million hectares of permanent farmland in the future," he said after delivering a speech at a meeting here...

North Korea floods may have hit up to 300,000, says WFP

Seoul (ANTARA News) - Devastating floods in North Korea could have affected up to 300,000 people and will further worsen food shortages in the impoverished state, UN officials said Wednesday. "This is a...

Floods swamp farmland and roads

"Flooding has caused more problems for farmers and drivers in southern Derbyshire, England. There are warnings in place on the River Trent between  Yoxall, Burton-on-trent, Staffordshire and Clay Mills, and at  Cavendish Bridge, Shardlow, Derby. Farmland near...

The Fiji water bottle battle

The yay/nay battle over bottled water is one that tends to center around health and the environment: Is it actually that much better to drink bottled water than tap (not really)? Is the bottled water industry bad...

China Becomes "Business Angel" as Crop Traders Tighten Grip on Brazil

This story from the NYT is quite interesting, as it shows how China's enormous appetite for every imaginable natural resource will change the way the world trades:"China’s global scramble for natural resources is leading to a transformation of agricultural trading around...

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