The Frame: Storm inundates the northeast U.S.

The Frame: Storm inundates the northeast U.S.


Torrential downpours from a faded tropical storm inundated the Northeast on Friday, forcing evacuations, toppling trees, cutting power to thousands and washing out roads during a snarled morning commute. Water pooled so deeply in a Philadelphia suburb that a car literally floated on top of another car. Hard rain began falling in Boston early Friday afternoon as the city braced for the sustained rains that have plagued the Eastern Seaboard over the last two days. The deluge was blamed for five deaths in North Carolina on Thursday and a sixth in Pennsylvania on Friday - a woman who apparently drove her car into a rain-swollen creek before daybreak. The storm soaked a great swath of the Northeast by the Friday morning commute, including New York City and Philadelphia. Flights coming into LaGuardia Airport in New York City were delayed three hours and traffic coming into Manhattan was delayed by up to an hour under a pounding rain. (28 images)

Chemical used in baby bottles 'safe in small amounts' | European Voice

Chemical used in baby bottles 'safe in small amounts' | European Voice

European Food Safety Authority says there is no evidence to justify changing scientific advice on bisphenol A.
Scientists advising European regulators have concluded that bisphenol A - a chemical widely used in baby bottles and food containers - is safe in small amounts.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) today (30 September) said that there was no evidence to justify changing scientific advice following a review by a advisory panel of 20 scientists. However, one scientist on the panel did not agree with the overall conclusion and argued that current guidance on human tolerance for bisphenol A (BPA) should remain temporary until the science was clearer.

The verdict disappointed campaigners on chemical safety, but was applauded by the plastics industry. A negative report from EFSA could have led to a series of bans on BPA across Europe, with major consequences for the industry.

Renewable Energy Focus - German solar PV market reaches 4.8 GW this year

Renewable Energy Focus - German solar PV market reaches 4.8 GW this year

Registered solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Germany have reached 4.8 GW in the first 8 months of 2010, up 327% on the same period last year, according to IMS Research.

North America's risky race to exploit oil sands and shales | Environment | guardian.co.uk

North America's risky race to exploit oil sands and shales | Environment | guardian.co.uk

Yale Environment 360: Energy companies are rushing to exploit new sources of oil in Canada and the western US - but government officials don't seem concerned about the environmental consequences

True cost of cheap pineapples in UK supermarkets | Environment | The Guardian

True cost of cheap pineapples in UK supermarkets | Environment | The Guardian

Workers in developing nations endure injury, chemicals, low wages and union repression so British consumers can pay less

Video: Pakistan: Swat valley after the floods | World news | guardian.co.uk

Video: Pakistan: Swat valley after the floods | World news | guardian.co.uk

Two months after the biggest floods in living memory, Declan Walsh, the Guardian's foreign correspondent for Afghanistan and Pakistan, travels down the Indus river. In the first film in our series of four, he goes to the source of the Indus, high in the Swat valley

Global Threats to Human Water Security and River Biodiversity

Global Threats to Human Water Security and River Biodiversity

Rivers maintain unique biotic resources and provide critical water supplies to people. The Earth's limited supplies of fresh water and irreplaceable biodiversity are vulnerable to human mismanagement of watersheds and waterways. Multiple environmental stressors, such as agricultural runoff, pollution and invasive species, threaten rivers that serve 80 percent of the world’s population. These same stressors endanger the biodiversity of 65 percent of the world’s river habitats putting thousands of aquatic wildlife species at risk. Efforts to abate fresh water degradation through highly engineered solutions are effective at reducing the impact of threats but at a cost that can be an economic burden and often out of reach for developing nations.

Pulsating Aurorae Secrets Revealed

Pulsating Aurorae Secrets Revealed