EU assembly seeks illegal timber ban, proposes big fines for violatorsSTRASBOURG, France — The European Parliament urged EU governments Wednesday to ban the sale of illegally-harvested timber and proposed big fines for violators. Deep blue mountain lakes declared Afghanistan’s first national parkKABUL — A cascading collection of deep-blue high-mountain lakes became Afghanistan’s first provisional national park Wednesday, as the violence-plagued nation took a big first step toward protecting one of its finest natural treasures. ND towns hopeful flood threat has eased after bridge opens, water forecast at dam loweredVALLEY CITY, N.D. — North Dakota towns battling floods felt more hope Tuesday after officials said a bridge would reopen into one stricken town and the flood threat eased at a dam protecting another town. Fla. House panel OKs bill for oil, gas drilling up to 10 miles into Gulf of MexicoTALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Echoing last year’s “Drill, baby, drill” Republican election slogan, a GOP-dominated House panel voted Tuesday to allow oil and natural gas exploration and production in Florida waters up to 10 miles into the Gulf of Mexico. Eureka! Recession, high gold prices draw new wave of prospectors to California’s gold countryCOLOMA, Calif. — There’s still gold in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, and a new rush is under way to find it. Federal biologists find 3 farm pesticides jeopardize salmon survival, recommend restrictionsSEATTLE — Federal biologists say three pesticides commonly used by farmers threaten the survival of many Pacific salmon and steelhead listed as threatened or endangered species in the West. China plans to build 20 dams along Yangtze to harness river’s hydropowerBEIJING — China plans to build more than 20 dams along the country’s longest river by 2020 as part of a plan to further develop the Yangtze River’s hydropower, an official said Tuesday. King family is charging fees over project to build memorial to the civil rights leader in DCKing family draws fees from DC memorial project WASHINGTON — The family of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has charged the foundation building a monument to the civil rights leader on the National Mall about $800,000 for the use of his words and image — an arrangement one leading scholar says King would have found offensive. |