US court reinstates Bhopal water pollution case
Source: Reuters
A lawsuit contending that thousands of people in India were exposed to polluted drinking water after the 1984 Union Carbide toxic-gas disaster in Bhopal was reinstated on Monday by a US appeals court, which said a lower court improperly threw out the case. The lawsuit is seeking class-action status and unspecified monetary damages. The plaintiffs contend there are potentially thousands of people in Bhopal who have suffered injuries linked to the polluted water.
Rising Asian shark fin demand hits stocks
Source: Reuters
Rising demand for shark fin soup in Asia is spurring illegal fishing and contributing to a plunge in stocks, a report said on Monday. The study, by the Australian government and the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, urged governments to crack down on illegal catches. One in five shark species is considered threatened with extinction.
Pesticide TBT added to UN trade watch list
Source: Reuters
A pesticide in paints used on the outside of ships has been added to a "watch list" to protect countries from importing toxic products, the United Nations said on Monday. Tributyltin (TBT) is the 40th chemical to be put on the "prior informed consent" (PIC) list. TBT is used in "antifouling paints" to keep molluscs off ship hulls. But it is also highly polluting and deadly to other marine life.
Indonesia signs contract for $1.1bn iron sand project
Source: Reuters
Indonesia has signed a $1.1bn (£0.69bn) contract for an iron sand and pig iron mining project today, the first mining contract to be awarded in the resources-rich country in a decade.
