The British government says it may be necessary to delay publication of a long-awaited report into the killing of 14 demonstrators by British troops in Northern Ireland in 1972. The report which has been completed will now be vetted for security issues.The minister responsible for Northern Ireland Shaun Woodward acknowledged that the process might not be finished before the general election which is expected this May.
The international body that regulates trade in endangered species has rejected requests by Tanzania and Zambia to change the protected status of African elephants, so their ivory can be sold. The United Nations convention also refused Tanzania permission to sell a stockpile of 90 tons of ivory. From Doha, Adam Mynott reports.
In lengthy and occasionally spirited debates, moves by the two African countries to change the protected status of elephants were defeated. The two African countries wanted to use the proceeds of the sale to improve conservation, but opponents led by 23 other African countries and environmental groups argue that the legal sale of ivory serves mainly to encourage a market in elephant tasks, and this in turn leads to poaching which has been on the increase in Africa in the past five to ten years.
A United Nations report to mark World Water Day says dirty water is killing more people than all forms of violence including war. Two million tons of waste are discharged daily into rivers and seas, spreading disease and damaging eco-systems. The waste water is described as a cocktail of fertilizers, sewage and waste.