19 dead as tornado, thunderstorms wreak havoc in Florida (AFP)

   

AFP - Deadly thunderstorms and a tornado have leveled homes and cut power in central Florida, killing at least 19 people as rescuers searched for survivors in the wreckage.

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China launches first satellite after satellite-killing missile test (AFP)

   

AFP - China has launched an experimental navigation satellite into space, state press reported, the nation's first space launch since it tested a satellite-killing missile last month.

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Tornado tears through Florida (Reuters)

   

Reuters - Severe thunderstorms and at least one tornado killed 19 people on Friday when they ripped through Florida in the dead of night, tearing homes to shreds, toppling heavy trucks and leaving a trail of rubble.

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Professor wins $1M for arsenic filter (AP)

   

AP - A professor who developed an inexpensive, easy-to-make system for filtering arsenic from well water has won a $1 million engineering prize — and he plans to use most of the money to distribute the filters to needy communities around the world.

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Northern fur seal pup estimates decline (AP)

   

AP - America's northern fur seal pup population continues a marked decline this decade, federal biologists reported Friday. The number of pups born between 2004 and 2006 in Alaska's Pribilof Islands, home of the world's largest rookeries, fell by 9 percent from the previous two year estimate, according to researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Aquarium wants a shark 'love connection' (AP)

   

AP - Cupid's making at stop at the "Swimming with Sharks" exhibit at the Newport Aquarium just in time for Valentine's Day. The aquarium has acquired a rare male shark ray to serve as a companion to female Sweet Pea, with the hope that the two will hit it off and produce some offspring for the nearly endangered fish.

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Rome subway planners try to avoid relics (AP)

   

AP - In a city where traffic rumbles past the Colosseum and soccer fans celebrate victories among the remains of the Circus Maximus, it comes as no surprise that relics of the glory that was Rome turn up almost every day, and sometimes get in the way of the modern city's needs.

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Global warming to continue for centuries (AP)

   

AP - Global warming is so severe that it will "continue for centuries," leading to a far different planet in 100 years, warned a grim landmark report from the world's leading climate scientists and government officials. Yet, many of the experts are hopeful that nations will now take action to avoid the worst scenarios.

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Tornado, thunderstorms wreak havoc in Florida, killing 19 (AFP)

   

AFP - Deadly thunderstorms carrying at least one tornado ripped through central Florida, killing 19 people, leveling hundreds of homes and leaving thousands stranded without power, officials said.

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Death toll 19 after Florida tornadoes, storms (AFP)

   

AFP - At least 19 persons were killed by tornadoes and electrical storms that hit central Florida, the spokesman for Lake County told AFP, as crews searched the area for more victims.

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Death toll from Florida tornado rises to 19 (Reuters)

   

Reuters - Nineteen people were killed on Friday when severe thunderstorms and at least one tornado splintered homes and left a trail of devastation through central Florida, an emergency center spokesman said.

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Climate report spurs call for change now (AP)

   AP - The bleak outlook of a major new report on climate change shifted the onus onto governments, even mankind, to take action, with dire warnings Friday from around the world that drastic, rapid change is needed — not least from the United States.
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Deadly Florida severe, bitter Plains cold (weather.com)

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North Korea eyes German roaster rabbits (AP)

   AP - A German breeder believes he has the answer to North Korea's hunger problems: his giant bunnies that can grow to as big as 23 pounds.
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Boost for tiny nano engine

   Scientists create a tiny engine that could become a power source for future nano-scale devices.
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Hope for safe prenatal gene test

   Work by US scientists could lead to a non-invasive test to detect genetic abnormalities in the womb.
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Concrete 'to stem Java mud flow'

   A plan to drop concrete balls into the mouth of the mud volcano in East Java should be put into action next week.
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Scientists craft embryonic stem cell ethics rules (Reuters)

   

Reuters - New international guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research called for close scrutiny of scientists and clear consent from people donating cells, but did not settle the issue of paying women who donate eggs.

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Warming to drive droughts, flood, storms in 21st century, says UN panel (AFP)

   

AFP - UN scientists have delivered their starkest warning yet about global warming, saying fossil fuel pollution would raise temperatures this century, worsen floods, droughts and hurricanes and melt polar sea ice.

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Bitter cold air arrives (weather.com)

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Anti-whaling ships say they have been made "pirates" (Reuters)

   Reuters - An anti-whaling group searching Antarctic waters for a Japanese whaling fleet with the aim of disrupting its operations said both its vessels will soon be "pirate ships" following a decision by Britain to deregister one its vessels.
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Floods strike Indonesian capital, thousands stranded (Reuters)

   

Reuters - Torrential rain triggered floods in the Indonesian capital on Friday, blocking roads and trapping residents in their homes as torrents of muddy water reached a depth of 2 metres (6.7 ft), police and witnesses said.

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Floods paralyse Indonesian capital (AFP)

   

AFP - Floods blocked roads and railways in Jakarta and thousands of people abandoned their homes in low-lying areas as torrential downpours virtually paralysed the Indonesian capital.

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Blame for warming pinned on man

   It is "very likely" that climate change is the result of human activity, the global body on climate science says.
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