ENVIRONMENT

Key independent MP Tony Windsor dashed hopes of rushing the super trawler bill in Parliament. If pushed into voting for the measure introduced just this week, Mr Windsor told ABC on Thursday that he would vote against the bill.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro company has been slapped with a $4 million criminal fine, the largest ever for this type of violation, after pleading guilty back in February to illegally adding unapproved insecticides to several of its bird food lines.

The federal government is planning to ban the super trawler, Abel Tasman, from fishing in Australian waters for two years under new laws proposed the last minute by Environment Minister Tony Burke.

A report commissioned by Tasmania's Labor-Green government valued the state's forest at almost $3 billion in carbon cash based on its wilderness' ability to store 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon.

The Australian Capital Territory announced on Wednesday the construction of the country's largest solar power plant. Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV) will build and operate a 20-megawatt facility in a 50-hectare solar farm in Tuggeranong.

A report released Wednesday by carbon analysts RepuTex estimates savings of $2.5 billion for Australian polluters with the two new policies regarding the carbon tax announced last week by the Gillard government.

At least 18 iron ore mines have been granted permission by the High Court of India on Monday to resume mining activities in Karnataka after a more than a year of suspension on environment concerns, pointing to what could mean 5 million tonnes a year of renewed production.

Water Minister Tony Burke extended on Monday by two weeks consultation with four states after the deadline for the approval of the fourth blueprint for the Murray-Darling Basin plan lapsed.

Another classic battle between environmental groups and business interest is shaping up in Victoria which announced on Thursday the opening of its national parks to private tourism development.

The adage that when a door closes, another window opens appears true for Australia's mining sector BHP Billiton announced it will no longer push through with its Olympic Dam expansion project, the federal government approved the $10.4-billion coal mine and rail project of Indian firm GVK Power and Infrastructure in Galilee Project.

At the tail end of Shark Week, a solar-powered robot has begun a shark-stalking voyage across the Pacific — and a new app lets anyone tag along.

To save Australia's reefs and marine life, scientists from the University of Queensland are proposing new methods for protection against heat stress such as the use of shade cloth.

Tropical fish species are showing up in Australian waters as a response of marine life to climate change. The report on oceans and climate change, released Friday, called the movement as southern migration.

Green and health groups are seeking protection of Alice Springs from uranium mining. To give the initiative a stronger push, the Arid Lands Environment Centre (ALEC) and the Public Health Association of Australian (PHAA) asked Northern Territory Resources Minister Kon Vatskalis to come up with a special reserve land order.

American scientists have caught the biggest Burmese python ever weighed, and they are now examining the euthanized giant snake at the Florida Museum of Natural History, hoping to manage invasion threats posed by the species.

A manufacturing plant in Taranto, Italy by ILVA, Italy's largest steel maker, may be forced to close shop after a court ruling released over the weekend ordered the particular plant cannot fabricate steel while in the process of carrying out court-ordered improvements to its production line in light of the environmental and public health hazards it has created to its community.

A manufacturing plant in Taranto, Italy by ILVA, Italy's largest steel maker, may be forced to close shop after a court ruling released over the weekend ordered the particular plant cannot fabricate steel while in the process of carrying out court-ordered improvements to its production line in light of the environmental and public health hazards it has created to its community.

After a week of continuous heavy downpour which flooded Metro Manila and nearby provinces, the sun finally shone on the Philippines on Thursday.

Is Adelaide ready for an earthquake? A panel of four experts from South Australia will explore Adelaide's preparedness for an earthquake.

The more than 300 millimetres of rain that the monsoon dumped on Metro Manila and nearby Philippine provinces failed to dampen the Filipinos' penchant for updating their statuses on social networking sites.

Despite the absence of a typhoon, monsoon rains which dumped 300 millimetres (12 inches) of rain in the Philippine national capital region (NCR) caused half of Metro Manila to be flooded. The amount is thrice the daily average of 80 to 100 mm of rain, the Philippine weather bureau said.

Despite the lack of a storm signal, torrential rains since Monday flooded parts of the Philippines, especially the national capital region (NCR). Hard hit by the heavy rains is Metro Manila where some parts are several metres deep in flood water.

For the first time in a hundred years, New Zealand's Mount Tongariro erupted Monday night, spewing an ash cloud that spans one kilometre. A local witnessed and reported the eruption just before midnight. The witness said the eruption had created "a new hole in the side of the mountain."

The failure by the timber industry and environmental groups to reach an agreement on Monday would result in the Tasmanian government stepping in to resolve the impasse. The battle over the largest temperate rainforest in the region has extended to mining in the Tarkine wilderness.

The Liberals in Canberra promised to repeal the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) ban on free plastic bags if they grab the territory's political leadership after the October ACT polls. The position is a U-turn from the previous stand taken by the Libs in 2004.

"Grids supplying electricity to half of India's 1.2 billion people collapsed on Tuesday," reports Reuters. "The outage was the worst to hit India in more than a decade and embarrassed the government, which has failed to build up enough power capacity to meet soaring demand."

Nature is returning to Australians the trash they carelessly leave behind in the country's beaches. Reports said that over 4,500 pieces of rubber footwear were washed up in a Queensland beach.

The cat is out of the bag, as more evidence continues to emerge proving that clean-up workers at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility in Japan deliberately covered up high radiation readings at the order of their superiors.

Using the half glass point of view, Opposition leader Tony Abbott insisted on Monday that despite recent survey results showing more acceptance of the carbon tax, many Aussies still dislike the $23 per tonne carbon price.