| Aussie military planes provide flood aid
AUSTRALIAN defence force planes have joined a critical aid mission for thousands of flood victims in Papua New Guinea, as looting broke out in hard-hit Oro province. Last week's floods left thousands homeless, and officials fear the death toll of about 160 could rise dramatically unless food and clean water supplies quickly reach survivors. There are security fears in Oro province, north of the capital Port Moresby, after looters made off with a rice shipment and local MPs were accused of commandeering relief supplies for their own villages. Australia today sent in two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and two smaller Caribous to start distributing AusAID supplies, including water purification tablets, emergency shelters, blankets and generators.
Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track marks 50th with $50,000 race
The $50,000 Greyhound Classic in Bonita Springs on Saturday night was either the greatest night in the history of Southwest Florida dog racing or simply the latest ugly chapter in the long history of a sport that some say tolerates animal abuse, encourages binge drinking and feeds gambling addictions. In the end, it was 2-1 underdog “Invincible Son" that streaked away with a win in the featured race of the evening at Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track. Earlier in the day, a small group of people gathered outside the track to protest what they claim is inhumane treatment of the dogs. “They were saying that a lot of these dogs are abused, but my girlfriend works for an animal services organization and she said a lot of them get adopted," said racing fan Adam Andrew of Fort Myers, owner of various Ralph's Seafood locations throughout Lee County.
US Climate Policy After Bush
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, the three serious contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, are all pledged to cut US emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2050, and all three accept that this can only be achieved by legal caps on emissions. The leading Republican candidate, John McCain, makes the same promises, except that he is only aiming for 65 percent cuts by 2050. Now, you can argue that a presidential candidate who promises to deliver something in 2050 is not taking any risks, because the victor in this contest will be gone from the White House again by 2017 at the latest. Tell us what you're going to do by 2015, and we'll take you a lot more seriously. But it is still marks a real and hopeful change in the world if the next US president accepts the need for both specific targets and emission caps.
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