Singapore seizes huge shipment of elephant tusks, pangolin scales 17/12/2015

Singapore authorities have impounded half a tonne of elephant tusks in one of the largest ivory seizures made in the city-state in over a decade. ...more

Philippine government to challenge ban on GM imports ordered by top court 17/12/2015

The Philippine government will challenge a ban on imports of genetically modified products ordered by the country's top court, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told Reuters on Thursday. ...more

EU agrees fishing quotas for 2016, campaigners say still too high 17/12/2015

The European Union agreed limits for how much fish can be caught next year in the Atlantic and North Sea, although environmental groups said on Wednesday some of the quotas were still too high. ...more

UK to allow shale gas fracking beneath national parks 17/12/2015

British lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of the use of fracking to extract shale gas under national parks, weakening a decision against fracking in national parks made earlier this year and giving shale gas explorers access to more resources. ...more

World Bank approves $1.5 billion loan for toilets in India 17/12/2015

The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan for a state-led sanitation program in India, where millions of people have no access to toilets, the bank said Wednesday. ...more

Clean Up UAE campaign attracts big crowds 16/12/2015

The Clean Up Campaign 2015 has wrapped up for another year, attracting the largest turnout across the country since the environmental exercise began in 2002, organizers say. ...more

Climate change puts Venezuelan amphibians at risk of extinction 16/12/2015

Venezuelan frogs and toads are in critical danger due to climate change as rising temperatures complicate reproduction and spread a deadly fungus, say scientists, who liken the species to canaries in a coalmine warning of imminent danger. ...more

Doomsday Arctic seed vault to receive two deposits in 2016 16/12/2015

Two new consignments of crop seeds will be deposited next year in the "doomsday vault" built in an Arctic mountainside to safeguard global supplies. ...more

Sponsor the Great Barrier Reef and improve its health, says government 16/12/2015

Wealthy companies are being asked to sponsor the Great Barrier Reef as part of a new initiative to improve its health. ...more

Arctic air temps highest since 1900: global report 16/12/2015

The Arctic is heating up, with air temperatures the hottest in 115 years, and the melting ice destroying walrus habitat and forcing some fish northward, a global scientific report said Tuesday. ...more