Emergency Declared In California

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday affirmed a state of emergency in Southern California's Kern County, scene of a wildfire that has burned more than 6,000 acres.

About 1,500 firefighters had 50 percent of the fire controlled Wednesday evening, a Kern County Fire Department spokesman said.

The fire has shattered at least one home, threatens many more and prompted evacuations, the office said.

The declaration orders "that all agencies of the state government utilize and employ state personnel, equipment and facilities for the performance of any and all activities" as synchronized by emergency management officials.

By Wednesday, some 6,136 acres had burned, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Lee Bentley said.

About 250 structures are threatened, together with homes and 100 outbuildings, he said.

Four injuries, all minor, have been reported. Smoke is distressing elderly residents, Kern County fire spokesman Sean Collins said.

The exact number of people who have evacuated was not instantly known, but Bentley said that 27 people spent Tuesday night on cots and 12 others stayed in various RVs at a shelter site. Two others were at a second shelter, he said.

Kern County officials were trying to approximate how many people have left their homes.

"We did an overturn 911 call to the area affected. I'm waiting to hear back how many residences that went out to," Kern County spokesman Sean Collins said. "That's not to say that's how many people were evacuated, but it will give us an idea."

The fire ruined out Sunday west of Bodfish. Authorities are investigating the cause. Arson is suspected, Bentley said.

World's Second Biggest Airplane At Harrisburg International Airport

The world's second largest aircraft the Russian-made Antonov AN-124-100 - has made eight trips to Harrisburg International Airport to weight up big Grove cranes made in Shady Grove and JLG lifts that come from McConnellsburg. Crews working for the construction companies, along with HIA crews and the aircraft's own Russian loading crew, began loading four JLG skylifts and an 80-ton Grove crane upon the AN-124-100 on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2010. The procedure took just over two hours.

Denver Airport To Host Biggest Solar PV System In Colorado

Denver International Airport will soon be home to the largest photovoltaic solar array in Colorado with help from numerous leading companies in the clean energy sector.

Constellation Energy Group Inc. said it will widen a new solar system at Denver International Airport this year.

The 4.4 megawatt installation is the third solar installation at the airport. Constellation will finance, own and drive the solar system, and the airport will buy the electricity over a 20-year period.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Construction is probable to begin in the fall and be completed by early 2011. Yingli Green Energy will provide the solar panels for the project. The system will supply about 7,000 megawatt-hours of electrical energy to the airport each year. Generating that much energy from traditional sources would discharge about 5,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.

While this will be the biggest solar array in Colorado, it will not be the only one at Denver International Airport. There are previously two arrays in operation there, one generating 2 megawatts of electricity and the other generating 1.6 megawatts.

"Denver's airport has a widespread name as a 'green' airport. Our partnership with Oak Leaf Energy, Constellation Energy and Intermountain Electric not only expands our sustainability pains, but is a great example of public-private partnerships advancing the 'green economy," said DIA's aviation manager, Kim Day.

World's Tiniest Airline Seat 'Skyrider'- Discovered

A new airline seat, which is said to be the smallest, is set to be unveiled at a US aircraft show later this week.

The seat, dubbed as the 'Skyrider', is bent like a saddle, forces passengers to sit at an angle, with part of their weight taken on their legs, which are also tucked under the seat in front. It is expected that the Skyrider will allow just 23 inches of legroom, seven inches less than the average seat pitch of around 30 inches.

But it claims the seats, which are fractional overlapping of the passengers seating between rows, will amplify the number of seats in economy class without sacrificing passenger comfort.

The seats, designed by Italian aircraft seat design company Aviointeriors, were styled on saddles used by cowboys and will be contented for flight of between one to three hours.

The seat is similar to a saddle. Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in it. The makers also claim that numerous airlines have expressed their interest in the seats, and should they plan to go ahead and install them the company would have to apply to aviation authorities for suitable certification.

The Skyrider is to make its introduction at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas conference in Long Beach, California and is styled on saddles used by cowboys in the Wild West the makers assert you can sit on a horse for long periods of time and not feel discomfort.

Several airlines have previously expressed an interest according to Dominique Menoud, director general of Aviointeriors Group: "We feel exceptionally confident that this concept will have great appeal to airlines for economic purposes." Passengers would forfeit less to sit in an area of the cabin installed with the seats.

World's Tiniest Airline Seat 'Skyrider'- Discovered

A new airline seat, which is said to be the smallest, is set to be unveiled at a US aircraft show later this week.

The seat, dubbed as the 'Skyrider', is bent like a saddle, forces passengers to sit at an angle, with part of their weight taken on their legs, which are also tucked under the seat in front. It is expected that the Skyrider will allow just 23 inches of legroom, seven inches less than the average seat pitch of around 30 inches.

But it claims the seats, which are fractional overlapping of the passengers seating between rows, will amplify the number of seats in economy class without sacrificing passenger comfort.

The seats, designed by Italian aircraft seat design company Aviointeriors, were styled on saddles used by cowboys and will be contented for flight of between one to three hours.

The seat is similar to a saddle. Cowboys ride eight hours on their horses during the day and still feel comfortable in it. The makers also claim that numerous airlines have expressed their interest in the seats, and should they plan to go ahead and install them the company would have to apply to aviation authorities for suitable certification.

The Skyrider is to make its introduction at the Aircraft Interiors Expo Americas conference in Long Beach, California and is styled on saddles used by cowboys in the Wild West the makers assert you can sit on a horse for long periods of time and not feel discomfort.

Several airlines have previously expressed an interest according to Dominique Menoud, director general of Aviointeriors Group: "We feel exceptionally confident that this concept will have great appeal to airlines for economic purposes." Passengers would forfeit less to sit in an area of the cabin installed with the seats.

West Nile Virus Claims Life Of Humans

Health officials say one new case of West Nile virus has been reported in Mississippi, bringing the state sum to five so far this year.

The Mississippi Department of Health said in a news release that the new casing occurred in an adult in Calhoun County. Earlier, two positive cases were reported in Leflore County with one each in Coahoma and Scott counties.

Health officials say there have been two optimistic West Nile Virus mosquito samples reported in Madison and Hancock counties.

Symptoms of West Nile virus may include fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, a rash, muscle flaw or swollen lymph nodes. In a small number of cases, infection can result in encephalitis or meningitis, which can direct to paralysis, coma and possibly death.

Fear Sparks Spotting ‘Killer Shrimps’ In Britain

Recently, reports surfaced that the “killer shrimp” Dikerogammarus villosus had been found in Britain by anglers at the Graftham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire.

The shrimp eats a number of freshwater invertebrates with other shrimp, damselflies, small fish and water boatmen—all commonly found in Britain’s waters. It tends to insistently pursue its prey, often leaving it dead but uneaten. It is known to have caused the extinction of numerous other species in other areas.

Dikerogammarus villosus can grow up to 30 mm long and has usually inhabited the steppe region between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. It has been encroaching upon Western Europe for the past ten years via the Danube, scientists wonder.

An expert in Holland has now decisively identified the species.

Biologists are currently testing water to see how extensive the problem might be and what measures-need to be taken.

“We are overwhelmed that this shrimp has been found in Britain,” Dr. Paul Leinster, head of UK’s Environment Agency, told BBC.

Richard Benyon, the minister in charge of the natural environment, said: ‘I am particularly concerned to hear that this highly invasive species has been found in Britain.

D. villosus is a tremendously vicious predator, devouring invertebrates like native freshwater shrimp and even small fish. The BBC even says that the species often kills its victim and leaves it uneaten.

Ciaran Nelson from Anglian Water said: ‘We are asking all water users at Grafham to take the actions asked of them on-site. This includes checking their equipment for shrimp when they depart the water and removing any that they find. They should also ensure their equipment is methodically cleaned and dried before it is put into any other water. Subject to these controls, recreational activities on the reservoir can persist.’

European Parliament Adopts Restrictions On Animal Testing

Europe has banned the use of great apes in animal testing. After two years of debate on how to defend animals without scampering scientific research, the European Parliament has agreed to cut the number of animal tests in Europe and enforce stricter rules for animals used in research.

Under the legislation, experiments on great apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas and orang-utans are to be banned and strict limits set on the use of primates in general.

Members of the 27-nation bloc, which have two years to conform to the rules, also need ''to ensure that whenever an alternative method is available, this is used instead of animal testing''. But those favoring eradication of animal testing said the rules failed to go far enough.

Newborn Baby Found In Manila Airport Rubbish

Authorities at Manila airport in the Philippines have found a newborn baby in a waste bag apparently unloaded from a plane that landed in the city from the Middle East.

Security officials brought the baby boy, who was enclosed in blood and wrapped in tissue paper, to an airport clinic, where he was examined and fed. "After he was cleaned, he let off a soft cry," airport nurse Kate Calvo said. "He was healthy; his vital signs were okay according to our doctors."

A security executive noticed something moving in a rubbish bag that was reportedly unloaded from a Gulf Air plane that arrived from Bahrain and found the baby inside, an airport statement said. The baby was afterward handed to social workers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Social welfare secretary Dinky Soliman said she was angered by what happened and has ordered police to search for the infant's mother, who could be illegally charged. "I was simply annoyed, no infant should be treated that way," Ms Soliman said.

She said the baby will be handed to the mother's family or put up for adoption.

Newborn Baby Found In Manila Airport Rubbish

Authorities at Manila airport in the Philippines have found a newborn baby in a waste bag apparently unloaded from a plane that landed in the city from the Middle East.

Security officials brought the baby boy, who was enclosed in blood and wrapped in tissue paper, to an airport clinic, where he was examined and fed. "After he was cleaned, he let off a soft cry," airport nurse Kate Calvo said. "He was healthy; his vital signs were okay according to our doctors."

A security executive noticed something moving in a rubbish bag that was reportedly unloaded from a Gulf Air plane that arrived from Bahrain and found the baby inside, an airport statement said. The baby was afterward handed to social workers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Social welfare secretary Dinky Soliman said she was angered by what happened and has ordered police to search for the infant's mother, who could be illegally charged. "I was simply annoyed, no infant should be treated that way," Ms Soliman said.

She said the baby will be handed to the mother's family or put up for adoption.

Asia Emerges From Global Crisis With Growth Unbroken

If there were any businesses left out there that thought they could disregard what is going on in Asia, the global financial crisis has seen to that.

Asian economies were not intact by the credit crunch and the slump in demand from the US and Europe – still the most important markets for many Asian-based companies and multinationals. But the region’s ability to overcome those difficulties, while western economies are still languishing, has cemented the notion that the world’s economic centre of gravity is changing from west to east.

“Some companies have been pessimistically affected by the drop in western demand, but in the long term, an increase in Asian demand will become the dominant factor,” Mr Elston said.

Many countries operating in China, and in Asia normally, continue to do good business. Consumer companies such as Nestlé, Danone and Unilever have all reported brisk sales in budding markets, of which Asia forms the largest chunk. But businesses cannot take such profits for granted, chiefly as local competitors try to steal market share. If most of Asia really is persuaded that its economic performance is becoming more insulated from what goes on in the west, then the business environment for foreign companies is bound to get more difficult.

Olam Stumps Up Money For NZFSU

NZ Farming Systems Uruguay says it will use short-term financial support from Olam International to complete the development of its existing farms as part of the takeover deal.

The Singaporean food and possessions group, which is looking to buy at least half of Farming Systems at 70 cents a share, dedicated to securing a short-term credit facility for the farm manager, according to a letter to chairman John Parker released to the stock exchange.

Olam said it will expand a long-term funding strategy, though its initial view is that the cash should be raised in a pro-rata rights issue, as contrasting to taking on more debt.

"NZS requires about US$60 million to complete development of its existing farms, and Olam's view was that expansion should be advanced so as not to prejudice future productivity and profitability," Farming Systems said.

Olam upped its price to 70 cents a share from 55 cents after Uruguay's Union Agriculture Group put in a rival bid, while Farming Systems sought a capital inoculation from a third party.

UAG subsequently dropped out of the race, and Farming Systems has stopped its cooperation with the other group. The Singaporean company has 40.26%.

Farming Systems' board at first knocked back Olam's proposal, but after the augmented offer and commitment short-term funding and the company's South American strategy, gave an support for shareholders to sell part of their investment.

As a condition of the endorsement, Olam told Farming Systems' lender it didn't purpose to the sale of the Don Pepe farm property, a requirement to secure its release from bank security.

The shares were unaffected at 69 cents on the NZX today.

Humpback Dinosaur Discovered In Spain

Spanish scientists said that they have discovered the world's first humpback dinosaur.

A well-preserved skeleton of the six-metre-long carnivorous dinosaur, which has been named Concavenator corcovatus, was discovered close to Cuenca in central Spain.

The skeleton represents a new species within the medium-sized Carcharodontosaurid family, which was formerly thought to have been confined to southern continents.

The Concavenator, which lived about 130 million years ago, had a pointed, hump-like structure on its back.

Other dinosaur species had prominent vertebrae, but the Concavenator is the first known dinosaur with a hump, research team leader Francisco Ortega told DPA. The hump was about 40 cm high. Its function is not known.

The Concavenator also had what could have been quill knobs on its forearms, signifying it may have had non-scale appendages similar to the feathers of modern birds.

'This discovery links prehistoric carnivorous dinosaur species with birds,' Ortega said. 'It reinforces the hypothesis that many of the (body) structures of birds previously existed in dinosaurs,' he said.

World’s Shortest Man Crowned In Colombia

The world once more has a shortest man, newly crowned by the Guiness World Records and standing at two feet, 3.46 inches tall. Twenty-four-year-old Edward Hernandez from Bogota Columbia is four centimetres shorter than his ancestor, who died filming a television show earlier this year in Rome.

“He hasn’t grown while he was two years old,” said his mother, Noemi Hernandez, of the oldest of her five living children, in a meeting with the Daily Telegraph.

Mr. Hernandez, who weighs just 22 pounds, will be featured in the new Guiness Book of World Records, published Sept. 15. And just in time, too, since in the rough-and-tumble world of short-person politics, Mr. Hernandez will most probable have to relinquish his title in a month, when Khagendra Thapa Magar, the world’s shortest teenager, turns 18 in October. (The Nepalese teen is two inches shorter than Mr. Hernandez.)

“I am very happy to be renowned as the shortest man in the world,” Mr. Hernandez said in a statement. “Every person is special and unique. The more abnormal you are the more you should fight and work harder.”

Mr. Hernandez’s parents told the Telegraph that doctors could not at all explain why he was so small.

Mr. Hernandez takes the crown from He Pingping, the Chinese man who died March 13, 2010 as he was filming a box series in Rome. The former world’s shortest man stood at two-feet, five inches. His family reacted with shock when the 21-year-old from the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia died unexpectedly from heart complications.

At the time, Mr. He’s sister, He Lihua, said her brother hadn’t exposed signs of ill health. “We just did not expect this bad news,” she said from her home in the business city of Baotou in Inner Mongolia where Mr. He also lived. “Pingping went to Italy… and he called us every day saying he wasn’t eating well and that he missed us,” she said.

Mr. He had a form of primeval dwarfism. His father, He Yun, has said that when his son was born he was small enough to fit into his parent’s hands. Mr. He was formally recognized as the world’s smallest man by the Guinness World Records in 2008.

SpiceJet To Start International Operations Soon

Leading low cost carrier SpiceJet announced that it will fly to international destinations from October 7, with the first flight from New Delhi to Kathmandu.

“Driven by the confidence vested in us by our stakeholders and their encouragement over the past five years, we are now thrilled to begin this new chapter in the achievement story of SpiceJet,” the company’s Director and interim CEO, Kishore Gupta, said in a statement.

After Kathmandu, the airline, owned by media baron Kalanithi Maran, will also begin daily flights on the Chennai-Colombo route from October 9. However, the flights to Kathmandu will be operated 6 days a week.

“We are pleased to welcome Colombo and Kathmandu as a part of our new global network and look forward to extending our hospitality to our passengers in this new phase of growth,” SpiceJet’s Chief Commercial Officer, Samyukth Sridharan, said.

Bookings for both Kathmandu and Colombo are now open, said the statement.

SpiceJet, which completes five years of domestic operations this month — a mandatory requirement to commence international flights — has previously got the government’s nod to fly on two more routes, Male and Dhaka.

The low-cost carrier, which will initiate seven more aircraft into its fleet this year, will use the new aircraft on international routes.

The airline at present has 21 aircraft in its fleet and has also placed orders with Boeing for 30 new aircraft in a deal worth $2.7 billion. Deliveries of these planes are scheduled to begin in 2014.

Last week, an Empowered Committee of the Civil Aviation Ministry had also given in-principle endorsement for the import of these aircraft.

Birds Dying In Oil Sands Tailings Ponds

A new study suggests that birds are liable dying in oil sands tailings ponds at least 30 times the rate suggested by industry and government. Study author Kevin Timoney says his results add more weight to influence that relying on industry to check its own environmental impacts isn't working.

Industry reports that the normal number of birds that die in oil sands tailings ponds is about 65. But using a combination of observed data and systematically established averages, Mr. Timoney puts the median figure closer to 2,000 every year.

Sustainable Resources Minister Mel Knight admits that bird deterrence and monitoring could be enhanced. But he says that relying on industry to keep track of the oil sands environmental collision allows for round-the-clock, seven-day-a-week monitoring.

New Pineapple Breed With Double Dose Of Vitamin C Produced In Australia

Australian scientists said they had managed to generate a pineapple with twice the Vitamin C of other varieties. It was recently found that a 15-year-long joint government and industry propagation program has produced the Aus-Jubilee pineapple.

Queensland Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin and a assembly of taste testers will sample the Aussie pineapple in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland.

Mulherin states that the Aus-Jubilee was specifically chosen for its sweet-smelling flavor, juicy, low acidity, firm flesh and perfect coloration. "It has twice the Vitamin C of other pineapples, making it a natural option for parents wanting a healthy, delicious snack for the kids," he said.

He said it was also proven to be resistant to internal browning and other blemishes.

Queensland government scientists, Horticulture Australia and Queensland's pineapple growers were concerned in developing the new pineapple breed.

Rare Ginger Teddy Bear Of The Bee World Discovered

One of Britain's rarest and most endangered bumblebees has been found on a Worcestershire nature reserve.

The brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis) is generally only found in the south-east of England

It has now been found at the Wilden Marsh nature reserve, near Stourport.

Brett Westwood, one of those who revealed the bee, said: "Finding this rare ginger teddy-bear of the bee world at Wilden Marsh was one of the highlights of the year."

Slingsby Secures Third Laser World Championship Title

Australian Tom Slingsby has renowned his birthday in style in Britain by winning his 3rd Laser world championship in four years. Slingsby, who has turned 26, clinched the title on the last day of competition at Hayling Ireland.

It was a second world title in as many weeks for Slingsby, who won the Etchell championship with John Bertrand and Andrew Palfrey, just over a week ago. Slingsby recorded a sixth and fourteenth on the final day of racing, to expand his overnight 32 point lead to a ultimate 36 point advantage over Britains' nick Thompson.

He formerly won the Laser title in 2007 and 2008. The victory in Britain sustained a huge year for Slingsby who had previously won the National Laser title and three rounds of the ISAF Sailing World Cup and won bronze at the Laser European Titles.

He has overcome a couple of moderately lean years at major competitions after finishing 22nd at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 17th at the 2009 Laser World Championship.

Sea Lion Attacks Boy At Australian Zoo

A sea lion at an Australian zoo attacked and speck an 11-year-old boy who had just ended shaking the animal's "hand," zoo officials said.

Jack Lister of Cairns had been chosen to meet the sea lion during an audience encounter at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

The animal sneezed on Lister, which got a giggle from the audience, and then handlers told the boy to shake the sea lions hand and signal goodbye.

As the boy turned away, the animal attacked, biting Lister on the stomach and then yet again on his back as the boy attempted to get away. "I had fish guts all over me from when it sneezed on me," he told The Sunday Telegraph.

"I think it smelled me and it sought to eat me. I was told to wave goodbye, and I shook his hand (flipper), but when I went to walk off he bit me."

Lister was hurried to a Sydney hospital where he underwent abdominal surgery, received a tetanus shot and was treated with antibiotics.

The "encounter" section of the sea lion show would be given up for lost until an investigation into the incident was completed, zoo spokesman Mark Williams said.

Expert Wants African Governments To Improve Agriculture

An official of the Alliance for Green Revolution (AGRA) has called on governments in Africa to put in more hard work toward sustaining agriculture.
Akin Adeshina, vice president, policy and partnership, AGRA, in Accra, said that there were many investment opportunities in agriculture, but these could only be harnessed if inclusive changes in its development were made.

Mr. Adeshina said every operator must realize that African agriculture could not be continuous without "introducing technology, providing solutions to the agricultural modernisation challenges, and seizing all budding opportunities."

AGRA was established in 2006 to attain a smallholder-based African Green Revolution, transform African agriculture into a highly productive and sustainable system, and guarantee food security in Africa.

Africa's Smallest Creatures Protects Trees From Continent's Largest Animals

Researchers say one of Africa's smallest creatures the ant is up to the job of shielding trees from one of the continent's largest animals elephants.

University of Florida biology Professor Todd Palmer says hordes of angry ants will crawl up into elephant trunks to fend off the ravenous pachyderms from devouring tree cover throughout drought-plagued East African savannas, a university release says.

"It really is a David and Goliath story, where these little ants are up aligned with these huge herbivores, protecting trees and having a major impact on the ecosystems in which they live," Palmer said. "Swarming groups of ants that weigh about 5 milligrams each can and do defend trees from animals that are about a billion times more massive."

Rainfall, soil nutrients, plant-eating herbivores and fire are the main regulators of the combination of trees and grasses that make up savanna ecosystems, he said.

"Our results suggest that plant resistance should be added to the list," he said. "These ants play a central role in preventing animals that want to eat trees from doing general damage to those trees."

Conducting research in the central highlands of Kenya, Palmer said he noticed elephants rarely ate a widespread tree species known as Acacia drepanolobium where guardian ants insistently swarm anything that touches the trees.

But they would feed on other trees that did not dock these ants, he said.

When it came to tree species that had ants on them, "the elephants avoided those trees like a kid avoids broccoli," Palmer said.

Singapore Becomes The World's Fourth Largest Foreign Exchange Centre

A survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) showed the average daily FX turnover volume here was US$266 billion ($360 billion) in April this year, advanced than the US$242-billion turnover volume in the same period when the review was done in 2007, when Singapore ranked fifth.

The BIS survey this year listed Britain as the largest FX centre - which accounted for 36.7 per cent of all foreign exchange market turnovers.

The United States and Japan are placed second and third correspondingly, followed by Singapore, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Australia.

"Trading of rising market currencies including the Singapore dollar grew significantly," said Mr Ong Chong Tee, deputy managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

"Financial institutions based in Singapore, serving the foreign exchange needs of their clients in the region and beyond, are well-placed to capitalize on this growth," he added in a statement.

For the month of April, MAS said standard daily turnover in over-the-counter interest rate derivatives was around US$78 billion. That is 37-per-cent higher than the US$57 billion recorded in April 2007.

World Bank Calls For More Integrated Approach Towards Water Management

In its latest, the global financial body, World Bank (WB), has called for 'better information and an additional integrated approach' towards water management.

'We can't appropriately tackle global priorities of food security, renewable energy, adaptation to climate change, public health and urbanization unless we supervise water better,' Julia Bucknall, WB's Water Sector Manager, said in the report which was made accessible to PANA here.

'And to manage water better, we actually can't sidestep solid hydrological analysis,' it stressed.

The report also highlighted that there was a need for analysis in view of the fact that the global population was expected to reach nine billion by 2050, coupled with economic development, 'spurring demand for more and better food and amplified hydrological variability caused by climate change'.

The'Mid-Cycle Implementation Progress Report' for Water Resources Strategy, entitled 'Sustaining Water for All' in a Changing Climate, reaffirmed that the bank's 2003 water plan and project implementation track record was sound.