In The News / May 14

• The boat that reeked -- toxic voyage of the Probo Koala.

  The Probo Koala docked in Abidjan on 19 August 2006, unloading 400 tonnes of waste to as many as 18 sites around the city. Over the following weeks thousands of residents in Abidjan found themselves choking and coughing, some vomiting. At least 10 are said to have died from sickness. London Guardian, England

• Papers prove ship chartered by oil trader Trafigura dumped toxic waste in Ivory Coast.

  Documents have emerged which detail for the first time the potentially lethal nature of toxic waste dumped by British-based oil traders in one of west Africa's poorest countries. London Guardian, England

• How oil traders Trafigura tried to limit the damage through spin after allegedly dumping toxic waste on the Ivory Coast.

  Yesterday's courtroom moves are the latest aspect of a remarkable damage limitation campaign that oil traders Trafigura have been fighting across the globe. London Guardian, England

• Making the ship recycling industry clean up its act.

  The United Nation's International Maritime Organization has gathered this week in the shipping hub of Hong Kong to draw up new rules on ship recycling. CNN

• Secret EPA coal ash report increases fear of contamination in Iowa.

  The failure of federal regulators to act and their refusal to divulge health risks associated with coal ash disposal has created a needless risk to public health, one of the state’s leading environmental groups said. Iowa Independent, Iowa

• Federal funds don't come with EPA help on spill cleanup.

  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to oversee the cleanup of the Kingston coal-ash spill doesn’t mean that federal money will be available to help pay the cleanup costs, the federal agency’s director said Wednesday. Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee

• Pennsylvania rejects TVA coal ash as too contaminated.

  Coal ash recovered from a major spill last December at a Tennessee power plant is too contaminated for use in Pennsylvania's reclaimed coal mines, officials from that state said Wednesday. Associated Press

• Greenbrier buyer ran up $1 million in unpaid MSHA fines.

  Coal companies controlled by James C. Justice II -- the businessman who bought The Greenbrier resort -- ran up more than $1 million in unpaid penalties for mine safety and health violations, government records show. Charleston Gazette, West Virginia

• Mystery gas poisons more than 1,000.

  More than 1,000 workers at a chemical company in northeast China's Jilin Province have fallen ill after being poisoned by a mystery gas which apparently leaked from a neighboring factory. Shanghai Daily, China

• Oklahoma loses round in bid to block poultry waste.

  A federal appeals court has rejected Oklahoma's bid to stop poultry growers in Oklahoma and Arkansas from spreading poultry waste in the Illinois River watershed while an environmental lawsuit winds its way through court. Associated Press

• Pollution law is under attack.

  A program that regulates toxic pollution from the state's largest industries is under fire from businesses and legislators who say it duplicates federal law. Raleigh News & Observer, North Carolina

• Rising calls to regulate California groundwater.

  Although California has been a pathbreaker in some environmental arenas, like embracing renewable energy and recycling, groundwater rights remain sacrosanct. But the state government is facing growing pressure to embrace regulation. New York Times

• Climate change biggest threat to humans.

  Climate change poses the biggest threat to human health in the 21st century but its full impact is not being grasped by the healthcare community or policymakers, a medical report concludes. London Times, England

• Inspection of gadgets predicts global power surge.

  The number of TVs, computers, iPods and other electronic devices in the home is expected to jump threefold by 2030 and will require the equivalent of 230 new nuclear reactors to keep them running, according to an international study calling on world governments to raise the bar on gadget efficiency. Toronto Star, Canada