S Africa to allow elephant cull
The South African government has said it will allow elephants to be culled for the first time in 13 years

RELIGION-CUBA: Catholic Church Wants More Freedom to Do Its Work
HAVANA, Feb 22 (IPS) - Ten years after the historic visit to Cuba by Pope John Paul II, who passed away in 2005, the Catholic Church continues to call for "unlimited" scope and "due freedom" for its social action initiatives in this socialist country, as one of its most important demands.

Saving More Than Souls: Religious Groups Seek “Renewal” for the Environment
Buddhist monks are ordaining trees. Future Jewish leaders are learning about sustainable living. Evangelical Christians are fighting mountain top removal. Muslims are giving away organic meat to the poor during Ramadan. These are just a handful of the stories told by veteran filmmakers Terry Kay Rockefeller and Marty Ostrow in their upcoming documentary, Renewal.

Paying for One's "Carbon Sins" May Cost Pennies
We are all becoming more eco-conscious, right? We might not exactly be following in the footsteps of No Impact Man or be as Green as a Thistle, but we're trying. Eating organic food is important to us, as is eating locally.
Thanks to a UK initiative, measuring one's carbon impact is destined to be less of an elusive question. The UK-based Carbon Trust is working to calculate the carbon footprint (CO2e) of common consumer items. And after a year and a half, some numbers are in: the carbon dioxide emissions created in making a bag of chips "Walkers crisps" from the cradle to the grave, is double the actual weight of the chips

Banking on armageddon
Feb 25 - An underground vault has been built to store a collection of the world's seeds in case of global disaster.
The Svalbard Seed Vault in Norway -dubbed the Doomsday Vault- will be opened on Tuesday.
The seeds will be stored inside a mountain and can remain frozen even without electricity.

Children 'damaged' by materialism
Most adults in the UK believe that children's well-being is being damaged because childhood has become too commercial, a lifestyle poll has found.

Cocaine's brain effect revealed
Brain scans have revealed a possible biological basis for cocaine addiction which may explain why some get hooked, while others can use the drug socially.

Homosexual activity cause of earthquake, Shas MK says
The recent earthquake that was felt across Israel was
the result of the "homosexual activity practiced in
the country", Knesset Member Shlomo Benizri said
Wednesday.

A price to pay for saying "I don't"
Mexican brides and grooms who get cold feet before
walking down the aisle will have to pay their
significant other for the inconvenience, if a proposal
by a local congressman is adopted.