Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Environment | FOCUS Sep 24, 2013
Global warming 'pause' gives ammo to skeptics' argument
A slowdown in warming that has provided fuel for climate skeptics is one of the thorniest issues in a report to be issued by U.N. experts on Friday. Over the past 15 years, the world’s average surface temperature rose far slower than many climate ...
Environment | FOCUS Sep 4, 2013
Scientists tracing ancestry of India's large mammals
by Gayathri Vaidyanathan
About 120 million years ago, the supercontinent of Gondwana broke into a jigsaw puzzle of continents and isles in the Southern Hemisphere. One of those was a giant island forming what we now call India. About 55 million years later, an asteroid, perhaps, or ...
Environment | FOCUS Jul 31, 2013
Shark attacks on humans are rare but not unheard of
by Juliet Eilperin
With beach season in full swing, the question inevitably arises: What are the chances of getting attacked by a shark? In a phrase: extraordinarily low — though not nonexistent. It is higher in certain parts of the U.S. (Florida tops the list) than in ...
Environment | FOCUS Jun 7, 2013
Europe floods raise warming fears
Less than three months after being battered by snow and ice, Central Europe now finds itself fighting floods — and some scientists are pointing the finger at human interference with the climate system. Leading the charge is the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research ...
Environment | FOCUS Jun 5, 2013
Alaska's Bristol Bay mine: Ground zero for the next big environmental fight?
by Juliet Eilperin
A dispute over a proposed copper and gold mine near Alaska’s Bristol Bay may be one of the most important environmental decisions of President Barack Obama’s second term — yet few are even aware that the fight is happening. At issue is a proposed ...