Eastern Congo Rebel Group Lays Down Arms in Defeat
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the defeated M23 rebel group, whose bloody insurgency displaced 800,000 people, announced it is ending its attacks, laying down its arms and signing a peace deal with the government on Monday. - Reuters
Enterprise Rent-A-Car Adds Biodiesel Cars to Fleet
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has added five biodiesel vehicles to its Portland fleet, testing customer demand for environmentally friendly rentals. The Jeep Liberties come filled with bio-fuel and can be refilled at four local stations or with regular diesel.
(Read All Good Bites)
82% of Airline Flights Arrived on Time in 2012
Nearly 82% of airline flights in the U.S. arrived on time in 2012, an improvement of almost 2% over 2011. Air Tran, Delta, US Airways, Alaska, and Hawaiian Air had the best on-time numbers and Virgin Air was judged the best airline overall.
US Teen Birth Rate Lowest Since 1940
The falling US teenage birth rate sunk to its lowest level since record-keeping began in 1940, according to a new government report. From 2007 to 2010 the rate fell another 9 percent and was seen among all racial and ethnic groups. (Since 1991, the overall teen rate has dropped by 44 percent.)
NYC Murder Rate Declined 74% in 18 Years
The New York City murder rate for the first half of 2011 declined 8.8 percent compared to the same period last year. The 2011 murder rate is also 22.5 percent lower than in 2001 and 74.9 percent lower than in 1993. - Reuters News
Brazil Fueling 1 Million Cars on Sugarcane
Latin America’s largest country, Brazil, is the world’s biggest producer of bio-ethanol and 1 million Brazilian cars already run on the fuel made from sugarcane. The cars, introduced three years ago, can use either gasoline or bioethanol.
(Read All Good Bites)
Identity Thefts Plummet
Last year the number of people victimized by identity theft decreased 28 percent, to 8.1 million, according to a report by Javelin Strategy & Research -- 3 million fewer victims than in 2009.
Chesapeake Bay’s Grasses are Renewing
Grasses in the Chesapeake Bay are rebounding, covering double the acreage they did in 1984. In 2005, grasses, a key component of the bay's health, inhabited 78,260 acres, 7 percent more coverage than in 2004. Efforts to control Nitrogen must be redoubled to reach scientists' goals of 185,000 acres in 2010.
Heart Patients Living Longer
Heart disease rates have been falling for decades due to healthier lifestyles, but now death rates after severe heart attacks have been cut in half over the last six years, thanks to new treatments and anti-clotting drugs. Death rates of patients in 14 countries fell from 8.4% to 4.5% between 1999 and 2006, a study showed.
Fewest Americans Killed in 2013 Lightning Strikes Than Any Year Before
Thanks to public safety awareness, lightning strikes killed fewer people in the U.S. last year than in any other year on record, according to federal officials at NOAA. Compared to 70 years ago when 432 people were struck and killed, the 2013 total reached just 23. (NBC)
Home Electricity Use in US Falls to 2001 Level
Because household appliances are more energy efficient than ever, Americans' electricity use is at the lowest level its been in a decade. Power usage declined in 2013 for the third year in a row, to 10,819 kilowatt-hours per household -- the lowest level since 2001. (AP)
Endangered Gorillas Prosper in Heart of Africa
A 2003 census showed Gorillas in Africa have increased their numbers by 17 percent since 1989, not due to a change in the number of births, but because "there's no more poaching."
Tanzania Bans Plastic Bags
The manufacturing, importing, buying and using of thin plastic bags is now banned in Tanzania. Bags are blamed for harming livestock, blocking drains and reducing soil fertility. (Read All Good Bites)
Mexican drug homicides fall 14 percent in four months
Mexico said on April 11 that killings linked to organized crime fell 14 percent in the first four months of the presidency of Enrique Pena Nieto, who has vowed to reduce murder, kidnapping, and extortion. (Reuters)
Americans Haven’t Been This Optimistic Since Jan 2007
The number of Americans who say things are going well in the country has reached 50% for the first time in more than six years, according to a new national poll from CNN.
Whale Numbers Booming for Great Barrier Reef
The number of whales migrating off Australia's Queensland coast is predicted to hit a 50-year high this season, said the species conservation manager for the reef.
HIV Drops in India
The prevalence of new H.I.V. infections has fallen significantly in southern India, the region most heavily infected. The decline by more than a third from 2000 through 2004 was attributed to increasing use of condoms. — Lancet, 06/3/31
Panda Numbers Doubled
A new method of counting Giant Pandas in the wild using DNA revealed there was more than double the estimated number living in one reserve and, based on the finding, as many as 3,000 of the elusive and endangered animals in the mountains of China, rather than the 1,590 previously thought.
(Read All Good Bites)
Turkmenistan Teens Can Now Attend College
Turkmenistan’s new president has scrapped a rule that required high school graduates to work for two years before they enter university. President Gubanguli Berdymukhamedov signed an order dropping work requirements and reinstating university entrance exams.
Colombian Cocaine Production Plummets (Link fixed)
Production of pure cocaine in Colombia decreased by 25 percent in 2011 capping off a decade of decline during which the potential for production had dropped by 72 percent, according a U.S. government survey of drug production released yesterday. -AP