EU court allows Commission to introduce criminal penalties for polluters BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The European Commission can draft criminal penalties for environmental offenses within the 25-nation European Union, the EU's Court of Justice ruled Tuesday. The Luxembourg-based court said the Commission had the right to force member states to impose fines or jail terms on those who violate EU environmental rules. The Commission welcomed the ruling as setting a new precedent, saying it boosted its power at the cost of EU governments. Indiana Town to Turn Stinking Hog Manure into Power CHICAGO - They cannot escape the stench, but residents of tiny Reynolds, Indiana, hope the oceans of hog manure produced nearby will power their homes and businesses some day soon. "We're very excited," town president Charlie Van Voorst. "They're advertising us as a showcase for the world." Indiana's energy conservation-minded Gov. Mitch Daniels will take his ethanol-powered recreational vehicle to Reynolds on Tuesday to designate the single stoplight town the world's first "Biotown." Initially, the 500 townspeople will lease or buy vehicles that run on high concentrations of corn-based ethanol or soy diesel from soybeans. The second phase will install power-generating equipment that burns gas made from manure, said Deborah Abbott of the state agriculture department said. The electricity generated will power homes and businesses. Typhoon Kills at Least 14 in East China BEIJING - A typhoon ploughed into China south of Shanghai, killing at least 14 people on Sunday and Monday and leaving eight missing after forcing the evacuation of more than a million. Flooding triggered by Typhoon Khanun killed seven people and left two missing in the port of Ningbo, Xinhua news agency said. Seven were killed in the city of Taizhou, which suffered the full fury of the storm overnight, a flood control official said. France Promises India Nuclear Energy Help PARIS - France joined the United States and Britain on Monday in backing India's atomic energy programme and promised to do all it could to help the country get access to civilian nuclear technology and equipment. In a dramatic policy shift in July, the United States promised India full cooperation in developing its civilian nuclear energy programme. Britain gave its backing last week. World's Largest Hippo Population Almost Gone - WWF JOHANNESBURG - An aerial survey shows what was once the world's largest hippo population in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being poached to extinction, conservationist group WWF International said on Monday. "Hippos are being killed by soldiers and local militia, as well as local poachers. Hippos can be bought for around $50, and hippo canine teeth often end up as part of the illegal ivory trade," the WWF said in a statement. The hippo population in Congo's Virunga National Park in the vast country's far east numbered 29,000 in 1974. However, a decade of conflict in the region has taken its toll of wildlife including Virunga's once abundant hippopotamus population. Emergency Campaign on Global Warming One Million Citizens, One Goal: Stop Global Warming! Sign Environmental Defense's Petition supporting the Climate Stewardship Act in Congress. Help stop global warming and take a stand for a healthier planet. Click here to have your voice heard!

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