Earth News, Earth Sciences, Energy and Environment. 02-JUL-09 en-us Berlin (UPI) Jul 1, 2009 - Germany ranks first among Group of Eight nations for tackling climate change while the United States has passed on the last place to Canada, according to scorecards released Wednesday by the World Wildlife Fund and German insurance giant Allianz.]]> Brussels (AFP) June 30, 2009 - A genetically modified strain of maize, banned in some EU countries, poses no risk to health or the environment, the European Food Safety Authority declared Tuesday.]]> Tokyo (AFP) July 1, 2009 - The Group of Eight rich nations summit in Italy next week is likely to call on industrialised countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050, a report said Wednesday.]]> Jakarta (UPI) Jul 1, 2009 - The United States is cutting nearly $30 million in Indonesian debt in exchange for a promise of protection for Sumatran forests.]]> Windhoek (AFP) July 1, 2009 - In a bid to save tens of thousands of baby seals being killed for their fur, Namibia animal rights activist are rushing to raise millions of dollars to buy out a fur company that buys the pelts.]]> Rio De Janeiro (AFP) July 1, 2009 - Nearly 2,300 plant species are at risk of disappearing from flora-rich Brazil, many more than once thought, according to an academic study released on Wednesday.]]> Majuro (AFP) July 1, 2009 - The migration of Marshall islanders from the tiny nation in the Pacific to the United States has risen to an eight-year high due to the impact of soaring living costs, officials said.]]> Washington (AFP) June 29, 2009 - The virus responsible for the Spanish flu in 1918 created a viral dynasty that persists today, according to a study published Tuesday by the New England Journal of Medicine.]]> Berlin (AFP) June 30, 2009 - The Rhine river between Germany and the Netherlands is on average three degrees warmer than 100 years ago, with power stations the main culprits, the German green group BUND said on Tuesday.]]> Vienna (AFP) July 1, 2009 - The Albertina, one of Vienna's most famous museums, said Wednesday it has so far evacuated around half of its vast collection of 950,000 art works after rain flooded its main depot last week.]]> Harare (AFP) June 30, 2009 - Zimbabwe has won 950 million dollars in credit lines from China, the largest loan secured by the new government, boosting the country's global appeal for funds to rebuild its shattered economy.]]> Monrovia (AFP) July 1, 2009 - Liberia's Truth and Reconciliation Commission submitted to parliament on Wednesday its final report on crimes and human rights abuses committed during the country's devastating civil wars.]]> London (AFP) July 1, 2009 - Britain has abandoned efforts to prevent the spread of swine flu after an explosion of infections lifted the number of cases to nearly 7,000, focusing its resources instead on vulnerable patients.]]>