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As the reservoir behind the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River is to be filled to capacity, controversy has resurfaced, following official admissions that the dam could cause major ecological disasters unless preventive measures are taken.

After winning a major battle against a resurgent Taliban in southern Afghanistan, NATO forces are working to keep their gains from slipping away. Building a road to link remote villages is one way they hope to keep locals from siding with the enemy.

The latest science on global warming released today shows that climate change is happening at an alarming rate. The first part of a major study on global warming includes the work of several San Diego

Your most direct link to global warming may be the food you eat. The bounty of your local grocery store depends on natural cycles of rain and heat in far-flung parts of the world. Now those cycles are shifting and the effects on agriculture may be profound.

When I was growing up in Brooklyn, the dog days of summer were marked by the delighted squeals of children, and sometimes their parents, cooling off under the shooting geysers of city water freed from neighborhood fire hydrants. Someone had managed to dismantle city property, sending streams of public water shooting skyward before falling back to the steamy streets to soak and refresh the sweltering kids. It wasn'tlegal, of course - but, boy, was it fun! The fire, police and water departments never pursued the offenders. Instead, city workers, with good humor, reassembled the fire plugs, watched the wasted water flow down the streets and then into the storm drains. There was no angst over wasted water at that time and in that place.

The ultimate clean fuel, at least at first glance, is vegetable oil. Plants make it from sunlight, water, and a greenhouse gas — and they remove carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. The oil is easily converted into fuel for diesel engines. Around the globe there's now a rush toward so-called "biodiesel."

What steps can be taken to reverse global warming? One approach is to plant trees, which soak up carbon dioxide. The San Diego Regional Energy Office runs a program to plant trees in urban areas throu

The president of Niger acknowledges a poor harvest and problems with locusts. But he rejects international claims of severe famine and starvation. There are concerns that past delays in accepting food aid have led to a higher death toll.

Why are those netbook computers so popular right now? What's the newest 3G phone on the market? And, are consumers spending less on tech gadgets this holiday season? We speak to Brian Cooley from CNET about this year's most innovative, and sought-after tech gadgets.

The United Nations reports that some 14 million people in southern Africa are at risk of starvation, due mostly to drought and the effects of AIDS. But in Zimbabwe, the food shortage is made even worse by a government land-reform plan that has shut most of the nation's most productive farms. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports.