The Association of Surfing Professionals announced on Thursday that it would initiate a random drug-testing program beginning for the 2012 World Tour. Though the specifics of the tests are not yet confirmed, the policy will include testing for performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. Recreational drug use in surfing has becoming an increasingly controversial issue in the wake of the death of three-time ASP champion Andy Irons last November.
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French nuclear energy company EDF has been found guilty of hacking into the computer of the head of France's Greenepeace operations. Greenpeace has protested nuclear plants in France and abroad. "The evidence presented at the trial showed that the espionage undertaken by EDF in its efforts to discredit Greenpeace was both extensive and totally illegal," said United Kingdom Greenpeace official John Sauven. The company used the same spying agency, Kargus Consultants, that Floyd Landis paid to ... Read More
On Thursday, New Zealand's Department of Conservation announced that 800 endangered giant snails froze to death after a temperature gauge malfunctioned in Hokitika. The snails were being kept in a temperature-controlled room after being rescued from the site of a mining operation. "First, their natural home was destroyed for a coalmine on Stockton Plateau, and now they've died in captivity," said Nicola Vallance of New Zealand's Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. "This tragedy was entir... Read More
The women's marathon world record set by Paula Radcliffe in 2003 will stand, despite the advent of new rules mandating that women's marathon world records be set in women-only races. The IAAF announced the decision on Wednesday. Radcliffe, 37, set the 2-hour, 15 minute, 25-second mark at the London Olympics, a mixed-gender race, and track officials later expressed concerns that she had benefitted from male pace-setters. The IAAF is now widely expected to implement a two-track system that recog... Read More
Two weeks before a ban on the sale of bottled water was to go into effect in Grand Canyon National Park last January, the top federal parks official abruptly blocked the initiative after consulting with Coca-Cola. In emails leaked to the New York Times and released on Thursday, the top federal parks official, Jon Jarvis, “reiterated his decision to have the Grand Canyon hold off on implementation” until “we have hosted a meeting with the major producers of bottled water.&rdqu... Read More
