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'Tis the toy train season

'Tis the toy train season

Obama's climate change pledge

Barack Obama has pledged the United States will "engage vigorously" in climate change talks when he is president, despite the financial crisis. The Democratic president-elect, who regularly criticised the Bush administration's attitude toward global warming, said he will work to reduce emissions sharply by 2020. In a video address to a global warming summit, Mr Obama also reiterated his plans to start a "cap and trade" system that limits carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from big industries. "We will establish strong annual targets that set us on a course to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them by an additional 80 per cent by 2050," he said. "My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process." Mr Obama said he would not attend UN-sponsored climate talks in Poland in December as President George W Bush will still be in office. But he sent a message to international delegates who have spent years battling Bush representatives over targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt global warming. "Once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change," Mr Obama said. The president-elect said he asked members of the US Congress who would be present in Poland to report back to him. European nations have pushed the United States for years to show more leadership on climate change so that China and India, developing nations whose emissions are outpacing the developed world's, will follow suit.

Lost in space

An astronaut was left helplessly watching her tool bag and everything inside it float away after accidentally dropping it in space. Thought to be one of the biggest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper dropped the tools while trying to clean and loosen a joint at the International Space Station. She said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark gray grease all over a camera and her gloves. While she was wiping everything off, the white, backpack-size bag slipped out of her grip, and she lost all her tools. "Oh, great," she is heard mumbling. Stefanyshyn-Piper and her fellow spacewalker, Stephen Bowen, then finished their tasks in almost seven hours by sharing tools. Flight controllers were assessing the impact the lost bag would have on the next three planned spacewalks. The astronauts may be asked to keep sharing tools or use caulking-style guns intended for repairs to the shuttle's thermal shielding. By late Tuesday, the bag was already more than two miles (3.2km) in front of the shuttle-station complex. Nasa was not sure how the bag got loose as it should have been tethered to a larger equipment bag. John Ray, the lead spacewalk officer at Mission Control said it was merely proof of the difficulties the astronauts face with "one small mistake" causing so much drama.

Obama assembling Cabinet

Obama assembling Cabinet

'Tis the toy train season

Obama's climate change pledge

Lost in space

Obama assembling Cabinet

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