Island Nation's Water to Run Out in Days

Little or no rain in six months on Tuvalu, Tokelau

(NEWSER) - Some island groups in the South Pacific, already in danger of being swamped by rising seas, have run out of fresh water. Tuvalu and Tokelau have declared states of emergency because of the water crisis, caused by six months of low or no rainfall and by groundwater becoming contaminated with seawater, the BBC reports. New Zealand's air force has rushed bottled water and desalination machines to the areas most in need. More»

...Australia, New Zealand, where 15% of residents used marijuana in 2009

(NEWSER) - It appears that our friends from Down Under are in fact up higher than North Americans—a new study shows that Australians and New Zealanders are the world's top pot smokers, reports the Los Angeles Times . The Lancet found that 15% of Aussies and Kiwis ages 15-64 used some form of marijuana in 2009, as opposed to 11% of North Americans, and just 2.5% of people in Asia. Australians and New Zealanders also are the top users of amphetamines. More»

It's No. 1 on list, with the US at No. 7

(NEWSER) - International Living crunches the numbers on everything from cost of living to health care to climate to find the nations with the best quality of life. France tops the list, with the US at No. 7. A sampling:

• France (No. 1): "Tiresome bureaucracy and high taxes" can't trump the "world's best health care," the "joy of lingering for hours over dinner and a bottle of red wine in a Parisian brasserie," or "antique streets paved with poetry."

Australian city gets drop on New Zealand with early display

(NEWSER) - Sydney welcomed 2010 a little early this year, with a 9pm fireworks display over the harbor for the family crowd. That hour in Australia happens to fall at midnight in Auckland, New Zealand, which usually lays claim to the first big celebration of the New Year, but appears to have been eclipsed by what many consider the best display in the world. Sydney set off still more fireworks when the year actually turned there, the Times reports. More»

Officials to shoot 6K thirsty, marauding camels

(NEWSER) - A town in the Australian outback is “under siege by 6,000 marauding, wild camels,” says a local official: Record-breaking drought drove the thirsty creatures to trample fences, smash water tanks, and terrorize locals, the AP reports. To stop the rampage, the government plans next week to herd the camels into the desert outside the town and shoot them. More»