International

"The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and perhaps the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government officials," the New York Times reports. Those officials include the general running the Afghan war. Other news reports say the discoveries are not new and imply they may be hyped to justify the floundering U.S. war in Afghanistan.

"President Obama will use his first Oval Office speech Tuesday night to outline a plan to legally compel BP to create an escrow account to compensate businesses and individuals for their losses from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, administration officials said on Sunday."

"The sun is about to get a lot more active, which could have ill effects on Earth. So to prepare, top sun scientists met Tuesday to discuss the best ways to protect Earth's satellites and other vital systems from the coming solar storms."

"The stock price of BP plunged more than 15 percent Wednesday to a 14-year low as it became increasingly clear that the amount of oil spewing out of the Deepwater Horizon well is substantially greater than the company or the federal government initially estimated." BP stock opened down another 4 percent today.

"Rich countries led by Russia, Australia and the EU have been accused of trying to cheat their way out of reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by creating 'dishonest' forestry accounting loopholes."

A British herpetologist says snake populations have plummeted in Europe and Africa over the last 10 years. Just why is not clear.

"Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have added their first biosphere reserves to the network of reserves created by the United Nations to halt the loss of biodiversity and promote sustainable development. One of the two new Ethiopian reserves protects the place of origin of the plant Caffea Arabica, believed to be the first species of coffee ever cultivated."

"The market for solar modules, a key element in solar power systems, is so strong that industry leader First Solar will not be able to meet demand this year, a senior executive was quoted as saying on Saturday."

"China will spend at least $1.76 billion to subsidize smaller, fuel efficient cars by 2012."

"If you happen to be wondering if it's any easier to get access to an oil-befouled public beach/wildlife refuge near Grand Isle, Louisiana, if you're teamed up with a fancypants PBS producer, I scouted out the answer today: No."