Computer modeling showed intensification of US-bound Pacific storms, driven by fine aerosols from coal power plants and traffic.

China's air pollution could be intensifying storms over the Pacific Ocean and altering weather patterns in North America, according to scientists in the US. A team from Texas, California and Washington state has found that pollution from Asia, much of it arising in China, is leading to more intense cyclones, increased precipitation and more warm air in the mid-Pacific moving towards the north pole.

According to the team's findings, which were released on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, these changes could ultimately contribute to erratic weather in the US.

The authors used advanced computer models to study interactions between clouds and fine airborne particles known as aerosols, particularly manmade ones such as those emitted from vehicles and coal-fired power plants.

"Our work provides, for the first time to the authors' knowledge, a global multi-scale perspective of the climatic effects of pollution outflows from Asia," says the study's abstract.

One effect, the study says, is an "intensification of the Pacific storm track", a narrow zone over the ocean where some storms that pass over the US begin to gather.

"Mid-latitude storms develop off Asia and they track across the Pacific, coming in to the west coast of the US," said Ellie Highwood, a climate physicist at the University of Reading. "The particles in this model are affecting how strong those storms are, how dense the clouds are, and how much rainfall comes out of those storms."

China is fighting to contain the environmental fallout from 30 years of unchecked growth. Of 74 Chinese cities monitored by the central government 71 failed to meet air quality standards, the environmental ministry said last month.

China's top leaders are aware of the extent of the problem. Beijing will soon revise an important piece of legislation and give environmental protection authorities the power to shut polluting factories, punish officials and restrict industrial development in some areas, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The changes to the China's environmental protection law, the first since 1989, will legally enshrine oft-repeated government promises to prioritise environmental protection over economic growth.

Cao Mingde, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the newswire that upholding environmental protection as a fundamental principle was a huge change. "It emphasises that the environment is a priority."

Although the legislation's fourth draft is nearing completion, it is still short on details, according to the report. China's legal system is often hostile to pollution-related litigation.

On Monday, a Chinese court rejected a lawsuit by five residents of Lanzhou, a city in the country's north-west, over an incident last week when dangerous levels of the carcinogenic chemical benzene were detected in the water supply. The residents demanded damages, a public apology and water quality data from the city-owned water company.

According to a local newspaper, the court claimed that under civil procedure law, the litigants were unqualified to sue; in pollution-related cases only "agencies and organisations" could press charges, and they needed official authorisation to take action.

READ MORE: China's Air Pollution Behind Erratic Weather in the U.S., say Climatologists

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DONETSK, Ukraine — Tensions escalated in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, with pro-Russian gunmen storming City Hall in the sprawling city of Donetsk and a cluster of Ukrainian troops meant to be restoring order in the region apparently defecting to the side of separatists.

The events suggested the challenge ahead for the pro-Western Ukrainian government on the second day of a campaign to quell the restive east, and came as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine was on the verge "of a civil war."

Ukraine turmoil LIVE UPDATES

A line of combat vehicles flying Russian flags rolled Wednesday morning into Slovyansk, a city of 120,000 where separatists have set up roadblocks since Saturday. One soldier named Andrei, speaking to the Associated Press, identified the men as part of the 25th Brigade of Ukraine's airborne forces that had switched to the side of pro-Russian forces. The troops in green camouflage and packing automatic weapons and grenade launchers received a warm welcome from local separatists, AP said. The report could not be immediately verified.

Around 10 a.m. local time, a squad of separatists backed by seven masked gunmen in camouflage stormed the seat of Donetsk's mayor and local council.

By Wednesday afternoon, more than 40 men, some masked and heavily armed, were occupying the building but still allowing workers and local officials to go about their business inside City Hall.

The scene was calmer than earlier in the morning, when suited bureaucrats were running back and forth to vehicles in an attempt to save files and computers. City workers were shuffling to and from meetings under the watchful gaze of camouflage-clad militants who loitered in the corridors, many clutching automatic weapons. Offering glaring evidence of the Kiev government's tenuous grip on the region, a few local police officers casually strolled outside without attempting to intervene.

The pro-Russian militants who took over City Hall said they were separate from a similar group that occupied the regional headquarters in this city of nearly 1 million 10 days ago, but they issued at least one similar demand. They called for a referendum on May 11 with two questions: whether the populace agreed with the creation of a new "Donetsk People's Republic" and, if so, whether it should be part of Ukraine or Russia.

"Why should we consider Russia a hostile state?" asked Alexander Zakharchenko, a militant commander at City Hall. "They are the closest people to us in the world." He commands the Donetsk branch of a group called Oplot, a pro-Russian movement that started as a fight club of young men in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, to the north.

Russia said it was still planning to attend four-party talks aimed at resolving the Ukrainian crisis in Geneva on Thursday and would use the meeting to press for the launch of constitutional reform in Ukraine.

READ MORE: Ukrainian troop defections escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine

9/11 conspiracy theorist and investigative journalist Michael Ruppert has reportedly committed suicide. The 63-year-old former narcotics investigator with the LAPD shot himself after his radio show, according to an announcement by author Carolyn Baker who was a guest on his final broadcast on Sunday.

Mr Ruppert was famous for his litany of conspiracy theories which encompassed the CIA to drugs, international politics, the oil industry, Wall Street and 9/11.

On her Facebook page, Ms Baker wrote: 'This was not a ''fake'' suicide. It was very well planned by Mike who gave us few clues but elaborate instructions for how to proceed without him.

'It was my privilege to have known Mike for 14 years, to have worked with him, to have been mentored by him, and to have supported him in some of his darkest hours, including the more recent ones.... Thank you Mike for all of the truth you courageously exposed and for the legacy of truth-telling you left us. Goodbye my friend. Your memory will live in hour hearts forever.'
Dozens of fans left tributes to Mr Ruppert on his Facebook profile page. Attempts by MailOnline to confirm Mr Ruppert's suicide were unsuccessful.

42 West, the New York publicity department for his 2009 documentary Collapse hung up the phone when contacted while the Milwaukee production office could offer no information. Attempts to contact author Carolyn Baker were so far unsuccessful. Phone numbers connected to Mr Ruppert's businesses were disconnected. Max Mogren, who worked with Mr Ruppert for 15 months between 2011 and 2012, could not confirm his death today but said that a lot of his former colleagues' close friends had posted messages of condolence online.

Mr Mogren told MailOnline today that Mr Ruppert was very passionate and very committed to his work. Mr Mogren said: 'He believed what he believed. All of his work was motivated by his love of humanity.' After leaving the LAPD, Mr Ruppert started a website From The Wilderness which claimed to expose government corruption. It included his claims that he had seen drug-dealing at the CIA. Mr Ruppert gained notoriety by confronting then-CIA Director John Deutch during a meeting in 1995 and telling him that he had seen CIA officers involved in drug-dealing.

He later claimed on his website that the CIA and American government was involved in 9/11.
In 2004, he published Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil.
The book alleged than former VP Dick Cheney had conspired with Wall Street and other government officials over the September 11 World Trade Center attacks. In 2009, he starred in a documentary called Collapse where he spoke about his theories involving the demise of mankind following the economic and energy crises.

His work was not without detractors. Many claimed that the investigator only used partial sources to qualify his work. Activist and writer Norman Solomon wrote: 'Some of the problem is in how he characterizes news reports. These citations can be narrowly factual yet presented in a misleading way. Yes, such-and-such newspaper reported that thus-and-so claim was made by so-and-so. The paper reported on the claim, but that doesn't mean the claim is true.' Mr Ruppert had recently moved to the Rocky Mountains. He is survived by his partner Jesse Re.

READ MORE: 9/11 conspiracy theorist and investigative journalist 'commits suicide'

VIDEO: COLLAPSE

THREAD DISCUSSION

This is a photograph of Andrew Campbell Deputy Editor of the Liverpool Echo. Looks like he is enjoying his life as a Deputy Editor. The reason I signalled this photograph out is because it sickens me to my stomach when I know he has never once shown any interest, shock or concern over the fact that the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police allowed the Force to block an investigation into deal-striking between Local MPs and Councillors that many officers believe has led to paedophile activity being covered up.. Cheers Andrew!

But that reluctance to question the Chiefs of the Merseyside Police does not surprise me or any other officer from the Merseyside Police. It not only MPs and Councillors officers are warned against trusting, it is also the Liverpool Echo. A year or so ago panic set in with the Liverpool Echo when it alleged they knew a lot more about the Hillsborough Cover-up than they let on. The allegation was that they were informed when Norman Bettison was Chief Constable of the Force that he had been involved in the altering of Police Statements. You, the Public will be hearing about altered statements recently, I heard about that in Parade Rooms years ago.

Why officers are dubious about approaching the Echo is because of a general suspicion that if an officer goes to the paper with any revelations of corruption or bad practice, the journalists take that information back to the Force and strike deals that if they do publish it the Force will give them exclusives. Do I believe that, well here is my experience of giving the Liverpool Echo information.

In 2010 I wrote a letter to the Liverpool Echo Letters Section detailing concerns over a member of the Public being intimidated into dropping his complaint of racist assault and verbal abuse which Chief Constable Jon Murphy was fully aware of but refused to do anything about.

READ MORE: LIVERPOOL ECHO PAEDOPHILIA IS OF NO INTEREST

Andrew Campbell: Reserve me a Rioja Gran Reserva... preferably a 2001

A Republican congressman has introduced a bill that would stop government paychecks for officials who have been found in contempt of Congress — a move that seems designed in the short term to go after Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.Mr. Holder has refused to cooperate with House Republicans' probe into the Fast & Furious gun-walking operation, and the House has voted to find him in contempt. Mr. Holder is challenging that vote in court.

Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Texas Republican who publicly excoriated Mr. Holder at a hearing last week, introduced the legislation just before Congress went on vacation, and announced it Tuesday.

"The American people should not be footing the bill for federal employees who stonewall Congress or rewarding government officials' bad behavior," Mr. Farenthold said.
Mr. Holder appeared before the House Judiciary Committee last week and faced harsh barbs over his defense of Obama administration policies. He bristled at having been held in contempt.

"You don't want to go there, buddy, all right?" Mr. Holder barked at one congressman who speculated that the attorney general wasn't taking the contempt accusation seriously. "I think that it was inappropriate. I think it was unjust. But never think that that was not a big deal to me. Don't ever think that."

When the time came for Mr. Farenthold to ask his questions, he demurred, saying he didn't think the House should have even let Mr. Holder appear to testify, since he is actively being cited for contempt.

"I just don't think it's appropriate that Mr. Holder be here. If an American citizen had not complied with one of the Justice Department subpoenas, they would be in jail, not sitting here in front, testifying," the congressman said.

It's unclear whether the House will take up Mr. Farenthold's new bill, and even less likely that the Senate, controlled by Democrats, would accept it.
But Mr. Farenthold hinted that Republicans could attach the paycheck denial to some of the annual spending bills.

His legislation would not apply to Lois G. Lerner, a former IRS official at the center of the agency's tea party targeting scandal, who retired from government service in September.

Denying salaries for executive branch officials deemed in violation of congressional wishes is not new. For decades, Congress refused to pay salaries to officials who had been installed by recess appointments — a tool the president can use as an end-run around the Senate's constitutional powers to confirm or reject nominees the White House sends over.

READ MORE: GOP writes legislation to deny Eric Holder his salary

A groundbreaking journalism project allows local citizens around the world to bolster their communities, learn new skills and break vital news stories that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Quality reporting on international development and human rights issues – like all forms of professional journalism – has been badly affected by declining media revenues. It is not uncommon to hear journalists bemoan this fact and ask where funding for important foreign assignments is likely to come from in the future.

But a group of young journalists in London believes the answer lies in a radically different model to the one typically adopted by traditional news outlets. Instead of sending foreign correspondents to cover important world events, Radar are giving people in local communities the tools to develop their own voice and write their own stories, all for the price of a text message.

The organisation was founded in September 2012 by Libby Powell, an independent journalist and winner of the Guardian's 2010 International Development Journalism competition. Powell wanted to build a global network of citizen reporters in isolated and excluded communities using the most widely available technology: SMS messaging.

Citizen reporters, many of whom have disabilities and therefore few other opportunities for employment, would send text messages highlighting important issues such as poverty, disability and the effects of conflict. At a central hub in London a team of professional editors would verify them and turn them into articles and blogs to be picked up by the world's media. After running her idea by a potential backer, Powell secured funding and Radar was born.

The organisation's remarkable first year began in Sierra Leone where the first network of citizen reporters was established before the 2012 general elections. Once the reporters had been selected from their communities and trained by professional journalists, they immediately began breaking original stories. One particularly noteworthy report came from disability rights activist, Seray Bangura.

"In the lead-up to the election he had heard rumours that tactile balloting was going to be scrapped for people with visual impairments," says Corin Faife, Radar's digital platforms manager, who has recently returned from another project in Sierra Leone. "After going to various polling sectors on voting day he verified for himself that this was the case and reported it by SMS. It was then published on our blog and subsequently picked up by the EU Observation Mission, who raised it as a concern in their official report on the election."

Bangura also managed to get an article published in the Guardian and his work helped convince the Radar team that their model was worth pursuing. Following the success of the Sierra Leone project, they launched citizen networks in Kenya where 120 citizens joined the reporters' network before the general election in February 2013. Two trainees managed to get bylines in New Internationalist, with articles discussing fears that Kenya might witness a repeat of the violence that had marred the aftermath of the previous election in 2007. Thankfully, the election passed without incident.

Radar has also successfully established networks domestically in the UK as well as in Nairobi and India. At the Google Activate summit in New Delhi, a handful of their citizen reporters were given the opportunity to pitch ideas directly to the editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, who praised the quality of their stories. But what has the response been like generally from the mainstream media, whose traditional model Radar seeks to challenge?

"On the whole we have had a very positive response from journalists. I think that's because it's clear that the field of journalism is in turmoil," says Faife. "There's a huge benefit in increasing diversity of voices that get heard in discussion about development. At the same time, the reason our model is unique is that we are not offering just anyone the chance to report. It's not a completely open platform. We provide our own quality control and verification through the training that we deliver."

Looking to the future, Faife is hopeful Radar can build on its achievements during its first year of operation and establish itself as a beacon of development journalism within the next five years.

"I think if we can be clear that it's about dignity and dialogue, then when others are looking purely into technical solutions, or obsessing over brand new micro-development models, we'll be able to stay true to our core," he says. "If in five years' time we're the go-to people for genuinely participatory communications, then everyone on the team can be very proud."

READ MORE: Citizen journalism puts itself on the radar of mainstream news