WATER

Cruise enthusiasts can look forward to sailing across some of the hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world this year as Windstar Cruises offers its guests a choice of diverse itineraries in 2011 and winter 2012.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will develop a first-ever national standard for perchlorate, a naturally occurring and man-made chemical found in rocket propellant, fireworks, explosives and in some drinking water systems.

China is ready to start building a series of controversial hydropower plants on the Nu River in the southwestern province of Yunnan, state media said, citing a senior energy official.

As the Brisbane flood waters that created much travel havoc in recent weeks, begin to recede, cruise ships are set to return to Queensland ports.

UK-based water supplier United Utilities Group Plc said current trading is in line with the group's expectations of delivering a solid underlying financial performance for the year ending March 31.

Britain's water services group Severn Trent Plc said it expects exceptional charges of around 20 million pounds to 25 million pounds for the full year, mainly related to ongoing efficiency improvements and accelerated deprecation of assets.

More people were evacuated in Australia’s Victoria state on Monday as deadly flood waters continued to swamp huge swathes of land in the country’s southeast, and the State Emergency Service said as many as 76 towns in the state have been affected by the flooding.

Ice sheets in Greenland are melting faster than ever before, according to new research.

Australia's government is reportedly considering a taxpayer levy to help pay for massive flood rebuilding, while preserving the budget's path back to surplus in 2012-13, as one major bank warned on Tuesday the damage bill could reach A$20 billion.

Heavy monsoons and resultant floods have affected nearly 1-million people in the north central and eastern provinces of the island nation and have killed at least two dozen people. It is believed that more than 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

Flood water in Australia's third-biggest city peaked below feared catastrophic levels on Thursday but Brisbane and other devastated regions faced years of rebuilding as a fresh flood threat loomed with a cyclonic storm building off the coast.

A futuristic water-powered jet pack which can hover up to 30ft in the air and reach speeds of 22mph has been unveiled at the London International Boat Show.

Nearly 40 Australian and international scientists will sail from Hobart on the Aurora Australis to investigate the break-up of a major Antarctic glacier.

Chairman of Tata Motors, Ratan Tata has reportedly invested $15 million on a research project, which aims at assessing the feasibility of water as fuel.

Exposure to fluoride may lower children's intelligence, says a study pre-published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Fluoride is added to 70 percent of U.S. public drinking water supplies.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University has introduced a unique specialization for water business aspirants as part of its Executive MBA program, in association with Wetsus, the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology

PepsiCo Inc has increased its investment by an undisclosed sum in coconut water maker O.N.E, the two companies said on Wednesday.

U.K.'s Northumbrian Water Group reported a higher profit for the first half as revenue rose 5 percent, and said it was well placed to maintain a strong financial performance. The provider of water and waste water services lifted its interim dividend by 7.5 percent to 4.72 pence.

Passengers traveling by water in the European Union countries will now be able to enjoy similar traveling rights as those who travel by air or rail, the European Commission said.

British water company Pennon Group reported a 0.7 percent rise in its first-half pretax profit due to higher demand for water from summer usage and asset sale of its water utilities business South West Water but said looking forward, South West Water is well placed to outperform the assumptions for the K5 (2010-2015) period.

UK-based water supplier United Utilities Group reported interim results slightly ahead of its expectations, following the recent regulatory price review.