In the papers...

Cyanide in Trent poisons fish

A cyanide leak from Red Industries, a waste treatment firm near Stoke-on-Trent, UK, killed thousands of fish in a 20-mile stretch of the river. The cyanide wiped out bacteria that process sewage at a nearby treatment plant, causing partially treated sewage to enter the river. Red Industries voluntarily stopped discharging effluent into the river and the Environment Agency mounted an immediate clean-up. 
The Guardian  9 October 2009 

Saudi cleric sacked for attack on KAUST's mixed class policy

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has dismissed Sheikh Saad al-Shethri from the Council of Religious Scholars after the cleric described the King's policy of allowing mixed male and female classes at the newly founded King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as 'evil' and 'a great sin' in a TV interview.  
Financial Times  6 October 2009 

Chemist reproduces Turin Shroud

Italian organic chemist Luigi Garlaschelli has made a copy of the Shroud of Turin, believed by some to be Jesus Christ's burial cloth. The group used materials and methods from the Middle Ages to show that the Shroud could have been faked to attract medieval pilgrims, supporting carbon-dating studies that suggest it dates from the 13th or 14th centuries.  
The Independent  6 October 2009 

US universities slip as Asian rivals charge up league tables

The 2009 QS/Times Higher league table of world universities showed several US institutions in the top 20 losing ground to their European competitors. Asian institutions also climbed steeply, with Nagoya University of Japan jumping 28 places up the table and South Korea's KAIST climbing 26 places.  
Times Higher Education  8 October 2009