AP - More ominous signs Wednesday have scientists saying that a global warming "tipping point" in the Arctic seems to be happening before their eyes: Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in about 30 years.

AFP - London shares closed higher on Wednesday, lifted out of earlier losses by an upbeat report on the US manufacturing sector which helped allay fears about the economic outlook, and amid a surge in oil prices.

AP - Gustav swirled toward Cuba on Wednesday after triggering flooding and landslides that killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean. Its track pointed toward the U.S. Gulf coast, including Louisiana where Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc three years ago.

AFP - Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said Wednesday it will spend 50 billion yen (458 million dollars) to boost solar power cell production four-fold by early 2012 amid growing interest in renewable energies.

AFP - A giant panda cub has been born at a Japanese zoo, the first to be successfully bred in Japan through artificial insemination in two decades, officials said Wednesday.

AFP - A new space telescope revealed the glowing gas of the Milky Way, pulsating stars and a flaring faraway galaxy as it began its mission to unveil the mysteries of cosmic gamma rays, NASA said.

AP - Tropical Storm Gustav was losing steam early Wednesday as it moved through the Caribbean a day after hitting Haiti as a hurricane.