The captain and the navigation officer of a container ship that smashed into a reef off a popular New Zealand holiday resort were jailed on Friday for causing the country's worst environmental disaster in decades.

The two men, captain Mauro Balomaga and navigation officer Leonil Relon, both Filipino nationals, were jailed for seven months. They had faced maximum terms of seven years imprisonment.

A German development aid organisation said on Thursday it was in talks with the Indian government to dispose of 350 tonnes of toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.

“We are in discussions with the Indian government,” a spokesman for the government-run Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) said, adding that Indian officials had approached Germany with the request.

No contract had been concluded yet, he said.

Details of the possible deal were unclear, but the GIZ would likely transport the toxic waste to Germany for treatment.

The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday fined a dyeing factory in Gazipur Tk 14 lakh for not setting up Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) even 21 months after the factory owner promised to set up the ETP.

The DoE fined the owner of the factory, Ema Cintex Ltd, and also ordered to keep its production shut. It also rebuked its owner Modabber Hossain, said a DoE press release.

The factory has been dumping untreated chemical wastes into the river Turag and polluting the river severely, it added.

The owner has been promising to set up ETP since October 5, 2010.

Pretrial discussions began on Wednesday in a rare public interest lawsuit whose plaintiffs include non-governmental environmental organizations.

The three plaintiffs — Friend of Nature, Chongqing Green Volunteers Union and the Qujing environmental protection bureau — exchanged evidence with Luliang Chemical Industry, the defendant, on Wednesday, said Chang Cheng, a program officer of Friend of Nature.

The exchange and discussion will last at least three days, Chang said.

A minister in Ivory Coast has been sacked over his alleged role in the disappearance of millions of dollars meant for victims of pollution.

Adama Bictogo says he has not done anything wrong.

The case relates to a 2006 incident in which thousands became ill after toxic waste was dumped in Abidjan.

Multinational Trafigura, which shipped it, denied any wrongdoing but made a series of payments in relation to the case without admitting liability.

A satellite sensor launched from a space centre in French Guyana is being used by the NSW Environment Protection Authority to track illegal dumping of ACT construction waste across the border.

The Spot 5, launched a decade ago, is a three-tonne computer mapping device that takes a high-resolution photo every 90 seconds during its high-speed orbit of the Earth.

The representatives of five organisations of Bhopal gas survivors have urged the Group of Ministers on Bhopal to take a long term view while dealing with the issue of hazardous waste and toxic contamination. The GOM will meet on May 21 to discuss issue of disposal of 350MT of toxic waste of Union Carbide as directed by the Supreme Court. The SC has listed the matter for May 28 as it is awaiting decision of GOM on disposal of this waste.

The representatives of five Bhopal gas survivor organisations on Sunday urged the Group of Ministers on Bhopal to take a long term view in dealing with the issue of hazardous waste and toxic contamination linked with the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster.

The demand raised by the Bhopal gas survivors acquires significance as the GoM will be meeting on Monday to discuss the issue of disposal of 350MT of toxic waste as directed by the Supreme Court. The Apex Court has listed the matter on May 28 and will be awaiting the decision of GoM on solution for disposal of 350 MT of Union Carbide waste.

The green bench of the Lahore High Court directed Environment Protection Department and Water and Sanitation Agency to submit revised list of all the industries causing water pollution in the River Ravi by June 1.

Earlier Additional Secretary Environment submitted a list of industries mentioning 283 factories causing water pollution, while Wasa Director mentioned 520 factories in his report.

At this the court asked for revised and complete report having details of all the factories.