UN panel OKs sale of elephant ivory GENEVA (AP) - The United Nations relaxed its 9-year-old ban on the trade of ivory Wednesday, allowing an as yet undetermined amount to be shipped to Japan from three African nations where elephant populations have rebounded. Some wildlife conservation groups object, saying the decision will lead to a return of the poaching that prompted the restrictions, part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES. The U.N. committee on CITES defended its move as an effort to "support conservation and community development projects" in Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe, three countries that have sought permission to export to Japan. See full story <http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558402182-ddb>
