SYDNEY - AUSTRALIA on Sunday listed the world's largest sea turtle, the leatherback, as endangered due to the threats posed by overfishing and the unsustainable harvesting of its eggs and meat.

The leatherback turtle, previously listed only as vulnerable, was one of a group of plants and animals registered as endangered by Environment Minister Peter Garrett.

DETROIT - THOUSANDS of people braved frigid temperatures and snow to crowd into Cobo Center in downtown Detroit on Saturday for the public opening of the North American International Auto Show whose glamour has dimmed in the shadow of a deepening national recession and the struggles of the auto industry.

The doors opened after almost a week of special access for the media, industry insiders and others during which US and foreign automakers spotlighted their new models of eco-friendly hybrids and electric vehicles.

SYDNEY - A TEAM of researchers from Australia and the United States have uncovered new marine life, including fiery red coral and purple-spotted sea anemones, in deep waters off the Australian state of Tasmania, according to findings released on Sunday.

Scientists who took part in the US$2 million (S$2.98 million) four-week expedition also found that most reef-forming coral deeper than 4,200 feet (1,300 metres) in the area were newly dead. Researchers will study samples of the coral to try and determine whether the creatures are dying because of ocean warming, disease, a rise in ocean acidity or some other reason.