Antarctic treaty comes into force

A treaty banning all mining and mineral exploitation in the Antarctic comes into force today -- more than six years after it was agreed at an international conference in Madrid.

The Antarctic Environmental Protocol, which is designed to protect the world's last great wilderness from industrial development, became effective after finally being ratified by Japan.

It was the last of the twenty-six countries to sign.

Besides outlawing mining for fifty years, it establishes strict limits on pollution and waste disposal, and stipulates measures to protect flora and fauna.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service