Page 146 - Environment
Venezuelan schools, offices closed after second blackout
Venezuelan schools and offices on Tuesday were ordered to shut down for 24 hours as officials worked to restore electricity following a second widespread blackout, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.
US to return astronauts to Moon by 2024: Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence announced that the US plans to land astronauts on the Moon within the next five years, the media reported.
Germany signs financial agreement to launch restoration of Arab Ki Sarai Baoli
The German Ambassador to India, Martin Ney, signed a financial agreement treaty with the Aga Khan Foundation to launch the restoration of the Arab Ki Sarai Baoli here on Tuesday."As you know the cultural heritage of a country is a key factor in defining the identity of its people. Historical monuments not only represent architectural skills of the past, but also provide a deep insight into what ancient times were like," Ney said."There's a heavy challenge, and the challenge is the combined impact of climate conditions, of pollution, negligence, urbanisation and natural decay which often results in damage to the cultural sights or complete disappearance," he outlined.The German Ambassador highlighted that this would be his last project before he returns to Germany on Friday, after serving in his post for around four years."Germany aims to protect and preserve cultural property worldwide...We have supported, since the last 35 years, over 2,800 projects in 144 countries. In India we've ..
Foreign cigarettes worth Rs 1 crore seized
About 200 cartons of foreign cigarettes valued at over Rs 1 crore were seized by the customs department here on Tuesday, sources said. The cigarettes were recovered from the godown of a cargo company at Ahom Gaon area of the city. The cigarette cartons were in kept in sacks in the godown. Investigations are on, the sources added.
Leopard injures four in Guwahati
At least four people were injured after a leopard ventured into a residential area on Tuesday and attacked the locals."We caught the leopard. We will release it back into the forest. It is not a full-grown leopard," said Arindom Kishor Pasoni, Guwahati zoo official.Locals saw the leopard last evening but were unable to catch it."The victims met with some injuries. They are admitted to the nearby hospital and their treatment is going on," said the police.The Forest Department team captured the leopard after struggling for nearly six hours. Thousands of people had gathered around to see the leopard.
340 LS candidates in fray in Karnataka's first phase
A total of 340 candidates are in the fray from 14 constituencies in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka on April 18, an official statement said on Tuesday.
Land conservation helps local economies grow, study suggests
Land conservation modestly increases employment rates and can help local economies grow, researchers have found.As part of a recent study, researchers estimated the local net impact of both private and public land conservation over 25 years (1990-2015) across 1,500 cities and towns that are home to 99.97 per cent of New England's population.The research shows that when land protection increased, employment increased over the next five-year period, even when controlling rigorously for other associated factors."Employment gains were modest but significant across the region, and the effect was amplified in more rural areas," said Kate Sims, co-lead author of the study published in the Journal of Conservation Biology.To illustrate the study's results, she explained that if a town with 50,000 people employed increased its land protection by 50 per cent, it saw, on average, 750 additional people employed in the next five years.Conservation--the permanent protection of land from developed ...
16 of 17 Telangana seats report 90% utlilization
The utilisation of MPLADS funds in 16 out of 17 Lok Sabha constituencies in Telangana has been over 90 per cent.
2018 spike in energy demand spells climate trouble: IEA
A 2.3 per cent jump in global energy demand last year outstripped the expansion of renewables and helped drive record-high greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Tuesday. Fossil fuels satisfied nearly 70 per cent of that growth for the second year running, with natural gas accounting for 45 per cent of the rise in energy consumption, according to the Agency's Global Energy & CO2 Status Report. Double-digit growth in solar and wind power generation -- 31 per cent for solar -- was still not fast enough to meet soaring electricity demand that also pushed up the use of coal, the most carbon-intensive of fuels. "We have seen an extraordinary increase in global energy demand in 2018, growing at its fastest pace this decade," said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol. "But despite major growth in renewables, global emissions are still rising, demonstrating once again that more urgent action is needed on all fronts" to tackle climate change, he ...
HC asks 2G accused to complete plantation drive
he Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed 2G spectrum accused - Shahid Usman Balwa of Swan Telecom and others - to comply with its earlier order and complete a plantation drive.
Macron and Xi urge 'global push' to halt biodiversity loss
French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday issued an unprecedented call for a "global push" to halt biodiversity loss, which threatens species and habitats across the planet. In a joint statement following trade talks between EU leaders and the Chinese president in Paris, France and China promised to work together "against environmental crimes, especially poaching and trafficking of species threatened with extinction". The statement contained a series of environmental pledges alongside security and economic declarations, including unspecified commitments to support actions to reduce plastic pollution and protect marine ecosystems in Antarctica. France and China also pledged to implement "all dimensions" of the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, which aims to limit global temperature rises to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). "We will act together for a global push against the erosion of biodiversity," the statement said. In
Stalagmite can forecast droughts, floods in India
Studying the last 50 years of growth of a stalagmite from a cave in Meghalaya - known for getting the most rain on Earth - can unlock secrets about climate change and could help better predict monsoon patterns, droughts and floods in India, scientists say.
Germany promises Rs 41.5 lakh for heritage 'baoli'
The Aga Khan Foundation on Tuesday partnered with the German embassy, which will provide Rs 41.5 lakh for rebuilding of a traditional 'baoli (water stepwell) in the Humayun Tomb's complex here.
China destroys 30,000 'incorrect' world maps for showing Arunachal as part of India
China has destroyed 30,000 world maps printed in the country for export for not mentioning Arunachal Pradesh and Taiwan as part of Chinese territory, the officla media reported on Tuesday. China claims the north-eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. China routinely objects to Indian leaders visiting Arunachal Pradesh to highlight its stand. India says the State of Arunachal Pradesh is its integral and inalienable part and Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other parts of the country. The two countries have so far held 21 rounds of talks to resolve the border dispute covering 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC). China also claims the estranged island of Taiwan as part of its territory that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force. The world maps were meant for export to an "unspecified country", state-run Global Times reported on Tuesday. Almost 30,000 "incorrect" world maps, showing Taiwan as a separate .
Network of lakes discovered beneath Antarctica
Scientists have discovered a network of lakes beneath the largest glacier in East Antarctica, a finding that may be critical in predicting how the melting of polar ice will change the world's oceans in the future. Researchers of Australian Antarctic Program have undertaken seismic studies to find out if there is bedrock or water, as subglacial lakes or ocean, under the ice. "If there's bedrock under the glacier, it's sticky and will move more slowly, but if there's water or soft sediments, the glacier will move faster," said Ben Galton-Fenzi from glaciologist Australian Antarctic Division. "This study has shown us for the first time that there are substantial amounts of water contained in subglacial lakes, not far from the ocean, that we know very little about," said Galton-Fenzi. The flow of water in and out of these lakes has the potential to exert a powerful control on the rate that the ice flows into the oceans. The seismic study involved setting off a series of small explosions .
LS Polls 2019: EC seizure crosses Rs 539 crore in two weeks
In over two weeks after the Model Code of Conduct came into force, the Election Commission has seized Rs 539.992 crore worth of cash and other material from 18 poll-bound states, with the highest collection coming from Uttar Pradesh (Rs 104.23 crore) and lowest from Andaman and Nicobar (Rs 0.9 crore).In Andhra Pradesh, the authorities seized Rs 103.4 crore while in Gujarat Rs 6 crore was seized.The flying squads and other surveillance teams constituted by the EC seized Rs 22.6 from Manipur, Rs 16.295 crore from West Bengal, Rs 4.20 crore from Assam and Rs 2.28 crore from Arunachal Pradesh.In Karnataka Rs 26.53 crore was seized, Rs 9.197 crore from Madhya Pradesh and Rs 19.11 crore from Maharashtra.Seven phase elections will be held between April 11 and May 19. Results will be declared on May 23.
Vast water bodies located beneath Antarctica glacier
Researchers have found vast bodies of water underneath one of the biggest Antarctica glaciers, giving crucial insight into the possible outcomes of global climate change, the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has revealed.
Spacesuit issue stalls NASA all-woman spacewalk
Citing lack of right sized spacesuit on the International Space Station (ISS), NASA on Tuesday cancelled the all-woman spacewalk that was scheduled for March 29.
Widening of Shalteng-Narbal highway stretch gains pace
Widening of a stretch of the Srinagar-Baramulla national highway between Shalteng and Narbal in Jammu and Kashmir is in full swing, officials associated with the project said on Tuesday.Site in charge Ghulam Qadir said, "We have put to work over 100 labourers on this project to speed up the process. We are working on four places on the road. Rest of the work has been completed."The 7.7 km-long road stretch is being widened to four lanes to enable easy movement of vehicles on National Highway-1 between Parimpora bypass in Srinagar to Narbal in Budgam district.Locals are hopeful of a reduction of the usual traffic jam on the highway after completion of the work."Sometimes ambulances carrying seriously-ill patients get stuck in traffic jam on this road. We appeal to the government and the workers involved in this project to finish the widening at the earliest," a commuter said.Sanctioned under Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme (PMRP), the construction work is being carried out by
Stalagmite key to predicting droughts, floods for India: Study
An unusual cave in Meghalaya has helped unlock secrets about climate change, according to scientists who say that data from stalagmites in India could help better predict monsoon patterns, droughts and floods in the country. Researchers from Vanderbilt University in the US studied the last 50 years of growth of a stalagmite from Mawmluh Cave in Meghalaya, an area credited as the rainiest place on Earth. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found an unexpected connection between winter rainfall amounts in northeast India and climatic conditions in the Pacific Ocean. Winter rainfall following weak monsoon years in India can alleviate water stress for farmers. This distant link between land and ocean records could aid in predicting dry season rainfall amounts in northeast India. Each year, monsoon rains between June and September provide water for roughly 1.5 billion people in India. Changes in monsoon strength and the timing of its onset or withdrawal can trigger ...
