Page 200 - Environment
India signs agreement with Norway to combat marine pollution
India's Environment Ministry on Monday signed an agreement with the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Ministry for an initiative seeking to combat marine pollution.
London Zoo not to blame for death of Sumatran tiger: Manager
London Zoo on Monday denied it was responsible for the death of an endangered Sumatran tiger mauled by a potential mate brought in as part of a breeding programme. Staff were left "entirely distraught" by the death of the tigress, called Melati, the zoo's manager said Monday, rejecting suggestions they had not waited long enough before allowing the animals into the same enclosure. Zoo staff held Melati, 10, and Asim, 7, in adjacent enclosures for 10 days before allowing them on Friday to try and breed as part of a Europe-wide programme to help boost the numbers of the endangered animal. "Several people from outside the zoo have remarked that 10 days seems fast to introduce tigers to each other," Kathryn England, chief operating officer of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), told staff in a letter published on her blog. "It's not -- it's wildly variable and depends entirely on careful observation of their behaviour. "Conversely, it can be risky to leave tigers showing an interest ..
Pakistan took right direction in acquiring nuclear prowess: Pak Gen
Pakistan has taken the right direction in strengthening its defence and acquired nuclear prowess to avoid being coerced, a top Pakistan Army official said on Monday. Addressing a seminar, "Understanding Strategic Coercion in the Realm of Hybrid Gray Conflict: Implications for Pakistan", Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat said,"Beginning as early as the partition, coercive statecraft and hostility from our neighbour is not new." "However, with the accession of hyper-Pakistan had taken the right direction and strengthened its defense. We continue to build our Minimum Credible Deterrence. A Nuclear power of 2020 million cannot be coerced," he said. He said with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the evolving dynamics of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Pakistan was set to play an important role. "We succeeded in the past, we'll succeed in the future," he added. In the prevailing international environment, the subject of the seminar, ...
Elephant 'Chinnathambi' finds backer in AIML
Chinnathambi, the wild elephant that has been in the news for destroying crops much to the concern of farmers, Monday found a supporter in the All India Muslim League. The AIML has petitioned the district Collector to spare the animal as it protected the Western Ghats from encroachers who have destroyed the flora and fauna of the forests. The petition said Chinnathambi should be brought back to Thadagam on the outskirts of the city from where the elephant was translocated to Varagaliyar, about 150 km from here, after it ran amok. The forest department officials were monitoring the elephant's movement and engaged in driving it to the jungle areas, the police said. They said the rogue elephant, which was moving around Udumalpet in nearby Tirupur district covering over 300 kms, destroyed 10 to 15 trees in a coconut grove. Meanwhile, submitting his report on Chinnathambi to the Madras High Court, an expert Ajay Desai said the elephant was now completely habituated to humans
Ghumot to be declared Goa's heritage musical instrument
Ghumot, an indigenous earthen drum which was once banned due to the use of monitor lizard skin in its making, will soon be notified as a "heritage instrument of Goa", Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude told reporters here on Monday.
Chinnathambi finds backer in AIML, gets forest protector tag
Chinnathambi, the wild elephant that has been in the news for destroying crops much to the concern of farmers, Monday found a supporter in the All India Muslim League. The AIML has petitioned the district Collector to spare the animal as it protected the Western Ghats from encroachers who have destroyed the flora and fauna of the forests. The petition said Chinnathambi should be brought back to Thadagam on the outskirts of the city from where the elephant was translocated to Varagaliyar, about 150 km from here, after it ran amok. Meanwhile, the forest department officials were monitoring the elephant's movement and engaged in driving it to the jungle areas, the police said. They said the rogue elephant, which was moving around Udumalpet in nearby Tirupur district covering over 300 kms, destroyed 10 to 15 trees in a coconut grove. On February 7, an animal rights body had urged the Tamil Nadu government to keep Chinnathambi in its natural forest home. This plea came days .
Investment proposals in Kerala to be cleared in 30 days: Vijayan
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday launched an online mechanism to ensure clearance to investment proposals within 30 days of the application, while calling for more industrial production to take place in the state.
No monkey culling in Himachal: Minister
There has been no cullinbg of monkey after the primate was declared a vermin in Himachal Pradesh, Forest Minister Gobind Thakur informed the Assembly on Monday.
One-quarter of vertebrates die because of humans, finds study
Humans cause more than 25 per cent of deaths among an array of species all over the globe.The study, conducted by scientists from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) in Syracuse, New York and the U.S. Department of Agriculture analysed the deaths of 42,755 animals that were reported in 1,114 published studies.The study, published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, found that 28 per cent of the animals' deaths were directly caused by humans.Speaking about the study, co author Jerrold L. Belant said, "We all know humans can have a substantial effect on wildlife. That we are only one among over 35,000 species of terrestrial vertebrates worldwide yet responsible for more than one-fourth of their deaths provides perspective on how large our effect actually is."Belant added, "And that's just direct causes. When you also consider urban growth and other land use changes that reduce habitat, it becomes clear humans have a disproportionate effect on other ..
20,000 Pak students to receive Chinese scholarships
In an aim to push for bolstering people-to-people contacts between the two countries, China on Monday said that about 20,000 Pakistani students will be given Chinese scholarships every year, the highest for any country in the world.China's Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing made the announcement, saying that it would strengthen the already friendly ties between the two nations."It is the people who matter in relationship," he was quoted by The News International as saying at a 'China-Photo Exhibition' held at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) here.Terming the multi-billion dollar China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as a "long-term project", the Chinese envoy said that both Beijing and Islamabad reached a consensus and the next phase of the initiative would focus on investment, joint ventures, cooperation in the power sector and exports and establishment of Special Economic Zones (SEZs).Ambassador Yao further said that the second area of focus for bilateral ...
Sugar prices to rise as global market swings into deficit: Reuters poll
LONDON (Reuters) - World sugar prices are forecast to rise this year with the market swinging into deficit in the 2019/20 season, a Reuters survey of 10 analysts and traders showed on Monday.
Delhi air quality deteriorates to 'very poor'; only rain can bring relief
As predicted, the overall air quality of Delhi and adjoining areas deteriorated to "very poor" on Monday, after days of improved "moderate" air caused by last Thursday's rain and hailstorm, which washed away the pollutants across the city.
Touring exhibition featuring Indo-German Development Cooperation travels to Chennai
Celebrating 60 years of Indo-German Development Cooperation, a Touring Exhibition was launched in Delhi in November 2018. As part of the plan the next touring exhibition was organized in Bengaluru in January 2019 and will now further travel to Chennai. The Touring Exhibition will be exhibited in Chennai at the Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan on 13 February 2019.The exhibition will be inaugurated by Mr. Harmander Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Government of Tamil Nadu and Mr. Michael Wegener, Deputy German Consulate General, Chennai.Indo-German Development Cooperation laid the roots of its long-standing relationship in 1958. The goal was to achieve sustainable global development and to foster a spirit of progressive partnership and trust. During the course, we've hit several milestones like the launch of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1959, the launch and success of the Polio Immunisation Programme in 1996 and the .
Hulladek recycling kicks off awareness drive among 100+ schools
India's only Authorized Electronic Waste Management Organization, Hulladek Recycling announces the launch of its new awareness programme, where they are conducting a 30-40 minute long interactive seminars with 100+ school students to bring E-waste and their associated environmental and health hazards into lights.The seminars will provide the platform to advance the necessary discussion upon current informal environment unfriendly practices of electronic waste disposal such as Acid-bath, Chemical leaching, open burning etc. and the imperative action taken by Hulladek forge a better and environment-friendly E-waste management process.In today's digital world E-waste is as fast a growing concern as I even write. Currently, most E-waste recycling activities in India are undertaken by the unorganized sector (Local kabadiwalas). While such sectors only recover 25% of the material resources, with the help of the robust and transparent operational model, organized sectors such as Hulladek ...
INSA pushes for ratification of the Hong Kong Convention on ship recycling by India
Indian National Shipowners' Association (INSA) reiterated the need for the ratification of Hong Kong Convention. At a meeting held at Mumbai, The Japanese Shipowners' Association, represented by the chairman of the Ship Recycling Committee, Mr. Keijo Tomoda and Indian National Shipowners' Association, represented by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Anil Devli jointly pushed for the need for expeditious ratification of the Hong Kong Convention on Ship Recycling.The Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships or HKC is a multilateral convention adopted in 2009 which has not entered into force as it is awaiting ratification by the large ship recycling countries like China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Countries such as Turkey, Germany, and Japan have already ratified the convention.Mr. Anil Devli, CEO, INSA, said, "Early ratification of the HKC will ensure that the Indian ship recycling yards would substantially benefit. This is ...
Impact of climate change more in developing countries; all nations must collaborate: Venkaiah Naidu
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu Monday expressed concern over the impact of climate change on developing countries and called upon all nations to collaborate and cooperate in an equally unparalleled manner to ensure sustainable development. Speaking at the inauguration of the three-day World Sustainable Development Summit 2019 here, he said, "The immediate impact of climate change was felt more by developing countries because of higher dependence on climatic variables, especially when it comes to agriculture, and their limited capacities to adapt." "With the realisation that the impacts of climate change are borderless and that our fates are deeply inter-linked, we must explore an equally unprecedented degree of collaboration and cooperation," Naidu said. "Climate change and global warming threaten lives and livelihoods of billions and upsets the delicate balance of nature. It is in its recognition that India is trying its best to include the paradigm of sustainability and environmental
Punjab govt inks MoU with Virgo Corp for biofuel project
The Punjab government Monday signed an MoU with a Delhi-based company for a Rs 630-crore project which will produce biofuel from rice husk. The technology for the project will be provided by the US giant Honeywell. The company, Virgo Corporation, will use the technology to produce biofuel from rice husk to set up a rapid thermal processing plant, which will provide over 150 direct and 500 indirect jobs, an official spokesperson said. The project would pave way for potential future collaborations in terms of investments, technology transfer between Punjab and the US, the spokesperson added. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and US Ambassador to India Kenneth I Juster. The project would go a long way in containing environmental pollution due to stubble burning, besides supplementing the income of farmers by helping turn the unmanageable agro-waste into raw material for producing biofuel, Singh said. He pointed out that ...
Ker's Responsible Tourism can make it score high on SDGs:
Kerala's successes with Responsible Tourism (RT) can catapult the state to a high rank in the attainment of the globally accepted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, internationally accredited tourism expert Harold Goodwin has said. "The most important thing for me is the success of the Responsible Tourism Mission and the way in which local communities have been enabled to earn from tourism as an additional livelihood. Local communities don't stop what they were doing before but have an additional source of income," Goodwin, who is the Founder and Managing Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism noted. During a recent visit to Kerala in connection with an international symposium on People's Participation for Participatory Planning & Empowerment through Responsible Tourism (PEPPER), he said the state can also favourably score in the aspects of alternative technologies, soil and water management. On partnerships for the SDGs, Kerala can .
Punjab signs MoU to check stubble burning
In a bid to check stubble burning and boost the renewable energy sector in the state, the Punjab government on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Virgo Corporation for a Rs 630-crore bio-fuel project.
Need to move to responsible pricing in crude, balance interests: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the world has seen crude prices on a roller-coaster ride for too long and there was a need to move to responsible pricing which balances the interests of both the producer and consumer.
