Page 344 - Environment
Environmentalists target Amazon France in 'Black Friday' protest
Environmental activists dumped mounds of broken electronics, appliances and other waste at the French headquarters of Amazon on Friday, accusing the e-commerce giant of encouraging over-consumption while falling short on recycling. Around 40 people converged on the company's offices in the northern Paris suburb of Clichy to dump washing machines, old computer screens, tangles of power cords and other items to coincide with the busy "Black Friday" Thanksgiving holiday sale. "We're accusing Amazon in particular of violating the law by not putting in place a system for collecting electronics and recycling them properly. It's a waste of resources," Alma Dufour of Friends of the Earth told AFP. "The business model of the second-largest retailer of electronics in France is based on runaway over-consumption," Dufour said. "They offer cut-rate prices and offer delivery that gets faster and faster, something that isn't compatible with climate change targets," she added.
Kamal Haasan asks PM to visit cyclone-affected areas of TN
Back from a visit to some of the worst-affected parts of the cyclone-ravaged districts in Tamil Nadu, Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the state and see for himself the sufferings wrought on the people so that the Centre can come out with massive assistance to the state.
Jaitapur nuclear project: Land acquisition process completed,
The land acquisition process for the 9900 MW nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, about 600 kilometres from here, has been completed, Maharashtra Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said. In a written reply to a question by Congress MLC Anant Gadgil in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Thursday, Bawankule added the state government was assisting the Centre to acquire land for the project. "The land acquisition process is complete," Bawankule stated in his written reply. Responding to the Congress MLC's query on whether the project faced opposition from local residents, Bawankule answered in the affirmative. Local residents as well as parties like the Shiv Sena have been opposing the project citing safety concerns. The project is being undertaken by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Electricite de France (EDF), a French power utility firm. The Jaitapur nuclear power plant comprises six reactors with a combined capacity of 9900 MW. An Industrial .
Humans not to blame for ancient mammal extinctions in Africa: Study
Human ancestors are not to blame for wiping out many of the large mammals in Africa over the last several million years, according to a study. Published in the journal Science, the study suggests that long-term environmental change drove the extinctions, mainly in the form of grassland expansion likely caused by falling atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. "Despite decades of literature asserting that early hominins impacted ancient African faunas, there have been few attempts to actually test this scenario or to explore alternatives," said Tyler Faith, an assistant professor from the University of Utah in the US. "We think our study is a major step towards understanding the depth of anthropogenic impacts on large mammal communities, and provides a convincing counter-argument to these long-held views about our early ancestors," Faith said. To test for ancient hominin impacts, the researchers compiled a seven-million-year record of herbivore extinctions in eastern Africa, focusing .
Hominins not behind extinction of giant African mammals: Study
Human ancestors played little to no role in driving mammal extinction in ancient African ecosystems, instead it is related to environmental change, say researchers overturning decades of thinking on ancient hominin impacts.
VW to appeal German court ruling ordering diesel car buyback
German automaker Volkswagen says it will appeal a court ruling that orders it to buy back a six-year-old diesel vehicle at the original sales price. In a statement Friday, Volkswagen said it expects an appeals court to overturn the verdict issued last week by judges in the southern German city of Augsburg. The company has paid billions of dollars in fines and compensation to diesel car owners since 2015 for cheating on emissions tests. But until the Augsburg verdict, courts in Germany had deducted a usage fee when ordering VW to buy back affected diesel cars. In their ruling, judges in Augsburg said VW had acted "immorally" by manipulating the emissions control software in its cars in order to increase sales. Volkswagen insists that "customers suffered neither loss nor damage.
All India Kisan Sabha accuses Yogi govt of diverting attention from 'rural distress'
The All India Kisan Sabha has accused the Yogi Adityanath government of raking up the Ram temple issue for diverting people's attention from the "rural distress". Dharampal Singh, the president of Kisan Sabha's Uttar Pradesh unit, said it was impossible for the state and the central government to fulfill their pre-poll commitments to farmers "simply because funds have dried up... they have been diverted to non farmer segments within the agriculture sector." "A major challenge has been posed by the Yogi government through its ongoing attempt to breach farmers unity by raking the Ram temple issue purely for diverting attention from the present rural distress," Singh said. He alleged that funds allocated for paying off farmers were "diverted to Africa-based industries" and farmers were directly provided only five per cent of such funds. On the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's assurance to sugarcane farmers of clearing cane arrears by November 30, Singh said it was "nothing but an eye ...
Maha got Rs 1.6 lakh cr for road works in 4 years: Minister
Maharashtra has received Rs 1.6 lakh crore for road works from the state and Central governments in the last four years, state Public Works Minister Chandrakant Patil Friday said. Addressing the 79th Indian Road Congress here, Patil said several road projects are on the verge of completion which he claimed would change the picture in Maharashtra. "There were 52,000 kilometres of roads in Maharashtra in 1960 when the state was formed which has now increased to 2.76 lakh kilometres. The PWD budget has increased from Rs 1,700 crore four years ago to Rs 6,000 crore now thanks to the efforts of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis," Patil told the gathering. "With the (budgetary) support of Rs 6,000 crore and Central assistance by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, we have got Rs 1.6 lakh crore for road works in the last four years," Patil added. Patil informed the gathering that Rs 30,000 crore worth of road works had been facilitated under the Hybrid ...
EIB, SBI expand cooperation in wind energy financing
The European Investment Bank (EIB) Friday said it will increase its support for India's wind energy projects by expanding the existing lending programmes with SBI. EIB and SBI have agreed to cooperate on financing renewable energy and providing new support for wind energy projects across India by expanding the ongoing financing initiative in the field of onshore wind projects, EIB said in a statement. With this collaboration, the promoters of wind projects in India will benefit from long-term low cost financing under the dedicated EUR 600 million renewable energy financing programme that is already supporting large-scale solar investment across the country. EIB has also approved a new line of credit to Yes Bank to boost private investment in clean energy projects. EIB will provide USD 100 million line of credit to the private sector lender in the coming months. Last year, Yes Bank has already utilised a USD 100 million funding from EIB towards solar power projects and wind farms ...
India to give 5 pct subsidy for non-basmati rice exports for 4 months: govt
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India, the world's biggest rice exporter, will give incentives for non-basmati rice shipments to help boost flagging overseas sales, the government said in an order reviewed by Reuters.
India to give 5 percent subsidy for non-basmati rice exports for four months: government
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India, the world's biggest rice exporter, will give incentives for non-basmati rice shipments to help boost flagging overseas sales, the government said in an order reviewed by Reuters.
20 dead in Pakistan market blast
At least 20 people were killed and over 30 injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday.
25 killed, 35 injured in powerful blast in Pak's northwest
A powerful bomb blast ripped through a busy market outside a religious seminary in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday, killing at least 25 people and injuring over 35 others, officials said. The explosive material was planted in the Friday Market (Juma Bazar) near an imambargah, a Shia religious place, in Aurakzai tribal district's Kalaya area outside. At least 25 people were killed while more than 35 others injured, Geo news quoted district administration officials as saying. Officials said that most of the victims were minority Shia Muslims. The area has been cordoned off and investigation into the incident is under way. An emergency has been declared in the region's hospitals to handle the situation. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police are on high alert following the Orakzai blast and a separate attack on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi on Friday morning. "Our enemies are not happy with peace in the province," provincial Chief Minister Mehmood Khan said after the ...
Wild coffee plants, Christmas and chocolate trees poorly protected: Study
A wide range of wild plants used for food, medicine, shelter, fuel, livestock forage and other valuable purposes are poorly protected, according to a study. These include wild populations of firs used for Christmas trees, the original types of kitchen-cupboard staples like vanilla, chamomile, cacao and cinnamon, wild relatives of crops like coffee, and plants used by bees to make honey, said researchers from the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia. A new way of measuring plant conservation shows that less than 3 per cent of the 7,000 evaluated species are presently classified as "low priority" or "sufficiently conserved." This is worrying since the indicator was designed to measure countries' progress towards ambitious conservation goals that are supposed to be met by 2020, according to the study that appears in the journal Ecological Indicators. "This indicator underscores the urgency to protect the world's useful wild plants," said Colin Khoury, a ...
Exclusive: Argentine bid to win access to China soymeal market stalled - chamber
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Talks to allow Argentine soymeal livestock feed to enter China are progressing at a slower-than-hoped pace amid bureaucratic issues, including Chinese demands to inspect local crushing plants, the head of Argentina's soy industry chamber said on Thursday.
Water conflicts on the rise in Maharashtra, say experts
Issues of unequal distribution, lack of planning, political interference and growing demand for water were giving rise to disputes among the different regions of Maharashtra, according to experts on the subject. Maharashtra received inadequate rainfall this monsoon and the government recently declared drought in 151 out of the 353 talukas in the state. Citing lack of a state-level policy for water distribution and storage, Sanjay Lakhe Patil, president of the Marathwada Backlog Removal and Development Forum, blamed politicians. "They have always invested heavily in their own areas. Maximum dams have been constructed per hectare area, resulting in water imbalance and conflictsbetween different regions, talukas and districts," he said. "Our water policy has always remained flawed. Needs of the region were never considered while sanctioningirrigation projects. Political leaders only thought about regions of their influence," Lakhe Patil claimed. Giving an example, Lakhe ...
Master Plan to develop Gulmarg as ace tourist destination approved
Battling encroachment, haphazard construction and deforestation, the picturesque town of Gulmarg will be developed into an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable tourist destination, the Gulmarg Master Plan-2032, approved by the Jammu and Kashmir government, has envisaged. The State Administrative Council (SAC) which met here Thursday evening under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik approved the Master Plan, an official spokesman said Friday. The plan proposes to maximise the contribution of Gulmarg and its surroundings to the state's economy, while preserving its rich natural and cultural heritage, the official said. At the same time, it proposes to provide the best hospitality, excellent value for money and memorable experiences to every visitor and develop Gulmarg as one of the preferred all-weather international tourist destinations. According to the official, the main features of the plan include the development of Tangmarg area in the vicinity of ...
Delhi: Toxic air continues to make the capital breathless
People residing in Delhi woke up to a misty morning on Friday with the minimum and maximum temperatures hovering at 31-degree Celsius and 13-degree Celsius. The air quality continued to remain in 'very poor' category.Over the past few weeks, the air quality in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) has remained in the same category with PM (particulate matter) 2.5 hitting an average of 300 during morning hours, according to Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR). The overall air quality today docked up at 302 at 8:30 am.At Dhirpur, the AQI was 337, while in Mathura Road area it dipped to 'very poor' category at 306. Furthermore, AQI near Pitampura, Airport Terminal 3 and Delhi University stood at 327, 168 and 282 respectively.Due to increase in the PM 10 levels, regions such as Dwarka, Mundaka, Rohini and Anand Vihar registered "severe" air-quality.Delhites are finding it tough to carry out their daily activities owing to the hazardous air quality.Narrating .
China hopes G20 to maintain longstanding position against protectionism
BEIJING (Reuters) - China hopes the G20 group would maintain its longstanding position against protectionism, said China's Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun on Friday.
Successive droughts trigger migration in this MP village
With polls right around the corner in Madhya Pradesh, all political parties are putting their best foot forward promising best of development for the state, however state of affairs in Gora village of Bundelkhand region narrate a total different story.A fourth successive drought in the last five years has shattered the people of this region. The situation is such that one can find every second house locked up, as the villagers are now migrating from the vicinity in search of employment opportunitiesIt is only the elderly or children who can be found in the village. They survive on the money being sent by their family members working in various other places.However, the youth of the village dreams big and wishes to contribute towards the betterment of the region. But to their dismay the lack of opportunity in the area leaves them no choice.One of the young boys named Jaihind says, "All of my family members have left the village and I live alone here to study. I want to become a ...
