Page 493 - Environment
Chinese private firm successfully launches suborbital rocket
A suborbital rocket developed by a private Chinese company was successfully launched on Friday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. The OS-X1, developed and produced by One Space, can reach a speed of Mach 4.5 in load flight, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Suborbital rockets usually have a flight path of less than one complete orbit of the Earth. They can reach an altitude of more than 100 kms above sea level and then fall back to Earth. Suborbital rockets or satellites are primarily used for scientific experiments. This was the company's second launch this year. The mission, termed by many industry observers as a landmark in the country's space industry, was conducted at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, which marked the first time that a private rocket blasted off from a government-run space launch site, official media reported. On September 5, a Beijing-based private company i-Space fired three mini satellites into space using its own rocket, marking China's first ..
Modi pitches for investments in EV value chain, says better mobility boosts growth
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday pitched for investments in manufacturing of electric vehicles and smart charging facilities as he emphasised that better mobility can boost growth. Asserting that mobility powered by clean energy is the most powerful weapon in the fight against climate change, he said the focus must go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters and rickshaws. "Congestion-free mobility is critical to check the economic and environmental costs of congestion," he said addressing the Global Mobility Summit 'MOVE' here. Noting that mobility is a key driver of the economy, the Prime Minister said better mobility reduces the burden of travel and transportation and can boost economic growth. "It is already a major employer and can create the next generation of jobs," he said. Common public transport must be the cornerstone of mobility initiatives, Modi said, adding that "clean mobility powered by clean energy is our most powerful weapon in our fight against climate ...
Climate negotiator warns world 'out of time' to save islands
Island nations like Fiji and the Maldives are almost at the "point of no return" because of rising sea levels, a leading climate negotiator warned Friday. As well as losing land and infrastructure to encroaching oceans as the planet heats up, many islands are also facing extreme flooding and damage from tropical storms, warned Amjad Abdulla, head negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). With experts from across the planet locked in key talks in Bangkok aimed at breathing life into the Paris Agreement on climate change, Abdulla said time had "already run out" for some countries. "Our islands are at risk. We are doing more than our fair share with our limited resources," he told AFP on the sidelines of the six-day conference. "What we are saying to the international community is that we do not have adequate financial, technological or human capacity in terms of alleviating the issue of climate change -- we need international cooperation so we can all survive on our ...
Tractor-trolley carrying illegally mined sand kills forest officer in MP
A Forest Department officer deputed to check sand mafia operations was intentionally run over and killed by a tractor-trolley laden with illegally mined sand here on Friday morning, police said. Subedar Singh Kushwaha, a deputy forest ranger, was stationed at a check post on National Highway 3 here, along with other Forest Department staffers, to check illegal excavation of sand from the Chambal riverbed, they said. The 50-year-old officer was killed at around 8 am when he was inspecting vehicles coming from the riverside, district Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Sanghi said. The tractor driver, who is yet to be identified, fled the spot along with the vehicle after knocking down Kushwaha, he said. The SP said Kushwaha was trying to intercept a tractor-trolley laden with illegally mined sand when another one intentionally mowed him down from behind. Both vehicles managed to flee from the spot, he added. He said police were scanning footage from CCTV cameras installed near the ...
25 acres of encroached land retrieved in Rajouri
Authorities have retrieved 25 arces of encroached land in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. A team comprising magistrates, police personnel and officers of the Forest and Revenue Department carried out the anti-encroachment drive, official spokesperson said Friday. The district administration Rajouri has retrieved 25 acres of encroached land, including 20 acres forest land and 5 acres of state land, at Chak Mathyani village, he said. It was informed that the district administration would continue such drives to retrieve the encroached state land.
Modi pitches for investments in EV value chain, says mobility boosts growth
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday pitched for investments in electric vehicles across the value chain from batteries to smart charging as he unveiled a mobility road map with common public transport as the cornerstone, saying better mobility can boost growth. "Congestion-free mobility is critical to check the economic and environmental costs of congestion," he said addressing the Global Mobility Summit 'MOVE' here. Stating that common public transport must be the cornerstone of mobility initiatives, he said focus must go beyond cars to other vehicles such as scooters and rickshaws. "Clean mobility powered by clean energy is our most powerful weapon in our fight against climate change." With CEOs of global auto majors in attendance, Modi said the government is keen on "investments across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing". The government is targeting electric vehicles to account for 15 per cent of all vehicles sales in five years in a .
Australia, New Zealand deploy planes to enforce UN sanctions
Australia and New Zealand said Friday they are sending three maritime patrol planes to Japan as part of the effort to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea. Japan has been monitoring offshore ship-to-ship transfers of oil allegedly involving North Korean ships, which would violate UN sanctions imposed over the North's nuclear and missile programs. New Zealand Defense Minister Ron Mark said in a statement it would coordinate efforts with partners to counter North Korean activities that breach sanctions, in particular ship-to-ship transfers. Australian Defense Minister Christopher Pyne said his country would deploy two Orion aircraft to put economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea. "Australia continues to work with partners to enforce sanctions to pressure North Korea to take concrete and verifiable steps to denuclearize," Pyne said in a statement. "A stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific remains Australia's priority." New Zealand will deploy one Orion plane. New Zealand Foreign .
'First known omnivorous shark species identified'
Scientists say they have identified the first known omnivorous shark species, with 60 per cent of its diet consisting of seagrass. The finding, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, overturns the idea that all sharks are exclusive meat-eaters. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine in the US found that bonnethead sharks happily graze upon seagrass, in addition to eating bony fish, crabs, snails and shrimp. Omnivores feed on a variety of food of both plant and animal origin. The bonnethead shark is abundant in the shallow waters of the Western Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico, 'The Guardian' reported. Though small by shark standards, adult females -- the larger of the sexes -- can still reach an impressive five feet long. The researchers analysed the sharks' dietary habits after reading reports of the fish chomping on seagrass, the flowering marine plant that forms subsea meadows in some coastal waters. They retrieved sea grass from Florida Bay and
Stable policy regime for e-mobility soon: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the government will soon put in place a new stable policy regime to promote the use of electric and other alternative-fuel vehicles in the country to fight climate change.
India, France sign pact to cut GHG emissions in urban transport
India and France have signed an implementation agreement on "Mobilise Your City" (MYC) in the presence of Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Hardeep Singh Puri and Alexander Ziegler, Ambassador of France in India.The agreement was signed by Mukund Kumar Sinha, OSD and Ex-Officio Joint Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for India, while Regional Director, Agence Française de Developpement (AfD), Nicolas Fornage, signed the agreement on behalf of AfD.MYC is part of an international initiative which is supported by the French and German Governments and was launched at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) meeting in December, 2015. Based on a proposal made by AFD in 2015, the European Union has agreed to provide funds of Euro 3.5 million through the AFD to contribute to specific investments and technical assistance components within the Mobilise Your City (MYC) programme in India.The MYC will support three pilot cities --
Govt procures 38 mn tonnes rice so far in 2017-18; exceeds target
The Centre's rice procurement has surpassed the target at 38 million tonnes so far in the ongoing 2017-18 marketing year that will end this month, a senior food ministry official said Friday. The rice procurement target set for this year was 37.5 million tonnes. The government had procured 34.35 million tonnes during the last marketing year (October-September), surpassing the target of 33 million tonnes set for that year. "Rice procurement is coming to closure this month. So far, we have procured 38 million tonnes. We have purchased more than the target set for this year," the official told PTI. Much of the rice was purchased from states like Punjab, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Over 33 per cent of the country's total rice production has been procured at the MSP. The paddy is procured at the minimum support price (MSP). State-run Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies have undertaken procurement operation. For the current ...
PM pitches for investments in e-vehicles manufacturing
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday unveiled a mobility road map that seeks investments in manufacturing electric vehicles and increased use of public transport for travel, saying congestion-free mobility is critical to check economic and environmental costs of congestion. The Indian economy, he said, is the world's fastest growing major economy that is building 100 smart cities and constructing roads, airports, rail lines and ports at a greater pace. Speaking at the Global Mobility Summit 'MOVE', he said clean mobility powered by clean energy is the most powerful weapon to fight climate change. "This means a pollution-free clean drive, leading to clean air and better living standards for our people. We should champion the idea of 'clean kilometres'. "My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7 Cs: common, connected, convenient, congestion-free, charged, clean, cutting-edge," he said.
China launches new marine satellite
China on Friday launched a marine satellite to help improve understanding of maritime waters and climate change.
Koala population in Australia faces extinction by 2050
The koala population in Australia's of New South Wales (NSW) state may face extinction by 2050 if the current rate of tree felling is maintained, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned on Friday.
Will have ethanol industry worth 1 lakh cr in 5-7 years: Gadkari
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that India will have an ethanol industry worth Rs 1 lakh crore within the next five to seven years.Addressing the 58th Annual Convention held by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Gadkari said, "The Government of India has formulated a policy to use substitute, cost-effective, and pollution free fuels. We want to promote usage of substitute fuels and we will have an ethanol industry worth Rs 1 lakh crore within the next five to seven years."Terming pollution "India's biggest problem", Gadkari said that Ethanol-based fuel will help tackle pollution."Diesel buses in Mumbai run at a cost of Rs 110 per kilometre, Air Conditioned ethanol buses at Rs 78 per kilometre in Nagpur, electric buses at Rs 50 per kilometre, electric minibuses at Rs 27 per kilometre. Using substitute fuels will help bring down the cost of ticket as well as reduce pollution. It is important for our economy to promote ...
523 Indian star tortoises seized from train passenger in Mumbai
In a joint operation with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and Forest Department, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials on Thursday seized 523 endangered Indian star tortoises from one train passenger at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus railway station in Mumbai.It is suspected that the tortoises were to be sold to a pet trader here.The accused woman who was traveling from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh to Kurla Terminus has been apprehended.The tortoises have been identified as the Indian Star Tortoise (Geochelone elegans), a vulnerable species and included in Appendix II of the CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species).The Indian star tortoises are trafficked and smuggled as a part of the exotic pet trade and are highly priced, both in local and international markets.The turtles have now been transferred to the forest department for further investigation and the Wildlife Department has been requested to pursue that the tortoises are rehabilitated in
Over 500 star tortoises seized in Mumbai
Over 500 endangered Indian star tortoises have been seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from a woman passenger at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) here, the agency said Thursday. All the 523 seized tortoises were allegedly bound for sale to pet traders in the city. The accused, who was travelling from Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh to the Kurla Terminus, was apprehended in a joint operation by the city units in association with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and the state forest department, the DRI said in a statement. As endangered species, the Indian star tortoises are trafficked and smuggled as a part of the exotic pet trade and are highly priced, both in local and international markets. They have been transferred to the forest department for further investigation, the statement said.
Door to door waste collection, mechanised road sweeping soon in Noida soon, pvt firms get contract
A Mumbai-based private firm bagged Thursday a contract worth Rs 306 crore for door-to-door solid waste collection in Noida for 10 years, while tenders were finalised for mechanised sweeping of city roads as well in a major push for Swachh India initiative. A Noida administration official said the contract has been awarded to the AG Enviro Infra Project Private Limited of Mumbai through a global tender and the service is likely to begin by December this year. "For Rs 306 crore, i.e., approximately 30 crore per annum, this firm will carry out door-to-door waste collection in entire Noida for a period of 10 years," Officer on Special Duty Rajesh Kumar Singh said in a statement. He said the authority had estimated a cost of Rs 400 crore for the project when the tender was floated to hire a private agency in January this year. "This was a much pressing task for the Authority. The firm which has been awarded the contract will use its own resources, including men and machines, to do the ...
Commercial vehicles run on alternative fuels will not require permit: Minister
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that commercial vehicles such as buses, taxis and rickshaws powered by alternative fuels such as "Ethanol, Methanol, Bio-diesel and CNG" will be exempted from the requirement of a permit.
'18 charging stations for e-vehicles inaugurated in Dwarka '
In a major step to combat pollution, a charging infrastructure having 18 charging stations was inaugurated on Thursday near Dwarka Metro station.
