Page 599 - Environment
Mexico earthquake unearths ancient temple
A devastating earthquake that struck central Mexico last September gave way to a fascinating discovery: remnants of a rain god temple within an Aztec pyramid. The temple, dedicated to a deity called Tlaloc and located within the Teopanzolco pyramid in Cuernavaca, Morelos state, belonged to the region's Tlahuica culture. As a result of the earthquake, "the pyramid suffered considerable rearrangement of the core of its structure," said archaeologist Barbara Koniecza of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). The greatest damage was at the top, where two temples had already been discovered -- one dedicated to the Mesoamerican god of the sun and war, Huitzilopochtli, and another to Tlaloc. "The floor of both shrines sank and bent, which also put their stability in danger," Koniecza said. When the INAH carried out studies with radar to examine the pyramid's structure, they found traces of the newly discovered Tlaloc temple. The structure is believed to date back to ...
Once in a blue bloom: Kerala's famed neelakurinji set for rare mass bloom
Thiruvananthapuram, July 12 (IANS/Mongabay) Starting late July, the Anamalai hills near Munnar in Kerala will be resplendent, clad in a purplish blue carpet. The famed neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) will burst into flower - a phenomenon that occurs once in 12 years. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to flock to the Munnar hills to behold the spectacle that lasts up until October.
Thai cave to be turned into museum
A cave complex in northern Thailand where 12 boys and their football coach were trapped for more than two weeks is set to be turned into a museum, a media report said on Thursday.
Humans arrived in Asia earlier than thought: Study
Our earliest human ancestors left Africa and colonised Asia over two million years ago, ancient tools and bones discovered in China by archaeologists suggest. The tools were discovered by a research team led by Professor Zhaoyu Zhu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences at a locality called Shangchen in the southern Chinese Loess Plateau. The oldest artefacts are 2.12 million years old, and are 270,000 years older than the 1.85 million-year-old skeletal remains and stone tools from Dmanisi, Georgia, which were previously the earliest evidence of humanity outside Africa. The artefacts include a notch, scrapers, cobble, hammer stones and pointed pieces, according to the study published in the journal Nature. All show signs of use - the stone had been intentionally flaked. Most were made of quartzite and quartz that probably came from the foothills of the Qinling Mountains 5 to 10 kilometres to the south of the site, and the streams flowing from them. Fragments of animal bones 2.12 million
China cuts soybean import forecast in face of trade war
BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday cut its forecast for soybean imports for the 2018/19 crop year, warning that higher prices due to trade conflict with the United States would curb demand as farmers switch to alternative ingredients for their animal feed.
China cuts soybean import forecast for next crop year as trade war to curb demand
BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Thursday cut its forecast for soybean imports for the 2018/19 crop year, warning that higher prices due to Beijing's trade war with Washington will curb demand as farmers switch to alternative ingredients for their animal feed.
Gadkari to launch development projects at Vizag port tomorrow
Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari will launch various development projects under the Sagarmala and Bharatmala projects worth Rs 3,685.35 crore here tomorrow. The minister, who is here on a two-day visit for the annual review of the country's port sector as well as the Sagarmala and Bharatmala projects, will inaugurate two new post Panamax Rail-Mounted Quay Cranes and allied equipment at the Visakhapatnam Container Terminal Private Limited. They have been installed at a cost of Rs 150 crore, according to Visakhapatnam Port Trust chairman M T Krishna Babu. Gadkari would also inaugurate the upgraded and modernised iron ore handling complex at VPT, built at a cost of Rs 580 crore under the public-private partnership model, the chairman said. He would inaugurate a new fire station complex at VPT and a high-rise wall (to prevent pollution) and launch a 2,000 sapling plantation programme. This Rs 10.35-crore project is a part of the VPT's measures to curb
Did NASA probe burn up organic molecules on Mars 40 years ago?
It may sound a bit bizarre but a NASA probe may have accidentally destroyed organic molecules found on the surface of Mars more that 40 years ago, according to a report from New Scientist.
China lowers forecast for 2018/19 soybean imports amid trade war
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will likely import 93.85 million tonnes of soybeans in the 2018/19 crop year, its agriculture ministry said on Thursday, lowering its forecast from 95.65 million tonnes as trade tensions with the United States push up costs.
Senior UN official highlights climate change-security link
UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Wednesday highlighted the link between climate change and international peace and security and called for collective action.
Formalin found in fish in Assam market
After the presence of cancer-causing chemical formalin content found in the imported fish, the Assam government has banned import and sale of fish from Andhra Pradesh and other states for a period of 10 days.The decision was taken after formalin, a cancer-inducing chemical which is used to keep dead fish fresh, was detected in fish being sold in markets areas of Guwahati.Minister of state for health and family welfare Pijush Hazarika said, "The government has taken a decision to ban fishes brought from outside after analysis of growing health issues due to the consumption of fish containing formalin (Formaldehyde).""We had collected samples from the fish market, results show presence of formalin. We have imposed a 10-day ban on import of fish from outside Assam," he added.The presence of formalin content in the fish came to notice after the state health department carried out a laboratory test.Hazarika further announced that from there will be a statewide blanket ban on the sale of ...
African woman tells UN that climate change is security risk
An African woman whose people are nomads constantly searching for food and water has told Security Council members they must consider climate change as a security risk that is fuelling extremism, conflict and migration. Hindou Ibrahim said in a speech to the council yesterday that climate change is affecting the daily lives of people in the vast Sahel region who depend on agriculture, fishing and livestock and are struggling to survive. She said the scarcity of resources has fueled internal migration as well as migration through Africa to Europe, sparked local conflicts that become national and regional, and led to the growth of terrorist groups. Ibrahim, an activist from Chad who co-chairs the International Indigenous People Forum on Climate, which promotes U.N. action on climate change, urged the council and the broader international community to take action to help them cope. "Solutions are there," she said. "Why not give them access to energy? You can help them go to school. You ..
Stone tools age Asia's first Homo presence
The remains of crudely fashioned stone tools unearthed in China advances the presence of human ancestors in Asia by around 200 millennia to 2.1 million years ago, scientists said today. If correctly dated, the find means that hominins -- the group of humans and our extinct forefather species -- left Africa earlier than archaeologists have been able to demonstrate thus far, a team reported in the scientific journal Nature. "Our discovery means that it is necessary now to reconsider the timing of when early humans left Africa," said study co-author Robin Dennell of Exeter University in England. Hominins are believed to have emerged in Africa more than six million years ago. They left the continent in several migration waves starting about two million years ago. The first migrants were likely members of the species Homo erectus (upright man) or Homo ergaster (working man) -- extinct predecessors of our own group, Homo sapiens (wise man), which first emerged about 300,000 years ago. The ..
Modi's farmers rally an epic flop, his speech full of white lies: Congress
Claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's farmers' rally in Punjab's Malout was an "epic flop", the Congress on Wednesday termed him the "emperor of lies and king of rhetoric" as his speech was "laced with white lies".
Maha plastic ban: Walmart to remove single-use shrink wrap
Retail major Walmart India today pledged to remove single-use shrink wrap in a bid to support the plastic ban in Maharashtra. Walmart India will remove single-use shrink wrap used for storing merchandise and replace it with sustainable storage solutions. The company has already started the drive in its Best Price stores in Maharashtra and is expanding this initiative across its outlets in the rest of the country in a phased manner. Walmart India President and CEO Krish Iyer said: "Through this project, our endeavor is to phase out single-use plastic shrink wrap from our company's stores across India by first quarter of 2019." As part of its Bio-degradable Waste Management Project', Walmart India has installed a waste composting machine at its Hyderabad store. The waste would be recycled and reused for the green area on store premises.
MP CM inaugurates NTPC's Rs 1,500 cr solar plant
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan today dedicated to the state, state-run power giant NTPC's 250 MW Solar Power Plant in Suwasra, District Mandsaur. This project has been set up by NTPC at an investment of about Rs 1,500 cr mainly on non-agricultural land and generation of electricity has been achieved without affecting the natural eco-system with zero carbon emission, an NTPC statement said. Under the Make in India initiative, this is one of the biggest solar plant developed using domestically manufactured Solar cells and modules. The Project has been commissioned in June 2017 and generated electricity is being supplied for consumption in Madhya Pradesh, the sole beneficiary.
Punjab to promote indigenous breed of animals: Minister
The Punjab government would promote indigenous breeds like Sahiwal and Gir cows, Murrah and Nili Ravi buffalos, Beetal goats and Kadaknath chicken, a minister said here today. Balbir Singh Sidhu, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, was chairing a meeting with the representatives of farmers help society, Dhira Patra. The minister said global warming has rendered catastrophic effects on agriculture as the cultivable land under green fodder has been decreasing at an alarming pace and there is acute shortage of quality milk, while the demand for meat is rising fast. He said due to the increase in demand of meat, the Punjab government has decided to promote the indigenous breeds of animals instead of foreign breeds. Besides providing subsidy to set up dairy farms of indigenous breeds of cows and buffalos, poultry units of indigenous breeds of chicken like Kadaknath would be set up at the backyards of the farms, he said. Units to domesticate Beetal breed of goats
Botanical garden in Kothaguda reserve forest inaugurated
: A botanical garden in Kothaguda reserve forest here, encircled by the densely populated IT corridor in the city, was inaugurated by Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao today Affirming that the government would work with the aim of promoting greenery in the state, Rao said a new park has been made available to the residents of the city. Expressing concern over rising pollution levels, he said polluting industries are being shifted out of the city. He appealed to the people to participate in the Haritha Haram, the upcoming green drive of the state government and plant saplings to enhance greenery. Of a total area of 274 acres of the reserve forest, developmental activities are being restricted to 12 acres of visitors' zone of the botanical garden, an official release said. Some of the special features of the garden include 'Nakshtra Vanam', 'Navagraha Vanam' (theme-based parks), herbal and medicinal plants, an Environmental Education Centre (EEC), an
German firm to set up bio-gas plant in Sangrur
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today cleared a German company's proposal for setting up a Rs 100 crore bio-gas CNG plant in Sangrur which had been lying in the cold storage for the past three years. The erstwhile SAD-BJP government had signed the MoU in 2015 but had failed to give the necessary clearances to the company Verbio, an official spokesperson said. The chief minister handed over the approval letter to Verbio's Director Oliver Luetdke at a meeting here. Besides giving the go-ahead to the Rs 100 crore plant, to be set up at Bhutal Kalan in Lehragaga block of Sangrur, the chief minister also gave in-principle approval for nine more such plants to come up in other parts of the state at an additional investment of Rs 900 crore, with direct employment potential of over 5,000 people, the spokesperson added. The plant to be come up at Bhutal Kalan would produce 33,000 kgs of bio-CNG and 45,000 tons of organic manure annually. With the commissioning of nine other plants having
PIL seeks conversion of all autorickshaws, city buses to CNG
The Gujarat High Court today issued notices to the state government and pollution control board on a PIL seeking conversion of all autorickshaws and public transport buses in Ahmedabad into CNG-compatible ones. A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi issued notices to the state government, the transport commissioner, Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and other respondents. The PIL, filed by NGO Paryavaran Mitra, also sought conversion of diesel-run goods vehicles to CNG, and compensation to people for scrapping old vehicles. Drawing attention to the "rising" pollution level in Ahmedabad, the petitioner has sought the court's direction to the respondents to consider implementing suggestions made by it to curb air pollution. Petitioner Mahesh Pandya of NGO Paryavaran Mitra, who had also presented his suggestions to the Supreme Court-appointed Bhure Lal Committee, through his lawyer N M Kapadia, said only 65 per cent of autorickshaws in the state ..
