Page 781 - Environment
New tech to make satellite launches more accessible
A US startup is seeking to open up access to space for micro-satellite companies by modernising a launch technique first used in the 1950s. Leo Aerospace LLC, a company affiliated to Purdue University in the US, plans to use "rockoons" or high-altitude balloons, that launch rockets into suborbital and orbital flights. Suborbital launches are frequently used by researchers who need access to zero gravity or vacuums for experiment, while orbital flights are used by satellites. The company will revolutionise the space industry by giving priority service to micro-satellite developers that now are secondary payloads for large rocket companies, officials at Leo Aerospace said in a statement. Currently, developers have to wait to see if there is room left on large rockets carrying government payloads and often have to wait six months or more to find space on a rocket, a delay that can be quite costly. Those micro-satellite developers also have limited options on which orbit their satellites
Fertiliser shares in demand
Shares of nine fertiliser companies rose by 0.11% to 4.66% at 15:00 IST on BSE after private weather forecasting agency Skymet predicted that the southwest monsoon would be normal this year.
Chardham: NGT raps govt for not submitting muck dumping plan
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has rapped the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for failing to submit a plan for disposal of muck from the Chardham highway project to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns of Uttarakhand. A bench headed by Acting Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim took strong exception to the plea of the ministry seeking adjournment and directed that its previous undertaking to not cut trees would continue till the next date of hearing. The green panel reiterated that there would be no activity by the project proponent which would have adverse impact on environment. "In view of the serious challenge posed by the applicant and insistence by them for interim order, we acceded to the request of the respondent state and project proponent, we had adjourn to a short date. When the case is taken up today it is submitted that advocate for project proponent is not in a position to appear as he is busy... "Even muck dumping plan which we had directed to file .
Follow 'no helmet, no petrol' policy, Sub-Collector to bunk
Rajamahendravaram Sub-Collector Saikanth Verma has ordered petrol bunks here to follow the 'no helmet, no petrol' policy immediately. "Stern action will be initiated against bunks that sell petrol to customers who do not wear helmets," he said. The Sub-Collector made the announcement after holding a meeting yesterday with officials of the Road Transport Authority, Revenue, traffic, police and owners of petrol bunks. Verma directed the officials to conduct surprise checks at the bunks and submit a report on implementation of the rule.
Over 100 tiny plastic bits present in every meal: study
We could be swallowing over 100 tiny plastic particles with every meal, according to a study which found that polymers from soft furnishings and synthetic fabrics get into household dust and settle on our plates. Researchers from Heriot-Watt University in the UK made the discovery after putting Petri dishes containing sticky dust traps on the table next to dinner plates in three homes at meal times. Up to 14 pieces of plastic were found in the Petri dishes at the end of a 20-minute meal - the equivalent of 114 plastic fibres falling on the average dinner plate given their much larger size. The scientists, from Heriot-Watt University concluded that the average person swallows up to 68,415 potentially dangerous plastic fibres a year simply through sitting down to eat. The researchers set out to compare plastic fibres found in mussels with the amount in the average household meal. They found fewer than two microplastics in each mussel, which could be linked to the marine environment, and
Duterte closes tourist island over sewage
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a six-month closure of Boracay island, one of the country's main tourist destinations, and described it as a "cesspool" of water pollution, an official confirmed on Thursday.
Dinosaurs were dying off long before asteroid hit: study
Dinosaurs were in trouble long before the massive asteroid - believed to be the primary cause of their extinction - hit the Earth some 65 million years ago, a study suggests. Researchers from the University at Albany in the US found that the emergence of toxic plants combined with dinosaurs' inability to associate the taste of certain dangerous foods had them already drastically decreasing in population. "Learned taste aversion" is an evolutional defence seen in many species, in which the animal learns to associate the consumption of a plant or other food with negative consequences, such as feeling ill, researchers said. "A reason why most attempts to eliminate rats have not been successful is because they, like many other species, have evolved to cope with plant toxicity," said Gordon Gallup, a professor at University at Albany. "When rats encounter a new food, they typically sample only a small amount; and if they get sick, they show a remarkable ability to avoid that food again ...
Ashoka Builcon emerges Lowest Bidder at two projects of Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam
1 Cluster 2:- For the electrification work in Etah and Kashiram Nagar (Kasganj) District Rs 320.92 crore 2 Cluster 5:- For the electrification work in Kannoj, Farrukhabad and Etawa District Rs 438.92 crore
Ancient origins of viruses discovered
Many of the viruses infecting us today have ancient evolutionary histories that date back to the first vertebrates and perhaps the first animals in existence, a study has found. Researchers, including those from the University of Sydney in Australia, looked for RNA viruses in 186 vertebrate species previously ignored when it came to viral infections. They discovered 214 novel RNA viruses (where the genomic material is RNA rather than DNA) in apparently healthy reptiles, amphibians, lungfish, ray-finned fish, cartilaginous fish and jawless fish. "This study reveals some groups of virus have been in existence for the entire evolutionary history of the vertebrates - it transforms our understanding of virus evolution," said Eddie Holmes, a professor at the University of Sydney. "For the first time we can definitely show that RNA viruses are many millions of years old, and have been in existence since the first vertebrates existed," said Holmes. "Fish, in particular, carry an amazing ...
Bhel gains after commissioning Kishanganga hydro-electric project
Bharat Heavy Electricals rose 2.18% to Rs 86.85 at 10:37 IST on BSE after the company said it commissioned 330-megawatts Kishanganga hydro-electric project in Jammu & Kashmir.
Security forces rescue two abducted drivers in Manipur
Security forces rescued two abducted drivers from Manipur's Kangpokpi district, the police said today. The two drivers, rescued yesterday, were working under a contractor and abducted by unidentified people from Nabil Khuman village in Churachandpur district on March 26, they said. The police had arrested three persons on March 27 and April 2 in connection with the abduction. During interrogation, they said that the drivers were kept at Puleijang in Kangpokpi district. The security forces raided the village yesterday and and arrested one person and rescued the two drivers, they said.
More illegal cash, vehicles seized in poll-bound Karnataka
Surveillance teams of the Election Commission (EC) seized unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 4.60 lakh, vehicles valued at Rs 42.75 lakh and unspecified quantity of rice worth Rs 3.45 lakh during the last 24 hours in poll-bound Karnataka, an official said on Wednesday.
Merchants and industries cry foul over Maharashtra plastic ban
The plastic ban in the state of Maharashtra, instated by the Chief Ministr Devendra Fadnavis led-government on March 23, has received mix reactions from various segments of the industry.The impact of employment on the people earning their daily wages through the plastic industry is a cause of concern to many. The daily labourers have said the ban has not only caused them and their families to sleep on an empty stomach but has also put their future in jeopardy.Some of them have been trained and are used to working only in the plastic industry. The concern also lies with the shop owners of plastic shops who are in a dilemma over what to do with the leftover materials.The shopkeepers are also constantly under a cloud of fear of being harassed by local civic authorities for using or selling their plastic materials to local retailers. Apart from the plastic industry, the various industries directly or indirectly dependent on these industries for the packing and packaging of their products .
Bangladesh to start relocating Rohingya to island in June
Bangladesh will begin relocating around 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a desolate island off its southern coast in June, a senior official said Wednesday, despite warnings the site is prone to violent weather. Authorities say shelters for around 50,000 refugees have been constructed at Bhashan Char, a silty strip of land that only emerged from the Bay of Bengal in 2006. The remaining shelters will be completed within two months, Bangladesh's disaster management secretary Shah Kamal told UN agencies during a briefing about the controversial plan in Dhaka. "It will begin in the first week of June," Kamal said of the relocation project that has attracted fierce criticism since being first proposed in 2015. "We're building accommodation for 100,000 people," he told AFP, adding the navy would construct more than 1,440 large shelters to house the refugees by May 31. The navy is also filling in low-lying areas and building embankments around the entire perimeter to ensure the island can resist
Deccan Gold Mines update on Ganajur Gold project
Deccan Exploration Services reaches agreement with farmers for land acquisition
Maha govt sanctions Rs 88 cr aid to Aamir's Paani Foundation
The Maharashtra government would provide a financial assistance of around Rs 88 crore to actor Aamir Khan's Paani Foundation for its water conservation work--Water Cup. The government has issued a circular stating that the assistance would be given for fuel expenditure. "The state will provide funds up to Rs 1.50 lakh per village to be spent on fuel. There are 5,900 villages across state that have participated in the Water Cup competition for the current fiscal," as per the GR (Government Resolution) issued yesterday. Paani Foundation conducts a competition called the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup, in which villages compete to win prizes for the best watershed management work. The GR stated that earth movers are being used for digging, cleaning and widening of existing streams and nullahs. Water Cup competition also assesses the quality of the work completed under the state government's flagship water conservation scheme, Jalyukta Shivar. The scheme aims at constructing a ...
Procession in Tripura to celebrate Bangladesh transforming from LDC to developing nation
A colourful procession was taken out here on Wednesday to celebrate a UN body categorising Bangladesh as a developing nation from a least developed country (LDC).
Over 240 fishermen still missing after cyclone Ockhi hit five months ago: Par panel
Over 240 fishermen were still missing after cyclone Ockhi hit India's southern coast more than five months ago and the chances of their return may be very dim, according to a parliamentary panel. The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, has expressed concern over the fate of the missing fishermen and the reports that there was a delay in the launch of 'search and rescue' operations. The committee, in its report submitted to Parliament today, took note of of the submission of the Ministry of Home Affairs that the government, despite the unprecedented circumstances, launched search and rescue operations in a timely manner. "While the central government has made efforts to rescue the fishermen stranded at sea, the committee observes that nearly 244 fishermen were still missing as on January 4, 2018. With the search and rescue operation being called off by the government, the committee painfully notes that the chances of return .
HC seeks CBI response on plea alleging over-invoicing by power firms
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the CBI to submit status report on a plea over alleged over-invoicing of equipment and fuel imported for power plants by the electricity generating companies of Adani and Essar groups.
Cong, AIUDF walkout over reclassification on bamboo as grass
The opposition Congress and the AIUDF today staged a walkout from the Assembly in protest after the Congress' suggestion was not accepted in the Assam Forest Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which was passed by reclassifying bamboo as grass. The Bill, which was taken for consideration in Assam Assembly, sought to change the definition of bamboo from tree to grass in order to help farmers grow and sell it without legal hardship. Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed suggested that the change of definition should be specified for bamboos grown in non-forest land only. Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma also said the same but refused to accept it to be included in the amendment of the Bill. Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami then proceeded to pass the Bill, on which the Congress members shouted slogans like "save the forests" and staged a walkout along with AIUDF members. Reacting to this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said the Congress is anti-farmer, ...
