Page 876 - Environment
Commodity Prices Kozikode
Pepper Nadan Rs 38100.00 Pepper Wayanadan Rs 39900.00 Ginger Rs 9400.00-9800.00 Rubber V Rs 11500.00 Turmeric Rs 13100.00-13600.00 Areacanut(OLD) Rs 20500.00-21000.00 Areacanut( New ) Rs 19000.00-19500.00 Coir Koyilandi 1 Rs 8800.00 Coir Koyilandi 2 Rs 8300.00 Coir Beypore 1 Rs 6500.00 Coir Beypore 2 Rs 6000.00 Cardamom green Rs 950.00 1300.
BSP, JD(S) announce alliance for Karnataka polls
The BSP and the Janata Dal (Secular) today announced that they are entering into an alliance to contest the Karnataka Assembly polls together. The alliance would continue in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as well, BSP leader Satish Chandra Misra and JD (S)'s Danish Ali said at a press conference. They said the two parties would contest the Karnataka Assembly polls due sometime in April together. The term of the 224-member Karnataka Assembly ends in May. The BJP wants to wrest power from the Congress which rules the state now.
Small asteroid to closely pass by Earth: NASA
A small asteroid, estimated to measure between 15 and 40 meters, is set to brush past Earth at a distance of just 64,000 kilometres. Dubbed 2018 CB, the asteroid is the second one to pass by Earth this week. The first close-approaching asteroid - discovered by the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) on February 4 - is designated asteroid 2018 CC. Estimated to be between 15 and 30 meters in size, the asteroid safely passed by Earth on February 6, at a distance of about 184,000 kilometres. The asteroid 2018 CB, will pass closely by Earth on February 10, at around 4:00 am IST, at a distance of less than one-fifth of that between the Earth to the Moon. The asteroid, which is estimated to be between 15 and 40 meters in size, was also discovered by CSS on February 4. "Although 2018 CB is quite small, it might well be larger than the asteroid that entered the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia, almost exactly five years ago, in 2013," said Paul Chodas, manager of the Center ..
Air pollution may lead to unethical behaviour: study
Exposure to air pollution, even imaginative, may lead to unethical behaviour such as crime and cheating, according to a study conducted on adults in India and the US. The findings published in the journal Psychological Science suggest that this association may be due, at least in part, to increased anxiety. "This research reveals that air pollution may have potential ethical costs that go beyond its well-known toll on health and the environment," said Jackson G Lu, behavioural scientist at Columbia Business School in the US. "Our findings suggest that air pollution not only corrupts people's health, but also can contaminate their morality," said Lu. Previous studies have indicated that exposure to air pollution elevates individuals' feelings of anxiety, which is known to correlate with a range of unethical behaviours. In one study, the researchers examined air pollution and crime data for 9,360 US cities collected over a nine-year period. The researchers found that ...
Australia tourism industry under climate change threat - study
Australia's multi-billion dollar tourism industry is under increasing threat from climate change with some of the nation's top natural wonders in the firing line as temperatures and sea levels rise, a study warned today. The report by environmental advocacy group the Climate Council said the government needed to do more to reduce carbon emissions harming Australia's beaches, national parks and the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism is the nation's second-largest export industry, valued at USD 31 billion and employing more than 580,000 people, it said. But popular visitor destinations were at risk, with major cities in coastal areas expected to face more frequent flooding in coming years, while Australia's "Red Centre" region could experience more than 100 days annually above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2030, it found. "Tourists travel across the globe to see Australia's remarkable natural wonders. But these icons are in the climate firing line as extreme ...
Small asteroid to closely pass by Earth on Friday
An asteroid, estimated to be between 15 and 30 metres in size, will safely pass by Earth on Friday, NASA has said.
Winter Olympics: N.Korea rules out meeting US officials
North Korea on Thursday ruled out any official meeting with the US during the upcoming PyeongChang Winter Olympics slated to begin in South Korea from Friday.
California says will block crude oil from Trump offshore drilling plan
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California will block the transportation through its state of petroleum from new offshore oil rigs, officials told Reuters on Wednesday, a move meant to hobble the Trump administration's effort to vastly expand drilling in U.S. federal waters.
California says it will ban crude from Trump offshore drilling plan
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - California will block the transport of petroleum from new offshore oil rigs through its state, officials told Reuters, a move meant to hobble the Trump administration's effort to vastly expand drilling in U.S. federal waters.
30 polluting units demolished in Ghaziabad
More than two dozen polluting factories were razed in Loni town today on the instructions of District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari, officials said. A team comprising district administration and pollution department officials demolished the units with the help of police, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Loni) Durgesh Kumar said. Residents of Krishna Vihar colony here have for long complained against illegal factories burning plastic and scrapped insulated cables to extract aluminium and copper, and polluting the locality with harmful emissions. Today, a team headed by Sub Divisional Magistrate Indu Prakash Singh and pollution department officer Satyapal Singh reached Krishna Vihar with bulldozers and demolished 30 illegally constructed factories, officials said. The workers and the owners of the units fled from the spot as soon as the team arrived, they added. The owners would be identified and FIRs lodged against them, the DCP said, adding that more such demolition drives .
TERI, EPTRI team up with NOAA to strengthen climate modelling
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Environmental Protection Training Research Institute (EPTRI) today announced a partnership with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to strengthen climate modelling capacity in India. A TERI statement said the move would strengthen disaster risk reduction and reduce the population's vulnerability to climate risk and extreme weather events through enhanced awareness, coordination and adaptive capacity of local communities. NOAA National Centre for Environmental Information Chief David Easterling said, "Our goals are to not only share expertise across the science organisations and experts, but also to empower India in understanding and analysing climate model projections and assess their outputs for consideration in developing the State Action Plans." NOAA would like to exchange expertise and experiences on uses and applications of climate model outputs across various sectoral decision ..
Exposed to halogen lamps, 80 villagers complain of eye
Around 80 people complained of irritation in their eyes after being allegedly exposed to high resolution halogen lamps during a meeting of their community in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district, officials said today. However, the condition of all of them was reported to be normal, they said. "Nearly 80 people complained of irritation in their eyes at Pailimeta village under Chhuikhadan development block after attending a meeting of their community throughout the night on February 5," Rajnandgaon Collector Bhim Singh said. At least 500 people, belonging to Kalaar community, from 40 villages of the development block had attended the meeting. When they woke up in the morning, most of them complained of irritation, redness and watering in their eyes, he said. "Subsequently, they were admitted to hospitals in Gandai and Chhuikhadan. After getting information, a team of doctors and ophthalmologists immediately rushed to spot," Singh said, adding that their condition was said .
Labourer dies in sloth bear attack
One labourer was killed and two others were seriously injured when they were attacked by a sloth bear last evening in Bhadrawati forest in this east Maharashtra district. The bear was also killed in the counter attack by other labourers who were engaged in bamboo cutting work in the interior forest, Divisional Forest Officer, Ashok Sonkusre, said today. The deceased has been identified as Dharam Singh Samaru, a resident of Chhattisgarh. The seriously injured labourers are identified as Premlal Dhanu Sayam and Sambal Singh Choudhary. "We recovered the carcass of the bear in this morning during inspection of the site. It seems the bear was attacked with axes by labourers," he said.
80 percent Ganga to be cleaned before Kumbh
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday assured that all 'Namami Gange' projects will be completed soon."We are spending Rs. 20,000 crore on River Ganga especially for the upcoming 'Kumbha mela'. We have also completed 47 out of the 189 projects and are also aiming to complete all the projects which have been started for cleaning the Rive Ganga," Gadkari said while addressing a gathering in Allahabad."Before the Kumbh mela, Ganga will be cleaned up to 80 percent. Apart from this, sewage treatment will prevent water from going to Ganga," he added.Gadkari further said that five river ports will also be constructed."Along with road and water maintenance; transport facility will also be provided," he added.The Kumbh Mela, is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, to be held at Sangam in Allahabad. Up to 100 million people gather on the shores of the Ganges to celebrate the Hindu festival.
Marsh crocodile rescued from UP village, released in Yamuna
A mugger crocodile was rescued on Wednesday from Latumai village near Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, Wildlife SOS officials said.
Centre asks MP to give land for Narmada Expressway project
Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today said the Madhya Pradesh government has been asked to provide required land for the proposed Narmada Expressway so that work begins. Narmada Expressway is a proposed eight-lane expressway in the state, which will connect the historic towns of Amarkantak in the eastern end of Madhya Pradesh and Alirajpur in the western end of Madhya Pradesh along side of Narmada river. "There is a proposal to build Narmada Expressway in Madhya Pradesh similar to Yamuna Expressway (in Uttar Pradesh). I have spoken to MP chief minister to complete the land acquisition. Once we get the land, we are ready to commence the work," Gadkari said after unveiling the book "Naman Narmada' by Subhi Publications and authored by Alok Mehta. Emphasising the need to save rivers, its environment and ecology, the Minister said, "We should not aim extreme of economic growth at the cost of environment." Although there is confusion about such issues, a solution need .
Items worth Rs 3.6 crore seized from Adani Wilmar agency in Raipur
Food items worth Rs. 3.6 crore were seized from a Clearing and Forwarding (C&F) agency of Adani Wilmar in Raipur on Wednesday.Chhattisgarh Food Safety Department officials conducted raid at Adani Wilmar C&F agency and seized items worth Rs 3 crore 60 lakh including edible oil, soya and rice.Raid was conducted on the complaints of misbranding and misleading by the agency.The officials have sent samples of the seized items to the laboratory for testing.Further action will be taken based on lab report.Adani Wilmar Limited (AWL) is a joint venture incorporated in January 1999 between Adani Group and Wilmar International Limited - Singapore.
Govt gives administrative approval, financial sanction to
The government has accorded administrative approval and financial sanction for construction of 12 nuclear power reactors in the country, Parliament was informed today. Out of these, 10 will be indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) with a capacity of 700 MW each and the remaining two will be Light Water Reactors (LWRs). The PHWRs will be set up in fleet mode and the LWRs will be established in cooperation with the Russain Federation, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Two PHWRs each will be set up in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana, while four will be established in Rajasthan, he said, adding that the two LWRs each having a capacity of 1,000 MW will come up at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. The security aspects are being reviewed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) before giving clearance for various stages of the projects, the minister said. Currently seven nuclear power projects ...
Chicago varsity to help Karnataka clean Bengaluru's environment
The University of Chicago in the US midwest has tied up with the Karnataka Urban Development Department to clean up state capital Bengaluru's environment, a Minister said on Wednesday.
Parrikar flip flops on Mhadei, says Tribunal will decide on water-sharing
Two months after offering to discuss sharing of drinking water from the Mhadei river to Karnataka on humanitarian grounds, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said that only the interstate Water Dispute Tribunal appointed by the Central goevrnment will decide on the water-sharing issue.
