Gates Foundation announced USD 7 lakh for J&K relief operations
Sep 19, 2014, at 09:49 pm
New Delhi, Sept 19 (IBNS): Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Friday announced emergency relief of USD 7 lakh for the flood victims of Jammu & Kashmir, in response to a request for his home state from Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Space & Atomic Energy.
Ahead of UN climate summit, leading investors urge transition to low-carbon economy
Sep 19, 2014, at 09:23 pm
New York, Sept 19 (IBNS) Just days before United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convenes his much-anticipated climate summit, more than 340 global institutional investors representing over $24 trillion in assets are calling on Governments to take action that supports, rather than limits, investments in clean energy and climate solutions.
Bhopal Gas victims chain themselves to CM's house demanding compensation
Sep 19, 2014, at 03:34 am
Bhopal, Sept 18 (IBNS): Survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster, neighbourhood residents of the abandoned Union Carbide factory and their supporters on Thursday locked themselves to the Chief Minister's residence with a chain seeking adequate compensation and clean up of the contaminated factory site.
Marking International Day, UN officials hail progress in reducing damage to ozone layer
Sep 17, 2014, at 02:57 pm
New York, Sept 17 (IBNS) United Nations officials on Tuesday hailed the progress made in reducing damage to the ozone layer and the vital role played by one of the most successful environmental treaties in history in phasing out ozone-depleting substances.
Aircel offers free 'Aircel Locate' service in Jammu and Kashmir
Sep 15, 2014, at 08:45 pm
Kolkata, Sept 15 (IBNS): Aircel offers free location based tracking service 'Aircel Locate' to help people locate their family and friends stranded in severe flood affected areas in Jammu & Kashmir, the company said on Monday.
New UN-backed protections for sharks, manta rays enter into effect
Sep 13, 2014, at 03:14 pm
New York, Sept 13 (IBNS) Beginning Sunday 14 September, international trade in specimens of five shark species and all manta ray species, including their meat, gills and fins, will need to be accompanied by permits and certificates confirming that they have been harvested sustainably and legally, as new United Nations-backed trade protections go into effect.
NASA's Orion Spacecraft nears completion, ready for fueling
Sep 12, 2014, at 05:00 pm
California, Sept 12 (IBNS) NASA is making steady progress on its Orion spacecraft, completing several milestones this week at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for the capsule's first trip to space in December.
Greenpeace urges TGBL to commit to a holistic approach that helps eliminate pesticides from tea
Sep 12, 2014, at 03:13 am
New Delhi, Sept 11 (IBNS): Weeks after Greenpeace released its report "Trouble Brewing" highlighting the presence of toxic pesticide residues in tea, the tea industry remains divided on the issue.
Railways come in aid of J&K flood victims
Sep 11, 2014, at 09:34 pm
New Delhi, Sept 11 (IBNS): Coming to the aid of flood ravaged victims of Jammu & Kashmir, Indian Railways has geared up his machinery to provide all possible help to the travelling public in the wake of unprecedented calamity that has gripped the state.
Ozone layer recovering but remains threatened – UN reports
Sep 11, 2014, at 02:40 pm
New York, Sept 11 (IBNS) The Earth's protective ozone layer is on track to recover by the middle of the century, the United Nations on Wednesday reported, urging unified action to tackle climate change and curb continued fluctuations to the composition of the atmosphere.
J&K floods a grim reminder of increasing climate change impact in India: CSE
Sep 11, 2014, at 03:40 am
New Delhi, Sept 10 (IBNS): As Jammu and Kashmir struggles to fight the onslaught of extreme weather with flood disrupting life in the north Indian state, an analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has suggested that it could be the result of extreme weather event, induced by a changing climate.
UN agency urges prosecution to end impunity for drug trafficking on high seas
Sep 10, 2014, at 03:05 pm
New York, Sept 10 (IBNS) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) hosted a special event on the rise of narcotics trafficking on maritime southern routes, particularly the Indian Ocean, advocating that drug traffickers caught in international waters be prosecuted.
As climate change debate heats up, UN experts warn 'we are running out of time'
Sep 10, 2014, at 03:03 pm
New York, Sept 10 (IBNS) The United Nations weather agency on Tuesday voiced concerns over the surge of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere, which has reached a new record high in 2013, amid worrying sings that oceans and biosphere seem unable to soak up emissions as quickly as they used to.
PM calls for making Ganga rejuvenation a mass movement
Sep 09, 2014, at 03:20 am
New Delhi, Sept 8 (IBNS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for making Ganga rejuvenation a mass movement.
J&K cut-off from rest of India, 'Marcos' sent in for rescue
Sep 08, 2014, at 10:10 pm
Srinagar, Sept 8 (IBNS): With all communications systems going down, Jammu & Kashmir is virtually cut-off from the rest of the country, as the situation of the state turned extremely grim, media reported.
Over 150 dead in J&K flood, rescue on
Sep 08, 2014, at 06:10 pm
Srinagar, Sept 8 (IBNS): More than 150 people died and hundreds of thousands are stranded in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir as the region is marooned by its worst floods in past six decades, reports said.
Army launches Operation Sahayata in Jammu and Kashmir
Sep 05, 2014, at 10:47 pm
New Delhi, Sept 05 (IBNS) Due to incessant rains past 48 hours, Army has launched 'Operation Sahayata' to provide rescue and relief in areas of Kashmir Valley, Naoshera, Rajouri, Thanamandi and Poonch, in coordination with civil administration.
SAMOA: Stopping climate change is 'about people, about survival,' says UN envoy
Sep 03, 2014, at 03:20 pm
New York, Sept 3 (IBNS) World leaders have not sufficiently addressed climate issues, United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change Mary Robinson said Tuesday highlighting the urgency of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilient communities.
Govt's stand on speedy re-allocation can ride roughshod over environmental laws: Greenpeace
Sep 02, 2014, at 03:15 am
New Delhi, Sept 1 (IBNS): Greenpeace on Monday observed that the NDA government's submission to the Supreme Court on the coal scam hearing was an attempt to make light of the coal scam ruling.
Experts at UN conference call for action to mitigate climate-related health risks
Aug 28, 2014, at 02:50 pm
New York, Aug 28 (IBNS) Experts are urging the international community to act fast to reduce climate change and its health consequences at the first-ever global conference on health and climate, which opened on Wednesday at the Geneva headquarters of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO).
Aug 27, 2014, at 11:11 pm
Guwahati, Aug 27 (IBNS): The overall flood situation in Assam could worsen with heavy rainfall expected in the next 48 hours.
"Renewable energy a win-win solution for India's energy security challenge"
Aug 26, 2014, at 06:09 am
New Delhi,Aug 25 (IBNS): Former Union Minister Suresh P Prabhu on Monday released a series of reports on 'Renewable Energy Jobs and Finance' published by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Aug 22, 2014, at 03:45 pm
New York, Aug 22 (IBNS) The Security Council on Thursday expressed its commitment to consider and use the tools of the United Nations system to ensure that warning signals about potential conflicts trigger "early, concrete preventive action," as senior UN officials urged the body to take up the challenge of helping move the Organization from a culture of reaction towards one of prevention.
Union Minister echoes Greenpeace's concerns on pesticide residue in tea
Aug 21, 2014, at 09:32 pm
New Delhi, Aug 21 (IBNS): Expressing serious concern on the issue of pesticides residue in tea, Union Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a recent media interview, raised questions on the safety of consumers.
Mild earthquake hits Himachal Pradesh
Aug 21, 2014, at 08:26 pm
New Delhi, Aug 21 (IBNS): An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter scale hit the northern state of Himachal Pradesh on Thursday.
BSF men set Limca Book of Records in tree planting
Aug 20, 2014, at 06:15 am
New Delhi, Aug 19 (IBNS) In a special tree planting drive on Tuesday, Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, in a concerted team effort, set a LIMCA Book of Record by planting saplings at all BSF locations.
Strong earthquake hits Iran, 50 injured
Aug 18, 2014, at 07:10 pm
Tehran, Aug 18 (IBNS): At least 50 people injured as an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit western Iran, close to the border with Iraq, on Monday, media reports said.
Climate change adaptation can help promote sub-Saharan African livelihoods: UN report
Aug 14, 2014, at 06:02 pm
New York, Aug 14 (IBNS) Investing in ways to adapt to climate change will promote the livelihood of 65 per cent of Africans, the United Nations environmental agency reported, warning also that failing to address the phenomenon could reverse decades of development progress on the continent.
SC raps govt on Ganga clean up, seeks explanation
Aug 13, 2014, at 08:26 pm
New Delhi, Aug 13 (IBNS) The Supreme Court has rapped the BJP government at the centre on the pace of cleaning up the Ganga, saying it has no urgency to save the river while having time for lesser issues.
"SW monsoon rainfall over the country likely to be 87 pct of the LPA"
Aug 13, 2014, at 01:42 am
New Delhi, Aug 12 (IBNS): Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Space & Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said the latest estimate suggested that the 2014 southwest monsoon season rainfall over the country as a whole is likely to be 87 percent of the LPA with a model error of 4 percent.