Harsh Vardhan urges Indian scientists to use renewable, green material

Mar 24, 2015, at 06:54 pm

New Delhi, Mar 24 (IBNS) Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science and Technology, has urged scientists and technologists working on developing low cost building and structural material that they have got to bear most of the burden of implementing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a roof above every head by 2022.

'We have to move from climate change to climate action,' Pharrell Williams says at UN event

Mar 21, 2015, at 05:36 pm

New York, Mar 21 (IBNS) Singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams and environmental advocates Philippe Cousteau and Sylvia Earle joined local students at an event held at United Nations Headquarters on Fridayto celebrate the International Day of Happiness and highlight the importance of tackling climate change.

UN officials stress investment, smart policies for sustainable future of world's forests

Mar 21, 2015, at 05:32 pm

New York, Mar 21 (IBNS) The sustainable management and conservation of forests must be included in the sustainable development goals and climate change agreement to be adopted later this year, United Nations officials stressed ahead of the International Day of Forests, observed worldwide on 21 March.

Ebola-affected countries need to intensify routine immunization services - UN

Mar 21, 2015, at 04:31 pm

New York, Mar 21 (IBNS) The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) is appealing for the “urgent scaling up” of routine immunizations services and distribution of anti-malaria medicines in countries most affected by Ebola in West Africa to counter a growing risk of outbreaks of measles, pertussis, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

Vanuatu: UN finds 'extensive' loss of agriculture; full scale of damage still to be revealed

Mar 21, 2015, at 02:52 pm

New York, Mar 21 (IBNS)The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Fridaycalled for emergency support for farmers in Vanuatu, where the vast majority of crops have been destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Pam.

Coal Ministry confirms Mahan block will not be auctioned: RTI reply

Mar 21, 2015, at 12:51 am

New Delhi, Mar 20 (IBNS): The Ministry of Coal confirmed in a Right to Information reply that the Mahan coal block will not be auctioned, pursuant to the MoEF's recommendation that it be kept off limits to mining.

Arjun Kapoor pledges support for Earth Hour 2015 campaign

Mar 20, 2015, at 07:48 pm

Mumbai, Mar 20 (IBNS): Actor Arjun Kapoor has joined hands with WWF India to pledge his support to the Earth Hour 2015 WWF's global campaign to raise awareness and inspire individual action on climate change.

World Water Day: Nearly 750 million people still without adequate drinking water, says UNICEF

Mar 20, 2015, at 07:44 pm

New York, Mar 20 (IBNS): Access to drinking water has been one of the biggest successes of the Millennium Development Goals, UNICEF said ahead of World Water Day, but for 748 million people around the world, just obtaining this essential service remains a challenge.

Guinea reports highest weekly Ebola case total so far this year, new UN data shows

Mar 20, 2015, at 05:22 pm

New York, Mar 20 (IBNS) The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the highest weekly number of Ebola cases in Guinea so far this year and noted that while transmission was confined to a narrow geographically contiguous arc straddling the capitals of Guinea and Sierra Leone, the population is highly mobile, thus creating a challenge "to prevent the seeding of new outbreaks."

UN agency announces new digital system to prevent spread of plant pests

Mar 20, 2015, at 04:38 pm

New York, Mar 20 (IBNS): A new global electronic certification system aimed at reducing the spread of plant pests and diseases has been approved by representatives from more than 150 countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced on Thursday.

UNICEF rushes emergency supplies for cyclone-affected Tuvalu

Mar 20, 2015, at 04:38 pm

New York, Mar 20 (IBNS): The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is dispatching emergency life-saving supplies to communities in Tuvalu as part of its efforts to assist communities in the Pacific region that were affected by Tropical Cyclone Pam, with nutrition and hygiene kits arriving on Thursday.

WHO: Push back against tobacco industry to protect public health

Mar 19, 2015, at 03:15 pm

New York, Mar 19 (IBNS): The head of the United Nations health agency on Wednesday welcomed new data showing that non-smoking is becoming the new norm but urged global action to "push back hard" against the tobacco industry, saying, "We do not have the riches of the tobacco industry, but we are right and we are resolved."

LHC experiments join forces to zoom in on the Higgs boson

Mar 18, 2015, at 03:01 am

Geneva, Mar 17 (IBNS) During the 50th session of "Rencontres de Moriond" in La Thuile Italy, Atlas and CMS presented for the first time a combination of their results on the mass of the Higgs boson.

Thousands stranded following landslides and snowfall in Kashmir

Mar 17, 2015, at 08:04 pm

Srinagar, Mar 17(IBNS) Thousands of people have been stranded in the Jammu-Srinagar highway, blocked by landslides following rains and heavy snowfall for the last two days.

Norwegian Pension Fund ditches Indian coal sector investments: Greenpeace

Mar 17, 2015, at 04:25 am

New Delhi, Mar 16 (IBNS): The world's largest sovereign wealth fund, the $850 billion Norwegian Government Pension Fund has sold the majority of its shares in companies exposed to the Indian coal sector, citing financial and environmental risks inherent in their operations.

Birmingham says global demand for 'cold' should be taken seriously with launch of new policy commission

Mar 16, 2015, at 11:36 pm

London, Mar 16 (IBNS)The University of Birmingham (UK) on Monday announced the launch of a new policy commission entitled 'Doing Cold Smarter'.

'Health at very center of disaster risk reduction,' say UN agency officials in Sendai

Mar 15, 2015, at 05:50 pm

New York, Mar 15 (IBNS) The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, powerful storms in the Asia-Pacific region and ongoing conflicts in Syria and elsewhere are all stark reminders that health and stronger health system capacities must be central to the new framework for managing disaster risk currently being discussed in Sendai, Japan, senior United Nations health agency officials emphasized today.

Home, health secretaries review treatment of acid attack victims

Mar 14, 2015, at 11:00 pm

New Delhi, Mar 14 (IBNS): Union Home Secretary L.C. Goyal and Secretary, Health & Family Welfare B.P. Sharma jointly convened a meeting here on Saturday with the Chief Secretaries/Health Secretaries/Home Secretaries of States and UTs to work out the details with regard to treatment of acid attack victims.

Environment degradation pose threat to human civilization: VP

Mar 14, 2015, at 10:50 pm

New Delhi, Mar 14 (IBNS): Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari has said that environmental degradation and climate change are amongst the foremost challenges confronting human civilization in our times.

Merlin Group organizes health check-up camp for workers

Mar 14, 2015, at 10:28 pm

Kolkata, Mar 14 (IBNS): Real estate developers, Merlin Group, on Saturday initiated health check up camps for the second consecutive year to offer preliminary health check up to construction workers at their upcoming iconic shopping mall, Acropolis, at Rash Behari Connector in Kolkata.

Climate Change to drastically change the face of the Bay of Bengal: Experts

Mar 13, 2015, at 02:37 am

Kolkata, Mar 12 (IBNS): The Bay of Bengal region would undergo a dire and drastic transformation unless urgent action is taken to deal with the disastrous effects of global warming, warned climate change experts in Kolkata Thursday.

ISRO plans new launch pad at Sriharikota

Mar 12, 2015, at 11:11 pm

New Delhi,Mar 12(IBNS) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) proposes to set up a new launch pad, referred as Third Launch Pad, at Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

Lessons from Japan tsunami vital to new disaster risk reduction agreement, says UN official

Mar 12, 2015, at 05:46 pm

New York, Mar 12 (IBNS) Three days before the opening of the Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, the head of the United Nations office dedicated to dealing with the threat posed by disasters took part on Wednesdayin a ceremony of solemn remembrance in Tokyo for those who died in the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 11 March 2011.

Two UN agencies combine expertise in new partnership to reach zero Ebola cases

Mar 12, 2015, at 05:40 pm

New York, Mar 12 (IBNS) The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) on Wednesdayannounced they are combining their expertise in public health and logistics in a new partnership to bring the Ebola outbreak down to zero in West Africa.

Space Station crew returns to Earth, lands safely in Kazakhstan

Mar 12, 2015, at 04:42 pm

California, Mar 12 (IBNS) Three crew members returned to Earth Wednesday after a 167-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS) that included hundreds of scientific experiments and several spacewalks to prepare the orbiting laboratory for future arrivals by U.S. commercial crew spacecraft.

Actress June Maliah encourages citizens to adopt environmental friendly practices

Mar 12, 2015, at 02:33 am

Kolkata, Mar 11 (IBNS): Actress June Maliah has joined hands with WWF-India to pledge her support to Earth Hour 2015- WWF's global campaign to raise awareness and inspire individual action on climate change.

DuPont achieves top sustainability certification

Mar 12, 2015, at 01:34 am

Kolkata/Hyderabad, Mar 11 (IBNS): DuPont, a leading science company was awarded the prestigious LEED Certification in Gold Category for the DuPont Knowledge Center (DKC) at Hyderabad in India.

India seventh in number of reactor operations

Mar 11, 2015, at 09:32 pm

New Delhi, Mar 11(IBNS) India stands 7th in number of reactors in operation and 14th in terms of net installed capacity among countries with nuclear power.

President to inaugurate international seminar 'Swachhagraha'

Mar 11, 2015, at 07:49 pm

New Delhi, Mar 11(IBNS) President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate 'Swachhagraha', a two day 'International Seminar on Clean and Capable India of Gandhiji's Dreams' here on Thursday.

Juhi bats for women's health at opening of specialty hospital for women

Mar 10, 2015, at 04:25 am

Gurgaon, Mar 9 (IBNS): W Hospital, a specialty hospital for women, opened in the presence of actress Juhi Chawla, renowned women healthcare specialist, Dr. Pramod Kumar Sharma, and other dignitaries.