5 killed by elephants in Jharkhand
Ranchi, Dec 18 (IANS) A herd of rampaging elephants have killed five people in the last one week in Jharkhand’s Pakur, Jamtara and Dumka districts, forest officials said on Tuesday. The fifth person was trampled…
Environment
GST on recycled construction waste products to be reduced to 5 per cent
By Arun Kumar Das New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) In a bid to promote reuse of debris generated by the construction industry, the government will soon reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on products…
Stray cattle a lurking menace in Sri Krishna land
By Brij Khandelwal Agra/Vrindavan, Dec 18 (IANS) Not just people in cities, but even farmers in the vast rural hinterland are approaching local authorities seeking urgent solutions to the exploding bovine population that is destroying…
Sonam Kapoor named PETA India’s 2018 Person of the Year
Mumbai, Dec 18 (IANS) Actress Sonam Kapoor, a vegan, has been named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s Person of the Year for 2018. Sonam has been feted as she sings in…
Chilly Delhi morning with ‘very poor’ air on Tuesday
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Delhi experienced a chilly winter morning on Tuesday with the minimum temperature dropping to 5.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season’s normal as the air quality continued to be…
Intense cold wave continues in Kashmir Valley, Ladakh
Srinagar, Dec 18 (IANS) An intense cold wave continued in the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region on Tuesday, dropping the minimum temperatures below the freezing point, the weather office said. The MET Department said…
India inks MoU with France for collaboration to boost use of electrical vehicles
New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) The Union Cabinet was on Monday apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with France that seeks to support the governments ambitious plan for the deployment of electrical vehicles by…
Post-electoral reverses, government expands free LPG beneficiary list
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Close on the heels of the ruling BJP’s recent electoral defeat in the Hindi heartland, the Union Cabinet on Monday approved the expansion of beneficiaries under the Ujjwala Yojana for…
Cyclone ‘Phethai’ hits Andhra coast, triggers heavy rains
Visakhapatnam, Dec 17 (IANS) Cyclonic storm ‘Phethai crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast in East Godavari district on Monday, causing widespread rains, uprooting trees, paralyzing transport and damaging crops. ‘Phethai’ made the landfall near Katrinekonda in…
Delhi’s minimum temperature set to drop; air quality ‘very poor’
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Delhi’s minimum temperature was on Monday recorded at 6.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average and it is expected to drop further by one or two degrees, said…
At 460, India records highest leopard mortality in 2018
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) With 460 leopard deaths, India in 2018 recorded the highest mortality rate of the particular big cat species across the country in the past four years, Wildlife Protection Society of…
‘Bete’ comments on legalisation of guns to kill wild boars
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Ganesh Shetty’s new short film “Bete” presents a strong commentary on a 2016 law which legalised the use of guns to cull wild boars in order to protect crops from…
ISRO shortlists 14 firms for transfer of lithium ion cell technology
Chennai, Dec 17 (IANS) Indian space agency ISRO has shortlisted 14 companies out of over 100 companies that showed interest in its lithium ion cell technology, said a senior official. “Over 100 companies showed interest…
Rainy Monday for Kolkata as cyclone hits Andhra
Kolkata, Dec 17 (IANS) Kolkata and several other districts of Gangetic West Bengal woke up to a rainy morning on Monday as cyclone ‘Phethai’ made landfall in Andhra Pradesh. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) of…
Mercury dips in Jharkhand due to rains
Ranchi, Dec 17 (IANS) Jharkhand witnessed cold weather on Monday due to incessant rains in the state, a weather official said here. “Jharkhand is receiving moderate to heavy rainfall due to a cyclone which will…
Personal heating patches could reduce energy waste in buildings
New York, Dec 17 (IANS) Researchers, including one of an Indian-origin, have developed a thin, durable and high-tech personal heating patch that could be sewn into clothes to generate heat, while significantly reducing users’ electric…
Is climate change apocalypse real? Practice is better than preaching
By Arul Louis Is the looming climate change apocalypse real? In the clearly-demarcated battle lines, the good guys are those who believe it is and the bad guys, like US President Donald Trump, are the…
Cyclone Phethai: Over 50 trains cancelled in Andhra
Vijayawada, Dec 17 (IANS) The South Central Railway has cancelled over 50 trains in coastal Andhra Pradesh in view of severe cyclonic storm Phethai, which is set to hit the coast near Kakinada on Monday…
Yami becomes goodwill leader for Super Sniffers campaign
Gwalior, Dec 17 (IANS) Actress Yami Gautam has been named the goodwill leader of Super Sniffers campaign initiated by TRAFFIC India along with World Wildlife Fund India (WWF). As part of the campaign, a band…
Foggy Monday morning in Delhi, air quality remains ‘very poor’
New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) Residents of the national capital woke up to a foggy morning on Monday with the minimum temperature touching 6.2 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average. “There was shallow…