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BANGKOK, April 2 (Reuters) – Thai Oil PCL TOP.BK:
Energy
* Says gross integrated margin excluding stocks in the first quarter at $5 a barrel, close to a year earlier, Chief Executive Surong Bulakul told reporters
* Expects higher gross integrated margins in the second quarter due to rising margins in both its refining and petrochemical businesses
TEHRAN, April 2 (Reuters) – International sanctions will not prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear activities, said the country’s top nuclear negotiator on Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“Iranians are familiar with sanctions … We consider sanctions as opportunities … We will continue our (nuclear) path more decisively,” Saeed Jalili was quoted by IRNA as saying in China.
The West accuses Iran of covertly trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear power is aimed at generating electricity.
The United States and its European allies want to curb the Islamic state’s nuclear activities and are pushing for new U.N.-backed sanctions against Tehran.
China, a veto-wielding member of the United Nations Security Council, has for months fended off the calls to back sanctions.
Jalili flew to Beijing on Thursday to hold talks with Chinese officials. Iran is a major oil supplier to China. (Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Washington, Sep 18 (ANI): University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers are working towards developing better catalyst for fuel cells in a bid to make clean cars a reality.
If successful, the researchers could make a car that runs on hydrogen from solar power, and produces water instead of carbon emissions.
Materials science and engineering assistant professor Dane Morgan and Ph.D. student Edward (Ted) Holby have developed a computational model that could optimise an important component of fuel cells, making it possible for the technology to have a more widespread use.
The researchers investigated how particle size is related to the overall stability of a material, and showed with their model that increasing the particle size of a fuel cell catalyst decreases degradation and therefore increases the useful lifetime of a fuel cell.
Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that facilitate a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, producing electrical power and forming water.
In the type of fuel cells Morgan is researching, called proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), hydrogen is split into a proton and electron at one side of the fuel cell (the anode).
The proton moves through the device while the electron is forced to travel in an external circuit, where it can perform useful work, while at the other side of the fuel cell (the cathode), the protons, electrons and oxygen combine to form water, which is the only waste product.
One of the many hurdles to producing efficient fuel cells for widespread use is the catalyst added to aid the reaction between protons, electrons and oxygen at the cathode.
Current fuel cells use platinum and platinum alloys as a catalyst. While platinum can withstand the corrosive fuel cell environment, it is expensive and not very abundant.
Thus, to maximize platinum use, researchers use catalysts made with platinum particles as small as two nanometers, which are approximately 10 atoms across.
These tiny structures have a large surface area on which the fuel cell reaction occurs.
However, platinum catalysts this small degrade very quickly, which means that the fuel cell doesn’t last long.
The researchers have found a possible solution to the rapid degradation problem-when it comes to catalyst particle size, sometimes smaller isn’t better.
In their modelling work, they showed that if the particle size of a platinum catalyst is increased to four or five nanometers, which is approximately 20 atoms across, the level of degradation significantly decreases.
This means the catalyst and the fuel cell as a whole can continue to function for much longer than if the particle size was only two or three nanometers.
“Fuel cells are just one of many energy technologies – solar, battery, etc. – with enormous potential to reduce our dependence on oil and our carbon emissions. Computer simulation offers a powerful tool to understand and develop new materials at the heart of these energy technologies,” said Morgan. (ANI)
Minsk, Sept 17 (ANI): Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has arrived here to foster bilateral ties between the two countries.
Krishna is the first Indian External Minister to visit this country.
On Wednesday, Krishna visited the Victory Square Monument in the city and paid tribute to soldiers who had laid down their lives during the World War II while fighting the Nazi invaders.
“This is the first ever visit by an Indian Minister for External Affairs to Belarus. I think it is an important visit with a view to further cement and strengthen relationship to mutual advantage,” said Ramesh Chander, Indian Ambassador to Belarus.
Krishna’s visit is being seen as important, as it would help to cement ties further between the two countries.
“In 2008, we had a 432 million trade turnover. And this year, it is likely to touch 500 million by the end of the year,” Chander added.
Krishna reviewed guard of honour of the Belarus Army at the Square. He was received by the Deputy Mayor of Minsk, Titenkov Mikhail.
On Thursday, Krishna will call on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
He will also hold talks with his counterpart Sergey Martynov. Two agreements will be signed including one on Cooperation in Physical Education and Sports and an MoU on the Establishment of a Digital Learning Centre in Minsk.
The Digital Learning Centre will impart skills in advanced computing and software creation to young Belarusian students, initially with Indian faculty members and thereafter with trained Belarusian professionals.
Krishna will also pay an official visit to Turkmenistan on September 18 and 19.
He will call on Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov and hold meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.
Krishna will also have a meeting with Minister in-charge of Oil and Gas sector Baymyrat Hojamuhammedov.
Both countries will sign a cooperation agreement during the visit. By Ravi Shankar (ANI)
New Delhi, Sept 17 (ANI): Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has lauded Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi’s train ride as part of his party’s austerity drive.
Mamata Banerjee, who inaugurated the newly spruced up terminal of New Delhi railway station in the capital along with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday, lauded the austerity act.
Gandhi travelled in an air-conditioned chair car of the Swarn Shatabdi Express on Tuesday, a day after his mother Sonia Gandhi travelled in an economy class flight from New Delhi to Mumbai.
Rahul travelled from New Delhi to Ludhiana to inaugurate a four-day camp of young Congressmen.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked the Congress leaders to observe austerity to cut down expenditure in the wake of draught declared in parts of the country.
Earlier, the Congress Party had decided that its ministers and lawmakers would also take a 20 per cent cut in salaries.
The Congress Party has also urged the government to keep prices of essential commodities in check with special emphasis on oil seeds and pulses. (ANI)
Minsk, Sept 17 (ANI): India and Belarus will sign two bilateral agreements during External Affairs Minister S. M. Krishna’s two-day visit to that country.
During his visit, Krishna will call on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko.
He will also hold wide-ranging talks with his counterpart Sergey Martynov. The agreements to be signed are one on Cooperation in Physical Education and Sports and an MoU on the Establishment of a Digital Learning Centre in Minsk.
The Digital Learning Centre will impart skills in advanced computing and software creation to young Belarusian students, initially with Indian faculty members and thereafter with trained Belarusian professionals.
This will be the first visit by India’s External Affairs Minister to Belarus.
Krishna will also pay an official visit to Turkmenistan on September 18 and 19.
He will call on Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov and hold meetings with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.
Krishna will also have a meeting with Minister in-charge of Oil and Gas sector Baymyrat Hojamuhammedov.
Both countries will sign a cooperation agreement during the visit. (ANI)
Washington, September 13 (ANI): In a new study, scientists have found that even a simple road can turn subsistence communities into commercial hunting camps that empty rainforests of their wildlife.
The study was carried out by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the IDEAS-Universidad San Francisco de Quito at Ecuador’s Yasuni National Park.
The researchers, in the park, found that the presence of a single road in a protected area and the subsidies provided by oil companies to local people can fundamentally change how indigenous communities use their resources by providing both access to deeper parts of the forest and a cheap means of getting meat to nearby wildlife markets.
“We’ve found that a road in a forest can bring huge social changes to local groups and the ways in which they utilize wildlife resources,” said WCS and USFQ researcher Esteban Suarez, lead author of the study.
“Communities existing inside and around the park are changing their customs to a lifestyle of commercial hunting, the first stage in a potential overexploitation of wildlife,” Suarez added.
“A simple, seemingly inoffensive road can have far-reaching effects on a landscape and its people,” said Dr. Avecita Chicchon, Director of WCS’s Latin America and Caribbean Program.
“It provides hunters with more access to a wider range of forest while providing a low-cost transportation route to markets. More importantly, it plugs communities more easily into the larger economic world while creating increased demand for numerous species of animals. It is the road to unsustainability,” he added.
In the study, WCS scientists measured the levels of wild meat sold in a market in Pompeya, located about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) outside Yasuni National Park, between the years 2005-2007.
The wild meat market emerged shortly after the construction of the road.
Although road access was strictly controlled, the oil companies operating this concession provided free travel along the road for hunters from local Waorani communities, according to the study.
The availability of cheap transportation is the biggest factor in determining the large amount of wild meat making it to market from Waorani communities.
In fact, the road’s very existence prompted many Waorani to abandon their semi-nomadic lifestyle; three Waorani communities now live along the road.
Between the years of 2005 and 2007, the researchers recorded more than 11,000 kilograms (24,000 pounds) of wild meat moving through the Pompeya market each year. (ANI)
London, Sept 11 (ANI): A naturally present chemical in men’s sweat may act as a primitive love potion that increases their attractiveness in women’s eyes, says a new study.
The substance is derived from the male sex hormone testosterone.
To reach the conclusion, Tamsin Saxton of the University of St Andrews studied the influence of androstadienone by dabbling a drop of it on the upper lip of 50 women who took part in the evening trial before they “dated” a series of men.
From analyses, researchers found that women of all ages rated the men slightly higher on a scale of attractiveness when given the substance, compared to water or clove oil, but the effect was greatest in younger women aged between 18 and 22, reports The Independent.
“For some of the women we gave them androstadienone and we put it in clove oil solution so they just smelt clove oil. Some of the women had clove oil alone, and the third group had just water so there was no odour at all,” she told the British Science Festival.
“We got the women to mark how attractive they thought the men were on a one to seven scale after they interacted with each man,” she said.
“We found that the women given androstadienone had given slightly higher ratings of attractiveness to the men. That suggested this constituent of sweat does seem to have some kind of impact on attraction,” she told the festival.
“Some people don’t seem to be able to smell it all, some people say it smells OK or a bit sweaty, whereas others say it smells really awful, like babies’ nappies,” Saxton said.
According to the expert, one hypothesis is that it could be a “pheromone”, or chemical messenger that acts between individuals in much the same way that hormones act as messengers within the body.
“It’s something that people investigate on the topic of pheromones. When you talk of animal pheromones, they are involved in very specific reactions,” Saxton said.
“People do value somebody’s natural skin smell and it’s worth bearing in mind that this may be part of your appeal – how you smell naturally,” she told the festival. (ANI)
Washington, September 8 (ANI): A new report by an international team of researchers has determined that aquaculture, once a fledgling industry, now accounts for 50 percent of the fish consumed globally.
The findings are published in the Sept. 7 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
“Aquaculture is set to reach a landmark in 2009, supplying half of the total fish and shellfish for human consumption,” according to the authors.
Between 1995 and 2007, global production of farmed fish nearly tripled in volume, in part because of rising consumer demand for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.
Oily fish, such as salmon, are a major source of these omega-3s, which are effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the National Institutes of Health.
“The huge expansion is being driven by demand,” said lead author Rosamond L. Naylor, a professor of environmental Earth system science at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Program on Food Security and the Environment.
“As long as we are a health-conscious population trying to get our most healthy oils from fish, we are going to be demanding more of aquaculture and putting a lot of pressure on marine fisheries to meet that need,” Naylor added.
To maximize growth and enhance flavor, aquaculture farms use large quantities of fishmeal and fish oil made from less valuable wild-caught species, including anchoveta and sardine.
“With the production of farmed fish eclipsing that of wild fish, another major transition is also underway: Aquaculture’s share of global fishmeal and fish oil consumption more than doubled over the past decade to 68 percent and 88 percent, respectively,” said the authors.
In 2006, aquaculture production was 51.7 million metric tons, and about 20 million metric tons of wild fish were harvested for the production of fishmeal.
“It can take up to 5 pounds of wild fish to produce 1 pound of salmon, and we eat a lot of salmon,” said Naylor, the William Wrigley Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment and Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.
One way to make salmon farming more environmentally sustainable is to simply lower the amount of fish oil in the salmon’s diet.
According to the authors, a mere 4 percent reduction in fish oil would significantly reduce the amount of wild fish needed to produce 1 pound of salmon from 5 pounds to just 3.9 pounds. (ANI)
London, Sep.6 (ANI): British and Scottish Members of Parliament are keen to know whether former Prime Minister Tony Blair played a role in a deal between Britain and Libya to secure the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi at a meeting in a London club in 2003, long before either the Scottish government or Gordon Brown was involved.
According to The Independent, questions are being raised in Parliament over the meeting that Blair orchestrated that brought Libya in from the cold.
MPs are set to demand the minutes of an extraordinary cloak-and-dagger summit in London between British, American and Libyan spies held three days before Blair announced that Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was surrendering his weapons of mass destruction programme.
At the time of the secret meeting in December 2003 at the private Travellers Club in Pall Mall, London – for decades the favourite haunt of spies – Libyan officials were pressing for negotiations on the status of Megrahi, who was nearly three years into his life sentence at a Scottish jail.
Whitehall sources said the issue of Megrahi’s imprisonment was raised as part of the discussions, although it is not clear whether Britain or America agreed to a specific deal over his imprisonment, or a more general indication that it would be reviewed.
MPs are to investigate what was promised by Britain at the talks on December 16, 2003 and the role that Blair played in the affair.
Until now, the controversy over Megrahi’s release last month has centred on discussions between Gordon Brown’s government and the Scottish executive and Libya since 2007, with Blair apparently not involved in any way.
It has also focused on claims that the deal was related to oil deals, with Jack Straw admitting yesterday that BP’s interests in Libya played a “big part”.
But authoritative sources said the seeds for Megrahi’s release were sown in 2003, when Libya made the historic agreement to end its status as a pariah, and that the focus on oil and trade was a “red herring”.
Last night, a spokesman for Blair could not be drawn on the December 2003 meeting. (ANI)
Washington, Sept 6 (ANI): Essential oils from common spices like oregano, allspice and garlic can act as a natural barrier against bacteria like E-Coli, Salmonella and Listeria, according to a new US government study.
Oregano oil has been found to be the most effective antimicrobial, followed by allspice and garlic.
Researchers at Processed Foods Research and Produce Safety and Microbiology units of Western Regional Research Centre from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigated the effectiveness of the oils by incorporating them in thin, tomato-based antimicrobial coatings known as edible films.
In addition to its flavour properties, tomatoes are reported to possess numerous beneficial nutritional and bioactive components that may benefit human health.
Edible tomato films containing antimicrobials may protect food against contamination by pathogenic microorganisms.
The findings revealed that oregano oil consistently inhibited the growth of all three bacteria.
Although garlic oil was not effective against E. coli or Salmonella, but was effective against Listeria.
Vapour tests of oregano and allspice oils indicated that these two oils diffuse more efficiently through the air than through direct contact with the bacteria.
Listeria was less resistant to EO vapors while E. coli was more resistant.
“The results show that apple-based films with allspice, cinnamon or clove bud oils were effective against the three bacteria. The essential oils have the potential to provide multiple benefits to consumers,” said lead researcher R. J. Avena-Bustillos.
The study appears in Journal of Food Science. (ANI)
Karachi, Sep. 5 (ANI): The corruption cases filed against Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s wife have been withdrawn.
Fouzia Yousuf Gilani and five others were accused of obtaining two loans from the Agricultural Development Bank for their companies in the late 1980s and not returning the money, The Dawn reports.
But the National Accountability Bureau which had filed the cases against Gilani, Syeda Samina Abrar, Anwar Nasreen, Ziaur Rehman, Khalid Hussain and Nasreen Munawar Chaudhry in 2000 told the court that the matter has been settled and charges withdrawn.
According to the prosecution, the accused, who were directors of the Pakistan Green Fertiliser, had obtained a loan of 71.163 million rupees from the ADBP in November 1987 and not returned the amount after which the National Accountability Bureau had filed a reference against them.
The second reference pertained to a loan of 100 million rupees taken from the bank in July 1989 for the Multan Edible Oil Extraction Company.
The court had dismissed applications for acquittal in July.
The MD of the firms, Munawar Hussain Sindhu, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on March 10, 2001, while Gilani and others were awarded three-year terms in absentia for failing to appear before the court. (ANI)
London, Sep 5 (ANI): Britain’s Justice secretary Jack Straw has admitted for the first time that trade and oil deals with Libya played a very big part in the handling of the Lockerbie bomber’s case.
He said trade was a major influence on his decision to include Abdelbaset Al Megrahi in a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya signed two years ago, just as BP was seeking a multi-billion pound deal there.
In January 2008, Libya ratified a $900 million (£551 million) oil deal with BP.
When asked in the interview if trade and BP were factors, Straw admits: “Yes, (it was) a very big part of that. I’m unapologetic about that… Libya was a rogue state.
“We wanted to bring it back into the fold. And yes, that included trade because trade is an essential part of it and subsequently there was the BP deal.”
The admission directly contradicts Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s insistence only days ago that oil deals were not a factor in Megrahi’s release, The Telegraph reports.
Straw also suggested that Kenny MacAskill, the Scottish Justice Minister, released the terminally ill bomber on compassionate grounds earlier than the British Government would have done.
Brown has been accused of putting Britain’s trade interests before justice for the Lockerbie victims.
Megrahi, who is suffering from prostate cancer, was freed last month by Scotland on compassionate grounds after it was said he was only months from death. Last night it emerged he has been moved out of intensive care.
Straw also claims that Brown had nothing to do with his change of heart over the prisoner transfer agreement, adding: “I certainly didn’t talk to the PM. There is no paper trail to suggest he was involved at all.”
A spokesman for BP said the company had raised concerns with the Government about the slow progress in concluding the PTA, but denied mentioning Megrahi. (ANI)
Kochi, Sep 3 (ANI): Foreign tourists in Kerala took part in the ten-day long harvest festival ‘Onam’.
The Homestay Operators Association organised Onam celebrations for the foreign tourists staying in the association’s homes.
Many foreigners participated in a simple procession in Kochi along a floral carpet on a street.he foreigners enjoyed sumptuous traditional meal with a variety of delicacies prepared in coconut oil and served on Banana leaf.
“I feel very lucky to be here to be a part of the Onam celebrations today by joining in arranging the flowers and also in the parade. It is a very beautiful experience for me so I feel lucky,” said Claire, a tourist from Australia.
Onam, a harvest festival, is celebrated in Kerala when young girls and women make flower patterns called “Pookalam” in local parlance to welcome the mythical King Mahabali.
Onam recalls the story of the mythical king Mahabali who created a kingdom in what is now Kerala.
The festival falls during the month of Chingam (August-September as per the Gregorian calendar), the first month of the Malayalam calendar and lasts for ten days.
Traditionally celebrated as a harvest festival, mythologically it is linked to Malayalee-Hindu folktales. (ANI)
Barmer (Rajasthan), Aug.29 (ANI): The Government of Rajasthan on Saturday demanded a lion’s share of the value added tax (VAT) that would be generated from the extraction of crude oil from the Mangala Processing Terminal ( MPT) here.
According to sources, the issue will be settled later when state government representatives meet the officials of this Cairns Energy India-ONGCjoint venture.
ONGC Chairman R.S. Sharma said that it would take at least four years to meet this demand of the Rajasthan Government, which was made by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Sharma said that the approach of the state government would determine the way forward on the issue of revenue sharing.
Officials attached with the joint venture said they are leaving no stone unturned in doing their bit for the local people.
The media contingent accompanying the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on the inaugural visit to the project site were shown the entrepreneural centre where various social projects for local people are showcased.
Cairn India CEO Rahul Dhir emphasised the point that the maximum number of labourers are locals, and added that out of the 700 contractors, a majority are local people.
Inaugurating the project, Dr. Singh said the present venture is an indication that foreign investment in the country will grow and that the Indian Government will honestly provide all facilities to attract foreign investment.
He also congratulated the technical personnel for successfully finding oil reserves.
It maybe recalled that the Dutch firm Shell had abandoned the search for oil in this desert area. cairn india then stepped in, and after four years of continuous labour, was able to discover oil. arlier, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Murli Deora described the activation of the Mangala Processing Terminal ( MPT) as a historic achievement, as the crude oil production from this block will meet about 20 percent of the nation’s current crude oil production.
He said this will enable the country to save seven percent of the crude oil import bill and reduce import dependence.
Deora also emphasised the need for stabilising crude oil prices for ensuring the sustained economic growth of the country, Deora said the MPT find is a significant step towards achieving this goal.
Cairn has invested about Rs.10000 crores in the area.
The total investment in this project will be more than Rs. 20000 crores. The government will get Rs. 46000 crores as profit petroleum revenue over the life of the project and will provide job opportunities for more than 6000 people.
According to company sources, the supply terminal to the Mangala field, the second largest oil discovery in the country in two decades, will be a giant step towards curtailing the country’s oil import bill.
With an initial 30,000 barrels capacity per day (bpd), Cairn India plans to add another 1,00,000 bpd over the next 18 months.
Mangala oil field officials are confident of reaching the target of producing 1,75,000 bpd in the next 20 months.
The project would contribute more than 20 per cent of India’s domestic crude oil production by 2011, the company sources said. By Pankaj Chaudhary (ANI)
New York, Aug.29 (ANI): Taliban insurgents have resorted to ‘organized crime’ to generate funds for their militant activities being carried out in the lawless northwestern Pakistan, and the banned outfit has made Karachi their hub for the new ‘business’.
The Taliban is using Karachi, Pakistan’s financial capital, to regroup, smuggle weapons and even work seasonal jobs, but of late the extremists have started working with criminal groups and are using Mafia-style network for kidnapping, robbing banks to generate funds for their counterparts based along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Officials also admit that being the country’s financial nerve, Karachi has emerged a soft and favoured target of Taliban’s new business.
“There is overwhelming evidence that it’s an organized policy,” said Assistant Inspector General of the Karachi police, Dost Ali Baloch.
This is where they come to hide, where they raise their finances,” said a Karachi based counterterrorism official, on conditions of anonymity.
Taliban’s increasing involvement in organized crimes in the city can be gauged from the fact that about eighty percent of bank robberies conducted in the recent past are now believed to be related to the insurgency and other militant groups, The News York Times reports.
Officials believe that kidnapping for ransom may have been the single largest revenue source for the Taliban’s Pakistan chief Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike earlier this month.
Karachi’s business community is the prime target of the insurgents.
“They’re real professionals. They know for sure that whoever they take can afford to pay,” said said Ahmed Chinoy, a textile manufacturer who is the deputy head of a citizens committee.
People are so perturbed and frightened by the deteriorating situation that they have started to take matters into their own hands, but they believe such steps are inadequate and the authorities must step-in.
“If we give, we’re in trouble, and if we don’t give, we’re in trouble. We’re being ground down in between,” said Abzal Khan Mehsud, a member of the Oil Tanker Owners Association.
“The worse the economy is, the more jihadis it will create.This is a money war,” said Idrees Gigi, a textile manufacturer in North Karachi. (ANI)
Barmer (Rajasthan), Aug 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate a terminal for the supply of crude oil at Cairn India’s Mangala oilfield in Barmer, Rajasthan on Saturday.
According to company sources, the supply terminal to the Mangala field, the second largest oil discovery in the country in two decades, will be a giant step towards curtailing the country’s oil import bill.
With an initial 30,000 barrels capacity per day (bpd), Cairn India plans to add another 1,00,000 bpd over the next 18 months.
Mangala oil field officials are confident of reaching the target of producing 1,75,000 bpd in the next 20 months.
The project would contribute more than 20 per cent of India’s domestic crude oil production by 2011, the company sources said.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit a National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) camp to review labourers’ work, and a woman self-help groups at Ramsar village, near Barmer, and ‘Harit Rajasthan’, a green plantation project being undertaken massively by the State Government to revive the water table in the state. (ANI)
Washington, August 27 (ANI): Australian scientists, using a climate model, have suggested that human-generated aerosols from the northern hemisphere may have contributed to increased rainfall in north-western and central Australia, and decreased rainfall in parts of southern Australia.
According to lead researcher, Dr Leon Rotstayn, Principal Research Scientist at the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, a partnership between CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology, “Perhaps surprisingly, inclusion of northern hemisphere aerosols may be important for accurate modelling of Australian climate change.”Aerosols come from many different sources.
Sulphur is released when we burn coal and oil. More dust, also an aerosol, circulates in the atmosphere when land is cleared, burned or overgrazed.
Some aerosols occur naturally like sea spray and volcanic emissions, but NASA estimates ten percent of the total aerosols in the atmosphere are caused by people.
Most of this ten percent is in the northern hemisphere.
European researchers, attending the international ‘Water in a changing climate’ science conference in Melbourne from August 24-28, will discuss a new forecasting service that will identify in unprecedented detail where these aerosols are coming from and where they are going.
The new service, part of Europe’s Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative, will give global information on how pollutants move around the world across oceans and continents, and will refine estimates of their sources and sinks.
According to Dr Adrian Simmons from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, which is coordinating the multi-institution initiative, “The service will give much more detailed forecast information on air quality over Europe and provide the basis for better health advice across Europe and beyond”.
The service has clear implications for environmental policy and legislation. (ANI)
Pipraghat (UP), Aug 26 (ANI): Pipraghat villagers are caught in double trouble. Hit by flood, they have fallen victim to the government’s complacency.
The village is among the many hit by the rising waters of Narayani River in Kushinagar district. Thousands of people have been rendered homeless.
The villagers of Pipraghat complained that they have not received any government help so far.
“This is Pipraghat village in Kushinagar district, which is very backward. Twenty-five villages have been affected by floods and 20,000 people are suffering from it.
But the government has not made any arrangement. It has only been providing us with a boat and 2 litres of kerosene oil.” said Prabhunath Yadav, a resident.
People say they are left with very little food and are living on shells.
“The water has not receded. We are fetching shells and eating them and there is also no help from the government,” said Batulia Devi, a villager.
The villagers are facing a severe shortage of drinking water, apart from kerosene oil to cook their food.
The government officials say kerosene oil is on its way to reach people.
“Twelve thousand litres of oil has been ordered which will be distributed to people. The revenue administrative officer will make a list of people and those in the list will get two litres of oil,” said Mahendra Shukla, district supply officer.
Narayani River has swollen due to rains in Nepal, where it originates.
The river flows through Champaran district in Bihar to Maharajgunj and down Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh.
Heavy downpour after a delayed monsoon has wreaked havoc in many districts of Uttar Pradesh which skirt the India-Nepal border since the waters of swollen rivers and reservoirs in Nepal rush southwards into these districts. (ANI)
Kolkata, Aug 24 (ANI): Hundreds of cyclists took to the streets here on Sunday in a cycle rally organized with an aim to promote environmental awareness.
The rally was organized by the state-run oil refinery, the Indian Oil Corporation.
“We want to spread awareness amongst the people regarding the global warming, the environmental friendly attitude, what we need and how we can protect the environment, why should you protect the environment, all these points we are taking through this walk and this rally,” said Aloke Kumar Singh, Indian Oil spokesperson.
The cyclists included participants young and old.
“Today’s rally is organised to bring pollution under control because if we check pollution it will be good for us, for our next generation and for the country as well,” said 60-year-old Amarjit Singh.
It is feared that the doubling of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere within 50 years would raise global temperatures between 1.5 degree Celsius and 4.5 degree Celsius.
The WHO has warned that such environmental shifts could cause waterborne and parasitic blights, such as cholera and lyme disease, to spread to new areas. (ANI)
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