Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal Sunday alleged that the Congress-led central government in 2004 had ignored the people's objections while allowing Jaiprakash Associates Limited to set up cement and thermal plants in Solan district.

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Saturday appealed for coordinated efforts to ensure that the state's river island Majuli is included in the Unesco's World Heritage Site list.

Beijing: China has announced a new crackdown on polluting industries which are major contributors to the capital's emissions.

Dubai: The environment department of the Dubai Municipality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will mark World Migratory Bird Day May 12-13.

Panos South Asia has announced they are receiving applications for the South Asia Climate Change Award (SACCA) Fellowships for the year 2012.

Copenhagen: Though they evolved separately over millennia in different worlds of darkness, bats and toothed whales use surprisingly similar acoustic behaviour to locate, track, and capture prey using echolocation, the biological equivalent of sonar.

Bangkok, Sep 29: Saving the world's remaining native forests must be a big part of any new climate deal as about 20 percent of global carbon emissions are due to deforestation and forest degradation, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) said Tuesday.

Washington: A 27-foot crocodile, capable of swallowing humans, once roamed east Africa, dwarfing even its counterparts in the Nile – the biggest recorded so far, a scientist says.

New Delhi: Rapping the rural development ministry's land resources department for the "inordinate delay" in finalising a bio-fuels programme, a parliamentary panel has sought for the matter be placed before the cabinet at the earliest for a decision on its continuance.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said it would consider whether to completely ban the use of plastic in the interests of animals and the environment.

Mexico City: Mexico City has started distributing 483,000 masks to residents who might need protection from the ash being spewed by the Popocatepetl volcano.

Shimla: Greens are upbeat after the Himachal Pradesh High Court handed out what they term "environmental justice" by fining a corporate house Rs 100 crore for violating the law and fraudulently setting up a cement plant and a thermal power plant.

India's efforts to develop a road map for growth that is low-carbon-based and inclusive are much-delayed. The expert panel constituted by the Government of India to develop low carbon strategies for inclusive growth in January 2010 was supposed to submit its interim and final report in April and September of the same year.

Washington: Maximum running speed practically determines mammalian eye size other than body size, says a new study.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to Hindustan Petroleum Corp and the National Disaster Management Authority on a plea by villagers opposing the construction of a petroleum depot near their homes in west Delhi.

New Delhi: On Wednesday, Delhi zoo authorities denied the spread of anthrax after a rhinoceros died here last week. Even as over 20 zoo employees are still under observation as a precaution, the zoo officials said "no anthrax symptoms have been found".

Panaji: Plastic, waste and other forms of garbage will be off Goa's beaches by September, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday.

Agra: Hundreds of paint-brushes allegedly made from the hair of mongoose were seized from a shop Monday evening.

Chennai: At least 24 activists of the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) launched an indefinite fast on Tuesday at four villages in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from here, in protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

Panaji: In a shocking incident, an illegal laterite stone mine was found on the site of an upcoming national and an international games events in Goa, prompting government to launch an inquiry into it, officials said. The state has hogged headlines for rampant illegal iron-ore mining.

New Delhi: E-waste handling rules, which came into effect from Tuesday, will not make much difference at the ground-level, as there is no monitoring mechanism or guideline in place, says Toxics Link.

Washington: Half of the 24 new lizard species known as skinks, all discovered on the Caribbean islands, may be close to extinction and the other half are also under threat.

London: Wind farms can cause climate change, according to a study, that shows how the technology is already pushing up temperatures, The Telegraph reported.

New Delhi: A total of 89 power projects seeking green clearance are pending with the ministry, Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

Phnom Penh: A study was launched to protect the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodia's Mekong River, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said on Monday.

Abu Dhabi: More than 15 tonnes of waste have been collected in a campaign to clean the seabed off a number of ports in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Guwahati: In a bid to enter the Guinness World Records, 100 people planted 40,885 saplings within an hour on Sunday near the Chirang Reserve Forest in lower Assam.

Patna: Power-starved Bihar's 126 MW capacity Dagmara hydro power project in Supaul district has got clearance from the Central Water Commission (CWC), and the state government is likely to start work on it soon, officials said on Thursday.

New Delhi: A group of students in the national capital proved that style and malaria awareness can go hand in hand – with models walking the ramp wearing dresses made of mosquito net in a fashion show on April 25, 2012 which is 'World Malaria Day', to create awareness about the use of mosquito nets.

New Delhi: Sikkim has won the 'best state' award for strengthening its panchayati raj institutions.

Mumbai, April 24: The life and times of India's legendary Birdman, the late Salim Ali, have been immortalised in a comic book to be released on Thursday April 26, 2012.

Paro: Cooperation among countries can help transform South Asia from an energy constraint to an energy surplus region, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley has said.

New Delhi: ‘Himalayan Meltdown’, a documentary on the shrinking glaciers of the Himalayas and their effects on the livelihoods of Asians, has been honoured with a Platinum Award at the 45th annual Worldfest International Film Festival.

Chandigarh: Haryana's wildlife will be counted in May and June in order to conserve it, an official said on Sunday April 22, 2012.

London: Researchers have found vast groundwater reserves in the Sahara, one of the driest places on earth that could help buffer climate change effects for years.

London: Scientists have created a green-glowing zebrafish to monitor ecological damage caused by pollution in real time.

Washington: A new genre of power plants, using only a tenth of the global river flow into the oceans, could meet the energy needs of half a billion people, without emitting carbon dioxide, says a study.

Ahmedabad: A 600 MW solar power park, touted as Asia's first and largest, was dedicated to the nation by Gujarat CM Narendra Modi in the state's Patan district, in a boost to India's efforts towards low carbon growth.

Beijing: Three crocodiles broke loose and escaped in China while being moved to a new location in the Yancheng Safari Park in Jiangsu province.

Beijing: Following efforts to support their survival, the critically endangered Chinese alligators living in the wild have witnessed a rise in population over the past few years.

New Delhi: The ministry of environment and forests has issued guidelines to stop experimentation on animals for training undergraduate and post-graduate students in colleges and to instead use alternatives such as computer-aided simulators for the purpose.

Guwahati: The Assam government has decided to go all out to protect the forest wealth of the state, a state minister said.

Kolkata: The Indian government's failure to formulate effective policies to address environmental issues would risk causing economic growth to lag, warn environmentalists. The world over, problems like climate change are seen as wide-ranging market failures, presenting unique challenges for economic development.

New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh government said Gujarat's opposition to the translocation of Asiatic lions from Gir forests should be rejected because the state has already done the preparations to house the big cats in Kunopal sanctuary.

Agartala: An elephant, that entered the northeastern state of Tripura from neighbouring Bangladesh, has triggered panic among people in Agartala, a senior forest official said.

Chandigarh: As Punjab celebrated the Baisakhi harvest festival on Friday April 13, 2012, the state government announced it was launching a major sapling plantation drive on vacant land along national and state highways in the state.

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has launched a project to protect the wildlife and the fragile ecosystem of the Jebel Hafeet mountain in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the environment ministry to not give environment clearances to any new industrial projects in Noida, on the outskirts of the national capital, following the "lackadaisical attitude" of the Noida administration in a case related to pollution in the area.

Chandigarh: High-velocity winds accompanied by rain damaged the standing wheat crop in parts of Punjab and Haryana, an official said Thursday, April 12, 2012.

Brussels: The European Union has denied charges made by Indian Environment Minister Jayanthi Natrajan that an EU law that charges airlines for carbon emissions is a "deal-breaker" for international climate change talks, EuAsia News reported.

Beijing: A group of Chinese families has adopted 20 endangered alligators from a nature reserve in the country's Anhui province.

New Delhi: Emphasising that India has nearly 17% of the world's population but only 4% of its usable fresh water, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a legal framework to govern the use of groundwater.

Guwahati: A census of one-horned rhinos at the renowned Kaziranga National Park (KNP) in Assam recorded an increase of almost 250 animals over a three-year period.

Moscow: A top Russian official blamed a recent outbreak of African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) in the country on Georgia. The virus affects only animals and not humans.

London: A drought-hit water firm in Britain is encouraging car drivers to desist from washing their vehicles and spreading messages about the precious resource. It has printed car stickers that read "Proud to be dirty".

Lucknow: In a rare and a first-of-its-kind phenomenon, a Silver Pheasant, a bird belonging to the peacock family, has changed its sex from female to a male.

New Delhi: If it's "Good for you", it's "Good for the earth". That's the new initiative launched by a leading beverage packager to increase awareness about environment protection and the benefits of recycling.

London: Cosmic dust that fills space could be playing a part in climate change, scientists say. A study is now trying to ascertain how much of this dust enters the Earth's atmosphere in a bid to find out how it might affect our climate.

Sydney: Scientists have stumbled upon a discovery that challenges conventional wisdom – water can sometimes float on oil, offering a potential solution to cleaning up of oil spills.

Helsinki: Nordic carrier Finnair has said it will focus on growing traffic between Europe and Asia, where it offers the shortest routes, to limit global warming pollution from aviation.

Kendrapara, Orissa: The Orissa Government today clamped a seven-month-long ban on fishing activity along the 20-km stretch of the Dhamra-Barunei mouth within Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in view of the commencement of mass nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles.

New Delhi: The Indian chapter People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organised a protest at India Gate against animal testing by cosmetic companies.

Moscow: A 64-year-old Uzbek woman has been detained in Russia while trying to smuggle over 2,000 tortoises into the country, the interior ministry said.

The Hague: Many biofuels are less sustainable than petrol and diesel, Dutch think tank CE Delft said Tuesday.

Washington: Sparrows are twittering louder to be heard above the cacophony of car horns and engine rumbles in a cityscape, says a new study.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has made huge strides in the field of biodiversity, and is now set to participate in the 11th Conference of Parties (CoP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) slated to be held in Hyderabad Oct 1 to 19, 2012, said an official.

Two of India's remarkable success stories of last six decades are the Green Revolution followed by the White Revolution. The first Green Revolution was based on high yielding varieties (HYV) and farm mechanisation in key regions that produced essential food-grains (wheat and rice) which helped the country overcome food shortage and become self-sufficient.

Mumbai: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has come out with a coffee table book on rich flora and fauna found in the Himalayas and Terai region.

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has opted to go green. Solar energy will now light up his official residence-cum-office.

Washington: Herpetologists have rediscovered a single specimen of the Bururi long-fingered frog during an expedition to Burundi. The species was last spotted in 1949 and was feared to be extinct after decades of turmoil in the East African nation.

Shimla: The World Bank will give Himachal Pradesh Rs 1,000 crore loan to enable it to become the country's first carbon neutral state by 2020, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said.

New Delhi: Power distribution firm BSES urged consumers in Delhi to switch off lights during the Earth Hour on March 31, 2012 to help conserve power.

Dubai: Conservation efforts by the Dubai Airports have helped reduce Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions by 72,793 tonnes.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued a notice to the environment ministry on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions for steps to prevent treated effluent from sewerage treatment plants (STPs) from entering water bodies and polluting them.

Lucknow: Two leopards were found dead in the jungles of Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district, officials said on Monday, March 26, 2012.

Washington: Human noises, such as the rumble of traffic or the hum of machines, do affect birds and animals which change their behaviour accordingly, indicates a new study.

London: The simple expedient of vaccinating chickens against the bug C. jejuni could cut down the incidence of food poisoning.

Bangalore: Coinciding with the World Water Day, global apparel brand Levi's Strauss & Co unveiled its 'waterless' jeans collection for this year's spring season.

Nashik: Panic gripped the city as a leopard strayed into a thickly populated residential area from the adjacent jungles and attacked three people, including a minor girl, police said.

New Delhi: The union agriculture ministry on March 20, 2012 informed the Delhi High Court that a committee has been constituted for framing a policy for periodic checks to detect pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits.

Srinagar: The death toll in an avalanche in north Kashmir has risen to three, an official said on Wednesday.

Washington: A 17 ft Australian saltwater crocodile exerts the most powerful bite on earth, recorded at 3,700 pounds, beating a wild American alligator with a 2,980-pound zap, a study reveals.

Srinagar: One person has been killed and two are missing in an avalanche in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district, officials said on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Noted environmentalist G.D. Agarwal has been on a fast-unto-death since Jan 15 to save the Ganga river, despite his advancing years. He is determined to continue his fast though he is physically worn out. He has been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where he is continuing his fast, his supporters said on Monday.

New Delhi: A total of 14,298 trees are likely to be felled here during the third phase of Delhi metro, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

New Delhi: With climate change posing one of the biggest challenges, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced on Friday Rs 200 crore for research to develop plant and seed varieties that yield more and can resist climate change.

Moscow: Though the Russian capital is not known for its sunshine, authorities believe the city gets enough sunlight to afford solar-powered bus stops.

Kolkata: With 46,900 people in India succumbing to snake bites in a year, an NGO has now come up with the novel 'All India Snake Guide Map' to help determine which reptile is poisonous and what is the line of treatment that should be followed.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu will soon come out with a new policy on solar power to generate 3,000 MW by 2015-16, Natham R Viswanathan, minister for non-conventional energy development, said on Monday.

New Delhi: Indian Railways would be introducing green trains with bio-toilets to provide better hygiene for passengers as part of its green initiatives, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi said on Wednesday.

Mexico City: Greenpeace has launched a campaign to drum up opposition to a tourist project in the northwestern Mexican state of Baja California Sur that opponents say will threaten the nearby Cabo Pulmo marine reserve.

Abu Dhabi: More than 1,500 trees were planted at a port in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Beijing: The Yangtze cowfish, an endangered sub-species of the dolphin family in China's Yangtze river, might die out in 15 years if there are no effective preservation methods, an expert said on Monday.

Chennai: Even as the Indian nuclear establishment is going flat out to convince the people through advertisements about the safety of atomic power, an environmental group here has complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) about the advertisements "misleading" the public.

Unfazed by the most severe ecological threats, some coral reefs may yet be adapting to warmer oceans.

China will set up a monitoring system to compensate for oil spills in the Bohai Sea off its northeastern coast, an official said Monday.

Beijing: China is willing to share with other nations its unique experiences in water management and conservation, according to Chen Lei, minister of water resources.