WHO published its World health statistics report 2025, revealing the deeper health impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on loss of lives, longevity and overall health and well-being. In just two years, between 2019 and 2021, global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years—the largest drop in recent history— reversing a …
The Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Mr Suresh Prabhu, has said that the Centre would soon increase the amount of water cess to be reimbursed to the States. The cess reimbursement provided to the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) would be linked up with specific activities and time targets, …
Toyota Motor Corp., stepping up its bid to be a big player in environmentally friendly cars, said it expects to export 20,000 gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles a year to North America and Europe beginining in the year 2000.
israel , Jordan and Palestine have reached a consensus to protect the Dead Sea basin. In the last 50 years, the level of the Dead Sea has gone down by nearly 40 metres. According to Ayman Rabi, director of EcoPeace, a non-government orga- nisation, about one-third of the basin has …
Scientists may soon develop an ultra-efficient solar panel by fabricating several layers of different coloured films. These films would harness the Sun's power in the same way as done by plants during the photosynthesis process. Plants use coloured leaves to absorb various wavelengths of sunlight and convert it into energy. …
Technological breakthroughs may help reduce the average cost of wave power. British researchers have developed a few techniques that are able generate electricity for under US $1 per kilowatt-hour (kwh). This is the cost below which energy production becomes competitive. Stephen Salter at the University of Edinburgh, UK, has developed …
The Kerala High Court has issued notices to the Central government and the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu on a petition seeking a direction to the Union government not to increase the water storage level of the Mullaperiyar dam from 41 to 46 metres (m). Justice K A Abdul …
Forty people have died from the spread of communicable diseases in the famine-hit district of Humla in Nepal during the last two weeks. The district had seen 332 deaths caused by diarrhoea and upper respiratory tract infection until before the current spate since mid-April this year.
A new way of imaging the brain in three dimensions could make it easier to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia, Japanese researchers said. It should make it easier for doctors to tell whether a patient with dementia has the incurable and fatal Alzheimer's disease, or another common …
As many as 183 towns and villages in Saurashtra and Kutch region have been affected by pollution from chloride in the environment. Surveys revealed, affected people are ageing prematurely. According to laboratory reports, the incidence of chloride-caused sickness was found in the region due to the salt industry and also …
The recently introduced Iilizarov fixator technique is proving highly successful in the treatment of complicated orthopaedic cases. Dr Sunil KUmar and Dr Amar Sarin, the two orthopaedic surgeons from Jaipur Golden Hospital , Delhi, who demonstrated the technique at a workshop organised by Indira Gandhi Medical College today, said the …
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has started issuing internationally accepted quality products in tune with the norms laid down by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The move is expected to benefit small food processing units in particular as it would delink this quality mark from ISO 9000 certification.
Pakistan with the existent measles immunization coverage rates below 50 per cent plans to expand it to 95 per cent by the year 2000, sources said. The latest campaign initiated under Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) is expected to gain strong ground through support by other partners as NGOs and …
With public concern over the safety of drinking water mounting, local environmentalists are questioning a recent government test that declared bottled water produced in the Chungchong provinces to be safe. The Ministry of Environment tested 22 types of bottled water from the provinces in response to an allegation that ground …
Only 4.1 per cent of men in China use condoms and more than 36 per cent of women have not heard of AIDS, a survey released by the State Planning Commission revealed. (LEADING
A scientist is to claim that at least 16 more Britons may have died of the human form of BSE than the 27 official victims-and they began dying 11 years before the first recognized case in 1995. Harsh Narang, made redundant from his government-funded job four years ago, believes the …
The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet approved new norms of compensation for families displaced by various Narmada valley projects. Deputy Chief Minister Subhash Yadav, who holds the Narmada Valley Development portfolio, claimed the new norms had been adopted at the suggestion of affected families and NGOs.
The Centre told the Supreme Court that it was taking all necessary measures to protect biodiversity in the country in the wake of the patenting of "basmati rice" by a firm in the US. Making a statement before a division bench comprising which resumed hearing on a public interest petition …
Various places in Delhi including Green Park and Lodhi Road have been identified to be endemic to fluorosis. Fluoride content in Green Park area has been found to be 19.33mg/lt and in Najafgarh it is 8.70mg/lt. The fluoride content accepted by the human body is 1mg/lt and is dangerous above …
Pakistan has launched a " river war" with India by building structures on the Ravi meandering along the Punjab border. Since there is no storage reservoir across Ravi the entire water flow from the river's catchment areas gushes down to the plains and causes heavy damage to crop, property and …
The national TB control programme is faced with a serious problem with the Health Ministry dragging its feet on the issue of entrusting the task of procurement of drugs and other supplies for the programme to an independent, professional agency. The dilly-dallying attitude of the Ministry means that there can …
