India will insist on “action” and a clear pathway that developed countries must follow to deliver long-promised finance to developing countries for adapting to climate change threats, ahead of the 27th edition of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Sharm-El-Shaikh, Egypt that begins on November 7. “This ought …

China’s 20th Party Congress concluded with hardly any surprises, and a predetermined script was implemented without any hitch. Xi Jinping was anointed President for an unprecedented third term, and all six of his acolytes made it to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Li Qiang is widely expected to take over …

ISRO’s RISAT-2 satellite, launched in 2009, has made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The space agency on Thursday said the RISAT-2 satellite, weighing about 300 kg, made an uncontrolled re-entry in the Indian Ocean near Jakarta on October 30. “Weighing only about 300 kg, the satellite has now …

Tamil Nadu power utilities have voiced concern over the shutdown of Unit-1 of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam since 2018. They have sought the probable date for it to resume operation. In a letter to the Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC), Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (Tantransco) said …

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products, has approved the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11), a genetically-engineered variant of mustard. Trials conducted over three years by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggest that DMH-11 has 28% higher …

The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday conducted the maiden flight-test of Phase 2 of the ballistic missile defence (BMD) interceptor missile successfully. The AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft. It is …

The proposals on intellectual property (IP) rights in the draft India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will hurt the global supply of generic medicines, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF) warned on Wednesday. In a press note, the international organisation said the intellectual property chapter of the India-U.K. FTA …

The horns of rhinoceroses may have become smaller over time from the impact of hunting, according to a recent study which analysed artwork and photographs of the animal spanning more than five centuries. The study, published in the latest edition of People and Nature by the British Ecological Society, relied …

Considering the huge increase in the prices of fertilizers in global market, the Centre has “doubled” the fertilizer subsidy for this rabi season. A meeting of the Union Cabinet here on Wednesday approved a subsidy of ₹51,875 crore for nitrogen, phosphorus and potash (NPK) and sulphur for phosphatic and potassium …

The five-member team formed to frame the draft for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand is currently struggling to read and analyse over three lakh handwritten letters, 60,000 e-mails, and 22,000 suggestions uploaded on its website by residents of the hill State sharing their view and recommendations on “One law for all”. Among …

Apart from the upcoming Universal Periodic Review of India at the Human Rights Council (HRC), Indian diplomacy is faced with an additional challenge as Germany’s Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock has demanded a special session of the council on Iran’s crackdown on peaceful protesters. In a series of social media messages, Ms. …

After years of being in limbo, there is a surge of optimism around DMH-11, or Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11, a variety developed using genetic engineering techniques by Indian scientists and public funds. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the apex regulator and an arm of the Environment Ministry, last week cleared …

November 3 will be the first ‘The International Day for Biosphere Reserves’, to be celebrated beginning 2022. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) was formed in 1971, as a backbone for biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, and living in harmony with nature. There are now 738 properties in 134 countries, …

The Panamaram heronry, the largest breeding ground of herons in Kerala’s Malabar region, is set to get a fresh lease of life, thanks to the intervention of the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and the Panamaramgrama panchayat. The heronry, formed on a sandbank on the Panamaram river, is a breeding …

Goa is hosting the three day Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Conference from 1st to 3rd November 2022. Across the three days, delegates and exhibitors from the Asia Pacific region andbeyond will be discussing and collaborating on the key issues that will help shape the future of Asia’s aviation …

The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has said that our farmers are venerable and adorable like the soldiers, guarding the borders of the country. He said, farmers do a lot of sacrifice to feed the countrymen and added that farming and securing the borders …

On October 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi layed the foundation stone for the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility in Vodadara to be set up by Airbus Defence and Space and Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). Indian companies, both public and private, have steadily expanded their footprint in the global supply …

Bangladesh Information Minister Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) framed to grant Indian citizenship to minorities of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan was an “internal matter” of India. There were fanatical groups in both Bangladesh and India working to “undermine social harmony”, he added. At a press …

Connectivity projects must respect sovereignty issues, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said, in a reference to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), at a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government hosted by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday. Jaishankar pitched for more trade through Iran’s …

For a rape survivor, trauma comes in repeat doses. First, there is the gruesome act and then follows the difficult task of reporting the assault. For years, an impediment to coming forward about a sexual offence has been the finger test a survivor is subjected to — a gross violation …