Tuesday, March 19TRUSTED FEARLESS INTERNATIONAL & NATIONAL NEWS PORTAL

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Cyclone weakens to a tropical low while bringing rain and wind to Australia’s northern coast – Times of India

SYDNEY: A cyclone weakened to a tropical low Tuesday while bring heavy rain and winds to Australia's Northern Territory. The storm would continue to track west through inland parts of the Northern Territory over the coming days, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Tropical Cyclone Megan lashed island communities for days before it made landfall late Monday near the remote town of Borroloola on the southwestern side of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The bureau forecast wind gusts of up to 130 kph (81 mph) for the town and 24-hour rainfall exceeding 200 millimeters (7.8 inches). A planned evacuation of some 700 residents in Borroloola was canceled as planes were unable to land. Residents were instead told to shelter in buildings capable of withstanding the cyclone's wind gusts. Australian Defence F...
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Only 10 countries had healthy air quality in 2023, report finds – Times of India

The average person can go up to two months without food, three days without water, but only a few minutes without air. Breathable air is essential to life. Yet a new analysis found that last year, only 10 countries and 9% of global cities had air quality that met World Health Organization guidelines for harmful fine-particle, or PM2.5, pollution. Some of the places most affected were in the Middle East, Africa and Central and South Asia. Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Burkina Faso ranked as the five countries with the most polluted air in 2023, weighted by population, according to the report by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company that collects air-sensor data around the world. (The report cautions that the picture in sub-Saharan Africa is incomplete, however, sinc...
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Climate protesters can’t rely on beliefs in criminal damage cases, UK court rules – Times of India

LONDON: Environmental activists accused of criminal damage cannot rely on their political or philosophical beliefs as a defence, London's Court of Appeal ruled on Monday, raising the prospect of more protesters being convicted for direct action. Various groups have targeted companies and political parties in Britain, causing damage to property in order to raise awareness of climate-change issues. The rise in the use of direct action has prompted a wider crackdown on protest movements in Britain and across Europe, particularly in relation to environmental groups. Monday's ruling effectively prevents environmental protesters from relying on their beliefs about the dangers of climate change as a defence to criminal damage. Attorney General Victoria Prentis, who asked the Court of Appeal to...
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Methane: a powerful gas heating the planet – Times of India

PARIS: Climate talks often revolve around reducing the most dangerous greenhouse gas CO2. But other powerful heat-trapping emissions -- of methane -- will be in the crosshairs at a global forum in Geneva this week. Methane -- which is potent but relatively short-lived -- is a key target for countries wanting to slash emissions quickly and slow climate change. That is particularly because large amounts of methane are simply leaking into the atmosphere from oil and gas projects.Methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry have risen for three consecutive years, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), hitting near record highs in 2023. - What is methane? -Atmospheric methane (CH4) occurs abundantly in nature and is the primary component of gas fuel. It is the second largest ...
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Microplastics may pose a risk to the Indo-Gangetic plain: Study – Times of India

PANAJI: Polymers in microplastics may pose a risk to the Indo-Gangetic plain, a study on rivers Ganga and Yamuna by the Goa-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography has concluded. The study titled 'A comprehensive assessment of macro and microplastics from Rivers Ganga and Yamuna: Unveiling the seasonal, spatial and risk factors', has been published in the 'Journal of Hazardous Materials'. The researchers behind the study have said that their findings could serve as a starting point for the action plan required by municipal corporations to tackle plastic pollution and target the possible sources. As per the study, conducted by a team led by Dr Mahua Saha, Principal Scientist, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), microplastics were detected in Ganga from Haridwar to P...
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Political disconnect: Why environmental issues are not winning votes in India | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The poisonous air is shortening lives across India, Bengaluru is grappling with a severe water crisis, while Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh are yet to fully recover from the devastating glacial lake outburst and flash floods last year. Despite this, these issues remain secondary to livelihood concerns and are yet to hold significant sway in national elections, experts say.One reason for this, they say, is that political and social movements in India predominantly focus on livelihood issues.Tikender Singh Panwar, former deputy mayor of Shimla, told PTI that the lack of social mobilisation linking the environment with livelihoods is a major obstacle. He praised Kerala's approach to risk-informed climate development but noted the challenges in states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttar...
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South Sudan shutters all schools as it prepares for an extreme heat wave – Times of India

JUBA: South Sudan's government is closing down all schools starting Monday as the country prepares for a wave of extreme heat expected to last two weeks. The health and education ministries advised parents to keep all children indoors as temperatures are expected to soar to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), in a statement late Saturday. They warned that any school found open during that time would have its registration withdrawn, but didn't specify how long the schools would remain shuttered. The ministries said they "will continue to monitor the situation and inform the public accordingly." Peter Garang, a resident who lives in the capital, Juba, welcomed the decision. He said that "schools should be connected to the electricity grid" to enable the installation of air conditioners. ...