From nuclear wasteland to wildlife sanctuary: Chernobyl’s unexpected rebirth Forty years after the world’s worst civilian nuclear accident, a thriving wildlife sanctuary has emerged in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), with wolves, foxes, lynx, elk, wild boar, brown bears and European bison now flourishing despite continuing radiation.The 1986 disaster released a radioactive cloud across Europe…
PC: National Audubon Society Great horned owls are one of those birds people think they know until they actually see one up close. Big eyes, ear tufts, and a heavy, almost cat-like presence. Their size often surprises people, especially when they are perched silently in a tree at dusk. These owls live across a huge…
Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra (Photo credit: ANI) MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is gearing up to tackle a possible El Nino impact, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directing all departments to prioritise water management, expedite conservation works and ensure coordinated preparedness.Chairing a high-level review meeting, Fadnavis said the state must mitigate…
Waterfalls remain fascinating sites worldwide and attract tourists not only because of their natural beauty but also due to their height. While some may be broad, there are other waterfalls that are narrower and flow from extremely high elevations. In fact, height becomes the primary aspect of comparison among various waterfalls in the world. They…
CUTTACK: Alleged large-scale felling of trees for a proposed Rs 28-crore urban development project in Odisha’s Baripada municipality area has landed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), with a Kendrapada based petitioner seeking immediate intervention.Seeking relief, Pratap Chandra Mohanty has urged the tribunal to declare the tree felling illegal under the Van Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan…
File photo: UN Headquarters in New York City UNITED NATIONS: Vanuatu will renew its climate justice fight at the United Nations General Assembly with a draft resolution that was watered down after pushback from countries including oil-producing nations, according to documents seen by AFP.The Pacific island nation at the forefront of the quest to get…
The beaver (Castor canadensis) has recently been acknowledged for its contribution in terms of carbon sequestration and climate regulation. According to a recent study, “Beavers can convert stream corridors to persistent carbon sinks,” the beaver has been shown to have a considerable impact on carbon sequestration within an ecosystem. Through the construction of dams and…
Parts of Northern Marianas can be without power for weeks after super typhoon (Photo credit: AP) Some hard hit areas of the Northern Marianas could be without power and water for weeks after the Pacific Ocean islands were battered by a super typhoon, an official said Thursday.The only hospital on Saipan, an island in the…
Image used for representative purpose only CHIANG: Rice farmers Siriporn and Amnat Taidee used to burn their paddy fields between plantings — a common method of clearing crop residue partly blamed fortoxic smog that blankets much of Thailand every spring.A quick and affordable way to prepare for a new growing cycle, the practice has long…
NEW DELHI: In what may be bad news for India’s farm sector and rural economy, IMD on Monday predicted a ‘below normal’ southwest monsoon (June-Sept) in the country amid growing risk of El Nino, which is linked to depressed summer rainfall over India. “Quantitatively, the seasonal rainfall over the country is likely to be 92%…
