Author: News Desk

Zverev and Rune on Friday joined Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the elite eight-man field.With 20-year-olds Alcaraz and Rune both qualifying, two 20-and-under players will compete in the same ATP Finals for the first time since 2000, when 19-year-old Lleyton Hewitt and 20-year-old Marat Safin made their debuts, ATP Tout finals reports.Four of the stars have triumphed at the ATP Finals before. Six-time champion Djokovic can break his tie with Roger Federer for the most titles in year-end championships history (since 1970). Zverev won the title in 2018 and 2021, while…

In the process, though, the Net Zero goal for carbon emissions by 2070, which is vital to fight pollution and climate change, is getting blurred.The Coal Ministry released data on Friday that show India’s coal production during October this year has surged by as much as 18.6 per cent to 78.65 million tonne (MT), compared to 66.32 MT in the same month last year.For the April-October period during the current financial year, there has been an 11.98 per cent jump in the country’s coal output to 541.73 MT from 483.78 MT during the same period in 2022-23.”The notable surge in…

Stubble burning, a major contributor to this problem, looms large, demanding a sustainable solution.Speaking to Chandra Bhushan, founder-CEO of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology (iFOREST), IANS explores the importance of addressing stubble burning and its dire consequences on air pollution levels in Delhi and its surrounding regions.Stubble burning is a significant contributor to pollution in Delhi and surrounding regions, currently accounting for a staggering one-third of the pollution in the national capital, which can go up to 50 per cent in the next few days.This alarming statistic highlights the urgency of finding a sustainable solution to this problem.Bhushan…

According to party sources, Kharge spoke to Nitish Kumar over phone on Friday night.The two leaders spoke over the issue of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc.Kharge has assured Kumar that talks over the INDIA Alliance will be continued after the Assembly polls in five states conclude.While addressing a rally of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in Bihar’s Patna, Nitish Kumar said: “We have formed the INDIA to uproot BJP from the country but no progress is taking place in it. The Congress party is busy in Assembly elections in five states. After these assembly results, we will…

A major study published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health Pollution in 2020 showed that pollution has emerged as the “largest existential threat” to humans, killing over nine million each year globally. But more than the rest of the world, air pollution kills more people in India, showed the study.In 2019, it resulted in 1.67 million deaths in India. The 2019 death toll attributed to air pollution in India accounted for 17.8 per cent of all deaths in the country in 2019.In 2019, India’s average particulate matter concentration was 70.3 microgram/cubic metre — the highest in the world.Cut to 2023,…

As the country grapples with this escalating crisis, experts and officials are urgently seeking solutions to mitigate the hazardous impact of polluted air on the population.Rising pollution levels have become a growing concern, particularly during the past few years.A combination of factors, including industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, construction activities, agricultural practices, and meteorological conditions, has contributed to the deteriorating air quality in several major cities and regions.A combination of lower temperatures and still wind is one the cause for the rise in pollution level across the country,” said India Meteorological Department (IMD) official, adding that once wind speed increases, the…

According to Chandra Bhushan, one of India’s foremost environment and climate change experts, technologies like electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, photovoltaic cells and hydrogen fuel, while reducing the dependence on fossil fuel energy, can help the country achieve decarbonisation and fight the menace of air pollution.In an article written on the website of the Heinrich Boell Foundation, a German foundation and part of the green political movement, he emphasised that the barrier is neither technical nor cost, but policy priorities.“But these policy challenges are a cause for action, not panic. No one expects us to reach Net Zero tomorrow. But the…

Engulfed in thick toxic smog, the air quality index (AQI) on Friday plummeted to the “severe plus” category in several parts of the national capital. The air turned a dense grey as the AQI hovered around 500 in several parts of Delhi-NCR, which is a staggering 100 times higher than the limit considered healthy by the World Health Organization (WHO).“Of late in the OPD we are seeing almost a 50 per cent increase in the number of patients who are coming with watery eyes. Some also experience burning, itching and irritation in their eyes,” Dr Anita Sethi, Director & HOD…

According to experts, the chill of early winter signal is leading to a thermal inversion which holds back pollutants closer to the ground-levelThe pollution levels, both air and sound, are expected to be at the worst during the span of four to five days starting from November 11, with the advent of the firecracker season on the occasion of Kali Puja and Diwali, which generally prolongs for few days in Kolkata even after the culmination of the festivities.Environmental experts and green technologists like S.M. Ghosh feels that still there is a way to keep the air pollution levels in Kolkata…

“We are still devastated after the exit from the German Cup. And, yes, I call it a shock-like state as this is not our expectation,” 34-year-old Thomas Muller said.The Bavarian icon noted, “lick our wounds for a day or so, but then get back to what we face this weekend and show some fighting spirit.”The high fly of table leaders Bayer Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig “gives us proof of having to be straight and clear, and you can’t just sneak in this time, you need to kick the can down the road properly.”Frankly naming the various reasons for…