NASA satellites show drought may take toll on Congo rainforest
Apr 24, 2014, at 05:48 pm
Washington, Apr 24 (IBNS) A new analysis of NASA satellite data shows Africa's Congo rainforest, the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world, has undergone a large-scale decline in greenness over the past decade.
UN seeks sustainable food systems to adapt climate change
Apr 24, 2014, at 05:45 pm
New York, Apr 24 (IBNS): Countries need to shift to more sustainable food systems to adapt to the effects of climate change, the Director-General of the United Nations Food and Drug Organization (FAO) Jose Graziano da Silva told a conference in Morocco on Wednesday, warning that the phenomenon has the potential to reshape the planet's food production scenario.
UN marks Mother Earth Day, urges protection of planet
Apr 23, 2014, at 05:39 pm
New York, Apr 23 (IBNS): On International Mother Earth Day, the United Nations urged greater efforts to promote sustainable development and use of renewable energy sources, with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealing for worldwide changes in attitude and practice to curb the negative impact of human activity on the planet.
UN urges coordinated action on food security
Apr 23, 2014, at 05:24 pm
New York, Apr 23 (IBNS): Overfishing, habitat destruction and pollution are atop the agenda of a United Nations-backed summit on the role of oceans in global food security, livelihoods and economic development which opened on Tuesday in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Strand partners MSMF for translational lab
Apr 22, 2014, at 05:20 pm
Bangalore, Apr 22 (IBNS): With the aim of making genomics-based diagnostics accessible and affordable for people in India, Strand Life Sciences Private Limited, a global life sciences & clinical genomics company headquartered in Bangalore, entered into a partnership with the Mazumdar-Shaw Medical Foundation (MSMF) to set up the Strand at Mazumdar-Shaw (SAMS) translational lab in the Mazumdar-Shaw Centre for Translational Research (MSCTR) located at Bangalore.
Ford to increase green content in manufacturing
Apr 22, 2014, at 02:50 am
New Delhi, Apr 21 (IBNS): Ford on Monday announced that its emphasis on environmentally sound manufacturing began at its manufacturing facilities.
4.5 lakh child labours in e-waste activities: Study
Apr 21, 2014, at 07:03 pm
New Delhi, Apr 21 (IBNS) In India, about 4.5 lakhs child labours between the age group of 10-14 are observed to be engaged in various e-waste (electronic waste) activities, without adequate protection and safeguards in various yards and recycling workshops, according to the ASSOCHAM recent study on ‘Earth Day’, to be observed on Tuesday.
NASA discovers Earth-size planet in 'habitable zone'
Apr 18, 2014, at 02:56 pm
Washington, Apr 18 (IBNS) Using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered the first Earth-size planet orbiting a star in the "habitable zone" -- the range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the surface of an orbiting planet. The discovery of Kepler-186f confirms that planets the size of Earth exist in the habitable zone of stars other than our sun.
World Hemophilia Day observed in Kolkata
Apr 18, 2014, at 03:57 am
Kolkata, Apr 17 (IBNS): To mark the occasion of World Hemophilia Day on Thursday, Patient Awareness Camps were organized at Institute of Hematology & Transfusion Medicine Medical College, Kolkata and at the Hemophilia Society, Kolkata Chapter with sessions for the patients on Hemophilia and its management.
UNAIDS names Brazilian footballer as Goodwill Ambassador
Apr 17, 2014, at 05:43 pm
New York, Apr 17 (IBNS): As the FIFA World Cup in Brazil draws closer, the United Nations agency leading the response to the AIDS epidemic on Wednesday named the country's football star David Luiz as a Goodwill Ambassador to raise awareness about HIV and drive young people to help end discrimination and commit to prevention.
Bengal Speech and Hearing Aid launches 'Speech Plus'
Apr 17, 2014, at 04:40 am
Kolkata, Apr 16 (IBNS): Bengal Speech and Hearing, a speech and language pathology clinic, launched "Speech Plus" in the presence of singer Ajoy Chakraborty recently.
Greenpeace demands cancellation of Mahan forest clearance
Apr 17, 2014, at 04:00 am
New Delhi, Apr 16 (IBNS): With another multi-crore scam tainting the UPA government, fresh evidence has surfaced on Wednesday exposing how Environment and Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily favoured Essar by gifting it Rs 52,000-crore worth Ratna oil field, off the Mumbai coast1, Greenpeace said.
Toxic waste spill at Essar's Power Plant in Singrauli
Apr 16, 2014, at 04:34 am
Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, Apr 15 (IBNS): In yet another stark example of massive negligence, the mud wall that lined the fly ash dyke of Essar Energy's Mahan-I (600MW) thermal power plant in Singrauli collapsed leading to fly ash-laden water seeping into Khairahi village, the Greenpeace said on Tuesday.
UN urges action against banana disease
Apr 15, 2014, at 07:24 pm
New York, Apr 15 (IBNS): The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is warning countries to step up monitoring, reporting and prevention to tackle one of the world's most destructive banana diseases, Fusarium wilt, which recently spread from Asia to Africa and the Middle-East, and is now menacing Latin American countries.
Apollo Gleneagles hosts workshop on 'SpyGLass' technology
Apr 14, 2014, at 07:26 pm
Kolkata, Apr 14 (IBNS): Apollo Gleneagles Institute of Gastroenterology on Sunday organized an international workshop on the use and application of 'SpyGLass' direct visualization system here.
Ban welcomes report on mitigation of climate change
Apr 14, 2014, at 05:04 pm
New York, Apr 14 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the findings of a long-awaited United Nations report on the mitigation of climate change released earlier on Sunday in Berlin and urged all countries "to act swiftly and boldly" to reach a "global, ambitious and legal [climate] agreement in 2015."
Dengue rise offsets Malaria control success in West Bengal
Apr 13, 2014, at 06:19 pm
Kolkata, Apr 13 (IBNS): While Malaria and Kala-azar cases fell sharply, Dengue cases and deaths recorded a sharp rise in West Bengal in recent years, according to a report released here by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the state government.
Washington: Ban urges action towards climate action
Apr 12, 2014, at 06:26 pm
New York, Apr 12 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended on Friday the Climate Leaders' Summit in Washington, D.C., recalling the importance of keeping global warming as a top concern in the development agenda, and urging Governments to reach a universal legal climate deal by the end of the year.
UN warns against rise in greenhouse gas emissions
Apr 12, 2014, at 06:10 pm
New York, Apr 12 (IBNS): From farming to forestry and fisheries, agriculture greenhouse emissions have nearly doubled over the past 50 years and may increase by another 30 per cent by 2050, according to new estimates out on Friday from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
UN marks Day of human space flight, encourages exploration
Apr 12, 2014, at 06:02 pm
New York, Apr 12 (IBNS): The necessity for international cooperation in space and the universal utility of duct tape were among insights revealed when the United Nations sent a former astronaut into cyberspace on Friday to inspire young people to explore new frontiers on the anniversary of the first human space flight.
Apollo launches Movement Disorder Clinic
Apr 12, 2014, at 03:46 am
Kolkata, Apr 11 (IBNS): Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals on Friday launched a Movement Disorder Clinic on the occasion of World Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Day 2014.
West Africa: UN provides information to curb spread of Ebola
Apr 11, 2014, at 06:40 pm
New York, Apr 11 (IBNS): Together with Ministries of Health and other partners across seven countries in West Africa, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is using culturally-sensitive communication strategies to disseminate life-saving information in order to contain the often-fatal Ebola virus, through text-messaging, radio shows, TV programmes and door-to-door campaigns.
WHO issues hepatitis C treatment guidelines
Apr 10, 2014, at 05:24 pm
New York, Apr 10 (IBNS): The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first guidelines for the treatment of hepatitis C, a chronic infection that affects an estimated 130 million to 150 million people, in a bid to help improve access to more effective and safer medicines to those who need them.
UN launches initiative to promote sustainable energy
Apr 10, 2014, at 05:04 pm
New York, Apr 10 (IBNS): The United Nations launched on Wednesday the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All (2014-2024), an initiative aimed at promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency worldwide, with a forum to take place annually, starting this coming June.
Greenpeace: P&G agrees to clean up palm oil act
Apr 09, 2014, at 10:27 pm
New Delhi, Apr 9 (IBNS): Non-governmental environmental organization, Greenpeace International on Wednesday welcomed multinational consumer goods company Procter and Gamble's (P&G) decision to remove forest destruction from its production and provide full traceability for all the palm oil and derivatives it uses.
Mars Orbiter completes half of its journey
Apr 09, 2014, at 07:50 pm
Bangalore, Apr 9 (IBNS) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Wednesday said the country's Mars Orbiter Spacecraft has crossed the half-way mark of its journey.
UN renews anti-polio efforts in Middle East
Apr 09, 2014, at 05:08 pm
New York, Apr 9 (IBNS): With the recent discovery of a new case of polio in a six-month-old boy in Iraq, the United Nations and it partners, warning that the crippling virus still poses a threat to children across the Middle East, have re-launched a massive vaccination campaign in Syria, Iraq and Egypt, aiming to reach 22 million children by Thursday.
VV Mineral launches health campaign
Apr 08, 2014, at 11:07 pm
Tuticorin, Apr 8 (IBNS) In its ongoing endeavor to create a healthy life of all its employees, workers and community, the management and employees at various establishments of V.V. Mineral (VVM) observed 'World Health Day' on Monday.
UN urges countries to combat vector-borne diseases
Apr 08, 2014, at 07:18 pm
New York, Apr 8 (IBNS): Warning that a "small bite can carry a big threat," the United Nations family is marking World Health Day by urging the international community to back a global health agenda that gives higher priority to controlling the spread of vector-borne diseases, a step towards ensuring that no one in the 21st century would die from the bite of a mosquito or a tick.
Survey links child malnutrition to fussy eating
Apr 08, 2014, at 04:09 am
Kolkata, Apr 7 (IBNS): Global health major Abbot in a recently conducted research noted that malnutrition and poor growth may not be indicated in children living below poverty line households alone, but could very well exist in more affluent socioeconomic classes.