Ebola: UN chief hails progress in fight against virus, urges intensified response
Nov 10, 2014, at 04:43 pm
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS) The world is on the "right track" to defeating Ebola as the infection rate of the deadly virus shows some signs of slowing in West Africa's most affected areas, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on Sunday as he urged the international community to remain constant in fighting the disease until it is completely extinguished.
PM attends valedictory function of the 6th World Ayurveda Congress
Nov 10, 2014, at 02:26 am
New Delhi, Nov 9 (IBNS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the biggest challenge to Ayurveda comes from people who have dedicated their life to it.
UN refines Ebola response amid efforts to bring outbreak under control by 1 December
Nov 08, 2014, at 02:44 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS) The United Nations health agency on Fridayannounced a new burial protocol for Ebola victims aimed at reducing the risk of exposure to the disease for family members as they bury their loved ones in accordance with religious rites amid Organization-wide efforts to control the deadly outbreak by a 1 December deadline.
Mars spacecraft reveal Comet Flyby effects on Martian Atmosphere
Nov 08, 2014, at 05:44 am
Washington, Nov 7 (IBNS) Two NASA and one European spacecraft that obtained the first up-close observations of a comet flyby of Mars on Oct. 19, have gathered new information about the basic properties of the comet’s nucleus and directly detected the effects on the Martian atmosphere.
Activists slam MHA for targeting NGOs, blocking funds
Nov 07, 2014, at 11:55 pm
New Delhi, Nov 7 (IBNS): Civil society leaders on Friday joined environmental group Greenpeace India in calling on the Ministry of Home Affairs to end its "campaign of NGO intimidation."
Ebola: UN says experimental vaccine trials in West Africa could begin by January
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:24 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said the Ebola crisis response “needs to scale up, get better and perform faster,†as the UN health agency reported that if judged safe, larger scale trials of an experimental vaccine could be taken to hard-hit West African countries as early as January 2015.
UN expert panel issues guidelines on rights of women asylum-seekers, refugees
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:11 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations committee tasked with monitoring implementation of the global treaty to end all forms of discrimination against women has published a set of guidelines on Thursday to ensure that the challenges faced by women in situations of displacement and statelessness are addressed and their rights enforced.
On International Day, UN urges protection of environment from ravages of war
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:06 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) From the contamination of land to the plundering of natural resources, the environment has long been a “silent casualty†of war, United Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon affirmed on Thursday as he warned that the fast-changing dynamic of contemporary conflict required steadfast solutions for future peacebuilding and sustainable development.
NASA rocket experiment finds the Universe brighter than thought
Nov 07, 2014, at 06:42 am
Washington, Nov 6 (IBNS) A NASA sounding rocket experiment has detected a surprising surplus of infrared light in the dark space between galaxies, a diffuse cosmic glow as bright as all known galaxies combined. The glow is thought to be from orphaned stars flung out of galaxies.
Govt to push for standardization in Ayurvedic drug production: Harsh Vardhan
Nov 06, 2014, at 11:17 pm
New Delhi, Nov 6 (IBNS): Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan announced here on Thursday that the government would soon set up a separate Central Drug Controller for traditional medicines with a view to ensuring quality in production standards.
Amplifying women's voices in climate change solutions focus of UN conference
Nov 06, 2014, at 07:17 pm
New York, Nov 6 (IBNS): Aiming to develop more gender-sensitive services, a United Nations-led conference kicking off in Geneva is spearheading a drive to ensure that weather and climate services reduce women’s vulnerability to disasters and climate change, and help them realize their potential as champions of community resilience.
Ebola: UN envoy warns against letting guard down, ‘even for a second’
Nov 05, 2014, at 03:18 pm
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS) The UN envoy coordinating the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa said in the Liberian capital on Tuesday that when national governments, partners and communities work together, "dramatic improvement" can be achieved, but cautioned against "even for a second [thinking] that everything is okay."
In Vienna, Ban underscores sustainable industrial development as key to planet's future
Nov 05, 2014, at 03:18 pm
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS)Advancing inclusive and sustainable industrial development, both on its own and as part of a broader campaign to protect the planet and all people in the future, is the moral and political responsibility of all governments, the private sector and financial institutions, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on Tuesday.
Opioid overdose claims 70,000 lives each year – UN health agency
Nov 05, 2014, at 03:15 pm
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS): The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines on Tuesday aimed at reducing the number deaths related to opioid overdose covering a range of drugs – from morphine and heroin to painkillers such as oxycodone – that claim nearly 70,000 lives each year.
Commemorative stamp on liver transplant released
Nov 05, 2014, at 05:15 am
New Delhi, Nov 4 (IBNS): The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & IT has brought out a commemorative postage stamp on liver transplantation in India.
CERN Council selects next Director-General
Nov 04, 2014, at 11:39 pm
Geneva, Nov 4 (IBNS): CERN Council selected the Italian physicist, Dr Fabiola Gianotti, as the Organization’s next Director-General at its 173rd Closed Session on Tuesday.
UNICEF to boost staff in Ebola-hit countries; UN health chief deplores lagging vaccine research
Nov 04, 2014, at 06:50 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS) As the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Monday that it plans to boost its staff in countries on the frontlines of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the head of the UN World Health Organization attributed the lack of research into cures and vaccines for Ebola to the fact that the disease has historically been confined to poor African nations.
Catastrophic consequences of inaction on limiting global warming: IPCC's Synthesis Report
Nov 04, 2014, at 03:27 am
New Delhi, Nov 3 (IBNS): The Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was released on Sunday in Copenhagen, warned of catastrophic impacts if decisive actions to limit global warming below 2oC are not taken quickly.
Nov 03, 2014, at 02:32 am
New York, Nov 2 (IBNS) Citing “clear and growing†human influence on the climate system, a United Nations report issued on Sunday has warned that if left unchecked, climate change will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems.
NASA's deep-space spacecraft Orion ready for test flight
Nov 01, 2014, at 09:51 pm
Washington, Nov 1 (IBNS): The US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) new Mars-bound spacecraft "Orion" is ready to take-off for a test flight December 4, media reported.
Ebola: UN envoy says response must be sustained 'until every last case is contained and treated'
Nov 01, 2014, at 03:13 pm
New York, Nov 1 (IBNS) The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Ebola, David Nabarro, appealed on Friday for the global response to the deadly virus to be sustained "until every last case is contained and treated," as the United Nations health agency recommended more protective measures for health workers battling the disease on the frontlines of the outbreak.
One year on, UN expert urges ratification of treaty to phase out mercury use
Nov 01, 2014, at 03:06 pm
New York, Nov 1 (IBNS) The new United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and toxic waste, Baskut Tuncak, urged governments around the world on Friday to expedite the ratification process of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of the toxic heavy metal.
Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals commemorates World Stroke Day
Nov 01, 2014, at 06:43 am
Kolkata, Oct 31 (IBNS) Kolkata's Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals observed the World Stroke Day in the city recently.
SRL's study on Vitamin D declares younger women and men at higher deficiency risk
Nov 01, 2014, at 05:13 am
New Delhi, Oct 31 (IBNS): SRL Diagnostics, a healthcare diagnostics player in India, in its recent study on Vitamin D deficiency, conducted an extensive analysis of Vitamin D reports from 37,010 people from four zones across tropical India, only to discover that Vitamin D deficiency was prevalent in around 69 per cent of the population.
UN Ebola response in West Africa to be bolstered by increase in World Bank funding
Oct 31, 2014, at 03:34 pm
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS) The World Bank has announced it is boosting its efforts in assisting health workers fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in the three most-affected countries in West Africa as part of the wider United Nations Ebola crisis response.
Signs of Ebola decline in Liberia offer 'glimmer of hope' UN
Oct 30, 2014, at 06:10 pm
New York, Oct 30 (IBNS) The spread of Ebola in Liberia may be slowing, as demonstrated in the decline in burials and sickbed occupancy rates, as well as a plateau in lab-reported new cases in the West African country hardest hit by the virus, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday, while cautioning against drawing premature conclusions.
NASA's Wallops flight facility completes Initial assessment after Orbital launch mishap
Oct 30, 2014, at 03:16 pm
Washington, Oct 30 (IBNS) The Wallops Incident Response Team completed on Thursday an initial assessment of Wallops Island, Virginia, following the catastrophic failure of Orbital Science Corp.'s Antares rocket shortly after liftoff at 6:22 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Oct. 28, from Pad 0A of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
INAE, ISRO to host Engineers' Conclave-2014 in Bangalore
Oct 30, 2014, at 05:00 am
Bangalore, Oct 29 (IBNS): Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are organising a mega event titled 'Engineers Conclave-2014' (EC-2014) from Oct 30 to Nov 1 at the J N Tata Auditorium in the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Centre approves acquisition of a polar research vessel
Oct 30, 2014, at 01:48 am
New Delhi, Oct 29 (IBNS): The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the acquisition of Polar Research Vessel (Ice-breaker, Research cum Supply Vessel) by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total cost of Rs. 1051.13 crore within a period of 34 months.
India favours ban on e-cigarettes
Oct 30, 2014, at 01:46 am
Barcelona, Oct 29 (IBNS): Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan is in favour of a complete ban on e-cigarettes and all products described as "Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)."