In his address, Sharif praised US President Donald Trump, saying his "efforts for peace helped avert a ... war in South Asia".
If they act now, they can reshape the strategic map of Asia without firing a shot. If they wait, the next opportunity will come only after a serious Taiwan Strait incident -- by which time the price will be far higher, and the room for boldness far smaller -- the opportunity may well be lost by then. The question is no longer whether this can or should be done, points out Varun Arya.
'What we are witnessing is not a freak incidence or a freak occurrence, but a new climate reality where warming oceans, monsoon variability and local geography are combining to produce extreme events.'
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to consider directing schools in Delhi-NCR to postpone open air sports competitions planned in November and December to 'safer months' keeping in mind air pollution levels.
The overwhelming feeling at the end of COP 27 was that despite decades of meetings and landmark accords, like the Paris Agreement, the world was still not doing enough to slow the climate crisis, observes Ambassador T P Sreenivasan.
'There are active terror modules across the country who will find new ways and new targets. From intelligence agencies to an alert citizenry, we all have to play our part.'
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, of Indian descent, has won the New York City mayoral election, becoming the first Muslim, first Indian-origin, first African-born, and youngest mayor in over a century. His victory is seen as a significant moment for the city and the Indian-American community.
Reliance Industries (RIL), India's largest conglomerate, is set to pivot into a deeptech and advanced manufacturing enterprise, chairman and managing director (CMD) Mukesh Ambani said. "In artificial intelligence, our purpose is clear: to address complex societal challenges and create wealth for the nation and its people.
The first cloud-seeding trial has been conducted in parts of Delhi, including Burari and Karol Bagh areas, aimed at inducing artificial rain to tackle air pollution.
India should encourage the second coming of SAARC with climate change as an urgent agenda and keeping Indian security concerns in mind as the subtext, suggest Lieutenant General Ashok Joshi (retd) and Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
'...they always address problems superficially, never tackling root causes.' 'Currently, the policy response will focus on immediate relief -- getting people to safety, providing facilities, clearing debris.' 'This is necessary, but once immediate relief operations end, everything returns to 'normal' without addressing underlying vulnerabilities.'
'Marathwada is the suicide capital of Maharashtra.' 'To stop such man-made disasters, the government should immediately come up with a rightful package, not this charitable approach to compensation.'
The nominees are Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of Interior, Jennifer Granholm as Energy Secretary, Michael Regan as administrator for Environmental Protection Agency and Brenda Mallory as Chair of the Council of the Council on Environmental Quality.
India expects partners to understand its policy of 'zero tolerance' against terrorism, and it will never countenance 'perpetrators of evil' being put on par with its victims, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday during extensive talks with his British counterpart David Lammy.
Asserting that the world does not have much time to correct the mistakes of the last century, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced a 'Green Credit Initiative' focused on creating carbon sinks through people's participation and also proposed to host the United Nations climate conference in 2028, or COP33, in India.
From a few rain gauges in 1875 to rivalling the world's best weather agencies, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has weathered its way to becoming a global leader in forecasting.
Al Gore has reportedly resorted to poetry, as his editor did not allow him to publish a chapter in the book about the ramifications of uncontrolled global warming.
Although Trump had announced his decision to withdraw from the historic Paris Agreement on climate change on June 1, 2017, the process began on Monday with the formal notification and the US will be out of the pact on November 4, 2020.
'You must be good at using AI as a tool of learning but do not give up your own critical thinking.'
As the world grapples with extreme weather events and climate change becomes the buzzword of contemporary times, author Amitav Ghosh says the crisis has been in the making since the 17th century and it is imperative to take into account history before beginning to tackle the issue.
Thousands and thousands of protesters, many of them students who skipped school, have gathered in cities across the world kicking off a day of worldwide protests calling for action against climate change ahead of a United Nations summit. From the Pacific Islands to Australia and India, protesters took to the streets on Friday, demanding their governments take urgent steps to tackle the climate crisis and prevent an environmental catastrophe. Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swede who inspired the climate strike, tweeted her support. Check out photos from all over the world.
Moody's Ratings on Tuesday said India's growing water shortage can disrupt farm and industry sectors and is detrimental to the credit health of the sovereign as rising food inflation and decline in income may spark social unrest. It said decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and hence can be detrimental to credit health of sectors that heavily consume water, such as coal power generators and steel-makers.
'It brings precarious peace because the red lines have shifted. 'The next Pahalgam attack would mean a full scale war.'
16-year-old Greta Thunberg had earlier said world leaders were behaving like children about climate change.
Nothing is more promising than countries putting aside hubris and ideological differences to invest in our shared future, observes Durga Sreenivasan, a delegate at COP28.
The transmission of dengue is closely associated with three key factors -- rainfall, humidity and temperature -- that dictate the geographies in which it spreads and the transmission rate of the viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
Columnist Rajni Bakshi asks if the louder responses to the climate crisis will be those arguing that innovations are viable only when they give handsome and rapid monetary returns?
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries have accepted a new climate agreement after the COP26 summit in Glasgow concluded its extra time plenary on Saturday with a deal, which recognises India's intervention for the world to 'phase down' rather than "phase out" fossil fuels.
As Singapore, New York and Melbourne have shown, cities can mitigate the impact of heatwaves if they have the will to create green infrastructure, explain Amit Kapoor & Bibek Debroy.
Over eight million deaths in 2021 were attributed to air pollution, affecting both children and adults alike.
Sejal Shah's flatly-narrated timeline would probably serve better as a documentary, observes Sukanya Verma.
'Can we give young India the tools to solve the problems the country or society faces and uplift the community?'
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has officially confirmed that 2023 is the hottest year on record by a huge margin, smashing global temperature records.
The metro, it seems, is politics-proof -- even if it comes at a high cost.
The woes have become a serious issue of concern for Bengalureans, especially in Whitefield, KR Puram, Electronic City, RR Nagar, Kengeri and CV Raman Nagar.
The cost of living crisis is the biggest short-term risk the world is facing, while the failure of climate mitigation and climate adaptation is the largest long-term concern, the World Economic Forum said on Wednesday. Releasing its annual Global Risks report in London ahead of its Davos summit next week, the WEF also said geopolitical rivalries and inward-looking stances will heighten economic constraints and further exacerbate both short- and long-term risks. The Global Risks 2023 report, drawing on views of over 1,200 experts, policy-makers and industry leaders from across the world, also urged countries to work together to avoid 'resource rivalries'.
India experienced its second-hottest quarter from June to August this year since 1970, with over one-third of the country's population enduring at least seven days of dangerous heat, according to a new report by a United States-based group of climate scientists and communicators.
Apart from the human body, human food will bear direct repercussions. From staples such as wheat, to coffee, dairy, and even the great Hilsa face the threat of reduced supply due to the extreme heat.
Notably Trump had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement immediately after his first inauguration in January 2017. Joe Biden reversed that decision later.
The Commonwealth of Dominica will bestow its highest national award, the Dominica Award of Honour, upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month in recognition of his contributions to Dominica during the COVID-19 pandemic and his dedication to strengthening the partnership between the two countries.
