-The Hindu Thiruvananthapuram: Farmers in Kerala can look forward to reducing their dependence on toxic chemicals for pest control. The Department of Agriculture has tied up with the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, to introduce pheromone traps in the State. The technology uses the sex pheromones of a particular pest against itself. Pheromones are hormones released by insects and pests to attract the opposite sex for mating. The IICT has developed...

-The Hindu KANTHALLUR (Kerala): Brussels sprout or miniature cabbage is not a familiar vegetable in Kerala. However, its anticarcinogenic properties made it a popular culinary item in Europe where its cultivation spread long years back from its native place Brussels, Belgium. The edible buds contain vitamins C and K and folic acid too. "It has high potential as a vegetable crop and the soil and climatic conditions in the Marayur-Kanthallur belt are...

-The Hindu Bangalore reported the second highest number of suicides after Chennai in 2013 The latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures indicate that Bangalore reported the second highest number of suicides after Chennai, and recorded 2,033 suicides in 2013. According to medical experts and psychologists, for every suicide there at least 10 attempt to suicide cases and they are not part of official records. What is more worrying, according to medical...

-The Hindustan Times Former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh set a cat among the pigeons, in his inimitable style, at a recent national conference on climate and sustainable development at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai. He asserted that India would be "the last man standing at Paris", referring to the United Nations climate negotiations which will culminate in France in December 2015. India's current stance was "inflexible...

-The Hindu Police lathi-charge agitators after group clash Bhubaneswar: It was people's resistance that forced the administration to put off a public hearing on environmental clearance for coal mining at Machhakata in Chhendipada Block of Odisha's Angul district on Thursday. The State Pollution Control Board along with the local administration had made arrangements to conduct the public hearing despite strong opposition to mining in the coal block allotted to Mahaguj Collieries Limited, an...