-The Hindu Country’s high population makes it vulnerable to an ecological crisis, says World Wide Fund for Nature India’s soil biodiversity is in grave peril, according to the Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas prepared by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The WWF’s ‘risk index’ for the globe — indicating threats from loss of above-ground diversity, pollution and nutrient over-loading, over-grazing, intensive agriculture, fire, soil erosion, desertification and climate change — shows India among...

-The Hindu Business Line How malnourished tribal adults come to have the ‘rich man’s disease’ About 50 km from Bilaspur town, a narrow road to the left leads to the Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Lormi district of Chhattisgarh. The Reserve is also home to 13,568 tribals in 40 hamlets inside the protected area. As one ventures deeper into the jungles, paintings across walls of tribals’ homes hailing Chief Minister Raman Singh’s benevolence...

-TheWire.in In response to an RTI query in the matter, the ministry stated: "If this information is disclosed, it will have an impact on India's sovereignty and integrity as also on the country's security, and strategic, scientific and economic interests." New Delhi: Last month, the Central Information Commission (CIC) had asked the Ministry of External Affairs to disclose the names of the government and private individuals who had accompanied Prime Minister Narendra...

-The Hindu Business Line The North-East monsoon could reactivate ‘aborted landslides’ in hilly areas Thiruvananthapuram: While managing dams and reservoirs, Kerala should opt for an approach that maximises power generation by suitably incorporating weather prediction needs. This is one of the major highlights of a survey of the damage from the August floods by a team headed by Thomas Oommen, geoscientist and Associate Professor at the Michigan Technological University. Shutter opening The survey was carried...

-The Indian Express Every October, the air quality in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana plummets as farmers set the leftover stubble and loose straw on fire after paddy is harvested using combines. And this time, too, the smoke signals from the fields are ominous Ambala, Karnal, Patiala: “A matchbox costs just Rs 2, you know,” says Ram Pal Rana, as he collects and piles up dry straw on one side of his...