Month: October 2025

Delhi woke up to an early winter surprise as cold northwesterly winds swept across the city, dragging temperatures well below the seasonal average. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that Wednesday marked one of the coldest October days the capital has seen in recent years. According to IMD data the maximum temperature dropped to 26.5 degrees Celsius eight degrees below normal while the minimum settled at 20.3 degrees Celsius. Several parts of the city recorded even lower readings, with the Ridge area in north Delhi registering a chilly 17.6 degrees Celsius and Palam close behind at 18.4 degrees Celsius. Weather officials attributed the sudden chill to the retreating influence of a western disturbance and the flow of cold northwesterly winds from snow-clad Himalayan ...

India has taken a major stride toward achieving self-reliance in defence technology with the launch of the Indian Radio Software Architecture (IRSA) Standard 1.0. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and the Tri-Services, the new framework was formally unveiled at a national workshop held at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi. The event, marking a new era of secure and interoperable communication systems for the armed forces, was attended by Dr. Samir V. Kamat, Secretary of the Department of Defence R&D and Chairman of DRDO, as Chief Guest. Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, and Dr. Rajat Moona, Director of IIT Gandhinagar, were present as Guests of Honour. Setting a New Stan...

Northern Vietnam is reeling from devastating floods triggered by torrential rains following Typhoon Matmo, which have claimed at least three lives and damaged thousands of homes. The latest disaster marks yet another blow in a relentless storm season that experts warn is being worsened by climate change. Although Typhoon Matmo did not make direct landfall, its outer rainbands pounded northern provinces on Tuesday, overflowing rivers and unleashing landslides in communities already struggling to recover from four previous storms since September. Streets turned into rivers as homes and farmland were submerged, leaving many residents stranded and rescue teams scrambling to deliver food and relief supplies by boat. According to source more than 4,800 homes have been affected so far. Thre...

Africa vast renewable energy potential is emerging as a defining opportunity to reshape the continent’s economic and industrial landscape. Speaking at a side event during the G20 4th Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meetings, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Samantha Graham-Maré, outlined an ambitious vision to turn Africa natural wealth into engines of inclusive and sustainable growth. “For Africa, this is the defining challenge and the defining opportunity of our century,” she said. “Our continent holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources, immense wind potential, and many of the critical minerals that underpin the global clean energy economy. But our greatest asset is our people young, innovative, and ready to build.” Graham-Maré emphasised that ...

New Zealand has taken a major step toward marine conservation with the passing of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act. This landmark legislation nearly triples the size of protected marine areas, marking the country most significant environmental reform in more than a decade. Conservation Minister Tama Potaka called the new law “a bold new era for ocean conservation,” saying it would help reverse years of damage caused by overfishing, pollution, and habitat loss. The Act designates 19 new High Protection Areas (HPAs) across 800 square kilometres of the Hauraki Gulf, restricting commercial and recreational fishing to allow marine life to regenerate naturally. Turning the Tide on Ecological Decline The Hauraki Gulf, located along New Zealand North Island, has long ...

As climate change fuels more intense storms, floods and heatwaves across Asia, countries from Bangladesh to the Philippines are confronting escalating risks. South Asia, home to nearly two billion people, remains one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions where the poorest communities often face the harshest impacts. The Bay of Bengal alone accounts for nearly 80 per cent of global cyclone-related deaths, making resilience-building not just urgent, but vital for survival. In this context, Odisha has emerged as a global example of how preparedness, governance and community participation can turn tragedy into resilience. Once one of India’s most cyclone-affected states, Odisha transformation began after the devastating 1999 super cyclone, which claimed over 10,000 lives and exposed ma...

A new McGill University-led study has issued a stark warning that more than 100 million buildings across the Global South could face regular flooding in the coming centuries if fossil fuel emissions are not reduced rapidly. The research is the first of its kind to assess the long-term impact of sea level rise on a building-by-building scale across Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Using advanced satellite mapping and elevation data, scientists estimated how many structures would be inundated under different scenarios of sea level rise ranging from 0.5 to 20 metres. The results reveal an alarming picture of future coastal vulnerability particularly for densely populated and low-lying regions. Rising Seas, Growing Threat “Sea level rise is a slow but unstoppable...

Australia vast road network stretching nearly 900,000 kilometres across the continent is buckling under the strain of climate change. More than 80% of these roads run through rural and remote areas, where maintenance has always been difficult and expensive. Now, with floods heatwaves and bushfires intensifying, the challenge has become critical. Over the past few years record-breaking disasters have exposed the fragility of this lifeline network. In 2023, catastrophic flooding destroyed a key bridge at Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia, cutting off communities for months. In 2024, bushfires closed the Eyre Highway the only sealed route connecting South Australia and Western Australia and floods soon followed, turning key transport links into disaster zones. “Climate change is acc...

A new study by Imperial College reveals that climate change has significantly increased both the intensity and economic damage potential of Typhoon “Ragasa,” providing a clear example of how global warming is exacerbating tropical cyclone hazards. Using advanced climate models and satellite data, researchers quantified the human influence on extreme rainfall and wind-driven destruction. The study employed the metric of Fractional Attributable Risk (FAR) to estimate how much climate change has contributed to the probability of Ragasa-type events. FAR is calculated as the difference between the probability of an event occurring in today’s climate versus the pre-industrial climate, divided by the probability in today’s climate. For Ragasa, the FAR was determined to be 0.49, indicating that...

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has drafted comprehensive Solid Waste Management and Handling Bylaws, 2025, aimed at overhauling the city sanitation system and ensuring stricter accountability for residents, institutions, and commercial establishments. The draft has been sent to the state government for approval, with citizen feedback invited over the next week through the MCG website or in writing at the corporation’s headquarters in Civil Lines, Gurugram. MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya emphasized that the initiative is part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) and is intended to strengthen waste management across the city. A key feature of the new framework is the introduction of a five-bin segregation system, replacing the existing two-bin approach. Residents will now...