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NEW DELHI – Facing a major agricultural crisis from invasive pests, India has turned to an unconventional solution: importing insects to fight its battles. In 2022, the country made a rare move, importing parasitic wasps from Africa to combat the Cassava Mealybug, an invasive pest that was devastating crops in southern states. The mealybug, a pest native to South America, found its way to India and, without any natural predators, spread rapidly. First detected by farmers in Kerala's Thrissur district in April 2020, the pest quickly multiplied, slashing cassava yields from 35 tonnes per hectare to just 3-5 tonnes. This created an agricultural crisis, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which account for the majority of India's cassava production. Rather than resorting to a widespre...

AHMEDABAD – Cities across the globe are deploying innovative technologies to combat the urban heat island effect, a growing hazard magnified by climate change. A new global study highlights how India's urban centers, in particular, are at the forefront of this effort, using smartwatches and other novel methods to map and manage extreme heat. The urban heat island effect can cause city temperatures to be up to 12°C higher than surrounding areas, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations. A global study, with a focus on communities in Ahmedabad, India, is providing residents with smartwatches embedded with heat-tracking features. These devices collect real-time data on the body's physiological responses to heat, offering a more human-centric understanding of heat stress. The ...

ADDIS ABABA – African leaders are gathering at the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) in Ethiopia to present a unified "green blueprint" for the continent's development. The summit, held in Addis Ababa, aims to position Africa not as a victim of climate change but as a global powerhouse for solutions, demanding "real investment, not charity" from the international community. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who is co-hosting the summit, highlighted Africa's vast potential in renewable energy and critical minerals, which are essential for the global energy transition. He urged for the creation of a thousand African-led climate innovations by 2030, a vision that includes a focus on carbon capture and sustainable industrialization. The summit, which comes just before the upcoming C...

LAHORE – Pakistan's Punjab province is grappling with devastating floods that have led to a massive rescue effort, with over 10,000 people rescued in Multan within the last 24 hours. The disaster has claimed at least 60 lives since August 23, submerged thousands of villages, and affected millions. According to Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, the floods have inundated 4,355 villages, impacting 4.2 million people. Authorities have successfully evacuated 2.1 million individuals and 1.5 million livestock to safety. In response to the crisis, the province has established 412 relief camps to shelter the displaced, along with medical camps to provide essential healthcare. The disaster's impact is expected to continue, as high flood levels persist in the Sutlej and Chenab rivers. N...

A new study by researchers at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh, India, has found that microplastics can seriously damage the gut. Published in the Indian Journal of Gastroenterology, the research indicates that these tiny plastic particles not only harm beneficial gut bacteria but also weaken the body's immune system. How Microplastics Damage Gut Health The study reveals that microplastics, which are now widespread in our food, water, and air, can impact the gut in two key ways: • Altered Gut Microbiome: Microplastics have been shown to reduce "good" gut bacteria while encouraging the growth of harmful ones. A balanced gut microbiome is crucial for digestion and immune function. • Weakened Intestinal Lining: The particles can ...

NEW DELHI – A recent analysis of India’s urban centers reveals a shared and critical flaw: cities are collapsing under the weight of outdated infrastructure and static master plans that fail to account for a dynamic environment. From bustling metropolises to carefully planned modernist cities, the report argues that India’s urban areas have outgrown their own governance and are now highly vulnerable to climate change and modern ambitions. The report points to several key examples of this urban decline: • Hyderabad, once known for its intricate water management systems, now experiences regular and severe flooding. • Shimla, a hill station never designed for large-scale year-round habitation, is "collapsing under modern ambitions built on colonial bones." • Even Chandigarh, a mas...

UTTARKASHI – A destructive cloudburst hit Uttarakhand's Yamuna Valley on Saturday, causing significant damage to the Naugaon area. The intense downpour and subsequent flash flood resulted in mudslides that buried homes in debris, flooded low-lying areas, and disrupted daily life. District Magistrate Prashant Arya confirmed that a residential house was buried and the muddy waters of a swollen stream flowed into several homes. Despite the extensive damage, no casualties have been reported, largely because many residents had already evacuated their homes in anticipation of the danger posed by the heavy rains. The sudden weather event triggered chaos in the Naugaon market, with witnesses reporting that the swollen Devalsari stream swept away vehicles and caused a major mudslide. The Delh...

NEW DELHI – The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), has called on the Union government to declare the devastating floods and landslides in North India a "national disaster." The party released a statement on Saturday expressing "deep concern" over the widespread devastation affecting multiple states. The CPI(M) highlighted the severe impact on Punjab, where all 23 districts have been declared flood-hit. According to the party, the floods have affected over 400,000 people and submerged approximately 300,000 acres of crops. Other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir, are also reeling from the heavy rains, with Himachal Pradesh reporting over 320 deaths. The party criticized the BJP-led government for its "inadequate response" to the calamity. ...

WASHINGTON – In a new effort to enhance hurricane prediction, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has launched a fleet of miniature, uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) called C-Stars. In collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi and the U.K.-based robotics company Oshen, NOAA deployed five of these four-foot-long robots off the U.S. Virgin Islands on August 31, with two more on standby in Mississippi for potential storms in the Gulf of Mexico. The C-Stars are designed to collect real-time data at the critical interface where the ocean meets the lower atmosphere—the key to understanding how hurricanes intensify. "If these miniature uncrewed surface vehicles prove reliable, they could become a critical piece of NOAA’s hurricane observing system in the ...

HYDERABAD – Water reservoirs in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh have reached their highest levels in two decades, thanks to an unseasonably strong monsoon. According to recent data from The Hindu and the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Information and Management System (APWRIMS), the state’s major and medium reservoirs are at 85.49% of their total capacity as of September 7, 2025. This marks a significant increase from the 73.55% storage recorded at the same time last year. The robust inflows have been primarily driven by a series of low-pressure systems and upper-air circulations from the Bay of Bengal, which have brought heavy rainfall to the state, particularly during August. While the water levels in reservoirs across neighboring states like Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra...