With energy consumption worldwide projected to roughly double in the next 35 years, conventional wisdom says renewable sources of power will play a big role in meeting demand. But the conventional wisdom may be wrong. In a report just published on RatingsDirect, Standard & Poor's Ratings Services says cost, feasibility, and political wrangling are standing in the way of near-term renewable-energy expansion, globally and in the U.S.

New Delhi: There has been a six-fold increase in the number of antibiotics being popped by Indians. This includes the retail sale of carbapenems — powerful class IV antibiotics, typically used as a “last resort” to treat serious infections caused by multi-drug resistant, gramnegative pathogens. Research by the Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, Washington DC, has found that retail sale of carbapenems increased six times — from 0.21 units per million in 2005 to 1.23 in 2010, raising serious fears of resistance to these drugs.

The statistics pertaining to income and expenditures of the citizens presented by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) on Thursday has revealed that food accounted for about 57 per cent of the value of the average rural Indian household consumption during 2009-10 whereas it was 44 per cent in cities. And this, when 60 per cent of India’s rural population lives on less than Rs 35 a day and an identical percentage in several cities lives on Rs 66 per day.

New Delhi: Stricter energy efficiency norms for air-conditioners unveiled on Wednesday would further reduce your power bills and save up to Rs 1,000 crore by December, 2013, by way of putting lesser load on the supply network.

The upgraded norms, framed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), raises the efficiency quotient by 8% for split air-conditioners used in offices and commercial buildings. Home consumers too are increasingly opting for such units.

Ahmedabad: Cold treats seem to be a hit with Amdavadis. The city consumes more ice-cream than bigger cities like Mumbai and Pune, says a report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham). The report says almost 35% of ice-cream sold in India is savoured by the western region — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Goa. And, Ahmedabad tops the list in the region. The group’s report takes into account countrywide consumption between April and December 2011.