A yearly review of countries' greenhouse gas emissions cut pledges under an extension to the global climate pact the Kyoto Protocol could be a way to raise climate ambitions, the European Union's lead climate negotiator said on Wednesday.

Negotiators from over 180 countries are meeting in Bonn, Germany, until Friday to work towards getting a new global climate pact signed by 2015 and to ensure ambitious emissions cuts are made after the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of this year.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology said the climate models it monitors indicate a possible return of the El Nino weather pattern, often linked to heavy rainfall and droughts, in the second half of 2012.

The last severe El Nino in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damage to crops, infrastructure and mines in Australia and other parts of Asia.

A Malaysian researcher known for finding new amphibian species said Friday his team had discovered at least one new species of frog in studies he said highlight Borneo's rich biodiversity.

Indraneil Das of the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak said the brown frog is just 4-5 centimetres (1.6-2.0 inches) long and makes a distinctive high-pitched chirp.

His team discovered the frog during an expedition to the rainforests of Mount Singai in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo island in September 2010. They later found another of the same species in nearby Kubah National Park.

Sindh government has planned to introduce Bus Rapid Transit System in the province initially in Karachi in the first phase costing Rs 450 million.

This system successfully functions in 28 countries of world including Iran, Japan, Turkey, China, Malaysia and India.

After the success of Bus Rapid Transit System in Karachi, it would be extended to Hyderabad, Sukkur and other cities of province, minister for transport Akhtar Jadoon said according to an official handout on Sunday.

With the rules for proper disposal and recycling of electronic waste to come into force from May 1, the Tamil Nadu Government has in place the systems and processes, according to the Environment Minister, Mr B.V. Ramanaa.

Addressing the Assembly following the debate on the demand for grants to Environment and Forests, he said the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified the e-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 which are to come into force next month.

A tsunami watch was issued for countries across the Indian Ocean on Wednesday after a large earthquake hit waters off Indonesia, sending residents pouring from their homes in panic. Tremors were felt in several cities in India where a tsunami warning has been issued for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The US Geological Survey said the 8.7-magnitude quake was centred 20 miles (33 kilometres) beneath the ocean floor around 269 miles (434 kilometers) from Aceh's provincial capital.

The Statistical Book 2011 of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that Pakistan is way behind in wheat, rice, sugarcane and pulses production, both globally and regionally.

According to experts, water shortage, absence of high yield verities of seeds, and lack of research and development are the basic causes of low per hectare yield of crops in Pakistan. The two consecutive floods in 2010 and 2011 have also disrupted the agricultural productivity of the country. The FAO report released last week relates to authenticated data up to year 2010.

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has entered into an agreement with the Malaysia-based international body INFOFISH for the development and marketing of freshwater fish in India. Post-harvest technology and value addition have not yet received much attention in the domestic freshwater aquaculture sector.

The effort to transfer technology in the culture in fresh water fishes, processing and marketing for production and export of value-added products is the first of its kind in India, a press release from MPEDA said.