Sharks have a reputation of being apex predators of the sea. But even they have their weak points. Many shark populations have plummeted in the past three decades as a result of excessive harvesting — for their fins, as an incidental catch of fisheries targeting other species, and in recreational fisheries. This is particularly true for oceanic species. However, until now, a lack of data prevented scientists from properly quantifying the status of Pacific reef sharks at a large geographic scale.

State Cabinet here on Wednesday took several important decisions. It decided to constitute Madhya Pradesh Water Corporation (MPWC) for implementation of group piped water schemes in rural area. The corporation will avail loans under prescribed procedure to run these schemes and other fiscal management. The Corporation will implement piped drinking water as well as sewage schemes in the urban areas as per requirement and supplying drinking water to families through water connections.

Dhaka: About 28 percent of Bangladesh's total population (41.7 million) is living in urban areas, said a Unicef report released on Wednesday.
Among the top 21 mega cities of the world, according to the report, Dhaka ranks 9th position with 14.3 million people, while Tokyo 1st with 36.5 million, Delhi 2nd with 21.7 million, Sao Paolo 3rd with 20.0 million.

India on Monday signed joint resolutions with Nepal and Russia on trans-border co-operation to conserve the tiger. The resolutions were signed during the three-day Global Tiger Recovery Programme conference held in New Delhi.

The global conference of 13 tiger range countries for the first time took stock of efforts to double the number of wild tigers by 2022. While reporting a significant progress, the meeting recognised the need for intensive action to halt poaching.

Tiger (Panthera tigris) populations, on average, have declined 70 per cent across the world, including Bangladesh, in the last 30 years, according to the Living Planet Report 2012.
The Living Planet Index for tigers in the Report said that forced to compete for space in some of the most densely populated regions on the earth, the tiger’s range has also declined to just 7 per cent of its former extent.

SHILLONG: “Farmers should be ready to learn new technologies to become competent,” said Dr Mukul Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya.

“Technology linked farming activities are being promoted in the State to make farming more attractive and remunerative. To be rich in farming, we need to learn new technologies, which should be supported by government interventions like market availability, credit availability, etc.,” said Dr Sangma while inaugurating the ‘Tribal Farmers in Climate Resilient Agriculture’ programme at Cherrapunji on Friday.

Less than 2 p.c. of global trials are conducted in India

With India being home to 16 per cent of global population and 20 per cent of global disease burden, it (country) is gradually transforming into a clinical research destination for pharmaceutical companies. But the biggest concern is whether the country is becoming a dumping ground for clinical trials?

Melbourne Australia has been ranked as the seventh top polluter mainly due to carbon emissions, a report said.

Conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its report said the spiralling global population and over-consumption are threatening the future health of the planet, ABC news reported. WWF released this year's Living Planet report, which has estimated humans are using 50 per cent more resources than the planet can provide.

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.

Noted population expert T. V. Antony has expressed concern over the increasing population in Rajasthan, saying it would adversely affect the State's growth rate and reduce livelihood opportunities significantly in the near future.

Mr. Antony, who is State adviser to the Rajiv Gandhi Population & Health Mission, said at a meeting of medical officers in Alwar on Wednesday that any programme for population control can succeed only with proper awareness among the rural populace. The departments concerned will also need to work in mutual coordination, he added.