Election Commission Makes Sportswomen Saina Nehwal And Mary Kom As Its "national Icons"

London Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and MC Mary Kom have been designated as "national icons" by the election commission to help promote voter participation in polls.

The poll body already has former President APJ Abdul Kalam and Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni as its other "national icons".

Sources in the election commission said 22-year-old Saina Nehwal and Mary Kom, 29, who had won bronze medals in London Olympics 2012 in badminton and boxing respectively, will help in boosting women participation during the forthcoming elections.

Nehwal has earlier been the EC's 'state icon' in Andhra Pradesh. She has now been elevated as its 'national icon'.

The commission has been using the services of prominent personalities across the country to help increase voter awareness and participation, and fight the public apathy towards elections.
Kalam and Dhoni have earlier helped the poll body in its campaigns for increasing voter participation in elections.

Can Thailand adapt to climate change?

Bandid Nijathaworn in Thailand Business News: Flooding in Bangkok shut down global supply chains, torrential storms in Beijing and the Philippines took lives, and, most recently, the rare landfall of a hurricane in the US northeast caused immense and multifarious damage and suffering.

Natural disasters have always occurred, but in the 21st century to date, humanity is witnessing unprecedented climatic variations while hundreds of millions of people migrate to increasingly vulnerable coastal urban areas.

Construction of flood prevention walls along the rivers are aimed at replacing sandbag embankment used during the flood crisis last year. It’s clear – global challenges can be tackled, and the private and public sector are beginning to acknowledge the urgency in implementing solutions. The greatest hill to climb now is enabling the environment for investment in building resilient communities that will be ready to adapt to a changing world.

The World Bank reports that us$ 75 billion-us$ 100 billion annually will be needed for the next 40 years or more for developing countries to adapt to these challenges and prevent loss of life and jobs. The difference remaining after current allocation (about US$ 3.5 billion-US$ 9 billion, according to the OECD) is US$ 71.5 billion-US$ 91 billion.

The World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Climate Change is addressing these and other climate issues during the next two years and will bring the message of the urgent need to adapt to its wide network of business and government leaders. When the Council met in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 12-14, for the Summit on the Global Agenda 2012, it developed work plans for its three focus areas: adaptation metrics, climate smart investments, and communications and engagement...

Drought-stressed trees face race to adapt

CNN: Scientists have known for some time that climate change and the impacts of longer droughts and higher temperatures could pose a problem for forests. But many thought it would only affect a minority of trees, perhaps just those in extremely arid regions.

However, new research is showing that a large majority of tree species around the world are operating on the brink of collapse. If the predicted pace of climate change continues, many may not be able to adapt in time and large numbers could die-off.

The authors of the study, whose findings were published in the scientific journal Nature, looked at 226 different tree species from 81 sites around the world, covering the full range of climatic conditions, from Mediterranean-type arid to the tropical Amazon rainforest.

They found that 70% of the trees studied adapt closely to the local environment, whether arid or tropical, absorbing just enough water in order to survive, but leaving them highly vulnerable to minor shifts in rainfall and drought stress.

"We thought that in the dry areas, plants would have adapted to survive more than ones growing in the wet, but we found they were all equally vulnerable. It was a big surprise," says Steven Jansen, from Germany's Ulm University and co-author of the study.

In periods of drought, the vascular network (xylem) distributing water and nutrients around the tree develops air bubbles which hinder the passage of water. As drought stress increases, these blockages, or "embolisms," accumulate eventually causing the tree to dry out and die....

Tree rings shot by Arpingstone, public domain

The coastal conundrum: Balancing the costs of erosion vs. flooding

PhysOrg: A study, carried out by scientists from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and today awarded the 2012 Lloyd's Science of Risk prize for Climate Change research, shows how the benefits of protecting our coastline from erosion must be balanced against the impacts of coastal flooding.

Focussing on a 72km stretch of shoreline along the East Anglian coast, the team detail the interconnection between the two risks of erosion and flooding and show that in some cases, allowing natural erosion of coastlines could reduce the impact of flooding in surrounding areas associated with rising sea levels.

Richard Dawson, Professor of Earth Systems Engineering at Newcastle University, lead author of this study says the research – which will be further developed in a new book to be launched in Spring 2013 - highlights the trade-off between shoreline management policy and other priorities. "We know that sea levels are rising and will continue to do so over the 21st Century, what we don't know is by exactly how much, or how fast," he explains. "That means we need flexible strategies in place so that we are ready whatever the climate throws at us in the future. These strategies must be coordinated and recognise the large scale connectivity of coastal processes – such as the movement of sand along the coastline. "

Given pressures of rising sea levels and large coastal populations, coupled with increased pressure on finances, it seems unlikely we will be able to afford to protect every stretch of coastline. Land will be lost to the sea so we're going to have to make difficult decisions about what our priorities are." Coastal defences put in place by Victorian engineers over a century ago have re-shaped the UK coastline, artificially protecting some areas but at the expense of beaches in adjacent areas....

Wading birds at Living Coasts, Torquay, shot by Jeff Buck, Wikimedia Commons via Geograph UK, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Mining saps a thirsty desert

Michelle Tolson in IPS: The Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in the southern Gobi desert in Mongolia has become a symbol of a looming crisis: a limited water supply that could be exhausted within a decade, seriously threatening the lives and livelihoods of the local population.

Oyu Tolgoi is one of the largest copper deposits in the world and has attracted major investors over the years, from Robert Friedland of Ivanhoe Capital Corporation, to the mining giant Rio Tinto, which now holds a majority stake in the investment, while the Mongolian government controls just 34 percent of the project.

Now, local communities fear that returns on investments will take precedence over their own subsistence, while simultaneously heightening the region’s acute water shortage. A 2010 World Bank water assessment report for the southern Gobi region projected a “lifespan” for water resources based on the number of mining projects in the pipeline, as well as a study of the region’s growing population whose primary occupation is herding and rearing livestock.

...Subsistence herders must share a limited water supply with numerous mines. A 2009 World Bank report found that mining exploration licences cover 55 percent of this area. Omongovi province, for instance, “has 63 licences issued for extraction and 400 licences for exploration.”...

A desert landscape in Inner Mongolia, shot by Fir0002, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license

Pledges to fight global warming inadequate, US off track

Reuters: Major nations' policies are inadequate to limit global warming and the United States is off track even in carrying out its weak pledge to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a scientific scorecard showed on Friday.

The Climate Action Tracker report, issued on the sidelines of talks among almost 200 countries in Doha about climate change, said a toughening of policies was still possible to avert damaging floods, heat waves and rising seas.

Major emitters China, the United States, the European Union and Russia all got "inadequate" ratings for their plans to help limit global warming to an agreed U.N. ceiling of below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6F) above pre-industrial times, it said.

Adding up all national pledges and taking account of rising emissions, the world was headed for a warming of about 3.3 degrees Celsius (6F), it said.

"We are off track and the United States is not likely to meet its pledge," said Niklas Hoehne of research group Ecofys, which compiles the tracker with Climate Analytics and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research....

Flag shot by Jnn13, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

IK Gujral, Former Prime Minister of India Died

Former Prime Minister of India, Inder Kumar Gujral, the head of unsteady coalition government in 1990s, died at the age of 92 following brief illness on 30 November 2012.

I.K. Gujral last breathed in a private hospital at 3.27 P.M following multiple organ failure. After lung infection, he was admitted to hospital on 19 November 2012. Gujral had taken ill some days ago and was also on dialysis for more than a year. A few days ago, he suffered from critical lung infection as well.

I.K. Gujral will be cremated somewhere near Delhi on 1 December 2012. He is survived by two sons. One of his sons- Naresh Gujral is the Rajya Sabha MP as well as Akali Dal leader.

An interview with Paul Thomas Anderson

Read an interview with Paul Thomas Anderson, director of The Master, at the Huffington Post:

"The Master" is a movie people are going to be talking about for a long time. Paul Thomas Anderson's haunting meditation on friendship, manipulation and man's desperate search for sanity is more enigmatic than his earlier films -- it neither grabs you by the throat, like "There Will Be Blood," nor twirls you around the dance floor, like "Boogie Nights." When it screened at the Venice and Toronto film festivals, the general response was: Whoa, I'm going to need to see that again.

Our next sciSCREEN will follow the 5.45pm screening of The Master on Monday 10th December. Themes to be explored in the post-film discussion include post-traumatic stress disorder, the curious appeal of new religious movements, alcoholism, and the portrayal of mental illness on film. Tickets to the film can be bought from Chapter. The post-film discussion is a ticketed event. Tickets are free, and are booked seperately either over the phone (02920 304400) or in person at Chapter.

This Cardiff sciSCREEN event is sponsored by the Cardiff School of Social Sciences.

Genetically Altered Mosquitoes: Way to Control Dengue?

Aedes aegypti mosquito (cdc.gov)

Here is an interesting article published online in Time that outlines how genetically altered mosquitoes are being used in some parts of the world to control dengue. In a lab setting, mosquitoes are altered such that males become either infertile or carry genes that decrease longevity; the infertile males are then released into the environment and either fail to impregnate female mosquitoes or pass on genes that decrease the lifespan of the next generation of mosquitoes.

This approach was used in Malaysia in 2011 and is now being employed in Brazil. Although the long-term environmental effects of this approach are uncertain, it is clear that new technologies and approaches need to be deployed to combat dengue.

Important Publications on REDD+ for COP 18

As government representatives gather to consider solutions to, and means to mitigate the impact of, climate change at the 18th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, several significant publications on the impact of climate change and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) on the rights of Indigenous peoples have been launched by Natural Justice partners. 

The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) have published a briefing paper entitled "REDD+, Rights and Indigenous Peoples: Lessons from REDD+ Initiatives in Asia." The brief examines how far countries participating in REDD+ in Asia have advanced in addressing the social and environmental safeguards needed for the implementation of REDD+ and reflects on pilot activities in Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam. Their findings suggest that outstanding critical issues for Indigenous peoples include the lack of effective engagement, free, prior and informed consent, and unresolved land tenure and carbon rights issues. The brief can be downloaded here.  

The Forest Peoples Programme, has released a note that refers to the Indigenous Peoples Caucus position on REDD+ and analyses key issues and opportunities for Indigenous peoples to influence the current REDD+ negotiations in Doha. The note can be downloaded here. 

The Indigenous Peoples Caucus, on behalf of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), released a statement to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA) concerning REDD+ which raised issues such as the need to respect collective and customary systems of forest governance and management, the roles and contributions of Indigenous women, and the need for an independent complaints mechanism. The statement can be accessed here.

Migration not always a way to adapt

IRIN: As the impact of climate change unfolds, many have predicted forbidding scenarios of millions of impoverished people flooding into often affluent countries. Yet a ground-breaking study released on 28 November reveals a more nuanced relationship between climate variability and migration, which could provide insight into how events might transpire in the coming years.

The study, carried out by Care International and the UN University (UNU) in eight countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, reveals that in nearly all instances where rains have become too scarce for farming, people have migrated - but within the national borders.

The project also considered possible future scenarios in Tanzania, where even scarcer rains over the next 25 years were projected to double migration from vulnerable households.  The project’s researchers hope their findings will inform the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks, currently taking place in Doha, by persuading participants to speed up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and develop effective policies to adapt to rising temperatures.

The three-year research project, Where the rain falls: climate change, hunger and human mobility, covered over 1,300 households and 2,000 individuals in Bangladesh, India, Ghana, Guatemala, Peru, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. 

...It is one of the first empirical efforts to explore how poor households use migration as a risk management strategy to deal with climate stressors and food insecurity. The study also offers insight into how households adjust their behaviour in the face of these changes, which could inform how policymakers support rural communities....

Young people in Guatemala in 1980, shot by Infrogmation, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

IPCC focuses on natural disasters

The Peninsula (Qatar): Experts recommend avoiding risks in order to minimise the damage caused by climate change, which has stronger impact in underdeveloped regions that are not prepared.

These are some of the conclusions of the report completed by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), with authors from 62 countries. The report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation, was the topic of discussion at the UN climate change conference yesterday.

Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman of IPCC, said that the “increase in sea levels is not our only challenge”, adding that 95 percent of debt for natural disasters affects developing countries.

Maarten van Aalst, from Red Cross/Crescent Climate Centre, said that there are signs of extreme meteorological phenomena, which serve as warning and would avoid many damages. He added that there is need for stronger organisations to do things “smarter and better in the future”.

He talked about certain risk factors that should be taken into consideration, like cooling in public facilities or changes in infrastructure to cope with heat waves in Europe, given that research says that there is a likely increase in heat waves and warm days and nights across Europe.

He also referred to the growing number of hurricanes in US and Caribbean, listing risks like population growth, increasing property rules and higher storm surge with sea level rise. These issues can be addressed with better forecasting, stricter building codes and regional risk pooling...

Climate change, disaster risk: Asian action critical

Bindu N. Lohani in the Philippine Daily Inquirer: ... one thing is clear: Weather-related disasters are increasing in both frequency and intensity. Witness the string of severe recent floods across Asia—from Pakistan, to Thailand, to the Philippines—and Hurricane “Sandy” in the United States, which have vividly shown us how extreme weather events can bring entire countries to a virtual standstill. Volatile weather extremes are hitting Asia and the Pacific more often than any other region of the world.

This gives the Asia-Pacific region a huge stake in mitigating global temperature rise while adapting to already rising climate change impacts. Sixty percent of the region’s people rely on highly climate-sensitive farms, forests and fisheries for their livelihoods. Seven out of the 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change and disasters caused by natural hazards are in Asia and the Pacific. A decrease in fresh water availability can affect more than one billion Asian people by 2050.

The region has borne the brunt of the physical and economic damage of increased disasters. It accounted for 38 percent of global disaster-related economic losses between 1980 and 2009. People in the Asia-Pacific region are four times more likely to be affected by disasters than those in Africa, and 25 times more likely than those in Europe or North America.

A recent report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) noted that storms and floods, in particular, are becoming endemic to the region, and their increasing frequency and severity can slash economic growth and development. And as we have seen time and again, it is the poorest and most vulnerable citizens who suffer the most. We cannot hope to bring an end to poverty without building resilience to climate change and these associated events....

True-colour satellite image showing flooding in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani Provinces in Central Thailand (right), compared to before the flooding (left). Ayutthaya lies north of Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, and the floods plaguing Thailand in October 2011 did not spare this historic city. From NASA

Unusual hurricane season produces more storms than expected

Property Casualty 360: Forecasters at Colorado State University are declaring this year’s Atlantic basin hurricane season to be an unusual one that had more activity than expected, but with virtually all of that activity coming in the form of weaker storms.

In a report issued today by the hurricane forecast team led by Phil Klotzbach and William Gray, the 2012 hurricane season, which officially ends tomorrow, “was one of the most unusual seasons on record with a significant number of weaker cyclones combined with a general lack of major hurricane activity….”

In August, the team issued an updated forecast calling for average activity: 14 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes. The season produced 19 named storms, 10 hurricanes and only one major hurricane.

The team notes that no major hurricanes made landfall in the United States this past season. A major hurricane is defined as a Category 3, 4, or 5 tropical cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 111 mph and higher.

Despite its size, with a wind radius of close to 500 miles, Superstorm Sandy never reached major hurricane status. However, when it made landfall as a post-tropical storm it generated the lowest pressure ever recorded in the Northeast U.S. at 943 millibars, breaking the record set by the Great New England Hurricane or Long Island Express of 1938, the Colorado team says....

Hurricane Sandy in Marblehead, shot by The Brikes, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Meghalaya PSU keen on 1320 MW pithead plant

Business Standard reported that Meghalaya Mineral Development Corporation is keen to set up a 1,320 MW pithead power plant in the vicinity of the Mandakini-B coal block in Odisha.

MMDC has been awarded the coal block with reserve of 1,200 million tonne, jointly with Odisha Mining Corporation, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and Assam Mineral Development Corporation. The Mandakini-B coal block was allocated to these companies on July 25th 2007 under Section 3 (3) (a) (i) of Coal Mines (Nationalization) Act, 1973.

The Meghalaya PSU has now sought suitable land free from all encumbrances for the power project.

Mr Jopthiaw Lyngdoh secretary (power) of Meghalaya government wrote to Ms PK Jena of Odisha energy secretary that “I am writing to request you to assist us in identifying a suitable plot of land in the pithead area of Talcher coalfields with requisite industrial water availability. The Meghalaya government will pay the requisite fee to the Odisha government in accordance with the prevailing laws and regulations.”

Stating that the power project has been accorded high priority by the Meghalaya government, Mr Lyngdoh said that a team of officials were ready to visit Odisha in this connection if considered appropriate.

It may be noted that in July 2011, the Ministry of Coal had issued a warning to the allocates for the inordinate delay in development of the Mandakini-B coal block.

The warning followed a showcase notice to these firms which were issued by the ministry on October 29th 2010. Though replies to the showcase notice were furnished by these companies, they were not considered to be convincing by the review committee of the ministry.

Renewed flooding threatens Niger capital

Terra Daily via AFP: Renewed flooding of the Niger river threatens Niger's capital Niamey and parts of the west of the country, local and regional authorities warned Thursday.

Previous floods in August and September claimed almost 70 lives across the impoverished west African country and made tens of thousands homeless.

"We will be inundated" as of December 5, Niamey governor Aichatou Kane Boulama told a press briefing. She stressed that the consequences would include the flooding of 400 hectares (988 acres), 40 of them in residential areas.

Water has already begun to swamp some low-lying parts of Niamey, Kane Boulama added, saying that "the most urgent thing is to rehouse families"...

Livestock grazing on an island in the River Niger, as seen off a bridge in Niger’s capital, Niamey. Shot by ILRI/Stevie Mann, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Pork: Contaminated with Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria?

wikipedia.org

Here is a study published in Consumer Reports that looked at the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in pork. They tested 198 samples of ground pork and pork chops, all consumer products, and found that 69% were contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, 11% were contaminated with Enterococcus, 7% were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus and 4% were contaminated with Salmonella.

Of the whopping 69% of products contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica, 39% were resistant to 2-3 antibiotics. Sixty-four percent of the Staphylococcus aureus isolates were resistant to 2-4 antibiotics and 38% of the Salmonella isolates were resistant to 5 antibiotics.

These findings highlight the issue of antibiotic use in the food industry driving antibiotic resistance in general. As antibiotics are used in a population of animals (pigs, for instance), antibiotic susceptible bacteria are killed off (thus 'selecting out' resistant bacteria); these bacteria are then shed into the environment, contaminate fertilizer and can contaminate food products such as the pork noted in this study. Humans then can become colonized or sick when they come in contact with these organisms. A person who ingests undercooked pork contaminated with bacteria such as Yersinia enterocolitica could develop a severe diarrheal illness that would be more difficult to treat as the organism is already resistant to multiple antibiotics.

This report highlights key things consumers can do to protect themselves, such as ensuring meat is cooked appropriately (thus killing any bacterial contaminants), keeping raw meat separate from other foods and good hand washing.

This report is a disturbing real-time reminder that non-human antibiotic use is an important component of the current antibiotic resistance crisis; this is especially important when one considers that approximately 80% of all antibiotics used in the United States are used in food-production animals. Efforts to combat antibiotic resistance must account for the large percentage of antibiotic use in the food industry, and true solutions to this problem will require coordinated efforts across multiple disciplines.

Video Repository on Forest Commodification

Forests are facing immense challenges from the increased commodification of their resources. Some incoming policies may worsen these challenges dramatically. To highlight the lived experiences of communities affected by forest commodification, the Global Forest Coalition has launched a repositoryof videos gathered from a variety of organisations and contexts. The repository has been launched as government representatives gather for the 18th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to highlight the results of commodification and the dangers of policies that ignore or intensify commodification processes. The repository organises the videos into three key thematic areas: exporting commodities; carbon: schemes, scams & cowboys; and rights and resistance.

The repository can be accessed here.

Miskitu BCP Launched in Honduras

Moskitia Asla Takanka (MASTA), a Miskitu community-based organisation, has developed and launched a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) with technical assistance from Natural Justice and the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Regional Office for Mesoamerica. The BCP seeks to assert the right to and guide the process of obtaining free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) for projects in La Moskitia.

The Miskitu community, with a population of around 70 000, live in the tropical rainforest ecosystems of La Moskitia in eastern Honduras. They are facing a series of challenges in their traditional territory, ranging from the destruction of primary forests through agricultural expansion, illegal trade of flora, fauna and drugs, as well as the commercial exploitation of their sub-soil resources. 

To face these and other threats to their natural and cultural environment, MASTA has focused their protocol on defining a mechanism for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), a vital procedural right that has often been ignored by government and non-governmental development projects. The process of developing the BCP was guided by MASTA, together with representatives from 12 territorial councils and their respective community councils. With this protocol, MASTA is seeking to guarantee that future consultation and consent-seeking processes respect the Miskitu’s own institutions and decision-making procedures. 

To publicise the protocol and its implications to key stakeholders and other communities and organisations advancing Indigenous peoples’ rights, the protocol was presented to the public at an event in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in early November 2012. Further events are planned within the communities of La Moskitia for early 2013. 

The Biocultural Community Protocol of the Miskitu can be downloaded here. An article about the protocol published in the Honduran newspaper La Tribuna can be accessed here.

Arunachal issues strict measures to foil bandh

Tribal chiefs in Meghalaya today sought the Centre's intervention to convince Bangladesh for early opening of at least 38 border haats south of the state which have proved to be beneficial to residents of the area.

"We have urged the state government to take up the matter with the Centre for negotiation with Bangladesh government to speed up the opening of at least 38 border haats," Grand Council of Chiefs of Meghalaya (GCCM) Chairman John F Kharshiing told reporters here after a meeting.

These haats have a direct impact on the livelihood of the border residents, he said.

Only two border haats – at Kalaichar in West Garo Hills and at Balat in East Khasi Hills district - are open now and more than 20,000 residents were benefited directly and generated income worth more than Rs 50 lakh.

The tribal leader demanded 38 more border haats -- 17 in East Khasi hills district, 11 in South West Khasi Hills district, four in South Garo hills, three each in West Garo hills and Jaintia hills districts.

"The Khasi-Jaintia and Garo people inhabiting the entire stretch of 443km long Indo-Bangladesh border have been victims of partition, not only was the international border closed but they have been denied their traditional market and route towards Sylhet and Chittagong," he said.

Urging the government to improve the infrastructure, particularly bridges, along the border, Kharshiing said these infrastructure development work would enable movement along the border as hostile terrain was a serious challenge.

Meghalaya government had officially pressed for opening of six more border haats.

Bangladesh and India have agreed to set up a number of border haats, which, if opened, are expected to witness bilateral trade worth US $20 million every year, the Union Commerce Ministry had said earlier.

Meghalaya to hike ad-hoc teachers' salaries

Under pressure from thousands of school teachers, Meghalaya cabinet today decided to raise the salaries of both ad-hoc lower primary and upper primary school teachers.

There are 1225 ad-hoc lower primary schools having four teachers each and 844 ad hoc upper primary schools having two teachers each in the state.

“The salary of the ad hoc lower primary school teachers has been increased to Rs 12, 000 per month while Rs 25,000 for the upper primary schools,” State Education Minister R C Laloo told reporters after the cabinet meeting held here.

He said that in the case of ad-hoc lower primary schools, out of Rs 12,000, Rs 6000 will be distributed to two teachers who earlier were getting only Rs 3000.

Similarly, he said, for the ad-hoc upper primary school, the amount of Rs 25,000 will be distributed to three teachers of which Rs 8000 for two teachers and Rs 9000 for the head teacher.

“A total amount of Rs 1,764 lakh is required to meet the additional expenditure for the enhancement of the salaries of the teachers, which the cabinet has approved,” the minister said.

The enhanced salaries would be made effective from December 1, 2012, he said. The state government had revised the salary for the lower primary in April 1, 2007 while for the upper primary school in April 1, 2010.

Meghalaya had witnessed a lot of agitations by school teachers at the different levels demanding their legitimate rights in this year alone.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has also dropped the export duty of locally bottled beer from Rs 100 to Rs 2 only per case while raising the duty on imported beer from Rs 50 to Rs 86 per case. The exercise is expected to raise about Rs 5 crore for the exchequer.

India ranks 78th in Rule of Law Index 2012

India ranks 78th among 97 countries in guaranteeing access to all civil justice, a latest report released while its neighbouring country Sri Lanka leads the South Asian nations in most dimensions of the rule of law.

The ‘Rule of Law Index 2012’ report by World Justice Project provides country-by-country scores and rankings for eight areas of the rule of law.

India, the report said, has a robust system of checks and balances (ranked thirty-seventh worldwide and second among lower middle-income countries), an independent judiciary, strong protections for freedom of speech, and a relatively open government (ranking fiftieth globally and fourth among lower-middle income countries).

“Administrative agencies do not perform well (ranking 79th) and the civil court system ranks poorly (ranking 78) mainly because of deficiencies in the areas of court congestion, enforcement, and delays in processing cases,” the report said.

“Corruption is a significant problem (ranking 83rd), and police discrimination and abuses are not unusual. Order and security — including crime, civil conflict, and political violence — is a serious concern (ranked second lowest in the world),” the report observed.

According to the report, Sri Lanka outperforms its regional peers in all but two dimensions of the rule of law.

Pakistan shows weaknesses in most dimensions when compared to its regional and income group peers, the report said.

Miss Czech Republic crowned Miss Earth 2012

Tereza Fajksova of the Czech Republic was crowned Miss Earth 2012 on November 24 in the Philippines.
Miss Philippines Stephany Stefanowitz as Miss Earth Air , Miss Venezuela Osmariel Villalobos as Miss Earth Water and Miss Brazil Camila Brant as Miss Earth Fire. 

Around 91 contestants from around the globe participated in the pageant with a theme in line with that of United Nations' (UN) celebration of the International Year of Sustainable Energy for all.
 
There were many favourites including Miss Prachi Mishra who represented India and had bagged the Friendship subtitle at Miss Earth 2012. 

Miss Earth 2012, Tereza Fajksova was crowned by her predecessor- Miss Earth 2011-Olga Alava of Ecuador.

Satellites used to track global smog level

Space Daily via UPI: Israeli researchers say using a trio of NASA satellites has allowed them to measure levels of air pollution over the world's largest cities.

On-the-ground monitoring stations do not always provide the most accurate picture of global smog created by traffic, industry and other human activities, they said.

Using eight years of data collected by the satellites, the researchers at Tel Aviv University tracked pollution trends for 189 cities where the population exceeds 2 million.

More than 50 of these metropolitan areas, including New York, Tokyo and Mumbai, have populations that exceed 5 million.

The researchers used data gathered by three aerosol-monitoring satellites, called MODIS-Terra, MODIS-Aqua, and MISR, which NASA launched from 2000 through 2002....

Smog over China, from a NASA shot

New report warns developing cities to act now against a perfect storm of environmental risks

A press release from Atkins, the engineering consulting firm: A major new report ‘Future Proofing Cities’ published today by Atkins in a unique partnership with the Department for International Development (DFID) and University College London (UCL) assesses the risks to cities from climate hazards, resource scarcities, and damage to ecosystems and how they can act now to future proof themselves. Covering 129 cities totalling 350 million people in 20 countries, this report identifies practical measures that cities can take to manage these future risks.

Around 75% of the world’s population will live in cities within 40 years. Almost all of this population growth will happen in the developing world, with 4.6 billion people projected to live in already rapidly growing cities.How will these cities in the developing world cope socially, environmentally and economically with such accelerated urbanisation?

Future Proofing Cities assesses the risks from mega cities like Bangkok to smaller cities such as Zaria in Africa. It looks at their risk profile from climate hazards, resource scarcities, and damage to ecosystems and urges action now to future proof against these risks.

This report provides a fresh approach to the urgent issues arising from rapid urbanisation. It assesses the environmental risks facing cities in an integrated way and identifies more than 100 practical policy options that are most relevant and will be of most benefit to people living in different types of cities. It builds on the collective work on urbanisation by DFID, Atkins and UCL with forewords by the World Bank and Rockefeller Foundation.

The report is set against a growing awareness of the need for increased funding for infrastructure development in developing countries at the city level.This report provides an early warning for people living and working in these cities, while providing market intelligence for investors....

A slum in East Cipinang, near Jakarta, shot by by Jonathan McIntosh, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Namibia: Poor countries want fund for loss and damage

Irene Ihoaes in AllAfrica.com via New Era (Namibia): east Developed Countries (LDCs) are calling for the establishment of a fund to deal with the problem of loss and damage, as a result of climate change and global warming.

"We are looking for an international mechanism on loss and damage, although it is seen as part of the Cancun Adaptation Framework. It should be a form of compensation, there is no way you can run away from this," Pa Ousman Jarful, chairman of the LDC Group at the climate change negotiations told reporters on the sideline of the 18th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Doha, Qatar.

The 18th Session of the UNFCCC and the 8th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol started on Monday November 26 and will run until December 07. Loss and damage, a new concept in climate change discourse refers to the negative effects of climate variability and climate change that people are not able to cope with or adapt to.

According to Jarful, loss and damage is a reality for many vulnerable communities, adding that failure to address that will compromise sustainable development and ensure affected countries that have contributed least to global greenhouse emissions will continue to suffer disproportionately. Each LDC at least needs US$3 billion to build resilience, while each of the countries had allocated funds themselves to deal with the problem.

Jarful is against loans for adaptation, stating that LDCs are not responsible for the loss and damage caused by climate change and need to be compensated and not just given loans. "Every country has to put institutional mechanisms in place to monitor funds that are coming in for adaptation. We have learnt from our mistakes, we have mainstream adaptation and climate change in our developmental plans," he added....

The Doha skyline, shot by Amjra, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

International NGOs launch child-centered climate change adaptation project in the Philippines

Philippine Information Agency: Save the Children, in partnership with Plan International and Institute for Sustainable Futures of the University of Technology Sydney, yesterday launched its 30-month "Child-Centered, Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation" project in Aurora .

William Azucena, Save the Children program manager, said “the project aims to prepare households on what to do and how to reduce risks of earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and floods through a localized information, education and communication campaign that will make it comprehensible to children - who are the most vulnerable in times of disasters.”

It will cover 30 barangays from the municipalities of Baler, Maria Aurora, Dipaculao and Dinalungan benefitting over 9,500 kids and 1,900 households.

“Small grants will also be made available for child-centered and/or child-led local initiatives on climate change adaptation in partnership with schools, local government units and other community partners to ensure sustainability,” Azucena added....

Filipino children, US Navy photo

Sea levels rising more quickly than predicted, warn scientists

Emily Beament in the Independent (UK): Sea levels are rising faster than predicted as a result of climate change, scientists said today. Satellite measurements show sea levels rose 3.2mm a year between 1993 and 2011, 60% above the 2mm estimate in central projections made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its most recent review of climate science.

A study published in the Institute of Physics (IOP) journal Environmental Research Letters said it was "very unlikely" the higher rate of sea level rise is due to natural variability such as temporary ice discharge from ice sheets.

Lead author Stefan Rahmstorf said: "This study shows once again that the IPCC is far from alarmist, but in fact has underestimated the problem of climate change. That applies not just for sea level rise but also to extreme events and the Arctic sea loss."

The researchers also warn that the rate of annual sea level rise may increase as global temperatures go up, a suggestion backed up by past sea level data and which leads to larger projections of future sea level rise than the IPCC predicts.

And they said the concern that the IPCC's estimates for future sea level rise are low is supported by the fact ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are increasingly losing mass, while the panel's projections assume that Antarctica will gain enough ice to compensate for losses from Greenland....

The Master - 10th December

Paul Thomas Anderson is a film-maker from whom special things are expected, and that's what he has given us – something special. This is Anderson's meditation on the origins of Scientology and the career of L Ron Hubbard, and perhaps every kind of cult and guru following, which he portrays not as sinister exactly, but as the poignant symptom of loneliness and uneducated intelligence.

-- Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

At the Cardiff sciSCREEN event (Monday 10th December) sponsored by the Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University academics will relate the film to ideas about post traumatic stress disorder, the potrayal of mental illness in film and the curious appeal of 20th century religious movements.

The film begins at 5.45pm with  the discussion beginning at 8.15pm. Please remember that the sciSCREEN discussion is now a ticketed event - tickets for the discussion are free and can be reserved by ringing the box office at Chapter on 02920 304400. Capacity for this sciSCREEN event is limited to 100.

Neglected Tropical Diseases: Becoming Less Neglected?

Ascaris lumbricoides (the "large common roundworm"),
a soil-transmitted helminth; cdc.gov

Here is a nice article outlining the global problem of neglected tropical diseases, or "NTDs." These are a group of seventeen tropical infections, mostly worms, that are associated with high morbidity (things such as poor growth and mental development in children, pregnancy complications) but low mortality. Despite their major negative effects on health they do not receive much "press" (as opposed to better known diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis).

It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the world currently suffer from an NTD. 

The article links to the "END7" campaign that has some great resources about NTDs, including a two minute long YouTube video that is worth checking out. Some nice general information about the seven most common NTDs can be found here.

In our work in Honduras we focus on decreasing the burden of NTDs, specifically, soil-transmitted helminths (intestinal worms). We estimate that somewhere between 30-70% of the patients we see are infected with one or more of these worms. We provide anti-helminthic therapy according to WHO guidelines, with the hopes of decreasing the overall burden of these infections in the population at large. According to the WHO, "deworming school-aged children is probably the most economically efficient public health activity that can be implemented in any low-income country."

The overall tone of the Guardian article is hopeful, noting that the movement to combat NTDs has gained momentum. However, as emphasized in the article, efforts to combat these diseases should be inter-disciplinary and address both environmental health issues in addition to eradicating disease at the individual level.

AIPP Report on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Adaptation

Climate change is increasingly impacting the livelihoods and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples through erratic rainfall, unpredictable climatic patterns, flooding, and increased water and food security. To explore these challenges, consider the ways that Indigenous peoples are responding to them and identify policy options to support Indigenous peoples' climate change adaptation, the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) has released a report entitled “Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Adaptation in Asia.” 

The report reviews two case studies on Indigenous adaptation practices. The first, a survey of the Tangkhul Naga of northeast India, notes the significant impact of climate change in the community, including shifts in species of birds, reduced frost in October, increased pests and weeds, and shifting rain patterns. In response, the Tangkhul Naga have adjusted their agricultural practices to emphasise un-burnt shifting cultivation over rain-fed terrace paddies. The report also considers the adaptation practices of the Pidlisan-Kankanaey community of the Philippines. 

The report then summarises key international frameworks relevant to climate change adaptation. It concludes with policy recommendations on Indigenous peoples and climate change adaption, urging greater recognition of Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge and community-based adaptation strategies, increased recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights, ensuring free, prior and informed consent in all mitigation and adaptation programmes, and providing sustainable livelihood diversification support to communities. 

“Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Adaptation in Asia” can be downloaded here.

Maldives cabinet for termination of GMR contract

Maldives cabinet has recommended termination of a contract given to GMR Group for developing Male Airport, a project awarded to the Indian group during the previous regime of island nation.
The Maldives cabinet in a meeting today decided to terminate the contract and a notice to this effect was issued to GMR Group, Maldivian President's Press Secretary Masood Imad said in a statement.
The USD 500-million project was hanging in balance ever since the regime change in Maldives earlier this year. The GMR group had won the contract during the regime of former President Mohamed Nasheed.
Some coalition partners of the current regime headed by Mohamed Waheed had also held a rally against GMR on November 3.
The airport contract was awarded to GMR through a 10-month long global competitive bidding process run by the then Maldivian government headed by Nasheed.

Nearly eight months after the regime change in Maldives, some Indian companies present there, including GMR, are blaming political interference for creating "undue challenges" for them.

Meghalaya CM to convene all party meet to discuss Lokayukta

 Under pressure to repeal the weak Lokayukta Act in the state, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said he is convening an all-party meet to discuss demands put forth by anti-graft activists.

"I would be convening an all party parliamentary meeting soon where we would go through the draft Lokayukta Bill prepared by anti-graft activists," Sangma was quoted by leading women NGO leader Agnes Kharshiing as stating.

Anti-graft activists spearheaded by the Meghalaya Right to Information Movement (MRTIM) and other influential NGOs in the state met the Chief Minister in this regard.

They demanded the introduction of a new Meghalaya Lokayukta Bill and to quash the old Act which they said was "toothless".

Meghalaya enacted a Meghalaya Lokayukta & Up-lokayukta Act in 2002 and made rules for it in 2007.

Thousands participated at a state-wide 'signature campaign' organized by the Federation of Khasi–Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) as a mark of protest against the recent 'job scam' unearthed by the CBI, naming top notch politicians including several cabinet ministers.

While asking the tainted legislators to step down, FKJGP president Joe Marwein said the High Level Scrutiny Committee constituted by government should speed up the process of reviewing the matter and ensure that the deserving candidates are not deprived of their rights.

The CBI had named five cabinet ministers, the Assembly Speaker and six legislators in the Congress-led coalition government besides other politicians for tampering with the score-sheets of the candidates applying for the post of assistant teachers in 2010.

A local court has asked the police to register a case against those involved in the scam after anti-graft activists lodged FIRs in this regard.

ICICI Lombard inks pact with Meghalaya for health insurance

 Shillong, Nov 28 : ICICI Lombard General Insurance Scheme today signed an agreement with Meghalaya government to roll out a comprehensive health insurance scheme in the state aimed at benefiting close to three million citizens.

The agreement was signed between ICICI Lombard Associate Vice President Pranab Sharma and Megha Health Insurance Scheme CEO M R Synrem here.

Christened as Megha Health Insurance Scheme, it would provide all households in the state with a financial cover of up to Rs 1.6 lakh per year to cover in patient services irrespective of all income groups, an official statement in this regard said.

Claiming that the health insurance scheme is among the first of its type across India, Synrem said it uses a common standard RSBY platform supported by the Ministry of Labour and Employment even as it expands the cover available under RSBY both in terms of universalising the scheme across the entire population.

According to the government statement, the scheme provides an enhance cover of up to Rs 1.6 lakh instead of Rs 0.3 lakh covered under the RSBY thereby providing cashless treatment of specified high cost and recurrent illnesses.

Meghalaya government stated that ICICI was selected as the insurer after rigorous and competitive bidding processes involving six other contenders and under careful advisory from the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank.