The Global Gender Gap Index annually benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment). It is the longest-standing index tracking the progress of numerous countries’ efforts towards closing these gaps over time since …
plants seem to have learnt it to. How do you overcome a strong enemy? Find an even stronger one of his and befriend it. And that is exactly what wild tobacco plants do when attacked by insects, according to a new study. Plants are constantly struggling to ward off a …
A small hydrogen cell recharged by a miniature super efficient solar cell could soon replace the rechargeable batteries used in mobile phones. Developed by Fraunhofer Institute, in Germany, the technology is being adopted by many cell phone manufacturers who are busy building prototype devices using the new power cells. The …
global installed wind power capacity will increase by 39 per cent in 2001, according to the World Market Update 2000 prepared by btm Consult, a Danish wind industry consultancy. The update further states that wind power capacity in 2002 is expected to increase by 10 per cent, 16 per cent …
Space, the final frontier, is rapidly becoming one big trash dump, experts have warned at a recent conference in Germany. Thousands of rocket launches have left a growing amount of orbiting debris that may badly hamper future launches into space. If one counts tiny bits of metal and debris, the …
the International Maritime Organisation (imo), a un agency, has recently approved a convention that sets up rules and regulations about liability and compensation in cases of oil spills by ships. Until now imo rules covered spills from tankers carrying oil as cargo. The convention covers pollution damage in the territories, …
The Japanese capital Tokyo receives 1,400 mm of rain in a year. But concrete prevents it from percolating into the ground. Urban flooding and acute water scarcity affected the people almost every second year. The solution to both problems lay in rainwater harvesting. Sumida City was the first ward of …
When I was speaker of the Lok Sabha, I called a special session to discuss serious issues confronting the country. I don't think water was discussed in this special session. We never thought of it. We talked about corruption and criminalisation. Experts and politicians will have to come together at …
Three countries in Southeast Asia -- Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines-- have made efforts to provide drinking water by capturing rain. In Thailand, the absence of foreign assistance for large-scale water projects forced the government to look at smaller options, with great success. The Population and Community Development Association, an …
In what can be termed a landmark ruling, the European court of justice has decided that Germany's legislation that concerns subsidising renewable energies does not violate trade laws of the European Union (EU). The ruling clearly indicates that free trade is not as important as EU's obligation to cut greenhouse …
germany -based Siemens Solar GmbH (Siemens) and the Netherlands-based Shell Renewables (Shell) have recently reached an agreement to set up a joint venture company to manufacture products used in trapping solar energy. The two companies regard this as a key step for executing their ambitious targets for solar energy. The …
diamler Chrysler's decision to market the Unimog , a converted German military vehicle, as a sports utility vehicle (suv) in the us has been questioned by the Sierra Club, a us -based environmental organisation, and the Worldwatch Institute, a non profit public policy research organisation based in Washington dc . …
a team of scientists, based in Germany, has developed a technique to make diamond films that could be used to produce microchips. From the very beginning most integrated circuit have been made using ultra pure silicon. Though cheap and versatile, silicon chips have certain disadvantages that make them unsuitable for …
The European Commission said it would file a lawsuit against four European Union (eu) countries as they have been unsuccessful in implementing a law associated with controlling industrial pollution. Luxembourg's European Court of Justice will take legal action against Spain, Greece and Finland and the uk . The commission also …
"A new politics that stands for consumer protection, improved food safety and natural environment friendly agriculture by reversing the age old practice is needed,' said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder while creating a powerful new consumer protection ministry. Renate Kunast, co-chairperson of the Green Party, will head the new ministry. "We …
In people suffering a common form of leukaemia, certain chromosome abnormalities in cancer cells could help predict how quickly the disease will progress. This is the result of a study conducted in Germany, says a Reuters report dated December 27, 2000. The cancer is known as B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia …
in a report entitled "North Sea Offshore Wind-A European Powerhouse', the German Wind Energy Institute has highlighted the wind power potential of five countries
A round of golf may be just what the doctor ordered for heart disease patients, a German study suggests. Heart disease patients need to strike a balance during exercise
It is called the "lotus effect', or nature's principle of self-cleaning surfaces. And it could revolutionise the manufacture and use of several everyday products, particularly paints. You could have cars that don't need washing, house fronts that stay clean for years at an end, and even a reduction in the …
The proposal of a German organisation to plant trees in Argentina is facing large-scale opposition from the country's environmentalist.Prima Klima, a non-governmental organisation, is planning to undertake a tree planting project covering an area of 125,000 hectares in the province of Chubut located in the Argentine part of Patagonia. The …
