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 …
one of the most prominent measures proposed by the European Union ( eu ) countries to meet climate commitments has been introducing carbon/energy taxes. However, the 15-member eu is yet to agree on a carbon policy unanimously. Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden have taken the lead in implementing some …
German companies, EG Solar and Zeo-Tech have developed a new cooling system which is cheap, reliable and easy to maintain. The system consists of a refrigerator powered by solar energy, with a built-in evaporator, one or more zeolite containers, and a parabolic concentrating solar collector. A hand-driven vacuum pump is …
Surgeon Volkmar Falk demonstrates heart bypass surgery using a robot in the German city of Leipzig, Saxony. This is the first interdisciplinary operation theatre using the robotic technique in the country. While the operation is in progress, a surgeon watches the monitor and manipulates the robotic arms with two handles …
looking for a remedy for economic recession, unemployment, climate change and resource depletion? Try ecotax. That's what the new German coalition government is planning to do. Come April 1, the entire manufacturing sector might have to pay ecotax. Advocates and supporters of an ecological tax reform like Ernst Ulrich von …
britain and France are engaged in a battle with Germany over the latter's decision to phase out nuclear power. The two countries want Germany to come out with a compensation package for foreign waste processing companies. Jurgen Trittin, Germany's environment minister, has said that there was "no legal basis for …
wind energy is considered to be the world's fastest growing energy source. And why not. It generated a record 2,100 megawatts (mw) of power in 1998. This was 35 per cent more than the previous year, according to a study conducted by Christopher Flavin of the Worldwatch Institute based in …
alzheimer's disease is the commonest form of dementia afflicting millions across the world. Patients with the disease slowly loose all powers of thought and are eventually reduced to vegetables completely dependant on others for their survival. A lot of research has gone to find a cure or, at least, a …
An experimental surgery may be useful in treating high blood pressure that does not respond to treatment or where patients experience unacceptable side effects from antihypertensive drugs. In the technique, called ventrolateral medullary decompression, a Teflon implant is used to reduce pressure on two cranial nerves near the medulla oblongata, …
Our neighbour in the cosmos, the Andromeda Galaxy is home to puzzling concentric rings of cold dust that may one day sparkle with stars, say astronomers. Using the Infrared Space Observatory, Martin Haas of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, and his colleagues captured images of the …
GERMAN chemists have managed to mimic nature by creating synthetic pearls. The team's ultimate aim is to build artificial teeth and bones out of the same minerals used by nature. For the first time the scientists have claimed to build specific three-dimensional inorganic materials from simple molecules. Pearls are made …
ALTERNATIVE FUEL: An Indian company, Motor Medics (India) Ltd (MIL) and a Canadian firm, Alternative Fuel Systems (AFS), have signed an agreement to sell and later manufacture systems which convert gasoline-burning vehicles into natural gas vehicles. The system, called the Sparrow Conversion System, will be installed in Maruti vehicles. Under …
ON 27 October, a new government came to power in Germany. For the first time, the Green Party is a part of it on the national level. In Germany, where the political system is fairly stable and many obstacles prevent a new party from gaining influence, the Green Party is …
There are two areas which could create differences among Ger- many's coalition partners -the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party. • Petrol prices: The Greens have called for a tripling of the gasoline prices (to US $3 per litre) to cut down on the carbon emissions. The revenue from …
Bromine from sea salt destroys low- level ozone in the Arctic, says a German scientist. Chain reactions triggered by bromine oxide are known to destroy ozone. Thomas Wagner of the University of Heidelberg has used satellite data to find high levels of bromine oxide close to sea ice, suggesting that …
A new surgical technique may be useful in treating high blood pres- sure (BP) when it does not respond to treatment, claims H Geiger of the J W Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany. In the technique called ventrolateral medullary decompres- sion, a Teflon implant is used to reduce pressure on …
GERMAN scientists have warned that the Earth's ozone layer, which filters radiation from space, is regenerating itself at a slower pace than originally predicted. "Even if international agreements on the protection of the atmosphere are strictly followed, the size of the ozone hole 20 years from now will be the …
So you always wanted to talk to your pet dog, but did not know how. Cheer up for now there is a way. Experts say some animals prick up their ears to get messages across. Taking a cue from them, Karala Baumann of Dussledorf, Germany, thinks that humans could communicate …
A PHYSICIST from USA and an astronomer from Germany argue that cosmic rays of exceptional power have reached earth from outermost edges of the Universe. They made this observation after studying five most energetic cosmic rays that came from five extremely distant quasars, objects at the very edge of the …
WITH some 10.7 million hectares of woodlands and forests, which is almost one-third of its total area, Germany has one of the biggest forest cover in Europe. From three per cent of land under timber in one district to 61 per cent in another, there are wide variations in the …
German automobile giant Daimler-Benz has developed a new method of casting aluminium engine blocks that cuts carbon dioxide emissions by 36 per cent. Traditionally, the block is cast in a sand mould, cooled so that the sand can be removed from the cylinders, and reheated to 530oC to harden the …
