The report presents a mixed picture. Over the past 25 years, there have been notable improvements in child well-being in the group of countries examined in this report: steady decline in child mortality, overall reduction in adolescent suicide and increase in school completion rates. But the last five years have …
It’s an unfashionable thing to admit, but sometimes what happens in the European Parliament really matters. This week, unnoticed by almost everyone, MEPs will consider proposals by the European commission and member states to overturn a ban on the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in Europe. But it’s a …
Gonzalo strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane near the northern Leeward Islands, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Gonzalo, which is expected to become a major hurricane by Wednesday, was about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of St. Maarten with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h).
More than 100,000 homes across the UK could be given a carbon-neutral retrofit by 2020 if the EU approves funding for a ground-breaking green social housing project this month. The first pilot projects are due to start within a year on council estates and housing association properties in London, Birmingham …
Breast cancer is the largest contributor to cancer incidence and cancer mortality in women worldwide. As people in Western societies are living longer, there will be an increase in the proportion of older women with breast cancer in upcoming years. Older women with breast cancer often have comorbidities and functional …
NEW DELHI: The Centre plans to create mega reservoirs by dredging the bed of the Yamuna for which the Dutch government has agreed to facilitate an action plan. "To rejuvenate the river and meet the water requirements, a scheme has been worked out involving creation of mega reservoirs by dredging …
Global investment in clean energy increased to $63.6 billion in the second quarter, boosted by the biggest deal in the industry’s history, Bloomberg New Energy Finance said. Financing swelled 9 percent from a year earlier, and 33 percent from the first quarter, the London-based research company said today in an …
Insect-eating birds are in decline in parts of the Netherlands where farmers have used pesticides that are suspected of killing bees vital to crop pollination, a study showed on Wednesday. The report is the first evidence that neonicotinoid pesticides, restricted in the European Union because of worries about bees, are …
Recent studies have shown that neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on non-target invertebrate species. Invertebrates constitute a substantial part of the diet of many bird species during the breeding season and are indispensable for raising offspring. We investigated the hypothesis that the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, has a …
Epidemiological studies have reported associations between air pollution exposure and increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Exposure to air pollutants can influence cardiac autonomic tone and reduce heart rate variability, and may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, particularly in susceptible patient groups.
Bathers in search of Europe’s cleanest waters for a swim may want to consider landlocked Luxembourg, sandwiched between Belgium, Germany and France. The grand duchy’s 11 bathing sites, which include rivers and lakes as well as beaches, have all been deemed to have “excellent” water quality in 2013, making the …
Environmental health effects vary considerably with regard to their severity, type of disease, and duration. Integrated measures of population health, such as environmental burden of disease (EBD), are useful for setting priorities in environmental health policies and research. This review is a summary of the full Environmental Burden of Disease …
For the fifth consecutive month, electricity prices in countries neighboring Germany have decreased, recently released Platts data reveals, due in large part to increased solar and wind generation in Germany. The Platts Continental Power Index (CONT), described as a "demand-weighted base load average of day-ahead contracts assessed in Germany, Switzerland, …
India is likely losing Rs 53,000 crore from its economy as companies are unable to hire people with right talent for the job and are incurring high recruitment costs, says a study. Done jointly by professional networking site LinkedIn and consultancy PwC, the study said: "If India was better at …
According to official statistics from Eurobserv’ER, 23.4 percent of the electricity in the European Union came from renewable energy sources in 2012. The total output for 2012 has been estimated at 763.5 TW. This represents an important increase from 2011, when these energy sources brought "only" 20.4 percent of total …
India and the Netherlands on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in renewable energy. Under this agreement, an Indo-Dutch Joint Working Group will be set up and the exchange of technical and institutional knowledge on clean energy will be facilitated, the release said. Union Minister of New and …
Permeable pavements are specifically designed to promote the infiltration of stormwater through the paving surface in order to reduce run-off volumes and to improve water quality by removing sediment and other pollutants. However, research has shown that permeable pavements can become clogged over time and this reduces their infiltration capacity. …
Antimicrobial resistance is a critical threat to public health. The value of antibiotics for human health is immeasurable, but were one to try to measure, a plausible estimate of the increase in life expectancy attributable to antibiotics might be 2 to 10 years. If we multiply this increase by 300 …
The survey found that French workers were considered the laziest in the world India has been ranked one of the most industrious nations in the world, according to a recent German survey. Monster Worldwide, which runs one of the world's largest employment websites of the same name, and GfK, the …
Europe's heavy industry is firing a barrage of legal challenges to cuts in the carbon permits they will get up to 2020 - subsidies worth over 4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) - with at least nine firms opening the assault in a Dutch court. Companies including ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical and …
South Africa plans to issue licenses permitting exploration of shale-gas reserves in the first quarter, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said. “Now we have a 30-day period where we are expecting to get public comments from the various parties; by early next year, it will be done,” she said in …
