The “Strategy paper on Coal Import Substitution” has been prepared as a report of the IMC (Inter-Ministerial Committee). The paper focusses on the present energy mix of the country, domestic coal production, trends and projections, import trends (sector-wise), coal import substitution measures already taken by the Government and most importantly, …
An action plan is being worked out by the Indian leather industry to prevent cruelty to animals. This has been conveyed to the US-based non-government organisation (NGO) People for Ethical Treatment to Animals (PETA). The move comes in the wake of three US retail chains having dropped the sale of …
Sri Lanka has banned import of all genetically modified (GM) food with immediate effect, a senior health ministry official recently announced. Chief food inspector of the health ministry S Nagiah told the media: "The government wants to wait until the controversy surrounding GM foods has cleared.' He said the government's …
reports from Finland of excessive pesticide levels in sweet peppers from Spain have led the ministry of agriculture, fishery and food's (maff) to test samples on sale in uk supermarkets. The results show high levels of organophosphate in the peppers. Ten out of 24 samples imported from Spain tested positive …
The European Commission (EC) and France will battle out the British beef safety issue in the European Court of Justice. EC spokesperson Jean-Christophe Filori said that the French were yet to give a plausible explanation for maintaining the embargo, which it imposed in the wake of the mad cow scare …
A us federal judge has cleared the way for the shipment of plutonium from Los Alamos, New Mexico, to Canada by refusing to grant an injunction to groups that say the move is illegal. The order from Judge Richard A Enslen of the western district of Michigan also vacates a …
japanese traders have recently bought corn and soybeans grown exclusively from non-genetically modified (gm) seeds, at premiums roughly 40-50 per cent higher than those for mixed gm and gm crops. "Japanese food companies will start receiving non- gm corn deliveries from the us in November. The volume of imports of …
Good days may be ahead for the Ugandan fish exporters. A new laboratory in Kampala will enable them to meet contamination testing standards as demanded by the European Union (eu). The eu had banned Ugandan fish imports in April this year. This seven-month-old ban has severely affected East African fish …
china will soon have to import foodgrain to meet the demand of its growing population. For the past 20 years, grain production in China has averaged 98.6 per cent of the demand, mainly due to its traditional policy of self-sufficiency. But this has come at a high financial and environmental …
The Bangladesh government has banned the import of vetch, a toxic grain marketed as lentil, according to an official announcement. The ban came following press reports that vetch, which looks like the pulse masoor , is toxic and can impair vision and affect human tissues. The item was being imported, …
Cheap fertiliser imports are hurting the domestic market in Pakistan. "If the prices stay at the current low levels on the one hand, and if the government continues to increase the price of gas, which is our raw material, then obviously the fertiliser industry will have a very serious problem …
With the world becoming a global village, there are several problems that will require a sound understanding of the ever-changing dynamics of global trade and its impact on the environment. One such issue is the dumping of old, rejected cars from the developed world into the markets of developing countries, …
twenty per cent of the world's freshwater fish fauna is either extinct or on the verge of extinction, says Peter B Moyle of the department of wildlife, fish and conservation biology, University of California. India's freshwater biodiversity faces a fate no different. Habitat loss, pollution, increased sedimentation caused by deforestation, …
saudi arabia has banned the import of beef from South Africa because of concerns over "mad cow' disease, despite assurances from South Africa that its beef is safe, reported the daily Asharq al-Awsat . The South African government says the country has never been affected by the disease, which came …
A large number of public transport vehicles using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) kits have been withdrawn by their owners in Karachi, Pakistan, following an increase in the gas prices. According to reports, owners are reportedly converting their vehicles to diesel to protect themselves against the unbearable hike in gas prices. …
In a bid to end illegal import of wood, customs and forest officials in Thailand will work together to monitor log movements. They will supervise import and transport of logs and will identify areas where logs can be processed, a customs department official said. Illegal Thai logs have often been …
The European Union ( eu ) has banned fish imports from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. The decision was taken after reports that Uganda had restricted the sale of fresh fish products from Lake Victoria, the world's second largest freshwater lake that borders the three East African countries. Fisherfolk in the …
For the first time, genetically-modified grain has been grown commercially in South Africa and will be sold in the market mixed with other grains, a leading seed-seller said. "Up to 50,000 hectares of genetically-modified maize has been planted this season and will be sold in the commercial market,' he said. …
A HUGE quantity of hazardous asbestos is finding its way into India. But the Union government seems to be silent over the issue. The Union ministry of environment and forests (MEF) had prepared a notification to ban its import that was withheld later. Officials in the MEF say the notification …
A high-power commission appointed by the apex court has recommended the auctioning of zinc ash, waste oil and batteries lying in various ports in the country to firms which fulfil certain conditions. The commission, headed by M G K Menon, was set up following a petition by the Research Foundation …
