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Mumbai, March 13: Climate scientists have issued an urgent warning that India may face an unprecedented summer of intense heat as a "Super" El Nino phenomenon begins to take shape in the Pacific Ocean. Updated data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) suggests that atmospheric signals are aligning for one of the strongest El Nino events in decades, potentially rivaling the extreme cycles of 1997-98 and 2015-16. For India, this translates to a high probability of record-breaking temperatures starting as early as mid-March and continuing through a significantly drier June. The emerging climate pattern involves a rapid warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific, which disrupts global wind systems that bring vital moisture to the Indian subcontinent. While the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) places the chance of development at 62% by the June-August period, the ECMWF's more aggressive projections indicate that the ocean and atmosphere could be "fully coupled" by June. This shift threatens to weaken the southwest monsoon, which provides nearly 70% of India's annual rainfall, leading to fears of severe drought in agricultural heartlands and critical water shortages in urban centers like Chennai and Hyderabad. A "Super" El Nino is defined when ocean temperatures rise at least 2°C above the long-term average. This rare occurrence, which happens roughly once every 10 to 15 years, releases vast amounts of stored oceanic heat into the atmosphere. Meteorologists note that current westerly wind bursts in the Pacific are driving warm water eastward at a rate that suggests a "strong to very strong" event is imminent. This transition is expected to push global temperatures to new heights, potentially making 2026 the warmest year in recorded history. Northern and central India are expected to bear the brunt of the initial heat. Current IMD reports already show maximum temperatures in several states crossing 40°C, which is 5-10°C above normal for the first half of March. Experts warn that the second half of the summer, specifically May and early June, will likely see prolonged, massive heatwaves. Urban areas are being urged to prepare heat action plans as the "heat index", the combination of temperature and humidity, reaches dangerous levels for public health. The most significant concern for policymakers is the impact on the southwest monsoon. Historically, 9 out of 14 El Nino years since 1980 have resulted in deficient rainfall in India. A weakened monsoon typically leads to lower crop yields for staples like rice and pulses, fueling food inflation and rural economic distress. While a "positive" Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) can sometimes offset El Nino's effects, as seen during the normal monsoon of 1997, experts caution that IOD forecasts are currently less reliable. Agricultural experts are already advising farmers to consider short-duration crops and water-saving irrigation techniques.
SOLAPUR, India (Reuters) - India is likely to produce a record amount of sugar in the next marketing year from October after millions of farmers expanded cane cultivation, encouraged by ample water supplies and declining prices of competing crops, farmers and industry officials told Reuters. The rebound in production would allow the world's second-largest sugar producer to resume exports in 2025/26, they said, after a lack of rain cut cane yields and led to two years of restrictions. Indian exports could cap global sugar prices, traders said, by increasing supplies in the world market at a t ...Read More >
Jaipur: Heat wave revived in the state Saturday when majority of places witnessed a rise of almost five degrees Celsius in their minimum and maximum temperatures. Jaisalmer remained hottest in the state where a maximum temperature of 45.3 degrees Celsius was recorded.The Met office said heat wave is likely to aggravate in the coming days.The Jaipur Met office said that pre-monsoon activity is likely to start in the state by June 15 and the monsoon is likely to enter Rajasthan by June 20.The heat wave also affected drinking water supply in many villages in districts, including Jaisalmer, Barmer ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Mysuru Dasara is set to run for 11 days this year -- a rare extension driven by celestial alignment and cultural planning -- with the inaugural ceremony on Sept 22 and the grand Jamboo Savari taking place on Oct 2, coinciding with Vijayadashami and Gandhi Jayanti.Chairing a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha Friday, chief minister Siddaramaiah said, "Mysuru Dasara in 2025 will be celebrated for 11 days, due to a unique astronomical occurrence -- the Panchami tithi (fifth lunar day) will appear on two consecutive days, Sept 26 and 27, a rare alignment that hasn't occurred in nearly ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Rising temperatures, driven by climate change, is increasing the atmosphere's 'thirst', making droughts around the world 40 per cent more severe over the past 40 years, according to a new study. Researchers, including those at the University of California-Santa Barbara, US, explained that the atmosphere is becoming warmer, thereby increasing its capacity to hold moisture -- atmospheric evaporative demand -- and making droughts more severe, even in places where rainfall has stayed the same. Also Read | Who Is Pinaki Misra? From Age to Family Background and Net Worth, He ...Read More >
Itanagar, Jun 7 (PTI) The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh improved on Saturday with water levels of most rivers receding, even as 33,000 people in 24 districts remained affected, officials said. Twelve people lost their lives and one person went missing in rain-related incidents, including landslides, after the monsoon set in, they said. In its daily report, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said 33,200 people in 215 villages remained affected due to floods and landslides in the state. The water levels of most major rivers and their tributaries were showing a receding trend o ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar has written a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, criticising General Education Minister V Sivankutty for walking out of a function held at Raj Bhavan on June 19. The Governor described the incident as a breach of protocol and an insult to the constitutional office. The letter, dated June 26, refers to an awards ceremony for the Bharat Scouts and Guides, where Sivankutty -- who also serves as President of the Association's Kerala chapter -- objected to the presence of a garlanded portrait of Bharat Mata on the stage, ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar inaugurated Andhra Pradesh's first Super ECBC (Energy Conservation Building Code) compliant building at Sagar Nagar in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Terming it a landmark in sustainable infrastructure, he emphasised the government's commitment to energy efficiency and green design in public facilities. The facility will serve as a national-level training hub for power sector staff. He urged power utilities to expedite 20 lakh rooftop solar connections, targeting 10,000 in each Assembly segment. He reaffirmed nine-hour uninterrupted power for agri ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Opposition parties in Maharashtra on Sunday decided to boycott the customary high tea event of the Fadnavis government on the eve of the Legislature's Monsoon Session, citing corruption, misuse of funds and the deterioration of the economic, social, administrative and moral situation. The opposition leaders alleged that not appointing the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly was a murder of the Constitution, and efforts are underway to curb democracy. The opposition parties claimed that amid rising corruption, unemployment, crime against women, fa ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing from all angles, including sabotage, in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed 274 people on board and on the ground last month, Minister of State (MoS) For Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said. Mohol said the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 that has been recovered is in AAIB's custody and will not be outside the country for a thorough assessment. The MoS was speaking at the Pune chapter of the Emerging Business Conclave. "It (plane crash) was an unfortunate incident. The AAIB has begun a full investig ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, nine days before the normal date, advancing into the remaining parts of Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, west UP and Haryana, IMD said.This is only the fourth time in the past 25 years that monsoon covered NCR and remaining parts of northwest India the same day. The last time this happened was on July 13 in 2021, whereas the earliest date on which such an event took place was June 16 in 2013 -- the day Kedarnath witnessed a major disaster due to cloudburst and flash floods.It has taken monsoon 37 days to cover the entire country this time since its ...Read More >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
New Delhi: Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday said authorities cannot go against demolition orders issued by courts and stressed that displaced residents have been provided accommodation.Her words came in the wake of the recent Madrasi Camp demolition for which the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has criticised her. AAP has targeted Gupta, and alleged that the displaced Madrasi Camp residents were provided homes in faraway Narela, and those lack basic amenities.Attending an event to mark the construction of a Jan Sewa camp at a slum cluster in the Haiderpur area, Gupta told reporters: "In t ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
Delhi is facing worsening pollution and erratic weather patterns, with the air quality regularly reaching dangerous levels. This is partly due to climate change, with temperature rises and unpredictable rainfall patterns caused by global warming. The industrial revolution has played a significant role, contributing to the rise in global temperatures. The effects are already being felt, with 2024 witnessing record-breaking heat in India. Despite this, there is little action from society or leadership, with courts repeatedly stepping in to address issues like pollution and farm fires. The need f ...Read More >
Heavy rains across Tamil Nadu have led to school closures in several districts, including Chennai, on Thursday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert, predicting moderate rains and light thunderstorms in parts of the state. Rainfall figures show significant precipitation in multiple areas. Meanwhile, Northern India braces for a cold wave beginning December 9, with the IMD forecasting plunging temperatures in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.Schools acros ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Former head of Air India and chairman of the Railway Board Ashwani Lohani is the new Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) director. The official order for his appointment was issued on Wednesday. A 1980-batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME), Lohani is known for turning around various organisations during his illustrious career. Following his retirement from IRSME service, he joined the GMR Group as the CEO. According to the order dated June 4, his appointment to the post of director, Prime Ministers Museum and Library in the rank and pa ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: The city is in for a spell of hot and dry days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a gradual rise in maximum temperatures by up to 6 degree Celsius over the next five days. While the mercury is expected to cross 40 degree Celsius, no heatwave conditions are likely, officials said on Friday. According to the weather office, the maximum temperature at Safdarjung on Thursday was 38.2 degree Celsius, about 2 degree below the seasonal average. Minimum temperature stood at 25.6 degree Celsius, also slightly lower than the normal. Similar trends were observed acro ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
Ahmedabad, June 27: Union Home Minister Amit Shah began his Gujarat visit on a spiritual note early Friday morning by participating in the Mangala Aarti at the historic Shri Jagannathji Temple in Jamalpur, Ahmedabad. The visit coincides with the auspicious occasion of the annual Shri Jagannath Rath Yatra, a major religious event that draws thousands of devotees every year. Arriving at the temple at 3:15 a.m., HM Shah joined in the sacred rituals and offered prayers to Mahaprabhu Jagannath. Sharing his experience on social media platform X, he posted, "On the sacred occasion of Rath Yatra, par ...Read More >
New Delhi: The sudden and untimely death of television actress and Bigg Boss 13 fame Shefali Jariwala has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry and among her fans. She was just 42 years old. According to reports, Shefali is believed to have died of a cardiac arrest, although an official confirmation of the cause of death is still awaited. In a statement to the press, Mumbai Police told news agency ANI, "Her body was found at her residence in Andheri area. Mumbai Police received information about this at 1 am. Her body has been sent to Cooper Hospital for postmortem. The cause of ...Read More >
New Delhi: The southwest monsoon is expected to reach Kerala within the next four to five days, marking an early onset well ahead of the usual June 1 date, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. The IMD had earlier predicted that the monsoon would make landfall in Kerala by May 27. If the current forecast holds, this would be the earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when the monsoon arrived on May 23. "Conditions are likely to become favourable for monsoon onset over Kerala during the next four to five days," the IMD said in its afternoon update. Typically, ...Read More >
Patiala: Union minister for agriculture and farmers' welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Rajpura in Patiala district on Thursday as part of an ongoing initiative, Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA), which is aimed at transforming Indian agriculture through direct farmer engagement and sustainable practices.At a 'Kisan Chaupal' in Gandia Kheri village, Chouhan emphasised on govt's commitment to formulating agricultural policies based on direct interactions with farmers rather than relying solely on bureaucratic inputs. " If scientists go to the ground, they'll know about the problem of farm ...Read More >
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday visited the flood-ravaged districts of Hailakandi and Sribhumi in the Barak Valley. He assured affected residents of providing timely disbursement of rehabilitation grants and swift repair of damaged infrastructure.This marks Sarma's second visit to the flood-hit region within four days, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Speaking to the media in Sribhumi after inspecting multiple relief camps, the CM said, "Flood-related problems may persist till July. I will return before Durga Puja to ensure that roads and infrastructure ar ...Read More >
Patna, Jun 26 (PTI) CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has written to the Election Commission urging that the proposed "special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar" be put on hold, the party said on Thursday. According to a statement issued by the party, the Left leader has termed the exercise as "impracticable" in the state where assembly elections are expected to be announced in a couple of months from now. In his letter, Bhattacharya has voiced apprehensions that the proposed revision in electoral rolls in Bihar would meet a fate similar to the National ...Read More >
New Delhi: In a significant step toward promoting sustainable agriculture and water management in India, the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have signed an agreement worth $300,000 to be initially implemented in four Indian states. With this agreement, FAO aims to enhance water use efficiency through smart irrigation for climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable development, Takayuki Hagiwara, FAO Representative in India told ETV Bharat in New Delhi. India currently faces significant water stress due to depleting groundwater re ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Raging controversy over the introduction of Hindi in Marathi and English schools from classes 1 to 5, the protests against the land acquisition for the Rs 86,300 crore Shaktipeeth Mahamarg, tabling of Public Security Act following the scrutiny of the joint select committee, damage caused to agriculture due to unseasonal rains and demand for from loan waiver are among the several issues which are going to be discussed during the three week monsoon session of Maharashtra Legislature starting from June 30 in Mumbai. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the ...Read More >
Agartala, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a bid to boost the farmers' income, in all 22 foreign improved varieties and 13 indigenous improved varieties of mango are being experimentally cultivated at the Horticulture and Research Centre, at Nagichara in West Tripura, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Sunday. Addressing the Monsoon Mango Fiesta-2025 at Narikel Kunj in Gandatwisa under tribal inhabited Dhalai district, the minister said that since the BJP government came to power in 2018, around 706 hectares of new area have been brought under mango cultivation throug ...Read More >
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi on Monday, forecasting generally cloudy skies with light to moderate rain and thunderstorms. These are expected to be accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph, occasionally reaching up to 50 kmph during storms. According to the IMD, an orange alert suggests the possibility of moderate to heavy rainfall. The alert signifies severe weather that could impact transport and power supply. The showers are likely to lower the maximum temperature, keeping it between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius, while the minimu ...Read More >
Hyderabad: With the early onset of pre-monsoon showers, farmers across Telangana have started their agricultural activities ahead of schedule. However, the agriculture department is facing strong criticism for failing to provide adequate fertilizers and seeds necessary for the current season. According to officials, there is a significant shortfall in the availability of essential inputs like urea and cotton seeds, which may negatively impact crop planning and productivity across the state. Also Read: Madhuri Dixit Recalls 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' Magic with Salman Khan as Monsoon Arrives For ...Read More >