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Hyderabad: Telangana continues to be among the states with the highest number of forest fire incidents, with a majority linked to human activities rather than natural causes. Forest officials point to negligence and deliberate acts, even within ecologically sensitive zones such as tiger reserves. From November 2023 to January 2024, the state recorded 13,479 forest fire incidents, including large, continuous and recurring outbreaks. Similar figures were reported in the previous two years -- 13,737 incidents in 2021-22 and 13,117 in 2022-23. Only Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra recorded more incidents than Telangana during the same period. The data was provided by the EnviStats India-2025 report by the Forest Survey of India, which used sensors in a system officially called SNPP VIIRS (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership -- Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite). The satellite-based system collects infra-red information from space to provide global observations of land and water. The satellite observes the entire Earth's surface twice a day. The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership is a weather satellite operated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Between November 2023 and June 2024, Telangana witnessed around 4,000 square km of forest area being burnt, making it the third-highest in terms of burnt forest cover after Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. A key factor contributing to these fires is the human use of forest resources. An estimated 80 per cent of forest fire incidents in Telangana are attributed to human activity. The collection of tendu leaves, honey, gum, mahua flowers and wild fruits often leads to accidental fires. Smoking by shepherds, cowherds and forest visitors, who discard lit cigarettes or beedis on dry forest floors, also contributes to fire outbreaks. Shifting cultivation and unsustainable exploitation of resources further intensify the risk. Besides human error, the hot and dry weather conditions during summer months increase forest fire susceptibility. The lack of proper road connectivity in forest interiors hinders firefighting efforts. The key hotspots for forest fire incidents include Bhadradri, Kawal and Amrabad tiger reserves, Kaleshwaram, Basar and Rajanna-Sircilla circles.
A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India is set to launch Wednesday, designed to track subtle changes in Earth's land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards. Dubbed NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the pickup truck-sized spacecraft is scheduled to lift off at 5:40 pm (1210 GMT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's southeastern coast, riding an ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. Highl ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: Telangana continues to be among the states with the highest number of forest fire incidents in the country, with most fires attributed to human activities rather than natural causes. Negligence and, in some cases, deliberate acts have led to repeated and widespread fires, even within critical tiger reserves. Between November 2023 and January 2024, Telangana reported 13,479 forest fire incidents, including large and recurring fires. The numbers are consistent with previous years -- 13,737 in 2021-22 and 13,117 in 2022-23. According to the EnviStats India 2025, a survey by the Forest ...Read More >
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged five individuals, including goldy Brar, in relation to the 2024 Gurugram club bombing plot, as revealed in a recently filed chargesheet. This case involves a conspiracy to bomb two clubs, aiming to disrupt communal harmony in Haryana, with the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) implicated. The NIA's investigation highlights the severity of the plot. Those charged include satinderjit Singh (Goldy Brar), Sachin Talian, Ankit, Bhavish, and Randeep Singh. News Directory 3 provides crucial updates on sensitive cases such ...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 >
Krishna Janmashtami 2025 will be celebrated with devotion and joy on Friday, 15 August 2025 across India. According to the Hindu Panchang, this sacred festival marks the divine birth of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, born to Devaki and Vasudeva in Mathura. This year will mark the 5,252nd birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. For devotees in different parts of the country, the auspicious Nishita Puja hours vary slightly: The Nishita Puja is believed to be the precise moment of ...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 >
Varanasi: A massive drive was organised in Varanasi as part of the statewide campaign to plant a record 37 crore saplings across the state on a single day on Wednesday.Varanasi was assigned a target of planting over 18 lakh saplings under the campaign.UP minister Ravindra Jaiswal, district panchayat president Poonam Maurya, and MLC Dharmendra Singh inaugurated the event by planting sacred Triveni trees (Peepal, Banyan, Neem) at the STP Ramna premises. Following this, all public representatives, officials, and school children planted trees. District magistrate Satyendra Kumar said that over 18 ...Read More >
Panaji: Scientists have mapped the troubling forest structure dynamics in Goa, revealing a steep decline in forest health in a study. They have called for an urgent need for ecological safeguards. The study used over five decades (1973-2022) of satellite data and spatial modelling to quantify forest cover loss, fragmentation, and its cascading impacts on ecosystem services in the central Western Ghats region -- an ecological treasure trove that includes Goa. "Total forest cover declined by 3.75 per cent during the post-1990s due to market forces associated with globalisation," the report has ...Read More >
Shopian, Apr 06: A sudden hailstorm on Monday battered several apple-growing villages across south Kashmir's Shopian and Kulgam districts, damaging orchards at a crucial flowering stage and triggering fresh concerns over potential crop losses among thousands of farmers. The storm swept through more than half a dozen villages in Shopian, including Manduja, Kanjiullar, Saidpora Payeen, Sedow, Chek and Mirzapora, flattening delicate blossoms and disrupting the ongoing flowering phase. Farmers said ...Read More >
Srinagar, Jun 7 (PTI) Authorities on Saturday barred Eid prayers from taking place at the Eidgah ground and the Jama Masjid in the old city here, while Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claimed that he was put under house arrest. "Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar deeply regrets to inform that the authorities have once again disallowed Eid-ul-Adha prayers at the Eidgah as well as at the historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar by closing the gates of the mosque and deploying police personnel outside," the management of the historic mosque said in a statement. ...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 >
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 1: NBR Group, one of South India's most trusted and progressive real estate developers, has announced the launch of its new premium residential offering-- 'Soul of the Seasons', exclusive 3 BHK apartments at Mullur, off Sarjapur Road, Bengaluru. The project has received approval from RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority). Conceptualized around the idea of 'Resort Living, Every Day', the project blends modern urban lifestyles with the rare luxury of open, green spaces--bringing together elegance, community, and conscious living in one of Bengaluru's fastest ...Read More >
Ratnagiri, July 1 ( UNI) The first Artificial Intelligence-powered agricultural e-library in Maharashtra has been launched at Sharadchandraji Pawar College of Agriculture, Kharvate-Dahivali. The web portal of the library was inaugurated in the presence of Chiplun Sangameshwar MLA Shekhar Nikam and the college's principal Dr Sunitkumar Patil today. With a single click, the platform aims to provide detailed information about crops, ornamental plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables to students through mobile phones. The experiment was carried out through the concept of Prof Prashant Pawar and f ...Read More >
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the state police on Tuesday said it has arrested two accused wanted in several bomb blasts and communal murder cases after being on the run for over 25 years. The key accused among the two is Abubacker Siddique of Nagore. He is allegedly involved in the attempt to plant a pipe-bomb during the rath yatra of former home minister LK Advani in Madurai in 2011, among others. Other cases he is allegedly involved include the bomb blast at Hindu Munnani office in 1995 in Chennai, an explosion in Nagore the same year, and coordinated planting of bo ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Signalling the government's intent to move ahead with the impeachment motion of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that main opposition parties have given their in-principle approval to support the motion in the upcoming monsoon session scheduled for July21-August 21. Rijiju said that the government is yet to decide whether the motion would be brought in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. For the Lok Sabha, signatures of a minimum 100 MPs is required. The requirement is the support of at least 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. H ...Read More >
Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced to plant over 37 crore saplings on July 9 to bolster PM Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative, stressing that "a sapling we nurture today will sustain our lives tomorrow"."If we plant flowering trees on the roads' median and give the responsibility of protecting them to NGOs or other organisations, it will give out a good message. We have to do it on expressways, highways, interstate connectivity or municipality roads... I appeal to everyone to join the campaign on July 9 from 7 am to 7 pm, and take a selfie after planting a tree," t ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jul 15 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Assam on Wednesday during which they will interact with party functionaries of the state. State Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi said the district, block and mandal presidents of the party will be able to present their views before its top leadership during Kharge and Gandhi's visit. Also Read | Did Lucknow Court Judge Take Selfie With Rahul Gandhi During Hearing of Indian Army 'Defamation' Case? BJP's Amit Malviya Found Fake in Fact Check. "I look forward to welcoming Shri ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 22 (SocialNews.XYZ) Govardhan Puja, a festival deeply rooted in Indian tradition and spirituality, was celebrated across the country on Wednesday with immense fervour and unwavering faith. From the vibrant heartlands of Rajasthan to Uttar Pradesh, the spirit of devotion united millions in celebration. In Rajasthan's Bundi, the festival coincided with the second day of the grand Deepotsav. Homes glowed not just with lamps but with faith, as families worshipped Govardhan, symbolising the mountain lifted by Lord Krishna to protect the people of Vrindavan from the wrath of Indra, t ...Read More >
New Delhi, December 4: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rescheduled its European Space Agency (ESA) Proba-3 Sun observation mission to Thursday. The launch was postponed due to an undisclosed anomaly that occurred after the "countdown progressed smoothly". "Due to an anomaly detected in PROBA-3 spacecraft PSLV-C59/PROBA-3 launch rescheduled to tomorrow," ISRO posted on social media platform X. ISRO's PSLV-XL rocket was earlier expected to launch the ESA Proba-3 mission on Wednesday. The mission will now take flight on Thursday at 4:12 pm from the First Launch Pad (FLP) at Satish ...Read More >
Kolkata, June 28: A political slugfest has erupted in West Bengal after a woman accused Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, who is posted with the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, of allegedly raping her 12 times for six months in 2013. As per the police complaint lodged by the woman, Kartik Maharaj raped her multiple times 12 years ago promising her a job at a local school. The ruling Trinamool Congress is highlighting the issue in a major way and accusing the BJP of being silent on it since the accused monk had been reportedly close to the saffron party. The woman accusin ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 2: Starlink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, officially launched its services in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. With this launch, Sri Lanka has become the third country in South Asia -- and another of India's neighbours -- after Bhutan and Bangladesh to get access to Starlink's internet services. The announcement was made by Starlink on social media platform X, where the company said: "Starlink's high-speed, low-latency internet is now available in Sri Lanka!" Starlink is getting closer to launching its services in India. Last month, the company received a key lice ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday inaugurated the 11th edition of the India Maize Summit, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with (IIMR) Indian Institute of Maize Research. Speaking at event, Chouhan emphasized that 'Farmers' sewa is our mool mantra,' reaffirming the government's commitment to farmer-centric policies. He outlined a multi-pronged strategy to boost maize production, and increase farmer incomes, while ensuring environme ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Exploring scientific solutions to reduce human-elephant conflict across Karnataka, the forest department Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for landscape-level conservation of Asian elephants. Renowned ecologist and elephant expert from IISc, Prof Raman Sukumar, and Karnataka chief wildlife warden Prabhash Chandra Ray signed the commencement of the Rs 4.7-crore project, fully funded by the forest department.Admitting an increa ...Read More >
Bengaluru -- Orbital compute infrastructure start-up Starcloud has raised $170m at a $1.1bn valuation as companies including Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin race to move power-hungry AI data centres off-planet. Led by Benchmark and EQT Ventures, the fundraise underscores surging investor appetite for space infrastructure bets as massive AI computing requirements strain terrestrial energy grids and data centre capacity, even as space-based systems offer access to near-continuous solar power. Starcloud, which has long-term plans for an 88,000-satellite data centre constellation, ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Following the poisoning of five tigers at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, forest minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday ordered an audit of tiger mortality in various tiger reserves (national parks) and wildlife sanctuaries of Karnataka. Delving into the activities of the wildlife wing, shortly after sending errant forest officials of MM Hills sanctuary on compulsory leave, the minister sought within 10 days a complete review of tiger deaths over the past five and a half years.As per the All-India Tiger Estimation report of 2022, Karnataka stood second in the country in tiger population, w ...Read More >
Varanasi, July 14 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a heartfelt confluence of faith and science, residents of Varanasi gathered at the temple in Ardali Bazar on Monday to perform a special 'yagya-havan' for the safe return of astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. The ceremony, marked by devotion and patriotic pride, saw priests chanting Vedic mantras as flames of the sacred fire rose towards the sky -- mirroring the celestial heights from which Shukla is now returning. Photos of the astronaut were placed before the deity as worshippers prayed fervently, hoping for his safe and successful re-entry fro ...Read More >
Chennai: A new micro composting centre along South Cooum Road has become Greater Chennai Corporation's (GCC) latest step toward solid waste management, a system equally dominated by private players and residents' groups in the city. The two-week-old facility processes around 3 tonnes of green and brown waste, generating 300kg of compost daily.Chennai once had nearly 194 composting centres mostly located in and around burial grounds, many of which were shut down over hygiene and efficiency issues. "Apart from this one, we also run a two-year-old centre in Ward 59. The aim here is to handle larg ...Read More >
Srinagar, Feb 24: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday criticised the government led by Omar Abdullah over what it described as inadequate action to protect the environment, claiming that the Kashmir Valley is witnessing an alarming rise in temperatures. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, BJP spokesperson Abhijeet Jasrotia, along with party leaders Altaf Thakur and Manzoor Bhat, alleged that Kashmir's temperature is rising nearly 2.5°C above normal, significantly higher than the global warming trend of around 1.5°C, placing the region in what he termed a "danger zone". Jasroti ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The Environment Ministry has strongly rejected allegations by forest rights groups that it is attempting to "subvert" the Forest Rights Act (FRA), calling them a "gross misunderstanding of facts" and asserting that it remains committed to both environmental protection and the welfare of forest-dependent communities. In a recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 90 forest rights organisations had accused the ministry of trying to undermine the FRA and demanded that Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav clarify his reported statement that the "FRA leads to ...Read More >
GalaxEye will launch Mission Drishti, the world's first multi-sensor Earth observation satellite, in early next year. This marks the start of a satellite constellation planned over four years. The satellite offers advanced geospatial analysis for various sectors. Mission Drishti is India's largest privately built satellite and the highest resolution developed in the country. Space-tech start-up GalaxEye on Monday said it will launch the world's first multi-sensor Earth observation (EO) satellite ...Read More >