Can’t continue in present state: Pachauri
In his resignation letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday, R.K. Pachauri, Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said he had intended to resign in November 2014.
In his letter, he said: “The IPCC needs strong leadership and dedication of time and full attention by the Chair in the immediate future, which under the current circumstances I may be unable to provide, as shown by my inability to travel to Nairobi to chair the plenary session of the panel this week. I have, therefore, taken the decision to step down from my position… some months before completion of my term, and with effect from February 24.”
Dr. Pachauri said he had planned to end his tenure on November 2, 2014, after the release of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC’s fifth assessment, “but close friends and colleagues advised me against that action and to continue with outreach efforts worldwide based on the Synthesis Report.”
He said he had been doing that in the last three months and would continue to do so assiduously throughout his life in whatever capacity he worked.
“For me, the protection of planet earth, the survival of all species and sustainability of our ecosystems is more than a mission. It is my religion and my dharma.”
Land and Coal Bills introduced in Lok Sabha
The Union government on Tuesday used its majority in the Lok Sabha to introduce the controversial Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill and the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill to replace two ordinances despite statutory resolutions moved against them by the Opposition.
In sharp contrast, in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition unitedly opposed the government’s efforts to withdraw the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, forcing it to defer the move. The government’s plan was to get the Bill passed in the Lok Sabha and then try for a joint session.
Outmanoeuvred on the Land Acquisition Bill by a united Opposition in the Upper House, the government agreed to consult leaders of all parties to find a solution. But this came only after a heated debate during Zero Hour: First, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley objected to the Opposition raising the “subject of a particular Bill” instead of debating the issue of ordinances. Then, Congress Deputy Leader Anand Sharma pointed out that four parties, including his own, had given notice under Rule 267 for suspension of business to discuss it as, he maintained, the government had bypassed Parliament to amend a law that had been passed in 2013 with the support of all parties, including the BJP.
Faced with an unrelenting Opposition, Mr. Jaitley agreed to Mr. Yadav’s suggestion for a dialogue, saying he would “convey it to the Minister concerned for appropriate action.”
Corals feeding on plastic debris
Great Barrier Reef faces another threat, say scientists
Corals in the Great Barrier Reef are eating small plastic debris in the ocean, Australian researchers said on Tuesday raising fears about the impact the indigestible fragments have on their health and other marine life.
The scientists found that when they placed corals from the reef into plastic-contaminated water, the marine life “ate plastic at rates only slightly lower than their normal rate of feeding on marine plankton,” the study published in the journalMarine Biology said.
“If micro-plastic pollution increases on the Great Barrier Reef, corals could be negatively affected as their tiny stomach cavities become full of indigestible plastic,” Mia Hoogenboom of James Cook University in Queensland said.
Micro-plastic is defined as particles smaller than half a centimetre. The scientists found the plastic “deep inside the coral polyp wrapped in digestive tissue,” and expressed concern that the substance could then hurt the creature’s ability to digest normal food.
They sampled waters near inshore coral reefs in the World Heritage-listed site and found micro-plastics, including polystyrene and polyethylene, in small amounts, study co-author Kathryn Berry said.
Climate change, poor water quality from land-based run-offs, coastal developments and fishing all threaten the biodiversity site.
As much as 88 percent of the open ocean’s surface contains plastic debris, findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year found.
Risk along food chain
The small pieces — from mass-produced plastics such as toys, bags, food containers and utensils — make their way into the sea through storm water run-off, raising concerns about the effect on marine life and the food chain. The United Nations Environment Programme estimated in 2012 that around 13,000 pieces of micro-plastic litter were found in every square kilometre of sea.
Mummified monk found inside Buddha statue
A gold-painted Chinese statue of a Buddha in sitting position hides the mummified remains of a high-status monk who lived nearly 1,000 years ago, scientists have found.
The secret hidden in the statue was discovered when preservationists began restoring it many years ago. But the human remains were not studied in detail until researchers took scans and samples of tissue from the mummy late last year.
The papier-mâché statue, which has the dimensions, roughly, of a seated person, is now on display at the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest. A monastery in southeastern China might have been its home for centuries.
It may have been smuggled from the country and was bought and sold in the Netherlands. In 1996, a private owner decided to have someone fix the chips and cracks that marred the exterior. However, when the restorer removed the statue from its wooden platform, he noticed two pillows emblazoned with Chinese text placed beneath the statue’s knees. When he removed the pillows, he discovered the human remains.
“He looked right into the bottom of this monk. You can see part of the bones and tissue of his skin,” said Vincent van Vilsteren, an archaeology curator at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, where the mummy was on exhibition last year. The mummy was sitting on a rolled textile carpet covered in Chinese text.
Researchers then used radioactive isotopes of carbon to determine that the mummy likely lived during the 11th or 12th century, while the carpet was about 200 years older, Mr. van Vilsteren said.
In 2013, researchers conducted a CT scan of the mummy at Mannheim University Hospital in Germany, revealing the remains in unprecedented detail, Live Science reported. In a follow-up scan at Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort, Netherlands, the researchers discovered that what they thought was lung tissue consisted of tiny scraps of paper with Chinese text on them. The text suggests he was the high-status monk Liuquan, who may have been worshipped as a Buddha. — PTI
Don’t auction Mahan coal block: MoEF
Not for the first time, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has asked the Coal Ministry to not auction the Mahan coal block in Singrauli as it is located in an inviolate forest area.
According to an office memorandum obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Greenpeace, the Ministry on December 22, 2014 said “though stage 2 forest clearance to the Mahan coal block has already been accorded, the mining in the block has not been started. The said block may therefore not be auctioned as the block is located in inviolate forest area.”
Greenpeace said, “This is wonderful news for the people of Mahan who have been fighting to save the forests.”
New proposal to resolve Ayodhya case
In a new twist to the complex Ram temple-Babri mosque case, main litigant Hashim Ansari has discussed with Akhara Parishad chief Mahant Gyan Das a new proposal for the resolution of Ayodhya dispute that they plan to put before the Supreme Court.
The out-of-court settlement proposal suggests that the 70 acres of disputed premises would accommodate both mosque and temple with a partition wall at a height of 100 feet.
Mr. Ansari has met Mr. Gyan Das, who is also the head priest of Ayodhya’s famous Hanuman Garhi temple, on several occasions to find a solution to the complex issue that has remained unresolved for decades.
The idea behind the plan is to find a middle path keeping in mind the sensibilities of both the Hindu and the Muslim communities, sources said.
“We are drafting the final points of a negotiation draft, which will be presented before the Supreme Court soon after the hearing starts. We will be meeting the Prime Minister too to seek his cooperation,” Mr. Das said after the meeting on Monday.
The proposal has been discussed with top Hindu religious groups and main spiritual leaders, he added.
Mr. Ansari said, “After the draft is finalised, we will get it signed by all the top religious leaders from both the communities who are supporting our cause since the beginning, before submitting it in the Supreme Court.” The negotiation draft would be made public only after it was submitted to the Supreme Court, he added.
Referring to recent statements by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on the issue, Mr. Das said it was not a party in the “peace process”.
“They just want to create communal tension between the communities...We are in favour of construction of both Ram temple and Babri mosque adjacent to each other but with a huge division wall of more than 100 ft in between,” the Hanuman Garhi temple head priest said.
Deadlock over Rafale persists
Visiting French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar here on Tuesday in a bid to break the deadlock over negotiations for 126 Rafale fighter aircraft worth over $20 billion.
Though specific details were not forthcoming, Defence Ministry officials indicated that the issue came up for discussion and both sides decided to continue negotiations.
This is the Minister’s second visit in less than two months. Ministry sources added that his visit is also intended to prepare the ground for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France in April though they ruled out any connection between the deal and the visit.
At the Aero India show last week, Mr. Parrikar had refused to speak on the deal but said he would ask the Contract Negotiation Committee to submit its report by March to take an early decision.
Dassault Rafale was shortlisted as part of the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) contest in 2012 after thorough evaluation but price negotiations have since been stuck.
The deal stipulates that of the 126 aircraft, 18 aircraft will come in fly away condition from the manufacturer while the remaining aircraft would be built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India under Transfer of Technology.
Opposition forces govt. to defer motion on withdrawal of Bills
The government on Tuesday faced embarrassment in the Rajya Sabha as a united Opposition forced it to defer its motion for withdrawal of three Bills including one on FDI in insurance on which ordinances have been promulgated.
The government had brought motion for withdrawal of the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2008, the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 and the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The Bills are expected to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Questioning the intent of the government, the opposition parties said the Bills were a property of the Upper House and sought discussion on the three Bills. “It will be difficult to support the motion to withdraw the legislation,” said Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad. He was supported by Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) and Dereck O’Brien (TMC) and members from the SP and the BSP.
Mr. Yechury said if the Bills were to be withdrawn, then why did the government bring ordinances to replace them.
Leader of the House Arun Jaitley argued that the House could not deal with infructuous pieces of legislation, adding that if the House, because of its legislative numbers, wanted infructuous Bills to occupy the space and time of the House then he had no issues and said the motion be deferred, which the Chair allowed.
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