The NCP chief made the comments in the presence of other leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray.
Pune:
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said former prime minister Manmohan Singh was sensitive towards farmers and had visited Amravati in Maharashtra after learning about some deaths by suicide, but nobody is bothered about their issues now.
He was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the culmination of Shetkari Aakrosh Morcha in Pune.
The foot march set out from the foothills of Shivneri Fort in Pune district on Thursday was led by NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Amol Kolhe.
Several leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), including Uddhav Thackeray and Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena (UBT), Balasaheb Thorat of Congress, and NCP leaders Kolhe and Supriya Sule were present.
“I remember the then prime minister Manmohan Singh visited Amravati after some farmers had died by suicide. He was sensitive towards the people as well as farmers. Mr Singh also waived farm loans worth Rs 72,000 crore at that time,” said Mr Pawar, who was the agriculture minister in the erstwhile Manmohan Singh cabinet.
But now, nobody is even looking at the difficulties being faced by farmers, he added.
“This ‘Shetkari Aakrosh Morcha’ is not limited to Pune but it has reached the entire country,” Mr Pawar said.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Raut said NCP MPs Supriya Sule and Amol Kolhe were suspended from Parliament for raising issues of farmers.
He also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
“The BJP can’t win even Gram Panchayat elections without EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines). They are dependent on EVMs for victory. While we have allied with multiple regional parties in Maharashtra, BJP’s partnership is with the EVM,” Mr Raut alleged.
In a dig at Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who heads an NCP faction, Mr Raut said that winds of change are blowing and he should be careful.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
In capital Tehran, people gathered in Imam Hossein (AS) Square to show their support for the Islamic Republic.
Holding handwritten signs and placards, they condemned the continuation of hostilities by the United States and the Zionist regime against the Iranian nation.
They chanted “Down with US” and “Down with Israel”.
The demonstrators reiterated their support for all Muslims and freedom-seekers worldwide and expressed their solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine and the resistance front until the ultimate victory.
On December 30, 2009, millions of Iranians held nationwide rallies to condemn the foreign-orchestrated unrest which had erupted following the presidential elections earlier that year.
Further investigation is underway, the official added. (Representational)
Bilaspur:
Seven years after the death of a 29-year-old man at a private hospital in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur city, four senior doctors were arrested for alleged negligence, police said on Saturday.
Doctors Devendra Singh, Rajiv Lochan Bhanja, Manoj Rai and Sunil Kedia were arrested on Friday but released soon afterwards on personal bonds, said an official of Sarkanda police station.
Gurveen Chhabra alias Goldi died at Apollo Hospital here on December 26, 2016. The memo submitted by the hospital to police claimed that he died due to celphos poisoning.
Chhabra’s relatives, however, lodged a complaint alleging that negligence by the hospital management and doctors and the wrong treatment resulted in his death. His father Paramjeet Singh Chhabra demanded action against the doctors and cancellation of their licenses.
The divisional medical board of Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS), where the autopsy was conducted, in its report pointed out prima facie negligence during the treatment, the police official said.
On September 27 this year, the police received a report from the Directorate of Medicolegal Institute Home (Police) department, Medicolegal Expert and Medicolegal Advisor’ which too pointed out negligence on the part of the doctors and hospital management.
Subsequently, police registered an FIR under sections 304 (A) (causing death by negligence), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Further investigation is underway, the official added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Maliki made the remarks on Saturday during a ceremony held in the Iranian embassy in Baghdad to remember Gen. Soleimani, a top military commander who was assassinated in a US drone strike on January 3, 2020 when he was leaving Baghdad’s airport along with Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and other comrades.
“We could not have fought ISIL if it was not for efforts by Martyr Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and the Iraqi nation,” said Maliki in the ceremony.
Senior Iraqi government officials and politicians attended the memorial service where clerics and notable figures from Iraqi areas liberated from ISIL occupation were also present, according to Press TV.
Falih Al-Fayyadh, who leads Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a powerful paramilitary group operating within the ranks of the Iraqi army, said that Iran played a major role in Iraq’s fight against ISIL.
However, Fayyadh rejected suggestions that Iran has gained a military foothold in Iraq because of the generous support it has offered to the country in recent years.
“Some are trying to pretend that that the PMF depends on Iran but this is gibberish talk of the enemy and the weak people,” he said.
ISIL controlled swaths of land in Iraq until 2013 when it was expelled from the Arab country by the Iraqi army and popular mobilization fighters.
Pawan Kalyan requested the Prime Minister to institute an appropriate probe. (FILE)
Amaravati:
Actor-politician and Janasena party founder Pawan Kalyan on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging massive corruption by the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led Andhra Pradesh government under the guise of distributing land and constructing houses for the poor.
Mr Kalyan has alleged that a massive Rs 35,141 crore has been misappropriated with regard to land acquisition alone.
“The swindling in the name of land acquisition has been so high that a ruling party legislator himself sought an inquiry by the state vigilance and enforcement department,” the Janasena chief said in the letter.
He claimed that the land value was artificially propped up but only a pittance was paid to the owners while YSRCP leaders pocketed the extra money. He also mentioned that there have been other irregularities as well.
Mr Kalyan furnished further details in the letter and requested the Prime minister to institute an appropriate probe by central agencies and bring the guilty to book to recover the embezzled amount.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
In November, a total of 104 Myanmar soldiers fled to Mizoram. (File)
Aizawl:
At least 151 Myanmarese soldiers fled to Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district after their camps in the neighbouring country were overrun by an armed ethnic group, an Assam Rifles officer said on Saturday.
The Myanmarese army personnel, also known as the ‘Tatmadaw,’ fled with their arms and approached the Assam Rifles at Tuisentlang in Lawngtlai district on Friday after their camps near the international border were overrun by the Arakan Army fighters, he said.
The officer said that there had been intense gunfights between the Myanmar army and the Arakan Army fighters for the past few days in areas close to the Indian border.
He said that some of the Myanmarese Army personnel, who entered Mizoram on Friday, were critically injured and first aids were administered to them by the Assam Rifles.
The Myanmar army soldiers are now in the safe custody of Assam Rifles at Parva in Lawngtlai district near the Myanmar border, he said.
The Myanmar soldiers will be sent back to their country in some days as talks are going on between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Myanmar military government, he added.
In November, a total of 104 Myanmar soldiers fled to Mizoram after their military camps along the Myanmar-India border were overrun by pro-democracy militia – People’s Defence Force (PDF).
They were airlifted by the Indian Airforce to Moreh in Manipur, from where they crossed the international border and entered Tamu, the nearest border town in Myanmar.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Summer temperatures are rising in many parts of the globe. Hotter regions predicted to get hotter with changing climate. Therefore, by 2050, about 75% of world’s population could depend on air conditioners
Published Date – 08:43 PM, Sat – 30 December 23
Summer temperatures are rising in many parts of the globe. Hotter regions predicted to get hotter with changing climate. Therefore, by 2050, about 75% of world’s population could depend on air conditioners
By Dr O. Prasada Rao
Anthropogenic emissions
According to the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) A6 Synthesis Report, human activities, principally through emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs), have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature reaching 1.1°C in the decade 2011-2020 above the level existed during 1850-1900. It is expected to reach or exceed 1.50C threshold in the next 20 years. Based on current emission scenarios, the increase can be 2.70C to 3.60C by the end of 21st century.
Carbon dioxide (CO2), a part of GHGs, contributes more to climate change compared to other gases, hence the concern is mainly on reducing its emissions. Historical cumulative net CO2 emissions from 1850 to 2019 were 2400 ± 240 giga tonnes, of which more than half (58%) occurred between 1850 and 1989, and about 42% occurred between 1990 and 2019, means significantly increased in the last three decades only due to human activities and steep rise in energy demand. The global carbon dioxide emissions were negligible in 1850 & 1900, but have increased significantly to 37.1 billion tonnes due to rise in population by 6.38 billion over last 122 years.
Airconditioning usage
According to the International Energy Agency, approximately 2.8 billion people live in countries where the average temperature is more than 250C, less than 10% use air conditioners now. Summer temperatures are rising in many parts of the globe. Hotter regions predicted to get hotter with changing climate. Therefore, by 2050, about 75% of world’s population could depend on air conditioners.
In a warming world, use of air conditioners by people to stay cool, that is unavoidable, further contributes to climate change due to emissions of CO2 from fossil fuels used for generation of electricity to run them. IEA terms it “Cold crunch” as increasing air conditioning demand would require new electricity capacity equivalent to the present capacity of the US, EU and Japan combined.
Europe has been warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s as per a report issued by the World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. In 2022, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom etc. had their warmest year on record.
Climate change can cause extreme cold weather events too. According to a study published in the journal ‘Science’, extreme cold events could be attributed to Arctic warming that lead to major cold waves hitting north America sweeping from Canada to northern Mexico in February 2021. The US Energy Information Administration reported that heating and cooling accounted for 42% of energy consumption in the residential sector in 2019. This is going to substantially increase due to climate change.
Meat related emissions
The global average meat consumption per person per year in 2021 was 34 Kg. The top meat-eating countries are USA, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Spain with per capita per year consumption ranging from 100-124 kg. On the other hand, number of African countries consume less than 20 Kg (FAO). According to a study by The Guardian, meat production accounts for nearly 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production. Another source, Times For Change, states that one Kg of beef production creates 13.3 kgs of CO2, while it is 28 times less for wheat. Meat production is projected to increase, so also, CO2 emissions from it. But it should fall to mitigate climate change
Deforestation
The world has lost one- third of its forests since the end of last ice age, 10,000 years ago, half of it in the last century alone. The net loss in forests globally was 4.7 million hectares per year over the decade since 2010 i.e. 47 million hectares during 2010-2019 (Our World Data). As the population increases, the demand for land for various purposes such as agriculture, housing, and infrastructure also increases, which must be met from forests. As a result of deforestation and degradation, some tropical forests now emit more carbon than they capture, turning them from a carbon ‘sink’ into a carbon source (NOAA Research)
Carbon footprint
Carbon footprint is an important factor in climate change mitigation. China has the highest carbon footprint of about 8.4 tons per person per year, while India has 0.56 ton. If India’s carbon footprint is increased to that of China’s it would be detrimental to the environment and would exacerbate the situation of climate change. Only 17% global population lives in developed countries, rest 83% need to consume energy more than the former to reach a reasonable standard of living that further worsen climate change.
Need for population control
The estimated global population was 1.26 billion in 1850, rose to 1.6 billion in 1900 and 7.98 billion in 2022. The United Nations predicts that the world population will reach 10.4 billion towards the end of the 21st century. Human activities are the main driver of climate change. Primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas for economic development and comfortable living; deforestation to meet land and food requirement; causing irreversible environmental degradation and following multifaceted politics.
As climate continues to threaten the well-being of the entire planet, scientists as per an article in Science Journal suggested it’s time to take population control more seriously than ever. They wrote that slowing future population growth could reduce global CO2 emissions by 40% or more in the long term. Further adding smaller population would make it easier for nations to adapt to the inevitable lifestyle shifts necessitated due to climate change.
Reducing population size would be advantageous for climate change mitigation, on the grounds that lower population would naturally correspond to lower emissions. But the primary determinant of the eventual amount of climate change is not the emissions rate, but rather cumulative emissions accumulated over a century. Population control can reduce emission rate and addition to cumulative CO2 inventory in atmosphere.
Natural carbon sinks absorb roughly half of atmospheric CO2 including oceans and forests in a major way. They absorb half of human related CO2 emissions. Forests capture about 16 billion tonnes of CO2 each year. These natural carbon sinks are being destroyed by human activities such as deforestation, land use change and pollution. Controlling the population can avoid destruction of natural carbon sink.
Robert Engelman, a senior fellow at the Population Institute in Washington, D.C., feels population is an issue in climate change. It is underreported, underrated, under-talked-about as an issue in climate change.
Sustainable population refers to human population the planet Earth can sustain. Estimates for it vary widely ranging from 0.65 billion to 9.8 billion, with 8 billion being typical estimate. The estimates were based on land & water resources, food production, energy consumption and waste management, but none on climate change point of view.
As per Malthusian Theory of Population, nature has its own ways of keeping a check on the increasing population. It brings down the population size to match with the available food supply through famines, earthquakes, floods, epidemics, wars etc. The theory may not be valid now since food security can be maintained and loss of population significantly reduced during natural calamities, by technology.
Conclusions
People contribute directly and indirectly to anthropogenic emissions of CO2, at the same time reduce the capacity of carbon sink on the planet. As the population increases emissions increase, however, the quantity depends upon economic status, standard of living, adaptation to climate change etc. Life style changes can support mitigation of climate change, but limited. Lesser population is better option.
The goal of mitigation is to avoid significant human interference with the Earth’s climate in order to stabilise CO2 gas levels, by reducing the carbon footprint of individuals, in a sufficient timeframe, to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally, food production is maintained and economic development proceeds in a sustainable manner.
Efforts towards population control include family planning, education, healthcare, and economic development. The challenges to overcome include cultural and religious beliefs, political opposition, ethical concerns, preference for male child, unsupportive partners or elders, lack of resources & access to family planning etc. However, population control, besides checking climate change, can improve economy, health, environment sustainability, gender equality and standard of living of surviving people.
The author is an retired scientist, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research
Douglas Luiz’s late penalty took Aston Villa joint top of the Premier League with a 3-2 win over 10-man Burnley on Saturday as Manchester City closed on the leaders by sweeping aside Sheffield United 2-0. It looked like a festive season to forget for Villa was set to continue after dropping points at home for the first time this season to Sheffield United and blowing a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 at Manchester United on Boxing Day. But Luiz’s spot-kick, that crept in off the underside of the bar, sent Unai Emery’s men level on points with Liverpool at the top of the table.
Leon Bailey’s opener for the home side was quickly cancelled out by Zeki Amdouni for Burnley.
Moussa Diaby restored Villa’s lead before half-time and they had a man advantage for the final 35 minutes after Sander Berge saw a second yellow card.
But Villa’s high line is begging to be picked off by opponents and Lyle Foster timed his run to blast past Emi Martinez 19 minutes from time.
There was a final twist, though, as Jhon Duran was upended inside the box and Luiz fired home.
“Everyone is so happy, we need to enjoy the moment,” said Luiz.
“The last three games we don’t play so well. It is halfway through the season, the players are tired, we lost three or four important players to injury. It is difficult, but we need to keep going.”
Man City cruise
Despite missing Erling Haaland for a seventh consecutive game due to a foot injury, City were never troubled by the bottom-of-the-table Blades.
Rodri ended Sheffield United’s resistence after just 14 minutes when the Spanish midfielder surged forward and fired low into the far corner.
Julian Alvarez again ably filled Haaland’s shoes as the Argentine tapped in his fourth goal in three games to make the points safe from Phil Foden‘s cross just after the hour mark.
City move alongside Arsenal on 40 points, just two points behind Villa and Liverpool, who are in action at home to Newcastle on Monday.
And Pep Guardiola said he is contented with the first half of his side’s season despite some issues as they added the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup to their trophy collection.
“We’ve had injuries and some problems, we won the titles, important ones, so our level is really good I would say,” said Guardiola.
“Now rest, we all need it. January is less intense than November and December so we prepare for what’s next.”
Palmer inspires Chelsea
Chelsea snapped a run of four consecutive away defeats thanks to Cole Palmer’s double but had to withstand a nervy finale to beat Luton 3-2.
Powerful strikes from Palmer and Noni Madueke gave the visitors a 2-0 half-time lead.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men appeared to have ridden out a second half storm when Palmer’s classy finish made it 3-0.
But former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley sparked a Luton revival and Elijah Adebayo bundled home from close range to set up a thrilling finale.
“That is the Premier League. Luton are a team that fight until the end, you could see that from their games against Liverpool and Arsenal and Man City and Newcastle,” said Pochettino.
“We controlled the game until the 65th minute. We needed to win and we deserved the result.”
Luton remain just one point adrift of safety as Everton slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Wolves.
Any fears that Crystal Palace could be dragged into the relegation battle were eased by the Eagles first win in nine games as Brentford were beaten 3-1 at Selhurst Park.
Manchester United are aiming to build on their stunning comeback against Villa when they travel to Nottingham Forest later on Saturday.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The Taliban government is not officially recognised by any country or world body. (File)
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities on Saturday criticised the UN Security Council’s plan for a special envoy to promote gender and human rights in the country as “unnecessary”.
The Taliban government is not officially recognised by any country or world body, and the United Nations refers to the administration as the “Taliban de facto authorities”.
Many are torn over engaging with Kabul’s rulers in a bid to roll back their controls on women and girls, or freezing them out until they make concessions such as reopening educational opportunities for females.
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution calling for the appointment of a special envoy for Afghanistan to increase engagement with the country and its Taliban leaders.
But foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said a new envoy “is unnecessary as Afghanistan is not a conflict zone and is ruled by a central government that is able to secure its national interests”.
In a post on social media site X, he said the Taliban government welcomes “more robust and enhanced engagement” with the UN, but special envoys “have complicated situations further via imposition of external solutions”.
“The approach of the government of Afghanistan will ultimately be guided by the unaltered religious beliefs, cultural values and national interests of the people of Afghanistan,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Since the Taliban surged back to power in August 2021, Kabul’s new rulers have insisted on their right to impose harsh social controls in accordance with their austere interpretation of Islam.
They have rejected appeals to obey international law as undue meddling in their domestic affairs.
Teenage girls have been banned from attending most secondary schools and women from universities, prompting global outrage and protests in some Afghan cities.
Late in 2022, women were prohibited from entering parks, funfairs, gyms and public baths.
The UN resolution followed an independent assessment report issued in November calling for greater engagement with Afghanistan.
It was adopted after 13 members of the Security Council voted in favour, while Russia and China abstained.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Interim CEO of vivo-India, other 2 involved will have to report to federal agency’s office till January 3
New Delhi:
A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to three vivo-India executives taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case earlier this month.
The court granted the relief observing that the accused were not produced before the court within 24 hours of the arrest, hence their “custody was illegal”. The trio had claimed that they were arrested on December 21 and not on December 22 as recorded by the Enforcement Directorate.
The court of Vacation Judge Dr Shirish Aggarwal at Patiala House, however, imposed a condition that the three — Chinese national and interim CEO of vivo-India Hong Xuquan alias Terry, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Harinder Dahiya and consultant Hemant Munjal — will have to report to the federal agency’s office everyday till January 3.
This was done on the plea of the Enforcement Directorate that told the court that it fears that the accused may “tamper with evidence and influence witnesses” and that it wants to appeal this order before the Delhi High Court soon after the HC opens after winter vacations on January 3.
The court called these apprehensions of the Enforcement Directorate a “bald averment”.
The agency, as per official sources, while appealing against this bail order before the HC is expected to cite the recent Supreme Court judgement which upheld a Delhi HC order that rejected Supertech promoter R K Arora’s bail plea ruling that the grounds of arrest were duly given and notified to him by the Enforcement Directorate.
The SC had further clarified the arrest procedure executed by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), in favour of the central agency.
“The core issue is of being ‘informed’ and ‘as soon as’. If it has been duly notified and brought to the notice at the time of arrest and further disclosed in detail in the remand application, it amounts to be duly informed and served,” the HC had ruled in the R K Arora matter.
In the latest case, the three accused moved the local court seeking bail as they claimed that they were arrested on December 21 and not December 22 as recorded by the Enforcement Directorate and since they were not produced before the court within 24 hours, their arrest was “illegal and not sustainable in law”.
The Enforcement Directorate counsel, however, contested the claim, saying after the three were “formally arrested, they were supplied with grounds of arrest and produced before the concerned court within 24 hours from arrest.” The agency said the premises of the three accused were searched on December 21 and subsequently taken to the ED office for questioning and for forensic analysis of their phones. They were formally arrested the next day on December 22, the ED told the court.
The vacation judge said in his order that it was “evident that the accused did not have the liberty to go back to their homes for sleeping and for having meals” and it was of the opinion that the three were “under restraint at least from the time when they accompanied the officials of the complainant ( Enforcement Directorate) in their vehicles in the evening of December 21.” It said that the accused “did not have freedom” to move out of the Enforcement Directorate office or do things which a free person would ordinarily do. As such, the accused would be deemed to have been arrested on December 21″.
The court said as the accused were not produced before the court within 24 hours, hence their custody was illegal.
The court also directed the three to furnish personal bonds of Rs 2 lakh each, not tamper with prosecution evidence and influence witnesses, not leave India without its permission and surrender their passports with the court.
The Enforcement Directorate had raided vivo-India and its linked persons in July last year and claimed to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.
It then alleged that Rs 62,476 crore was “illegally” transferred by vivo-India to China to avoid payment of taxes in India.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
