Environment

SYDNEY, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- You might think it would be too big to miss - but it took scientists 38 years to rediscover the world's biggest bee, hiding out in the remote forests of Indonesia.

With a wingspan of six centimetres, Wallace's giant bee is the largest in the world, but since it was last spotted in 1981 scientists had believed it may have gone extinct.

Brussels; 20 Feb 2019; HUFFPOST: Thunberg, a 15-year-old Swedish climate change activist, had earlier said world leaders were behaving like children about climate change.

Even as world leaders continue to deny the damage caused by climate change, 15-year-old Swedish climate change activist, Greta Thunberg, has been causing quite a storm with her powerful messages to world leaders. 

She also had a message for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

BRUSSELS (AP) — Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg is joining Belgian students who are skipping classes for the seventh Thursday in a row to march through Brussels to draw more attention to fighting climate change.

The 16-year-old Thunberg first addressed a European Union conference, chiding adults for their inaction in the face of such climatic global dangers. She said youngsters are being forced to skip school and protest because adults are not addressing climate issues quickly enough.

Geneva, Feb 21 (PTI) China and the US may be the largest producers of coal power, but power plants in India take the highest toll in the world when it comes to health, a global study claims.

Coal-fired power plants produce more than just carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, said researchers from ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

Coal burning also releases particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury -- thus damaging the health of many people around the world, they said.

New Delhi, Feb 18 (PTI) A man facing prosecution in a molestation case has been asked by the Delhi High Court to plant 50 trees in a government school here while granting him anticipatory bail.

Justice Sunil Gaur said the principal of the school shall ensure that the tree plantation drive takes place and the investigating officer will file a compliance report in the court.

BEIJING, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- China will build at least 80 million mu (5.33 million hectares) of high-standard farmland this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Sunday.

China has started building drought and flood resistant farmland since 2011, in a bid to ensure food security. By the end of 2018, China has already developed 640 million mu of such farmland, with grain output increasing 100 kg per mu on average.

Water, fertilizer, and pesticide consumption on the farmland fell 24.3 percent, 13.8 percent and 19.1 percent, respectively, per mu.

National Conference vice-president and former Chief Minister of J&K Omar Abdullah questioned attacks on innocent Kashmiris studying and living outside Kashmir valley.  His remarks came following reports of attacks on Kashmiris in Jammu and harassment of Kashmiri students at places outside the State.

He said that by attacking Kashmiris, they were being told that there is no place for them outside the Valley and no future in the mainland.

SHIJIAZHUANG, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Xiongan New Area in north China's Hebei Province will complete an afforestation project of more than 13,000 hectares with several green belts built this year, the provincial forestry department announced Saturday.

In 2018, more than 7,300 hectares of forest and 10 million nursery stocks were planted in Xiongan New Area about 100 km southwest of Beijing, raising its forest coverage rate by 6 percentage points.

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Inger Andersen of Denmark as the new head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), his press office said.

Andersen is currently serving as director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a post she has held since 2015. She previously held various leadership positions at the World Bank and the United Nations, most recently as World Bank vice president for the Middle East and North Africa.

BEIJING, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- China has established the world's largest clean coal power generation system, setting a new milestone in cutting emissions and saving energy, the National Energy Administration (NEA) said Tuesday.

The country has beaten its target of ultra-low emission and energy conservation and transformation outlined in the country's 13th Five-Year Plan two years in advance, NEA said.