EPA proposed tighter monitoring if airborne lead in large industrial areas.

August 22nd, 2009 TVA says ash spill cleanup could take 3 yearsKNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Authority says it expects to spend up to three years cleaning up a large coal ash spill in Tennessee.

July 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists at University of California Irvine (UCI) have discovered a previously unknown chemical reaction that could account for up to 40 parts per billion of ozone. This reaction is not included in computer models used to predict air pollution levels and the effectiveness of ozone control strategies that can cost billions of dollars.

May 13th, 2009 NEW YORK - A new approach could warn of impending pandemic, much before it surfaces among swathes of population, just by detecting subtle signs in human behaviour. 'The goal is a public information and awareness system for pandemic with the same level of credibility, timeliness and visibility as storm-warning icons presented on television screens,' said Barrett Caldwell, Purdue University associate professor of industrial engineering.

April 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Election Commission Wednesday said it was 'constantly monitoring' the situation in Bihar and Jharkhand, where Maoist rebels have struck ahead of the first phase of polling Thursday. 'The Election Commission is taking stock of the situation in the Naxal-affected areas through control rooms established in the state and at national level.

April 10th, 2009 SHIMLA - Food products major Nestle India wants to set up a food and beverage manufacturing unit in Himachal Pradesh, according to a senior government official. 'Nestle has shown keen interest in establishing a unit here, and plans to invest about Rs.400 crore,' Principal Secretary (Industry) S.C.

March 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has determined that the recent warming trend in the Atlantic Ocean is largely due to reductions in airborne dust and volcanic emissions during the past 30 years. Since 1980, the tropical North Atlantic has been warming by an average of a quarter-degree Celsius (a half-degree Fahrenheit) per decade.

March 24th, 2009 SYDNEY - Ads, signs or billboards that clutter roadsides can be hazardous for older drivers, according to the latest study. These distractions delay drivers' ability to detect a change around them, especially when a vehicle changes lanes - by an average of half a second.

February 22nd, 2009 RAIPUR - The Chhattisgarh government suffered a revenue loss of over Rs.1.85 billion (Rs.185 crore)) during 2007-08 because of 'undue benefits' provided to various companies, a report by India's audit watchdog said. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its report on Chhattisgarh said: 'The state government stood to lose revenue of Rs.185.71 crore due to undue benefits to the allottees such as allotment of land at reduced rates.' The report has widely criticised Chhattisgarh State Industries Development Corp (CSIDC) for its its inadequate monitoring of the implementation of several state-sponsored projects.

February 22nd, 2009 KANGRA - Steel Minister Ram Vilas Paswan Saturday laid the foundation stone of the proposed Rs.1.05-billion (Rs.105-crore) steel plant of the state-run Steel Authority of India here, ending the months old uncertainty over the project. 'Using thermo-mechanical treatment technology, the steel plant will produce wire rods, wire drawings and corrugated sheets,' Paswan said.

February 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The construction work on the 1,483-km dedicated freight corridor, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), will start soon, a union minister said here Tuesday. The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corp (DMICDC), the implementing agency for the project, has appointed consultants for preparing a detailed plan for the project, Minister of State for Industry Ashwani Kumar said in parliament.

February 10th, 2009 BANGALORE - Even as the Indian Air Force (IAF) awaits the delivery of its first airborne early warning and control systems (AWACS), Israel is displaying a compact version of the system mounted on a business jet at the Aero India international air show that opened here Wednesday. India has purchased three Phalcon AWACS systems from Israel that will be mounted on the Russian-built IL-78 transport aircraft.

February 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A monitoring committee set up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Friday emphasised the need of meticulous planning for relocation of villages from core critical areas in the country's 37 tiger reserves. The three member monitoring committee, formed in September 2008 to oversee village relocation and eco-tourism strategy in Project Tiger reserves across the country, held discussions in the capital with the chief wildlife wardens of several states and heads of various tiger reserves.

December 30th, 2008 BEIJING - The Chinese government is preparing a 'pre-emptive' monitoring system to ensure food safety to prevent recurrence of the countrywide tained baby food scandal that killed six infants and sickened nearly 30,000. 'It means we will try to rid food problems by early detection, early warning and early intervention,' Su Zhi, deputy general director of health inspection and supervision bureau in the health ministry, said Wednesday.

December 25th, 2008 SHIMLA - The Himachal Pradesh government's decision not to allot power and land to the public sector Steel Authority of India (SAIL) for setting up a plant in the state has run into trouble with residents of the area where the facility was to have come up launching an indefinite agitation Friday. The Rs.455.55-billion steel behemoth has plans to invest Rs.1.06 billion (Rs.106 crore) to set up a steel plant near Nahan in Sirmaur district - SAIL's first in northern India.

December 22nd, 2008 NEW DELHI - Civic infrastructure, including roads, storm water drains, street lighting, effluent treatment and parking facilities, in 13 industrial areas of the capital will be upgraded at a cost of Rs.6.8 billion (Rs.680 crore), city Mayor Aarti Mehra said Tuesday. 'The infrastructure available in the industrial areas has been found to be inadequate and therefore there is a need to upgrade the civic infrastructure in these areas, facilitating optimal growth of industrial sector in the capital city,' Mehra told reporters.