Category: Environment

Aug 10, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan conservation groups are boycotting an elephant census, and called on the private sector not to support the effort, after a government minister revealed plans to capture up to 300 calves with tusks for domestication. Agrarian and wildlife minister S M Chandrasena was reported as saying that the survey […]

WASHINGTON, August 5, 2011 (AFP) – Scientists have found evidence of flowing salt water on steep Martian slopes, which if confirmed would be the first discovery of active liquid water on the red planet, NASA said Thursday. The data gathered by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has given new focus to the hunt for life forms […]

June 29, 2011 (LBO) – A plan by authorities to flood an ancient reservoir in Sri Lanka during the dry season may disrupt a centuries old migration of wild elephants who congregate in what is possibly the largest such gathering in the world, a leisure group has warned. Around August each year elephants running into […]

June 27, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has begun deepening canals in marshes bordering the capital Colombo and digging lakes to prevent flooding during the rainy season and for tourism and recreation, officials said. A 24-acre land is being dug in the Rampalawatte area in Pelawatte along with another lake at Thalawatugoda. The project is […]

June 18, 2011 (AFP) – Three baby elephants were killed when they were hit by a passenger train in Sri Lanka on Saturday, an official said. The trio were crossing the tracks in a forested area near Ambanpola, 93 miles (150 kilometres) north of Colombo, when they were struck by a passenger train bound for […]

May 26, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Thursday it planned to set up sanctuaries for stray dogs in a bid to remove them from the streets and tackle a growing rabies problem. Between 2,000 and 2,500 people are bitten each day by stray dogs, the official said, and there is one dog for every […]

May 26, 2011 (LBO) – The World Bank is to provide 150 million US dollars to Sri Lanka to improve flood protection and infrastructure in and around the capital city of Colombo, a government statement said. The overall aim of the ‘Metro Colombo Urban Development Project’ under taken with World Bank funding is to improve […]

NEW DELHI, May 24, 2011 (AFP) – Eight countries with the largest number of elephants met for the first on Tuesday in New Delhi to plot new strategies to protect the animal. “Delegates here represent two-thirds of the world’s wild elephant population,” Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told the inaugural gathering of the Elephant-8 group. […]

PARIS, May 7, 2011 (AFP) – Renewable power from the Sun, wind, water and biomass can and should generate a major portion of the planet’s energy supply by 2050, according to a draft United Nations report obtained by AFP. Renewables have the potential to bring power to the world’s poorest regions, boost energy security for […]

PARIS, May 4, 2011 (AFP) – Chimpanzees are self-aware and can anticipate the impact of their actions on the environment around them, an ability once thought to be uniquely human, according to a study released Wednesday. The findings, reported in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, challenge assumptions about the boundary between human and […]

Apr 28, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to get a loan equivalent to 33,536 million US dollars (41,886 million rupees) from South Korea to build four facilities for disposal of solid waste which is a growing problem in the island. The Korea Economic Development Fund of the Export – Import Bank of Korea is […]

WASHINGTON, March 27, 2011 (AFP) – Lights went off around the world Saturday as landmark buildings and ordinary homes flipped their switches while the annual “Earth Hour” circled the planet in what was dubbed the world’s largest voluntary action for the environment. In Paris a minute’s silence was observed for Japan as the city of […]