Forms of renewable energy

NEW DELHI: US climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday (Apr 6) pressed India, the world's third-biggest carbon emitter, to set more ambitious green goals ahead of UN talks in late 2021 and Joe Biden's upcoming climate summit. A spokesperson for the US embassy in New Delhi, where Kerry arrived on Tuesday for talks with officials and NGOs, said that India was a "critical part of the solution to the climate crisis." Bloomberg News reported last month that top Indian government officials were debating whether to follow dozens of other countries in setting a goal of net zero emissions by mid-century. When Kerry's April trip to the United Arab Emirates, India and Bangladesh was announced, Washington said the aim was "increasing climate ambition" ahead of President Biden's Apr 22 to Apr 23 summit and the UN negotiations in Glasgow in November. "A key focus for our administration is supporting and encouraging India's decarbonization efforts through clean, zero, and low-carbon investment, ... » Learn More about Kerry presses India ahead of Biden climate summit

(Reuters) - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said midfielder Mason Mount is not getting complacent about his goal-scoring form and praised the England international's "very focused" attitude ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Crystal Palace. Mount scored his maiden Champions League goal in Wednesday's 2-0 win against Porto, becoming Chelsea's youngest scorer in a Champions League knockout game, aged 22 years and 87 days. Since Tuchel replaced former boss Frank Lampard at Stamford Bridge in January, Mount has scored five goals in all competitions, more than any other Chelsea player. When asked if Mount can handle the praise for his top form, Tuchel said, "I have the feeling he is very down to earth and he can handle it a lot. "It does not change him at all if he is doing good games or bad games or mediocre games, or if he's praised or not praised. "He is very focused and not a moody guy. He is very mature, but at the same time has a sparkle in his eyes which is a very ... » Learn More about In-form Mount not being complacent, says Chelsea boss Tuchel

FILE PHOTO: The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo/File Photo VIENNA — U.S. and Iranian officials clashed on Friday over what sanctions the United States should lift to resume compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, with Washington predicting an impasse if Tehran sticks to a demand that all sanctions since 2017 be removed. The two nations laid out tough stances as indirect talks in Vienna on how to bring both back into full compliance with the agreement wound up for the week, with some delegates citing progress. The talks, in which European Union officials are shuttling between the remaining parties to the deal and the United States, aim to restore the bargain at the core of the agreement – restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of U.S. and other international sanctions. The United States was the first to renege on that bargain ... » Learn More about US sees possible ‘impasse’ as it clashes with Iran on sanctions

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner VIENNA — The U.N. atomic watchdog on Friday flagged a new breach by Iran of its nuclear deal with major powers on the day those powers met to revive the agreement, a report by the agency seen by Reuters showed, likely raising tensions with Western powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency avoids saying Iran has breached the deal. At the same time, it generally only issues such ad hoc reports to member states in the event of a breach. Two diplomats told Reuters what the report described amounted to a fresh breach. The breach has to do with what counts officially towards Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, a highly sensitive issue since that stockpile could be enriched further to weapons-grade material suitable for nuclear bombs if Iran chose to do so. It denies seeking such ... » Learn More about UN atomic watchdog reports new Iranian breach of nuclear deal

The debate rages on about ivermectin as a therapy for COVID-19. Given the devastation that the disease has caused, it is not surprising that the public may sometimes seek unconventional therapies. Substances such as vodka, cocaine, gasoline, volcanic ash, and bleach have been proposed as treatments, with some of these being clearly unsafe, and all of these remaining unproven to have benefit. It is not my objective to outline here the evidence for ivermectin. For these I direct the reader to the appropriate resources, including: the US FDA Statement on “Why You Should Not Use Ivermectin to Treat or Prevent COVID-19”; the statement on the website of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Inc. on “the Use of Ivermectin as Treatment for COVID-19,” a consensus by representatives of various medical societies; and the World Health Organization’s advisory “that ivermectin only be used to treat COVID-19 within clinical trials.” All of these, plus other documents by ... » Learn More about Learning to look at the evidence (1)

MANILA, Philippines — Karl-Anthony Towns paid the ultimate tribute to his late mother Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, who would have celebrated her 60th birthday and 30th wedding anniversary on Tuesday. The Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star wrote an emotional post on his Twitter and Instagram, more than three months since her mother’s death due to COVID-19 . “Happy 30th anniversary to my parents. More importantly, happy birthday to my reason for being alive. Not a single day goes by without me thinking of you. Your energy is missed not only in the household you built but in this world overall. Love u & miss u more than people know,” he wrote on social media. Happy 30th anniversary to my parents. More importantly, happy birthday to my reason for being alive. Not a single day goes by without me thinking of you. Your energy is missed not only in the household you built but in this world overall. Love u & miss u more than people know. pic.twitter.com/zc0IIide4d — Karl-Anthony ... » Learn More about Karl-Anthony Towns honors late mother on her birthday

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola on Friday (Apr 9) said he was overwhelmed after receiving effusive praise from his Leeds United counterpart Marcelo Bielsa ahead of their Premier League clash on Saturday. Argentine Bielsa, who steered Leeds back to the top flight after a 16-year absence this season, described Guardiola as a magical man, and said he had given up trying to emulate the Spanish coach's style of play. Guardiola, who previously hailed Bielsa as one of the most important influences on his trophy-laden managerial career, was quick to return the compliment. "I'm overwhelmed, I feel weird. He's a huge competitor. I'm not going to try to be weak after these words because they can do whatever they want," Guardiola told a news conference. "He's the most honest person. He will always be in my heart and I always feel I don't deserve it because of course if there is one person who can find the secret or the way we want to play it is him." Leeds, who have ... » Learn More about Football: Man City’s Guardiola moved by Bielsa’s glowing tribute

LONDON: Jose Mourinho said Friday that he does not believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be using Manchester United's 6-1 humbling by Spurs in October as motivation for their Premier League clash on Sunday (Apr 11). Spurs dished out United's joint heaviest Premier League defeat at Old Trafford thanks to a fine attacking display and a defensive horror show from the home side. Former United manager Mourinho, now in charge of Tottenham, believes the match early in the season, in which United's Anthony Martial was sent off, produced a freak result. "I believe that 6-1 doesn't reflect the reality," he said on Friday. "I go much more in the direction of the other two previous matches between us and United. "We lost 2-1 at Old Trafford, with the penalty, and we draw 1-1 at home last season, also with a penalty. I think this is more the reality. "If Solskjaer is going to use that result I don't know. If it was my team losing 6-1 to them I would just say to my guys that it happened once ... » Learn More about Football: Spurs’ 6-1 win at Man Utd was freak result, says Mourinho

A medical worker inoculates a woman in Allahabad, India. The country is suffering a shortage of vaccines. (AFP photo) MUMBAI: Fresh lockdowns and curfews were imposed on tens of millions of people from India to Argentina on Saturday, as Covid-19 infections surged again and vaccine roll-outs were hampered by shortages and scares over side effects. In India, the worst-hit state of Maharashtra was running out of vaccines as the health system buckled under the weight of the contagion, which has killed 2.9 million people worldwide. Having let its guard down with mass religious festivals, political rallies and spectators at cricket matches, the world's second-most populous nation has added more than a million new infections since late March. Every weekend from Saturday until the end of April, Maharashtra's 125 million people will be confined to their homes unless travelling or shopping for food or medicine. "I'm not for the lockdown at all but I don't think the government has any ... » Learn More about Lockdowns worldwide as vaccine efforts stumble

To ensure that all oil companies are complying with fuel marking, officers of the Bureaus of Customs (BOC) and of Internal Revenue (BIR) will start field testing on April 26. In a statement on Thursday, the BOC said random field and confirmatory testing would cover diesel, gasoline and kerosene—oil products which since September 2019 were being injected with a chemical marker signifying payment of correct import duties and excise taxes.The BOC and the BIR will check if these products contain the required fuel-marker level. “The field-testing process will be done using mobile laboratory units equipped with analyzers capable of detecting the official fuel marker’s presence in any fuel sample. The test result will be generated on-site and will indicate a pass or fail result,” the BOC said. “Products with failed results will be subjected to confirmatory testing in the fuel-testing facility. For purposes of transparency, the owner of the fuel or his representative will be allowed to ... » Learn More about BOC, BIR set to start fuel-marking compliance field testing