The Himalayas Need a Common Language of Warning

The Himalayas Need a Common Language of Warning: Emergency Cooperation Must be Institutionalised Into Durable Regional Architecture

A genuinely regional approach could eventually include - besides Nepal, China and India - Bhutan and, where relevant, downstream institutions in Bangladesh. Organisations with established Himalayan expertise, particularly the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu, could offer scientific and institutional support.

The Himalayas are Sending a Warning: Need for Timely Trans-Border Sharing of Environmental Information

The Himalayas are not collapsing because humanity exists, but humanity is creating a warmer world in which the Himalayas are becoming less predictable. The real question is no longer whether climate change will alter the mountains. It already is. 

When an Entire Village and Bazaar in Nepal Disappeared in an Instant

My eldest aunt was swept away. So was her son, my dai Madhu, and his wife. My other aunt — gone too, they told me. Her grandson Sijan and his wife, caught in the same water. His own son and daughter-in-law, unreachable, unaccounted for. My maternal uncle had gone out that morning to cut grass for the cattle. He never came back.

When the Mountain Moved: Nepal's Bhote Koshi Disaster and the Case for AI-Driven Early Warning

No technology can stop an avalanche. But the tragedy of events like Wednesday's is that the fatal interval between the trigger high in the mountains and the flood wave reaching villages downstream  is often 20 minutes to a few hours. That window is exactly where artificial intelligence, coupled with sensors and satellites, earns its keep.

More on Climate, Sustainability and Energy

UN forecasts India's economy to grow 7.5% in 2021, South Asia 6.9%

The United Nations forecasts India's economy to grow by 7.5 per cent this calendar year and rebound to 10.5 per cent next year with the caveat that the outlook is “highly fragile” because of the brutal COVID-19 second wave

UNSC condemns Kabul school attack

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the “atrocious” Kabul School attack that killed nearly 70 people, mostly children aged between 12-15 years, in the West Kabul area dominated by the country’s Hazara minority

WHO labels India's Covid strain as 'variant of concern'

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday classified India's Covid-19 strain as a "variant of concern" amid a devastaging second wave of the pandamic

Develop post-pandemic development framework: Pakistan to UN

Stressing on the need to involve every region, state and committee in the fight against the Covid 19 pandemic, Pakistan has urged the international community to develop a post-pandemic framework for development to recover from the shocks of the crisis

Japan joins hands with UNDP to boost oxygen supply in Northeast India

As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic rages in India, Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India have partnered to provide eight oxygen generation plants to the North Eastern Region (NER) in India

India’s new COVID-19 wave is spreading like ‘wildfire’ across South Asia, warns UNICEF

A new wave of COVID-19 infections is spreading like “wildfire” across India, leaving many youngsters destitute, the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF said on Friday

UN Security Council upholds role of multilateralism in a complex world

The President of the UN General Assembly on Friday urged countries to “do better” in making COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone, everywhere, warning that “good intentions are no match for vaccines in arms.”

Jaishankar skips high-level, ministerial Security Council meeting China convened

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar skipped a high-level UN Security Council meeting at the ministerial level that was convened by China, the global body's president for this month

UN chief pledges to keep ‘memories alive’ of those who died in service during 2020

The United Nations paused on Thursday to honor 336 personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2020: the highest number ever in a single year

UN launches key initiative to protect seafarers’ human rights

Around 200,000 cargo ship crew members are stranded at sea, beyond the length of their contracts due to COVID-19 restrictions, placing a major strain on their physical and mental health

Cut methane emissions to avert global temperature rise, UN-backed study urges

Methane emissions caused by human activity can be reduced by up to 45 per cent this decade, thus helping to keep global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, according to a UN-backed report published on Thursday

Guterres renews zero-emissions appeal to avoid falling into climate abyss

All countries should commit to zero carbon emissions by 2050 if the world is to avoid a disastrous 2.4 degree Celsius temperature rise by the end of this century, UN Secretary General António Guterres said on Thursday

If ever there was need for partnership, it is now: Pakistan UN envoy

A senior Pakistan envoy has stressed the need for partnerships to effectively combat the global pandemic Covid 19, and called upon all nations to work together to prevent millions from descending into extreme poverty and destitution

UN forum examines how to make science and technology work better for all

Harnessing the full potential of science and technology for the benefit of all people, everywhere, is the focus of a two-day virtual meeting convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which opened on Tuesday

UNGA president says Kashmir status should not be changed; acknowledges Simla agreement

United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir has said that the status of Jammu and Kashmir should not be changed while acknowledging the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan making it a bilateral issue