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Importing goods from sustainable production countries could lower EU’s environmental footprint

A new study has analysed how to reduce the environmental footprint of EU trade by preferentially importing goods from countries that have greener production processes. The study concludes that the environmental impacts of 200 product groups imported into the EU could be considerably reduced in this way. For example, water consumption caused by these imports could be cut by 72%, and land use by 65%.




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Impact of one-off dredging deposits important for licensing

New insights into the impact of dredging on the environment highlight the distinction between small, frequent deposits of sediments arising from maintenance dredging, and larger one-off capital deposits. Understanding this distinction is crucial for effective licensing and monitoring of dredging.




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Solar-powered desalination could help avoid water shortages

A new solar-powered desalination technology could help solve water shortage problems without any damage to the environment, according to researchers. They evaluated a prototype model and demonstrated that it could produce up to 12 litres of freshwater a day per m2 of equipment.




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Managing water shortages under a growing population

A new study has analysed water shortages around the world over the past two millennia. Population growth has been a significant pressure on supplies and will continue to increase in threat in future. Dealing with water scarcity will therefore increasingly require improved water governance, management and policy measures, which are fully integrated into societal development.




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The importance of boundaries in international river management

The management of international rivers is subject to two main types of boundary: the physical boundary of the river itself and the socio-political boundaries of the nations and regions that surround it. A new study has compared the impacts of managing rivers according to these different boundaries in Europe and Africa.




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Soil properties are key factor in flood prevention

Soil conditions play a crucial role in determining water runoff and retention in forested sites, according to new research. Soil characteristics, such as compaction, play a greater role than forest type in determining water dynamics.




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Water pollution: finding appropriate limits for particulate matter

One of the most common causes of water quality impairment is suspended particulate matter (SPM). A study by a team of UK researchers suggests that standards for SPM set by EU member states to help achieve the WFD should reflect the natural differences in the levels of this pollutant that are expected in contrasting environments. Their study provides hints as to how a potential alternative system for regulating SPM concentrations might be devised.




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Spanish earthquake triggered by groundwater pumping

An earthquake that killed nine people in Lorca, Spain, last year could have been triggered by groundwater being drained from the area for use in irrigation, according to scientists. The study found that the ground moved in the same places as subsidence has been occurring since the 1960s, due to the extraction of groundwater.




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Commuting study reveals the factors affecting sustainable transport use

Factors influencing people’s decisions about how they travel to work are highlighted in a new study on commuting in Europe. Key findings include: cycling rates increase with the length of a city’s bicycle network and public transport use rises with a city’s population and GDP per capita. Based on the findings, the researchers propose policy measures for reducing the number of car journeys.




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Underground wastewater disposal in the US linked to increase in earthquakes

The number of earthquakes of magnitude 3 or greater in the central and eastern US has increased significantly in recent years, from about 21 a year between 1967 and 2000, to over 300 between 2010 and 2012. Most of this increase seems to be linked to the deep injection of wastewater in underground wells, according to a recent review of seismic activity.




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Neutral organisations play a positive role in facilitating participatory water management

Public participation is an essential part of integrated water management. In a recent study, researchers following the development of a UK catchment management plan found greater cooperation between land managers and environmental regulatory bodies as a result of a participatory process.




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Public views on Baltic eutrophication have important policy implications

Citizens in countries surrounding the Baltic Sea would be willing to contribute financially towards long-term management of eutrophication, according to a recent study. Furthermore, most would like to see the Baltic Sea managed as a single whole, rather than only improving their local coastal area.




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Water demand for crops may rise in northern Germany under warmer climate

By 2070, there may be insufficient water for irrigation to ensure yields and profitability for some crops currently grown in northern Germany - if the IPCC´s worst case climate change scenario becomes a reality - new research warns. To reduce future demand for water under a changing climate, the study suggests that farmers grow different crops and change their management practices.




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Water management planning approach deals with deep uncertainties

More adaptive approaches to planning could help policymakers deal with deep uncertainties about the future of our planet. Researchers have developed a method for adaptive planning which they suggest could protect against failure when future predictions turn out to be inaccurate. They illustrate their approach using the case of water management in the Rhine Delta region of the Netherlands.




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Manure and sewage can provide crops with more phosphorus than chemical fertilisers

Phosphorus in sewage and manure could be more available to crops than previously thought, suggests new research. The study found that some forms of sewage and manure treatment provided plants with more phosphorus than conventional inorganic fertilisers.




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Artificial wetlands on farmland help to prevent soil loss and recapture agricultural by-products

Small field wetlands are a simple and effective way to reduce soil erosion and nutrient pollution, recent research suggests. The authors adapted Norwegian designs for the UK environment and created a series of small rectangular lakes on the edges of agricultural fields. After three years, the wetlands had prevented tonnes of soil from leaving the land, and helped alleviate some of the nutrient run-off that would have affected neighbouring waterways.




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Water management: five policy conditions to help overcome the challenges of an uncertain future

‘Adaptive co-management’ could help water managers cope with future shocks and unpredictability brought by climate change, according to a recent study. They identify five conditions for policies that would create an enabling environment for this management approach, which include the need to account for water’s ecological functions, and for stakeholders to learn from each other.




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Flood risk management as a government–citizen partnership

Throughout Europe and beyond, the delivery of flood risk management (FRM) is increasingly being seen as the shared responsibility of governmental actors and citizens. However, a new study, which explored the viewpoints of stakeholders in a flood-prone part of Belgium, found that citizens see FRM mainly as the government’s responsibility.




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Managing water resources for an uncertain future: new method of robust planning

Water-supply planning that considers the preferences of multiple stakeholders under uncertain and variable future conditions are more robust than planning decisions based on historical conditions, a recent study has stated. Using the Thames river basin in the UK as an example, the researchers present a new computer-modelling approach to assess which combinations of water-management measures best secure future water supply under a wide range of possible future conditions.




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Changes that occur to nanoparticles in the environment are key to understanding their impact

Available evidence from the last decade, describing the nature, behaviour and effect of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in the environment, has been reviewed. It identified factors that influence ENP distribution and fate and highlighted the existence of significant research gaps which, if filled, would help in understanding the impacts of long-term accumulation of nanomaterials and the changes that occur to them when they are released into the environment.




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Soil moisture stress on plants leads to uncertainty in carbon cycle estimates

This study paves the way for better projections of the impact of climate change on plants, including agricultural crops and carbon drawdown. The research shows how an equation used in climate models to represent soil moisture levels is responsible for major variations in estimates of the carbon cycle.




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Non-essentials removed from e-commerce cart

Allowing supply of non-essential items through ecommerce would have defeated the purpose of lockdown, according to a joint secretary in the MHA




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COVID-19: Indian Internet infra not prepared for shift to online teaching-learning, says QS report

The report titled "COVID-19: A wake up call for telecom service providers" is based on a survey conducted by QS I Guage, which rates colleges and universities in India with complete operational control held by London-based QS.




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Facebook's startup bets in India

Over the past year, social networking giant Facebook has been actively investing in the Indian tech and startup ecosystem




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Fixed line broadband users, data usage surge due to lockdown: Report

A Crisil note said due to the aggressive play by the telcos, the number of subscribers has stagnated at 19 million since 2016. Till now, the lower speed 4G served the purpose for people due to affordable smartphones, it noted. "But now, subscriptions to fixed broadband, especially in the urban areas, have surged because millions are working from home...," it said.




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India witnesses 40% increase in peak Internet traffic: Report

There was significant spike in downloads and uploads per user, owing to the high volume of work and streaming content across India.




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Xiaomi phones may reveal your private search, usage: Report

Cybersecurity researchers have accused Xiaomi of infringing on the privacy of its phone users by recording their 'private' web and phone use habits.




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'Significant' increase in cybercrime against women during lockdown: Experts

There has been a significant increase in cybercrime against women, especially sextortion, during the COVID-19-induced lockdown with "caged criminals" targeting them online, say experts.




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131 percent increase in viruses targeted towards remote workers: Fortinet

Cybercriminals are unleashing a surprisingly high volume of new threats in this short period of time to take advantage of inadvertent security gaps as organizations are in a rush to ensure business continuity.




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Hackers put over half million Zoom app login details for sale on dark web: Reports

The video-conferencing app has seen a global usage during the coronavirus lockdowns.




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Chinese hacking group targeting governments across Asia: Report

The group has been very active during the last five years, especially in 2019-20.




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Hackers disrupt virtual S.African parliament meeting with porn

Hackers on Thursday disrupted a virtual session of South Africa's parliament, posting pornographic images in the second such incident since the coronavirus outbreak.




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Hacking attacks on educational portal tripled in Q1 amid online learning

DDoS attacks during the first three months of this year have seen a significant spike in attacks on educational websites.




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Facebook expands Community Help feature for COVID-19 efforts

Facebook has announced to expand its Community Help feature as part of COVID-19 efforts which will help people offer help to those affected by the new coronavirus pandemic, as well as donate to nonprofit organisations.




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How an Indian Tech startup helped brands execute their IPL campaigns

For the recent IPL season, Roanuz partnered with various brands and offered their product to run IPL campaigns, key ones being Zomato, RCB, and Book My Show.




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Key to success in data science: Domain expertise

A passion for data is a prerequisite to pursue a career in data science — datasets should instantly inspire you to infer, analyse and visualise information.




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Govt gets started to make WFH process smooth

In discussions with industry to get better software, hardware solutions and define basic parameters




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Walmart Labs will hire 2,800 in India this year

Since its inception in Bengaluru in 2008, Walmart Labs India has built cross-disciplinary teams engaged in cutting edge engineering, product development and data sciences.




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BSE puts in place penalty structure for non-submission of cyber security report

Brokers need to submit a quarterly report on incidence of cyber-attacks and threats.




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Appliances, consumer electronic makers assist customers virtually amid lockdown

Companies like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Haier and Godrej Appliance are leveraging Livechat, WhatsApp, DIY video as well as on-call assistance, and helping remotely on real time basis as their service centres are closed in compliance with the government directives.




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Covid-19 impact may set India's smartphone production back by four years

India's contribution to global smartphone production had jumped to 16 per cent in 2019 from 9 per cent in 2016, as several handset makers cut down output in China or moved out due to the US-China trade war and received heavy incentives by the Indian government to beef up manufacturing in the country.




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Short video app VMate's new corona games raise awareness, emerge as lockdown stress-buster

The application roped in qualified doctors and medical professionals to furnish authentic corona-related information and bust myths around the same.




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Smartphone makers plan sops, aggressive prices to push sales

Organic growth will be difficult and consumers will only buy a phone out of necessity or maybe settle for a refurbished one depending on their spending ability




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India phone exports more than doubled on-year to 3.6 crore units in FY19-20

“We have attracted interest from companies such global giant Samsung and Chinese OEMs in the mobile phone segment coupled with the right set of incentives for them,” said Faisal Kawoosa, founder and chief analyst, TechArc. “The mass domestic market, which was underpenetrated for long, has provided an opportunity to these players to address local demand as well as set-up base here,” he added.




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Offline phone retailers approach home ministry to restart shops

“We recommend allowing all physical shops dealing on sales, repair and service activity of mobile phones, mobile devices (laptops and tablets) and their supporting accessories to be opened on a limited basis (three days a week for five hours) with limited number of staff,” AIMRA said in an April 17 letter to union home minister Amit Shah.




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Indians spent 4.3 hours a day on smartphones in March, up 24%

India also saw the biggest jump in video consumption of 40% to over 2.9 billion hours during the week starting March 22 as compared to the last week of December 2019




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Flipkart starts taking orders for mobile phones, expect deliveries from April 20

While the coronavirus lockdown is set to be lifted to May 3, you can now buy mobile phones on Flipkart.




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Apple clears bills of partners in India for 2 months

Apple has also provided an additional credit period of 60 days to help them tide over business disruptions due to Covid-19.




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IIT-Madras startups develop PPEs from 3D printers and regular stationery materials

Initial batches have been supplied in Chennai, while some were in the process of being scaled up towards mass production for use in hospitals and clinics across the country.




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UK offers virtual cyber school for teens in Covid-19 lockdown

The UK government on Friday launched a new virtual cyber security school aimed at encouraging teenagers to learn new skills while stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. As part of the free lessons, youngsters can learn how to crack codes, fix security flaws and dissect criminals' digital trails while progressing through a game as a cyber agent.