Reports

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a copyright violation plea of US-based Archie Comic Publications, saying that that the company does not have any office in India. A division bench said, "This Court has no territorial jurisdiction to entertain the (com)plaint." It said, "Where a Court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of the suit, the order passed would be a nullity." The Division Bench of Justice Mukta Gupta and Justice Vikramkjit Sen was hearing the petition of Archie Comic...

There is hope yet for the orangutan in forest plantations and sustainably logged forests. Selectively logged forests and timber plantations can serve as habitat for orangutans, and populations of the ape may be more resilient than previously believed. A team of researchers led by Erik Meijaard of Jakarta-based People and Nature Consulting International has found roughly equivalent population densities between natural forest areas and two plantation concessions in East Kalimantan, Indonesian...

European countries have agreed to create six marine protected areas (MPAs) in the northeast Atlantic to step up the protection of the region's environment. They have defined six zones or MPAs over 285,000 sq km where human activity should be limited. The decision was taken at a meeting on Friday in the southwestern Norwegian city of Bergen of the OSPAR Commission, a body through which 15 regional countries, along with the European Union, work to protect the environment of the northeast Atlantic...

Two-thirds of US cities and counties consider the environment and energy conservation a priority, but far fewer have taken steps to address those issues. And four out of five people do not consider climate change to be a high priority. The findings are from a survey of 2,176 local governments by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). When asked to what extent different elements were a priority for them, 46.3 percent said it was "no priority". Another 34.6 percent said it...

England's nature reserves, national parks and protected areas are failing in four out of five key quality benchmarks, a major year-long government-sponsored review has concurred. Around £1.1bn is needed to help rebuild nature in England. A 14-member team of wildlife experts has warned that England's wildlife protection areas are not effective enough at preserving species due to poor management, small size, ease of reach by the wider public (especially in urban areas) and lack of inter...

Protected birds were illegally targeted during the night after hundreds of raptors and a flock of 22 spoonbills, among other protected birds, flew into Malta to roost on Tuesday, BirdLife Malta has reported. The 22 spoonbills roosted close to the Salina Bird Sanctuary, a known hotspot of illegal hunting and trapping activity. After dusk they left the area, followed by a team of BirdLife's Raptor Camp who lost sight of them in the dark. In the morning, only nine of the spoonbills headed south...

Scientists have long tried to understand how the ancient Egyptians erected their giant pyramids. Now, a Norwegian architect and researcher says he has the answer to this ancient, unsolved puzzle. Ole J Bryn, an architect and associate professor the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's (NTNU) Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art, believes researchers were needlessly preoccupied with the weight of the stones. In the bargain, they overlooked two problems: How did the Egyptians know...

An Indian court has defended sting operations as a means to expose corruption. The Delhi High Court on Friday quashed criminal proceedings against two journalists who unearthed a sensational scam involving Members of Parliament (MPs) in 2005. Hearing the petition of journalists Aniruddha Bahal and Suhasini Raj, Justice Shiv Narayan Dhingra observed that “charging the petitioner under offence of the Prevention of Corruption Act would amount to travesty of justice”. Justice Dhingra said every...

The controversy over the 'Zandu Balm' song in the film Dabangg and the subsequent rapprochement between the ointment manufacturer and the film producer is a classic example of a farce being played out in full public glare. It was a farce all right. But such a poor one that it couldn't even make one laugh. The contending parties of course have started sleeping together. Happily so. Dabangg has been one of the biggest hits in recent times. Its first weekend box office collections of Rs 48 crore...

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has overlooked the violation of the country’s Forest Conservation Act (FCA) by the Dhamra port in Orissa. The port is a joint venture between TATA Steel and L&T. The area in question adjoins critical habitat for endangered olive ridley turtles and other wildlife. The revelations by Greenpeace India will put pressure on Minister Jairam Ramesh to explain why he ignored these violations, while recently denying clearance for UK-based Vedanta to mine in...