4:33 am - Friday May 8, 2026

World

Latest News on World
has commissioned a red mud powder producing unit at Lanjigarh refinery in Odisha, describing it as first of its kind in alumina industry tackling major environmental hazards. “The unique project of producing red mud powder has been commissioned in a fully mechanised and automatic plant. The system has been developed in-house after continuous research for more than three years,” a senior company official said in a statement on Tuesday. Giving details of the project, Mukesh Kumar, president and COO of VAL said the project which was commissioned last week is the first of its kind in the world and has been set up with a capital expenditure of around Rs. 50 crore. This will have advantages like savings in caustic consumption by 10-15 kg per tonne of alumina, minimising land requirement by 50 to 60 per cent, and doing away with wet red mud storage thereby eliminating environmental hazards, he said. The powdery red mud can easily be utilised in cement industry as well as in other Industries, Mr. Kumar said. Red mud is a waste from alumina industry and its disposal and utilisation has always been a matter of concern for environmentalists as well as alumina industry. Although, the alumina technology is more than 100 years old but no solution could be evolved by the industry to avoid storage of red mud slurry, sources said. As the slurry is alkaline in nature and its generation is nearly one and a half times of alumina, world over millions of tonnes of red mud is lying in various red mud ponds except in some countries where it is discharged into the sea. In any alumina refinery, a major portion of land is used for handling this waste. Although, red mud is rich in iron and titanium, no use could be made till now mainly due to presence of caustic soda. Looking into the serious nature of hazard such red mud ponds may have, MoEF has formed a special project only few months back as National Mission for Red Mud to sponsor and promote research in red mud utilisation, sources said.
Tackling methane emissions key for clima...

Tackling methane emissions key for climate change and energy security: IEA

Tackling methane emissions key for climate change and energy security: IEA ## Methane Mitigation: A Dual Solution for Climate and Energy Stability **International Energy Agency Highlights Critical Role of Methane Reduction in Addressing Global Energy Vulnerabilities** In a significant report... read more »

Second Brit needs 'urgent care'...

Second Brit needs 'urgent care' after 'hantavirus outbreak&#...

Second Brit needs 'urgent care' after 'hantavirus outbreak' on MV Hondius cruise ship ## Cruise Ship Illness Raises Health Concerns: Three Fatalities, British Passenger Critical A concerning outbreak of illness aboard the cruise ship MV Hondius has resulted in three fatalities... read more »

Travel company confirms 23 Brits on boar...

Travel company confirms 23 Brits on board MV Hondius cruise ship amid hanta...

Travel company confirms 23 Brits on board MV Hondius cruise ship amid hantavirus outbreak **British Nationals Among Those Affected by Hantavirus Outbreak on Expedition Vessel Near Cape Verde** A significant concern has emerged for British citizens aboard the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, which... read more »

Husband accused of brutally murdering Mi...

Husband accused of brutally murdering Miss Switzerland finalist says he �...

Husband accused of brutally murdering Miss Switzerland finalist says he 'loved her' **Accused in Beauty Queen’s Death Claims Devotion in Court** A man facing charges in connection with the alleged brutal murder of his wife, Kristina Joksimovic, a finalist in the Miss Switzerland... read more »

Subscribe to Africa

Africa

Nelson Mandela still unable to speak, says ex-wife

Nelson Mandela still unable to speak, says ex-wife

London – Former South African president Nelson Mandela is still unable to speak, but he is not on life-support machine, his ex-wife said. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said that ailing Mandela was... read more »

29 killed, 30 injured in Egypt train collision

29 killed, 30 injured in Egypt train collision

Cairo – At least 29 people! were killed and 30 injured when a freight train crashed into a number of vehicles near the Egyptian capital of... read more »

31 killed in attack on anti-militia protesters in Libya...

31 killed in attack on anti-militia protesters in Libya capital

TRIPOLI – A group of militiamen opened fire here on Friday at hundreds of protesters, killing at least 31 people and wounding 230 others, the Libyan... read more »

Nine Boko Haram killed in military offensive in Nigeria

40 killed in fresh Nigeria attacks

Lagos – Nine Boko Haram insurgents were kill! ed in an offensive on a camp in the Nigeria northeast Borno State, military authorities said... read more »

Morsi says no stability in Egypt possible ‘without remo...

Morsi says no stability in Egypt possible ‘without removing consequences of coup’

Sydney – Deposed Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi has said there will be no stability in the country ‘without removing consequences of the... read more »

Subscribe to Asia

Asia

AL-QAEDA CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR SECULAR BLOGGER HACKED TO DEAT...

In a communique issued in Bengali and English, and posted on its Facebook and Twitter accounts on August 7, 2015, Ansar al-Islam declared the attack to be “vengeance” for the honor of the Prophet... read more »

Chinese hackers snooped on five EU ministries, says US security firm

China gives former general suspended death sentenc...

BEIJING – A top Chinese military officer has been given a suspended death sentence for corruption, state media said Monday, in a case where he was... read more »

Fourth secular blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh

Barely three months after the killing of a blogger in Sylhet, unknown assailants armed with machetes hacked to death secular blogger Niloy Chatterjee Neel at... read more »

Landslides and floods claim 90 lives in Nepal

KATHMANDU: At least 90 people have been killed across Nepal in the past two months due to floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains, authorities have... read more »

At least 30 killed in Nepal landslides

The landslides came crashing into villages and homes just after midnight. One survivor said they sounded like an earthquake. Multiple slides, triggered by... read more »

Subscribe to China

China

Easing one-child policy no big deal: Chinese official

China to ease one-child policy

Beijing – China will loosen its decades old one-chil! d population policy, allowing couples to have two children if one of the parents is an only child, according to a key decision announced... read more »

Xi Jinping

China announces setting up of National Security Co...

Washington – China has announced that it is setting up a National Security Council under President Xi Jinping with a wider focus, including... read more »

China sets up cloud computing industry alliance

China allegedly withholds residence visas for NYT, Bloomberg reporters

Beijing – A cloud computing industry alliance was set up Wednesday in Beijing to promote the development and innovation of information technology. The... read more »

8 killed in floods after typhoon hits China

8 killed in floods after typhoon hits China

Eight people were killed and over 1,000 students were trapped in floods after rainstorms in several areas in China triggered by typhoon Haiyan. Two people have... read more »

China on high alert as super typhoon hits coast

China on high alert as super typhoon hits coast

Beijing – China Sunday issued a red alert, the highest alert in its warning system, for super typhoon ‘Haiyan’ that brought heavy rains to... read more »

Subscribe to Middle East

Middle East

The rise of ISIS: Group of 10,000 fighters now controls a territo...

ISIS now controls territory the size of the UK, is making £600,000 a day from selling oil and ransoming hostages and has a fighting force of 10,000 militants, according to a leading expert. Matthew... read more »

US jets again strike jihadists around Iraqi dam

WASHINGTON: The United States carried out another round of air strikes on Monday against militants from the so-called Islamic States battling Iraqi... read more »

Israel claims nearly 1,000 acres of West Bank land near...

JERUSALEM: Israel laid claim on Sunday to nearly 1,000 acres of West Bank land in a Jewish settlement bloc near Bethlehem — a step that could herald... read more »

Egyptian court sentences Brotherhood leader Badie to li...

CAIRO: An Egyptian court sentenced Mohamed Badie, general guide of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and seven others to life in prison on Saturday for inciting... read more »

UN chief welcomes Gaza truce deal

“A brighter future for Gaza and Israel depends on a sustainable ceasefire. It is up to the parties to live up to this responsibility,” Ban’s... read more »

Subscribe to South Asia

South Asia

India-Myanmar relations rooted in history: Mukherjee

India-Myanmar relations rooted in history: Mukherjee

New Delhi – Terming relations between India and Myanmar as being rooted in history, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee Thursday said it is in the mutual interest of both the countries to... read more »

Pak high court dismisses Musharaf’s petition challenging special court for high treason

Pak high court dismisses Musharaf’s petition chall...

Islamabad – Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a petition challenging the special court for treason trial of former President General... read more »

CNN features 16 December gang-rape case in` World Untol...

CNN features 16 December gang-rape case in` World Untold Stories` series

New Delhi – An upcoming documentary on the 16-December fatal gang-rape case titled ‘The Fearless One’ is being presented under CNN’s series... read more »

UN Security Council condemns slams attacks on aid worke...

UN Security Council extends sanctions on Liberia

United Nations – The ! UN Security Council (UNSC) has strongly condemned deadly attacks in two Afghan provinces last week which led to the death of nine... read more »

Petition questioning Musharraf’s trial rejected

Petition questioning Musharraf's trial rejected

Islamabad – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected a ! petition challenging the constitution of a special court for the treason trial of former... read more »

Subscribe to Europe

Europe

German coalition agreement emerging

German coalition agreement emerging

Berlin – Germany’s two main parties agreed on various issues in their final round of coalition talks Tuesday night, sending a signal that an agreement for forming Germany’s new... read more »

Coalition deal reached in Germany

Coalition deal reached in Germany

Leaders of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative-led bloc and the Centre-Left Social Democratic Party reached a coalition agreement early... read more »

EU threatens to freeze data sharing with US

EU threatens to freeze data sharing with US

London – The European Union’s (EU) justice and rights commissioner Viviane Reding has threatened to halt data-sharing arrangements with the US... read more »

Rebekah Brooks once told Colin Montgomerie’s ex-w...

Rebekah Brooks once told Colin Montgomerie's ex-wife 'hacking voicemails easy'

London – Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks once reportedly told Eimear Cook, the ex-wife of golfer Colin Montgomerie, that it was easy to... read more »

Germany, US agree on efforts to rebuild trust

Germany, US agree on efforts to rebuild trust

Berlin – The US and German politicians agreed on efforts to rebuild trust during the visit by a delegation of US lawmakers led by senator Christ Murphy... read more »

Subscribe to North America

North America

CIA recruited Guantanamo Bay suspects to spy on al-Qa’ida leaders post 9/11

CIA recruited Guantanamo Bay suspects to spy on al-Qa’ida leaders...

London – The CIA turned some terror suspects, who were rounded up and delivered to the Guantanamo Bay military prison Cuba in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, into double agents. The programme was... read more »

US defies Chinese restrictions by flying bombers over Senkaku islands

US defies Chinese restrictions by flying bombers o...

Washington – The United States has reportedly flown two B-52 bombers over the disputed Senkaku Islands as part of a training exercise amid... read more »

US school shooter obsessed with mass murders

US school shooter obsessed with mass murders

Washington – A report on the December 2012 “massacre of the innocents” at a US elementary school says that the gunman had an obsession with... read more »

Obama defends Iranian nuclear deal against ‘tough...

Obama defends Iranian nuclear deal against 'tough talk and bluster'

London – President Barack Obama has defended the breakthrough deal between Iran and world powers on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Obama however... read more »

Obama assuages Netanyahu on Iran post ‘historic b...

Obama assuages Netanyahu on Iran post 'historic blunder' remarks

Washington – President Barack Obama has reaffirmed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on working out a comprehensive solution for preventing Iran... read more »

More from World

Vijays Velankanni visit cancelled; visuals of supporters chanting TVK inside Basilica go v...

Vijays Velankanni visit cancelled; visuals of supporters chanting TVK inside Basilica go viral ## Political Stalwart Predicts Historic Electoral Shift Following Vijay’s Velankanni... read more »

Two women die in attempted Channel crossing from France to UK

Two women die in attempted Channel crossing from France to UK ### Tragedy at Sea: Two Women Perish During Attempted English Channel Crossing **CALAIS, France** – A perilous journey across... read more »

Taiwans leader visits Eswatini despite pressure from China to block trip

Taiwans leader visits Eswatini despite pressure from China to block trip **Taiwan’s President Embarks on Diplomatic Mission to Eswatini, Underscoring Bilateral Ties Amidst Regional... read more »

US military says two service members taking part in Morocco drills missing

US military says two service members taking part in Morocco drills missing **US Military Launches Search for Missing Service Members During Moroccan Exercise** **Southwestern Morocco** –... read more »

Israel

Israel approves purchase of fighter jets from the US

Israel approves purchase of fighter jets from the US **Israel Bolsters Air Power with Major Acquisition of Advanced Fighter Jets** **Jerusalem, Israel** – In a significant move to enhance its... read more »