Latest news with #Bonelli
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Summer survey for Delhi Bird Atlas adds 21 species
The summer survey of the Delhi Bird Atlas concluded on Sunday with more than 160 species recorded across seven clusters and 145 one-sqkm subcells, officials from Delhi's forest and wildlife department said. At least 21 of these species were new ones not recorded in the winter survey, held between January 1 and the first week of February in which 200 species were recorded. Grey night herons spotted at Yamuna Biodiversity Park in 2019. (HT Archive) A preliminary report on the findings of both surveys will be released in October during Wildlife Week, the forest department said on Sunday. The Delhi Bird Atlas will be a detailed book on the Capital's bird diversity in terms of species and distribution and is planned to be released towards the end of next year after two more surveys. 'If we combine the data from both surveys, 221 species have been recorded, which is a healthy number for Delhi, considering we also covered grids that had urban spaces,' said Pankaj Gupta, regional coordinator for Bird Count India, adding that the data will help policymakers make relevant decision for developments while considering urban habitats. The summer survey was flagged off by the forest department on April 27, and more than 200 volunteers and 50 teams combed through Delhi's diverse landscapes from parks and wetlands to scrublands, residential neighbourhoods and even concretised urban and commercial spaces. At least 600 checklists were shared by birders and volunteers during this period. Overall, 21 additional species were recorded this time which were not spotted in the winter survey, officials said. These included Bonelli's eagle, Indian bush lark, Indian Golden-oriole and the greater flamingo. 'We also spotted an oriental turtle dove, which is generally seen in the winter months. We did not spot it in the winter survey, but instead saw it in the summer survey, which was a little unusual,' Gupta added. The Atlas is being prepared by Delhi's forest and wildlife department, in collaboration with birders from Bird Count India, Delhi Bird Foundation and organisations including WWF-India, Wildlife SOS, Asian Adventures and the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). Forest officials said they will require at least two more surveys — another winter and summer count, to prepare the Atlas. 'We will also map out the sightings and spread of birds in Delhi. This will also show birding hot spots,' an official said. Shyam Sunder Kandpal, Delhi's chief wildlife warden, said the preliminary report will highlight key findings of this year's winter and summer surveys. 'It will not stop here, and we plan to organise more bird walks to train more volunteers for the next season,' he said, adding that the data will also contribute towards the annual 'State of the Birds' report. Birders said that the data collection marks a crucial step in building a robust, long-term understanding of Delhi's avian biodiversity. 'While we missed a few expected species such as the woolly-necked stork and river tern, we gathered valuable data from some of the city's most overlooked spaces such as slums, drains, and garbage dumps, reminding us that even common birds tell important stories,' said Akash Gulalia, senior birder and professor at Delhi University. Birders said these surveys also showed that several lesser-known or previously overlooked green spaces outside the city's protected areas also support vibrant birdlife. 'This was far from regular birding—conducted in peak summer across drains, informal settlements, and lesser-known urban pockets. It was physically demanding in Delhi's heat but offered a meaningful opportunity to contribute to structured citizen science and support long-term urban biodiversity monitoring,' said Kaushani Banerjee, a Delhi Bird Atlas volunteer.
Los Angeles Times
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Los Angeles Times
Waymo expands service area in Los Angeles and San Francisco
Waymo, the autonomous taxi company that's offered rides in Los Angeles since November, is expanding its service area in the city. Starting Wednesday, the driverless taxis will roam more than 120 square miles of Los Angeles County, stretching from Santa Monica to downtown and from West Hollywood to Inglewood. The expanded service area will include Playa del Rey, Ladera Heights, Echo Park, Silver Lake and the entirety of Sunset Boulevard, according to company spokesperson Chris Bonelli. Customers using the ride-hailing service will also be able to take Waymo vehicles directly from Mid-City to Inglewood and Westchester via La Cienega Boulevard and La Brea Avenue, Bonelli said. The vehicles began testing on Los Angeles freeways early this year. Waymo's fleet of electric Jaguars has become a common sight in Los Angeles, where anyone can download the app and request a ride. Before coming to Southern California, Waymo launched in Phoenix and San Francisco, where collectively the vehicles have driven tens of thousands of riders more than 30 million miles without a human driver. Waymo provides more than 250,000 paid rides per week. Waymo vehicles rely on cameras, sensors and a type of laser radar called lidar to operate autonomously. Based on data collected by Waymo, their driverless vehicles had 81% fewer airbag deployment crashes, 78% fewer injury-causing crashes and 62% fewer police-reported crashes than traditional vehicles driving the same distance. The company got its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which began in 2009 and put its first autonomous car on the road in 2015. The project rebranded as Waymo in 2016 under Google's parent company Alphabet and launched its driverless ride-hailing service known as Waymo One in 2020. Waymo One is poised to expand to Miami, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Customers in Austin, Texas, can request a Waymo through the Uber app. Also starting Wednesday, Bay Area riders will have expanded access to the San Francisco Peninsula, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Waymo One will be made available to customers in South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame. Waymo's expansion in Los Angeles comes just days after several of the autonomous vehicles were vandalized and set on fire during anti-ICE protests downtown.
Boston Globe
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Advocates decry ‘dangerous rollbacks' in R.I.'s lead-safe rental registry
Advertisement 'It's already working and it continues to increase the safety and quality of our state's housing stock,' Guo said. 'One of the main goals of the rental registry was to act as a tool for enforcement of existing lead laws." Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The state Lead Hazard Mitigation Act became law 20 years ago, requiring rental units built before 1978 to pass a lead inspection every two years. 'But still, more than 900 children were considered to have an She said lead exposure is especially prevalent in Providence, Pawtucket, Related : Advertisement Guo said that if there had been no rental registry, many landlords would not have done lead inspections. While no fines have been imposed yet, she said, 'The threat of impending fines and the possibility that tenants could withhold their rent by placing it into escrow was the most powerful motivator.' Shana Crandell, executive director of Reclaim RI, a 'grassroots housing justice organization,' said the rental registry is working in part because it lets tenants pay rent into escrow if their landlord refuses to take steps to make their apartments safe. 'If landlords want to get their rent checks, they've got to make sure the apartment they're renting out isn't toxic and won't brain damage their tenants,' she said. But, Crandell said, 'There have been attempts this session to weaken this critical public health tool.' And she called for legislators to 'oppose dangerous rollbacks of the registry' that she said would 'put renters' children at risk of serious harm.' 'This is the time to build on progress, not reverse it,' she said. Meanwhile, the legislation has received support from landlords such as Scott Bonelli, who submitted written testimony to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee. 'Help the property owner help the situation. We are not the enemy,' he wrote. 'I fully support changes being made so that this law does as it is intended and reduces the burden and cost on the housing market.' Bonelli said he supports lead-safe housing for 'at-risk occupants.' But, he said, data indicates that about 15 percent of rental households include children under age 6 — the group most vulnerable to lead exposure. Advertisement 'Efforts should be targeted toward this specific segment rather than implementing a broad, all-encompassing approach that is unrealistic and unattainable,' Bonelli wrote. 'Overloading an already strained system with additional requirements will not effectively protect children.' The Rhode Island Coalition of Housing Providers wrote to the House Judiciary Committee in support of the legislation, saying, 'These changes strike a necessary balance between protecting public health and ensuring fair and practical implementation for housing providers.' The coalition called for restoring a landlord's ability to evict a tenant for nonpayment of rent even if the landlord hasn't yet obtained a lead certificate. 'While lead safety compliance is important, it should not be used as a loophole to prevent landlords from taking necessary legal action against tenants who fail to pay rent,' the group wrote. The coalition also supported pushing back penalties in the rental registry law until Oct. 1, 2025. 'These changes provide much-needed fairness and feasibility in implementing lead safety measures while maintaining the law's intent of protecting at-risk populations,' the group wrote. Insurance agent Anthony D. Zelano Sr. also wrote to senators in support of the legislation. 'Rhode Island's lead laws create significant obstacles for insurance companies when it comes to covering homes built before 1978,' he wrote. 'The age of these homes, the costs of inspections and renovations, and the fear of lawsuits all contribute to a challenging environment for insurers.' But Attorney General Advertisement Neronha warned that a set of four pieces of legislation would 'render the lead registry inoperable, repeal effective enforcement provisions, and allow noncompliant landlords to continue to expose Rhode Island children to the dangers of lead poisoning.' That would happen, he said, just as new laws are having their intended effect: He said Rhode Island's lead poisoning rate fell by 24 percent in 2024, leaving it with the lowest rate on record. 'I urge the committee to reject this proposed legislation, which would place the financial interests of landlords above the health and safety of children,' Neronha wrote. Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at
CNN
29-05-2025
- General
- CNN
Incredible photos from the National Geographic Traveller competition
An intimate portrait of a Vietnamese woman sitting next to her great-granddaughter in a dark, smoky room as she works on some embroidery has won the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition 2025. Taken in Vietnam's Lào Cai province by UK-based photographer Justin Cliffe, the winning image was selected from thousands of entries and described by judges as portraying a 'moment between generations that captures so much beauty and humanity.' 'The colours, light and textures work really well,' the judges added in a press release Thursday. The art of embroidery has been passed down multiple generations of Red Dao minority people in Vietnam, according to National Geographic. Other category winners include a captivating image of an eye-like geothermal pool in Iceland, a family-run eatery in Tibet and a thrilling chance-encounter between a Bonelli's eagle and a fox in Spain. The annual competition aims to highlight the best travel photos from around the globe taken by UK and Ireland-based photographers, both amateurs and professionals. Cliffe's prize-winning image was chosen from six category winners across the themes of landscape, people, wildlife, food, city life and portfolio. 'Our competition goes from strength to strength, with this year's easily one of the strongest yet,' Pat Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveller (UK), said in the release. 'Capturing everything from the dramatic landscapes of Iceland and Italy to incredible wildlife shots in Spain and Canada, the 18 finalists – who made the cut from thousands of entries – have really elevated the level of travel photography with their ingenuity and skill,' Riddell added. The six category winners can be viewed in the gallery above.
CNN
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Incredible photos from the National Geographic Traveller competition
An intimate portrait of a Vietnamese woman sitting next to her great-granddaughter in a dark, smoky room as she works on some embroidery has won the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition 2025. Taken in Vietnam's Lào Cai province by UK-based photographer Justin Cliffe, the winning image was selected from thousands of entries and described by judges as portraying a 'moment between generations that captures so much beauty and humanity.' 'The colours, light and textures work really well,' the judges added in a press release Thursday. The art of embroidery has been passed down multiple generations of Red Dao minority people in Vietnam, according to National Geographic. Other category winners include a captivating image of an eye-like geothermal pool in Iceland, a family-run eatery in Tibet and a thrilling chance-encounter between a Bonelli's eagle and a fox in Spain. The annual competition aims to highlight the best travel photos from around the globe taken by UK and Ireland-based photographers, both amateurs and professionals. Cliffe's prize-winning image was chosen from six category winners across the themes of landscape, people, wildlife, food, city life and portfolio. 'Our competition goes from strength to strength, with this year's easily one of the strongest yet,' Pat Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveller (UK), said in the release. 'Capturing everything from the dramatic landscapes of Iceland and Italy to incredible wildlife shots in Spain and Canada, the 18 finalists – who made the cut from thousands of entries – have really elevated the level of travel photography with their ingenuity and skill,' Riddell added. The six category winners can be viewed in the gallery above.
