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Hindustan Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
India to debut next-gen E10 Shinkansen trains alongside Japan in bullet train project
The Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in India, with its introduction in the 508-km-long Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. Tunneling work of the first section of 21-km undersea tunnel between BKC and Thane got completed on Monday(Pixaby/Represenatational Image) 'In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project,' the Indian Railways said in a statement. A key piece of information is that the E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan. The Japanese Shinkansen is currently running with E5 trains, with E10 trains slated to be the next generation. According to the officials, the entire 508-km-long corridor is being developed with the Japanese Shinkansen technology. As per the ministry, work on 15 river bridges is finished and work on four bridges is in the advanced stages of construction. First section of BKC-Thane undersea tunnel completed Meanwhile, on Monday, tunnelling work of the first section of 21-km-long undersea tunnel between BKC and Thane got completed. The Railway Ministry said that the tunnelling work between Ghansoli and Shilphata in Maharashtra is marking a major milestone in the project. 'The bullet train project recently achieved a major milestone by completing 310 km of viaduct construction," a press note from the ministry said. It added that the track laying and construction of station, bridges and overhead electrical wires is going at a rapid pace. Along with the the procurement of systems for operation and control is also going well. Talking about the undersea tunnel part of the bullet train project, the Railway Ministry said that the station at BKC will be an engineering marvel. Located at 32.5m below the ground the foundation of the construction will support the 95m high building about the ground, Ministry said. "The success of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project is laying the foundation for future bullet train corridors in India,' it added, stating that future corridors like this is also under consideration by the ministry. (With PTI inputs)
Hindustan Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
UAE denies lifetime Golden Visa eligibility for Indians, Bangladeshis; dismisses ₹23 lakh report
The United Arab Emirates has denied all rumours and reports regarding a lifetime Golden Visa for Indians. Abu Dhabi's federal authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security has denied these rumours for lifetime eligibility for "certain nationalities." The UAE has denied reports that a lifetime Golden Visa will be available for certain nationalities.(Pixaby/Representational Image) UAE's ICP stated that the Golden Visa applications are handled exclusively through government channels. "No internal or external consultancy entity is recognised as an authorised party in the application process," the ICP wrote. Also Read: Here's how to apply for UAE's golden visa: Step-by-step guide The statement, shared by Emirates News Agency added that the ICP's denial comes after certain reports and rumours from foreign media were circulated regarding a lifetime Golden Visa to settle in the UAE. The statement shared by WAM was also verified by the UAE's ICP on its official Instagram page. Earlier this week, it was reported that citizens from India and Bangladesh will be eligible to apply for a lifetime Golden Visa for just ₹23 lakhs. "Indians can now enjoy the UAE's Golden Visa for life by paying a fee of AED 1,00,000 (INR around 23.30 lakh)," beneficiaries and people involved in the process have told news agency PTI. However, with the UAE federal authority's statement, this news is now false. The ICP added that legal action will be taken for the spread of false information in an attempt to illegally collect money from individuals aspiring to live and reside in the UAE. ICP urged the public not to fall for fraudulent schemes and to rely solely on verified channels for visa-related information. For accurate guidance, applicants can visit or call the number - 600522222.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
UAE Golden Visa: Lifetime residency for ₹23 lakhs
The United Arab Emirates has rolled out a new type of nomination-based Golden Visa system, a change from its earlier practice that used to demand large investments in property or business. The new visa system will offer a lifetime residency in exchange of a one-time fee of AED 100,000 (approximately Rs. 23.3 lakh). For now this Golden Visa system has been extended to India and Bangladesh to test the efficiency of the system.(Pixaby/Representational Image) The visa process will also simplify access to long term residencies for eligible individuals. Furthermore, the visa opportunity will also offer eligible individuals such as business owners, professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, creatives, and influencers the chance to apply for a 10-year UAE residency through a government nomination category. Pilot testing in India and Bangladesh For now, this new visa system has been extended to India and Bangladesh to test the efficiency of the system. Rayad Group and VFS have been chosen to vet the applicants and then forward them to the UAE authorities. Once the pilot study is done with India and Bangladesh, this system will be extended to other Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement countries. With over 5,000 Indians now set to apply for this new visa system in three months, here is how Indians can access the long term residency in the UAE. Also read: UAE rolls out new Golden Visa offering lifetime residency for ₹23 lakh; sparks a meme fest online: 'Omw to the bank!' What will the process look like For Indians looking to apply through this visa system the process will be fairly simple and will involve background checks. The process as explained by Rayad Kamal, managing director of the firm, will be as following: The visa application can be submitted through (visa concierge service company) VASCO centres in India and Bangladesh, or through the registered offices, online portal, or dedicated call centre of Rayad Group. The applicant can also obtain a pre approval from the government of their home country. After the application is submitted, UAE will run a background check along with checking anti money laundry and criminal records. Not only will the background check help in identifying potentially harmful candidates but it will also tell the UAE, if the individual can contribute to the country's market and business. After this the group will send an application to the government, who will have the final say in this system. Also read: UAE's Golden Visa: A game changer for Indian investors in Dubai's real estate market? Benefits for Indian of Golden Visa One of the key benefits of this new system is that it moves away from the dependency of visa on the property of individuals. In the earlier property based visa, if the property has been sold or divided, the visa would also end. But in the new system, the visa will remain forever once nomination is complete. Speaking to PTI, Rayad Kamal, Managing Director of Rayad Group, said that the nominated person will also be allowed to bring family to Dubai and will also be allowed to keep domestic help based on the visa provided. (With input from agencies)
Hindustan Times
02-07-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
US plans to breed flies to fight beef-eating pest. Here's how it will work
The US government is preparing to breed billions of flies and dump them out of aeroplanes over Mexico and southern Texas to fight a flesh-eating maggot. This is more effective and environmentally friendly than spraying the pest into oblivion.(Pixaby/Representational Image) That sounds like the plot of a horror movie, but it is part of the government's plans for protecting the US from a bug that could devastate its beef industry, decimate wildlife and even kill household pets. This weird science has worked well before. 'It's an exceptionally good technology,' said Edwin Burgess, an assistant professor at the University of Florida who studies parasites in animals, particularly livestock. 'It's an all-time great in terms of translating science to solve some kind of large problem.' The targeted pest is the flesh-eating larva of the New World Screwworm fly. The US Department of Agriculture plans to ramp up the breeding and distribution of adult male flies — sterilizing them with radiation before releasing them — so they can mate ineffectively with females and over time cause the population to die out. It is more effective and environmentally friendly than spraying the pest into oblivion, and it is how the US and other nations north of Panama eradicated the same pest decades ago. Sterile flies from a factory in Panama kept the flies contained there for years, but the pest appeared in southern Mexico late last year. The USDA expects a new screwworm fly factory to be up and running in southern Mexico by July 2026. It plans to open a fly distribution center in southern Texas by the end of the year so that it can import and distribute flies from Panama if necessary. Fly feeds on live flesh Most fly larvae feed on dead flesh, making the New World screwworm fly and its Old World counterparts in Asia and Africa outliers — and for the American beef industry, a serious threat. Females lay their eggs in wounds and, sometimes, exposed mucus. 'A thousand-pound bovine can be dead from this in two weeks,' said Michael Bailey, president-elect of the American Veterinary Medicine Association. Veterinarians have effective treatments for infested animals, but an infestation can still be unpleasant — and cripple an animal with pain. Don Hineman, a retired western Kansas rancher, recalled infected cattle as a youngster on his family's farm. 'It smelled nasty,' he said. 'Like rotting meat.' How scientists will use the fly's biology against it The New World screwworm fly is a tropical species, unable to survive Midwestern or Great Plains winters, so it was a seasonal scourge. Still, the US and Mexico bred and released more than 94 billion sterile flies from 1962 through 1975 to eradicate the pest, according to the USDA. The numbers need to be large enough that females in the wild can't help but hook up with sterile males for mating. One biological trait gives fly fighters a crucial wing up: Females mate only once in their weekslong adult lives. Why the US wants to breed more flies Alarmed about the fly's migration north, the US temporarily closed its southern border in May to imports of live cattle, horses, and bison, and it won't be fully open again until mid-September. But female flies can lay their eggs in wounds on any warm-blooded animal, and that includes humans. Decades ago, the US had fly factories in Florida and Texas, but they closed as the pest was eradicated. The Panama fly factory can breed up to 117 million a week, but the USDA wants the capacity to breed at least 400 million a week. It plans to spend $8.5 million on the Texas site and $21 million to convert a facility in southern Mexico for breeding sterile fruit flies into one for screwworm flies. How to raise hundreds of millions of flies In one sense, raising a large colony of flies is relatively easy, said Cassandra Olds, an assistant professor of entomology at Kansas State University. But, she added, 'You've got to give the female the cues that she needs to lay her eggs, and then the larvae have to have enough nutrients." Fly factories once fed larvae horse meat and honey and then moved to a mix of dried eggs and either honey or molasses, according to past USDA research. Later, the Panama factory used a mix that included egg powder and red blood cells and plasma from cattle. In the wild, larvae ready for the equivalent of a butterfly's cocoon stage drop off their hosts and onto the ground, burrow just below the surface and grow to adulthood inside a protective casing, making them resemble a dark brown Tic Tac mint. In the Panama factory, workers drop them into trays of sawdust. Security is an issue. Sonja Swiger, an entomologist with Texas A&M University's Extension Service, said a breeding facility must prevent any fertile adults kept for breeding stock from escaping. How to drop flies from an aeroplane Dropping flies from the air can be dangerous. Last month, a plane freeing sterile flies crashed near Mexico's border with Guatemala, killing three people. In test runs in the 1950s, according to the USDA, scientists put the flies in paper cups and then dropped the cups out of planes using special chutes. Later, they loaded them into boxes with a machine known as a 'Whiz Packer.' The method is still much the same: Light planes with crates of flies drop those crates. Burgess called the development of sterile fly breeding and distribution in the 1950s and 1960s one of the USDA's 'crowning achievements.' Some agriculture officials argue now that new factories shouldn't be shuttered after another successful fight. 'Something we think we have complete control over — and we have declared a triumph and victory over, can always rear its ugly head again,' Burgess said.
Hindustan Times
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Earthquake of 4.7 magnitude hits Andaman Sea, second in 5 days
An earthquake of magnitude 4.7 hit the Andaman Sea on Monday morning, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at 10.09 am at a depth of 10 kilometres. Earlier on June 25, an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale struck the Andaman Sea, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS).(Pixaby/ Representational Image) In a social media post on X, the NCS wrote, 'EQ of M: 4.7, On: 30/06/2025 10:09:03 IST, Lat: 9.43 N, Long: 94.17 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Andaman Sea.' Earlier on June 25, an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale struck the Andaman Sea, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). As per the NCS, the quake occurred at 01.43 am at a depth of 20 km, with its epicentre located at 9.46°N latitude and 94.07°E longitude. "EQ of M: 4.2, On: 25/06/2025 01:43:50 IST, Lat: 9.46 N, Long: 94.07 E, Depth: 20 Km, Location: Andaman Sea," National Centre for Seismology wrote on X. The Andaman Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands fall within Seismic Zone V, the highest risk zone in India. The Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt extending up to the Andaman-Nicobar island region is known to be one of the seismically active belts of the world, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences. (ANI)
