Home to keep your distance
The parliamentary consultation on the monsoon will likely begin last August or early September, with seating in galleries and rooms, giant screens and communication consoles to help members participate in the discussions by keeping the distance to avoid covid-19. Each House will meet for 4 hours a day; Lok Sabha probably in the morning and Rajya Sabha in the middle of the moment. The leaves will separate the gallery from the officers of the halls. The last consultation was interrupted on 23 March and Parliament will meet again in six months. Opposition parties call for a virtual Parliament. Some countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Belgium have followed resolutions to move to videoconference and electronic voting, while France and Germany meet with fewer members. Australia cancelled its August consultation and Canada plans to introduce remote voting for MPs starting septed from September.
I’m sorry about Snowden.
Reversing his previous position, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would “take a look” at the pardon of Edward Snowden, a former U.S. intelligencecontractor facing criminal fees after revealing in 2013 that the U.S. federal government is spying on its citizens. Snowden, who has been living in exile in Russia ever since, said he would like to return to the United States if he can rely on a fair trial. At one conference, Trump called Snowden’s scenario a “shared decision,” as public opinion on whether he was a whistleblower or traitor remains divided. In another interview, he said many thought Snowden was “not being treated fairly.” He was a replacement for the 2016 crusade position when he called him a “total traitor.” The United States accuses Snowden of endangering national security and, if convicted, he could go to prison for decades. Human rights teams have continually asked Barack Obama to forgive Snowden, but they have reached nothing.
The adventure of food
Consumers are interested in the protection and traceability of food. Last week in Shenzen, China, it was reported that the wings of birds imported from Brazil had tested positive for covid-19, and Xi’an reported lines in the packaging of Ecuadorian shrimp. While experts say there is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted through food or packaging, the pandemic has focused on hygiene issues, which can be addressed through new companies with the right generation to track food routes, from production to packaging. In India, agritech remains an emerging field. The total investment in new agri-food companies for fiscal year 2020 was $1.1 billion, 56% less than in fiscal 2019. But the outlook is huge. For more information, scale startup Inc.
India comes to the rescue
India has sent a team of specialists and technical devices to Mauritius to help the local government cope with the oil spill of a Japanese shipment. The Wakashio MV hit a coral reef on July 25, spilling about 1,000 tons of oil and causing a surrounding emergency. To date, some 460 tonnes have been eliminated, largely with the help of local volunteers. Over the weekend, the ship split in two. The spill is close to two protected marine ecosystems in the surrounding area and the Blue Bay Marine Park Reserve. Scientists say the full effect on the spill is still ongoing, but the damage can only affect Mauritius and its tourism-dependent economy in the coming decades. Chances are that the removal of the shipment takes months. A team of 10 Indian Coast Guard workers trained in oil spill containment measures has been sent to Mauritius to provide technical and operational assistance, India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Fluffy cities of China
For more than 500 years, China has been plagued by flooding and 2020 has been a very bad year. China’s immediate urbanization is making matters worse: the old floodplains have homes and factories, and dams no longer offer sufficient protection. Now the government is looking for a new technique by building “sponge towns” or districts with features like rooftop gardens, wetland parks, permeable pavements and underground garage tanks to absorb or reuse 70% of rainwater by slowly pouring it into the river and reservoirs. . Yuelai, in the city of Chonqing, at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, both flooded this year, is one of the pilot sites that has just been completed. Its exhibition park is located lower than the surrounding terrain to collect filtered rainwater through layers of aquatic plants, rain falling on the roofs deviates to nearest parks, in an attempt to counteract the march of concrete.
Organized through Shalini Umachandran. Do you have what percentage with us? Email us at businessoflife@livemint.com or tweet @shalinimb
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