Latest news with #assurances
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Promised relocation, but dozens of trees go missing from Lucknow's ‘Green' route
Over 150 fully grown trees between Hanuman Setu and Nishatganj were suspected to have been axed by authorities despite Lucknow Development Authority's (LDA's) assurances of relocating them. People seen removing logs from axed trees on Hanuman Setu-Nishatganj stretch on Friday (Mushtaq Ali/HT) The said stretch is a part of the under-construction Green Corridor project. On July 19, LDA had said that over 150 trees obstructing the upcoming corridor's path would be uprooted and relocated with expert assistance. The corridor, spanning 28 km from IIM Road to Kisan Path, is being developed to ease traffic flow and reduce travel time. The incident has sparked public anger with environmentalists, activists and others concerned stating that LDA misled the public by claiming no trees would be felled. Sources stated that several trees were cut because they were obstructing the ongoing construction. When this reporter visited the spot on Friday evening, multiple trees were found missing, and a vehicle was seen transporting logs, believed to be from uprooted trees, away from the site. 'Instead of relocating, the trees have simply been axed. The area now looks cleaned up as if there were never any trees here,' said Rishi Sonker, who regularly commutes on the stretch and was at the spot. He added that he had earlier seen tree roots being dug out, but the Friday's incident didn't look like it involved any scientific relocation. Some demanded that an independent inquiry be launched and action be taken against officials involved in the alleged cover-up. 'This is not the first time that LDA has made tall claims about environmental responsibility. But its actions repeatedly contradict the promises,' said environmentalist Amit Srivastava. An LDA official, requesting anonymity, said while the forest department had permitted the felling of some trees that couldn't be relocated, the authority planned to plant five saplings for every tree cut down. 'We considered environmental concerns seriously, but older trees often don't survive translocation,' the official said. Despite attempts, LDA secretary Vivek Srivastava did not respond to calls seeking clarification on the authority's move. Activists also argued that compensatory plantation cannot substitute for decades-old green cover. 'You cannot replicate a 40-year-old tree with a sapling. These decisions must be transparent and accountable,' said Shalini Yadav, an urban ecology researcher. Earlier, LDA had claimed to have relocated 21 fully grown native trees, which included peepal, neem, pilkhan, and jamun, from the Hanuman Setu area to Gomti Riverfront. Divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob had inaugurated the drive. LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar had stated that 166 trees on the 4-km stretch would be shifted without felling.
Bangkok Post
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Bangkok Post
Errant kamikaze drone sparks petition
Thailand has lodged a petition via the Thai-Myanmar Township Border Committee (TBC) following the discovery of a military kamikaze drone that reportedly crashed in Tak province, a source said. The drone was found on Tuesday about 5 kilometres from Khun Mae Woei village in Tha Song Yang district, and the 35th Ranger Regiment was alerted to the incident by villagers, the source said. Military rangers, police and administrative officials then rushed to the spot and found the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) about 15km inside the border. The crash caused no injuries or damage. Initial assessments suggested the UAV originated from Myanmar's military and was intended for strikes against the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), he said. It reportedly lost control and crashed into Thai territory. The drone was equipped with a gas canister believed to be an explosive warhead, he said. The source went on to say that Special Task Force Ratchamanu worked with police and administrative officials to cordon off the area and mark it as a danger zone. Local residents were warned to stay away. An explosive ordnance disposal unit from the Naresuan Task Force has since removed and destroyed the device. Given the serious nature of the situation, Thai authorities have filed a petition through the TBC seeking clarification and assurances. The drone reportedly resembled those used in recent military airstrikes against the KNLA, including those targeting KNLA Brigade 7 on March 18 and June 12, and Brigade 6 on July 13. Earlier on July 17, the commander of Special Task Force Ratchamanu reported that Myanmar had deployed two YAK-130 aircraft to bomb the Ti Ta Hlae base in Myawaddy, just 3km from the border with Tak's Phop Phra district. The base has come under heavy attack by KNLA forces. Myanmar troops were reportedly using supply drops and aerial bombardment to defend their positions.
Boston Globe
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Israel strikes Syrian capital, sending warning to government
The escalating tensions between Israel and the Syrian government threaten to derail their tentative steps toward warmer ties after decades of hostility. Syria's new president, Ahmad al-Sharaa — a former Islamist rebel leader — has tried to stabilize the country since overthrowing dictator Bashar Assad in December. He has also forged closer relations with the United States. Assad was a loyal ally of Iran and a sworn enemy of Israel. But the rebels who ousted him have opened contacts with Israel in recent months, mediated by the United States, in a bid to lower cross-border tensions. Advertisement Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement Wednesday, described the violence as 'a direct threat to efforts to help build a peaceful and stable Syria,' adding that Washington was in talks with both Israel and Syria on the issue. The clashes in recent days marked Sweida's deadliest spell of unrest in recent memory. More than 200 people have been killed in four days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor based in Britain. Advertisement Electricity and internet outages are widespread. Hospitals are facing shortages in medical supplies. Many civilians are unable to flee and sheltering at home. The fighting in Sweida erupted Sunday after armed members of a Bedouin tribe attacked and robbed a Druze man along a main highway, the observatory said. As the unrest escalated, al-Sharaa's government deployed its military forces to the province Monday to quell the conflict, Syrian officials said. But given deep-seated mistrust of the new government, some members of Druze militias in Sweida thought that the government forces were coming to aid the Bedouins and to attack the Druze, according to Druze militia leaders. A cease-fire announced Tuesday broke down, and clashes erupted again Wednesday between Syrian government forces and Druze fighters in Sweida. The latest flare-up of unrest in Syria underscored the deep challenges Damascus faces in trying to reassert authority across a country still fractured by a complex web of armed groups left over from the nearly 14-year civil war. Despite assurances from Syria's new leadership, many of the country's religious and ethnic minorities remain skeptical of al-Sharaa, who once led a rebel group that pledged fealty to Al Qaeda. The Israeli airstrikes in the capital Wednesday caused 'extensive' damage in the heart of Damascus, according to the observatory, sending thick plumes of smoke rising above the skyline. At least one civilian was killed and 18 were injured, according to Syria's Health Ministry. Syrians described scenes of chaos as Israeli fighter jets pierced the capital's sky, raining down missiles as workers sat at their desks or commuted. Advertisement 'We were inside the ministry when the first airstrike hit,' said Abu Musab, 30, an employee at the Defense Ministry. 'Then a second strike followed. Later, the aircraft came back and carried out four strikes in a row,' he added. 'There are still people trapped under the rubble,' he said. The Israeli military attacked the Syrian military's general staff compound where it said Syrian commanders were directing government forces in Sweida. The Defense Ministry is housed in the same complex. Israeli strikes also targeted an area near the presidential palace in Damascus, the president's seat of power, the military said. Israel also struck near the Damascus palace in May during a previous bout of sectarian violence involving the Syrian Druze. An Israeli military official told reporters that Israel was conducting dozens of airstrikes against Syrian forces in Sweida — including targeting Syrian soldiers. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comply with military protocol, said Israel was acting to prevent a buildup of hostile forces near its borders, as well as to prevent attacks on Druze civilians. Shortly after the Israeli airstrikes on Damascus, Syrian authorities announced that a new cease-fire had been reached in Sweida. The agreement, which the country's Interior Ministry said had been brokered with local leaders in Sweida, called for an 'immediate and comprehensive cessation of all military operations,' the reestablishment of state authority in the area and the integration of the region into the Syrian state.
The Hill
16-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Hill
Nvidia CEO downplays role in lifting US ban on chip sales to China
BEIJING (AP) — The head of Nvidia downplayed his role in getting the U.S. government to lift a ban on selling an advanced computer chip in China and said it will take time to ramp up production once orders for the AI-processor come in. CEO Jensen Huang, speaking Wednesday in the Chinese capital Beijing, was upbeat about the prospects for the H20 chip, which was designed to meet U.S. restrictions on technology exports to China but nonetheless blocked in April. He met U.S. President Donald Trump before his trip and his company announced this week it had received assurances that sales to China would be approved. 'I don't think I changed his mind,' Huang told a cluster of journalists, many of whom asked for his autograph or to take selfies with him. A carefully organized press conference at a luxury hotel descended into a crowd scene when Huang arrived in his trademark leather jacket and started taking questions randomly in his characteristic casual style. Export controls and tariffs were something companies must adapt to in a world he said was reconfiguring itself. He described his role as informing governments in the U.S. and elsewhere of the nature and unintended consequences of their policies. The decision to lift the ban on the H20 chip was entirely in the hands of the American and Chinese governments and whatever trade talks they had, he said. 'We can only influence them, inform them, do our best to provide them with facts,' Huang said. 'And then beyond that is out of our control.' Nvidia said in April that sales restrictions on its chip in China on national security grounds would cost the company $5.5 billion. The White House also blocked a chip from Advanced Micro Devices. Both companies say the Commerce Department is now moving forward with license applications to export them to China. Huang said his company would likely be able to recover some of its losses but it's unclear how much. That will depend on how many H20 orders are received and how quickly Nvidia can meet the demand. 'I think that H20 is going to be very successful here,' he said, noting the chip's memory bandwidth makes it a good fit for the AI models being developed by Chinese companies such as DeepSeek and Alibaba. Huang also touted the release of a new RTX Pro graphics chip that he said would power the development of humanoid robots. He described robotic systems with teams of robots working alongside people as the next wave in AI. 'Because there's so much robotics innovation going on and so much smart factory work being done here and the supply chain is so vast, RTX Pro is perfect,' he said.
16-07-2025
- Automotive
Nvidia CEO downplays role in lifting US ban on chip sales to China
BEIJING -- The head of Nvidia downplayed his role in getting the U.S. government to lift a ban on selling an advanced computer chip in China and said it will take time to ramp up production once orders for the AI-processor come in. CEO Jensen Huang, speaking Wednesday in the Chinese capital Beijing, was upbeat about the prospects for the H20 chip, which was designed to meet U.S. restrictions on technology exports to China but nonetheless blocked in April. He met U.S. President Donald Trump before his trip and his company announced this week it had received assurances that sales to China would be approved. 'I don't think I changed his mind,' Huang told a cluster of journalists, many of whom asked for his autograph or to take selfies with him. A carefully organized press conference at a luxury hotel descended into a crowd scene when Huang arrived in his trademark leather jacket and started taking questions randomly in his characteristic casual style. Export controls and tariffs were something companies must adapt to in a world he said was reconfiguring itself. He described his role as informing governments in the U.S. and elsewhere of the nature and unintended consequences of their policies. The decision to lift the ban on the H20 chip was entirely in the hands of the American and Chinese governments and whatever trade talks they had, he said. 'We can only influence them, inform them, do our best to provide them with facts,' Huang said. 'And then beyond that is out of our control.' Nvidia said in April that sales restrictions on its chip in China on national security grounds would cost the company $5.5 billion. The White House also blocked a chip from Advanced Micro Devices. Both companies say the Commerce Department is now moving forward with license applications to export them to China. Huang said his company would likely be able to recover some of its losses but it's unclear how much. That will depend on how many H20 orders are received and how quickly Nvidia can meet the demand. 'I think that H20 is going to be very successful here,' he said, noting the chip's memory bandwidth makes it a good fit for the AI models being developed by Chinese companies such as DeepSeek and Alibaba. Huang also touted the release of a new RTX Pro graphics chip that he said would power the development of humanoid robots. He described robotic systems with teams of robots working alongside people as the next wave in AI. 'Because there's so much robotics innovation going on and so much smart factory work being done here and the supply chain is so vast, RTX Pro is perfect,' he said.
