Environment

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Brunei has the second least polluted urban areas in the world, according to study by the World Health Organization (WHO) measuring ambient air pollution in 1,622 locations across 92 countries.

Australia has the least polluted urban areas, followed by Brunei and New Zealand. Estonia is Europe's top performing nation, followed by Finland and Iceland, said local daily the Borneo Bulletin on Monday, quoting the WHO study.

19 Sep 2018; AA: Turkey’s new domestic hybrid locomotive was showcased on Wednesday at a leading international transport technology fair in German capital, a co-production company said.

New locomotive will save 40 percent on fuel with hybrid technology.

In a written statement, Turkish Locomotive and Engine Company Inc (TULOMSAS) said the locomotive was displayed at the International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans) in Berlin.

BILLINGS, Mont.; 19 Sep 2018; (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday rolled back an Obama-era rule that forced energy companies to capture methane — a key contributor to climate change that’s released in huge amounts during drilling on U.S. and tribal lands.

A replacement rule from the Interior Department rescinds mandates for companies to reduce gas pollution, which Trump administration officials say already is required by some states.

By MICHAEL BIESECKER

19 Sep 2018; AP: About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed in flooding from Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market, according to state officials.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture issued the livestock mortality totals Tuesday, as major flooding is continuing after the slow-moving storm’s drenching rains. Sixteen North Carolina rivers were at major flood stage Tuesday, with an additional three forecasted to peak by Thursday.

Ahmedabad, Sep 18 (PTI) As many as 1,000 farmers affected by the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train submitted affidavits in the Gujarat High Court Tuesday, voicing their opposition to the project.

A division bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi is hearing five petitions challenging the land acquisition process for the high speed rail project.

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's environmental authority has named and shamed 158 companies that discharged major pollutants at seriously excessive levels in the first quarter of 2018.

Nearly half of the polluters were urban sewage treatment plants, and others included heat suppliers, coal chemical processing firms, and printing and dyeing companies, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Over 60 percent of the polluters were based in the provincial regions of Xinjiang, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Liaoning, and Hebei.

Bremervorde, Sep 17 (AFP) Germany on Monday rolled out the world's first hydrogen-powered train, signalling the start of a push to challenge the might of polluting diesel trains with costlier but more eco-friendly technology.

Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, began running a 100-kilometre route between the towns and cities of Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervoerde and Buxtehude in northern Germany -- a stretch normally plied by diesel trains.

DOHA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Qatar has announced plan to produce first Qatari electric cars by 2023, local media reported on Monday.

The Qatari electric vehicles will be manufactured by the factory which will be established at a cost of nine billion U.S. dollars, said "Qatar Tribune" newspaper.

The project will be the first-of-its-kind in the Middle East as it is a whole new brand, said Ali bin Nasser al Misnad, Chairman of the Qatar Quality company, which is responsible for this project.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- At least five people have been killed so far in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence which was downgraded Friday afternoon to a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph (110 km/h) along the U.S. East Coast.

Hurricane Florence blew ashore in the U.S. state of North Carolina with howling 90 mph (144 km/h) winds and terrifying storm surge early Friday, felling trees, splintering buildings, trapping hundreds of people and swamping entire communities along the coast.