Snehal Vivienne Fernandes

Some time in 2004-05, an alert citizen called on the landline @IndianExpress, Mumbai (where I worked) about mangrove destruction behind his apartment on Malad Link Rd. We did report & mangroves were saved. That tip-off came from #IrfanKhan @samar11 @prachijatania @iyerkavi

I travelled through Great Nicobar today. These are the most extraordinary forests I have ever seen in my life. Trees older than memory. Forests that took generations to grow. The people on this island are equally beautiful - both the adivasi communities and the settlers - but they are being robbed of what is rightfully theirs. The government calls what it is doing here a “Project.” What I have seen is not a project. It is millions of trees marked for the axe. It is 160 square kilometres of rainforest condemned to die. It is communities that have been ignored while their homes have been snatched away. This is not development. This is destruction dressed in development’s language. So I will say it plainly, and I will keep saying it: what is being done in Great Nicobar is one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country’s natural and tribal heritage in our lifetime. It must be stopped. And it can be stopped - if Indians choose to see what I have seen.

First reported by ThePrint @ThePrintIndia ASI’s ghost campus in Noida—grand new Rs 289-cr facility, 15 students, no faculty #ThePrintGroundReport theprint.in/ground-reports…

The baby owl, which refused to eat after being orphaned, was fed using a dummy owl that resembled its mother.

In freezing Kashmir winters, honey bees weren't supposed to survive. Temperatures drop well below zero, making it impossible for apple melifolia. The key species behind most of Kashmir's honey production to endure the cold. So, every year, thousands of bee colonies are packed into trucks and moved to the planes. A long expensive journey stretching across states like Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. It required manpower, logistics, and constant monitoring. And even then nearly 30% of the bees were lost along the way. But now scientists at CSIR III IM, Pulwama have changed the game. They've developed climate resilient protocols that focus on strengthening bee nutrition and redesigning hives using materials that can regulate internal temperature and humidity. The result, bees surviving sub-zero temperatures for the first time ever in Kashmir. This could mean the end of seasonal migration for beekeepers, cutting costs, reducing losses, and making honey production more stable and sustainable. 📹@Imrannissar2 Reporting: @peerashiq

Belgian researchers Marie-Claire Cammaerts and Roger Cammaerts tested three species of ants (Myrmica rubra, Myrmica ruginodis, and Myrmica sabuleti) using a version of the mirror self-recognition (MSR) test (also called the mark test), which is the same method used for animals like chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, and some birds Researchers marked some ants with a small blue dot on their head (a spot they couldn't normally see without a mirror). When placed in front of a mirror, most of the marked ants (e.g., 23 out of 24 in some reports) tried to clean or remove the dot by grooming themselves. Control conditions showed this didn't happen without the mirror, when the dot was the same color as the ant's body (invisible in the reflection), or when ants saw other ants through clear glass instead of a mirror. The ants also showed exploratory behaviors toward the mirror itself (slow movements, antenna waving, touching it), different from how they interact with nestmates. [Cammaerts, M.-C., & Cammaerts, R. (2015). Are ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) capable of self recognition? Journal of Science, 5, 521–532]

9,007 biogas plants supply fuel to 276 villages in Sindhudurg now they don't need #lpgcylinders The experiment began in 2004, when Dr Prasad Deodhar read today's @HT_Mumbai @htTweets #lpg @CMOMaharashtra @PetroleumMin hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-…

A month and half since the US-Israel-Iran conflict, @Osamaarawal @tweetateeq @nirajcpandit visited a cross-section of daily wage workers in #Mumbai #MMR to find out how they are getting by with limited incomes and expanding expenses. hindustantimes.com/s/1RcnnMm

Slums in #Mumbai up by 68% since 2011. Nullahs and mangroves eaten up by slums. @Dev_Fadnavis @ShelarAshish @BJP4Maharashtra @AmeetSatam @shailesh505 @HT_Mumbai @mybmc @Mumbaikhabar9 @MumbaiPolice @RajThackeray @AUThackeray #slumfreemumbai #urbanplanning #maximumcity

Netanyahu sent his son to campaign for Orbán. Netanyahu sent a personal video to Orbán's rally. Orbán just lost by 14 points, the biggest landslide in Hungarian democratic history. Why did Netanyahu care so much? Because Orbán was the only EU leader who vetoed sanctions on Israel. Every single time. That veto is gone. The ICC withdrawal is reversed. The EU firewall is dead. Israel's own Ynet News headline, two days ago: "If Orbán falls, Israel could lose its EU firewall." He didn't just fall. He was buried.

Cambodia unveils a statue of the landmine-hunting rat, Magawa, the only rat ever awarded the PDSA Gold Medal for animal bravery. The giant African pouched rat, originally from Tanzania, helped detect over 100 mines and other unexploded ordinance covering an area equivalent to 20 football pitches. Cambodia remains littered with mines, discarded ammunition and other arms from decades of war starting in the 1960s

After spending #nine days in the #ICU..Vignesh goes home. The 4-year-old's heas was smashed by a 57-year-old autodriver in Vasai @memeghasood @MBVVPOLICE @WeAreVasai @htTweets

Auto and taxi unions say drivers are unable to complete routine formalities at Mumbai’s four RTOs unless they first cough up ₹800 to sign up with the new welfare board announced recently, reports @Shashankrao06 hindustantimes.com/s/1QwkMMa

Metro corridors 9 and 2B were partially inaugurated by @Dev_Fadnavis on Tuesday, even though @MMRDAOfficial had received statutory safety clearances over three months ago, reports @tweetateeq hindustantimes.com/s/1QwioWu @htTweets

@nirajcpandit was the first to report that a group of students alleged fraud and misrepresentation in the issuance of their marksheets, which were delayed by nearly one-and-a-half years hindustantimes.com/s/1QwiIlM

To redevelop localities on its own, @mhadaofficial has put 206.49 acres on the block. It has floated tenders to revamp three prime areas: Andheri West’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Nagar, Bandra Reclamation and Worli’s Adarsh Nagar, reports @tweetateeq hindustantimes.com/s/1QwegSm

This is one of the most incredible things I've ever seen! 🤩😵This is a Tailorbird. You will see why! 👏

Here's how @reliancegroup not only ignored #safety protocols but also failed to cooperate with the #MumbaiMetro Feb 14 incident's #investigation hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-… @HT_Mumbai #Metro #Mumbai @MMRDAOfficial #MumbaiInMinutes #MMRDAMovesMumbai #MetroMeriJaan

In 850 AD, Arab traders introduced durum wheat to Sicily, a moment that would forever change Italian cuisine. Unlike softer wheat varieties, durum wheat produced semolina, ideal for making dried pasta due to its high protein content and extended shelf life. This innovation allowed pasta to be preserved for long journeys, making it a highly tradable commodity across the Mediterranean. By 11th Century AD, under Norman rule, Sicily had become a major pasta producer, with historical sources mentioning "itriyya," an early form of dried pasta known in Arab cultures. This pasta was lightweight, non-perishable, and easy to transport, fueling its expansion across Italy and beyond. Genoese and Venetian merchants helped spread dried pasta further, cementing its role in European trade networks. As pasta-making techniques evolved, Italy perfected its craft, incorporating local flavors and creating regional varieties. By the Renaissance, pasta was deeply embedded in Italian culinary traditions, paving the way for the global pasta industry we know today. What began as an Arab agricultural innovation in Sicily eventually turned Italy into the undisputed pasta capital of the world, a title it still holds. #archaeohistories

QatarEnergy CEO says the Iranian attack overnight damaged ~17% of its LNG production capacity, and it would take 3-5 years to repair the damage. reuters.com/business/energ…

Tomorrow will be Nowruz ( Persian new year) and despite everything gardens in Tehran are being decorated with spring flowers 🌺