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A decade after Madhya Pradesh forest department began reintroducing hard-ground barasingha in Satpura tiger reserve, the endangered deer has returned in strength, with its population growing to around 303 and three population units established across the landscape.

The next phase of the conservation programme will focus on linking at least six grasslands through dedicated corridors to allow the animals to move between feeding and breeding habitats.

The recovery marks a major step in efforts to secure the future of the hard-ground barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi), which had disappeared from the Satpura landscape because of habitat loss and hunting. Kanha tiger reserve remained its principal natural stronghold, making the creation of a second population important for reducing the risks of depending on a single landscape.

Satpura tiger reserve field director Rakhi Nanda said the recovery reflected the combined efforts of frontline forest personnel, senior officers, scientific collaborators and communities that voluntarily left their ancestral homes for wildlife conservation.

“The establishment of a breeding population of more than 300 barasingha and three meta populations is one of the most encouraging examples of successful wildlife reintroduction in the country,” Nanda said.

She said the next priority was to strengthen habitat connectivity and develop grassland corridors to secure the species’ long-term future.

The Satpura programme demonstrates how wildlife reintroduction can move beyond the transfer of animals to the establishment of a naturally breeding population. The challenge now is to ensure that habitat availability, connectivity and protection keep pace with the growing herd, she added.

The forest department launched the reintroduction programme in 2015, bringing animals from Kanha to Satpura. Between 2015 and 2026, approximately 135 barasingha were translocated to the reserve. Initially, the animals were kept in a predator-protected enclosure in the Bori landscape to help them acclimatise, breed and adapt before being released into the wild.

The programme’s success is now reflected in natural breeding and the growth of successive generations born in Satpura, say officials. The population has expanded to around 303, demonstrating that the reintroduced animals have adapted to local ecological conditions.

The three population units are associated with the Bori enclosure, Bori grasslands and Malini grasslands in the Churna range. Establishing multiple populations reduces dependence on a single location and creates opportunities for the species to expand across suitable habitats, officials say.

With the population crossing 300, forest managers are turning their attention to habitat connectivity. The proposed corridor network will link at least six grasslands, allowing barasingha to move between habitat patches in search of seasonal forage, water and breeding grounds.

The initiative is intended to reduce pressure on individual grasslands as the population grows. Better connectivity could also facilitate dispersal between population units and support demographic and genetic exchange, provided animals move safely between the habitats.

Developing the corridors will require identification of suitable movement routes, management of intervening habitats and regular monitoring of animal movement. Ensuring adequate forage, water and protection from disturbance throughout the year will be crucial to their success.

The recovery has also been supported by grassland restoration, including areas made available after villages were voluntarily relocated from the reserve’s core area.

These landscapes have provided opportunities to restore wildlife habitats and reduce pressures associated with grazing and human activity.

Management measures include promoting palatable native grasses, removing invasive weeds, maintaining open grasslands and improving water availability. Forest managers are also focusing on breeding and fawning areas, where adequate cover and protection are essential for the survival of young animals. As the population expands, the availability of connected grasslands and the carrying capacity of the habitat will become increasingly important.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has adopted a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act under which killing a protected animal will generally count as an unlawful "take" only when the act was intentionally directed at that animal.

The approach was set out in a 14 September directive from agency director Brian Nesvik. It could mean that a listed bird killed during logging, construction or another activity is not treated as unlawfully taken when its death was foreseeable but was not the purpose of the work.

The Act defines take through a series of terms including harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture and collect. For decades, federal enforcement and permitting have also covered incidental deaths arising from otherwise lawful activities.

Under the new test described by the administration, an act must be intentionally and purposefully directed at a particular animal and have a direct and immediate effect. The stated intention behind an activity therefore becomes central to whether the death of protected wildlife is prohibited.

That distinction has direct implications for birds. Felling a tree containing a nesting protected bird, for example, could fall outside the interpretation if the purpose was to harvest timber rather than kill the animal. Critics say it would remove the incentive to avoid or mitigate deaths that can be predicted in advance.

The directive follows a separate regulatory change that removed habitat modification from the federal definition of "harm" under the Act. The Interior Department says its changes restore the ordinary meaning of the statutory language, provide certainty for landowners and curb regulatory overreach.

Delhi airport is connecting 160 destinations, including 70 international and 90 domestic, through a network of 70 airlines.

The airport’s growing hub strength is reflected in the OAG Megahubs Index 2026, where Delhi Airport has climbed 11 places to 28th globally, from 39th in 2025 in just one year, said Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the airport operator, Wednesday.

It added that Delhi airport also emerged as the world’s leading low-cost carrier mega hub, with 11,045 potential connections.

Philippine Airlines is expected to launch Delhi–Manila services by mid-November 2026, making Delhi its first Indian destination. EVA Air will commence Delhi–Taipei services from Dec 1, establishing Delhi’s first direct connectivity to Taiwan. “Discussions are under way with airlines from Russia and Mongolia for potential direct connectivity. Delhi airport is also engaging with African carriers to strengthen India–Africa air connectivity,” said DIAL.

An Afghan cyclist who disguised herself as a man to pursue her sporting dreams won an Asian Games silver medal on Tuesday, hoping it inspires other women in a country where Taliban authorities have sharply curtailed their freedoms.

Fariba Hashimi, who is based in Italy, powered home second in the women’s road race near Nagoya in Japan, calling the triumph “something special”.

“I can’t explain my feelings now,” the 23-year-old said, before reflecting on how she was attacked with stones and trained disguised as a man when she started out in the sport as a teenager along with sister Yulduz, who is also now a pro cyclist.

“I was born inside a country where the women who dream are getting attacked, and I’m really happy that I have fought against that,” she said. “I hope that the next generation will come here and represent their country without any fear.”

The Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021 and have since imposed a series of rules limiting women’s access to education and public life, including sport. “They took away our freedom, they took away everything from us,” said Hashimi, who hails from the Faryab province in northern Afghanistan and left the country after the Taliban authorities took over.

“This silver medal can show a lot of resilience from Afghan women, and I’m really happy. I’m not alone, I know that behind me millions of women, from many countries, have the same dream and they are standing with me.”

Scotland's wildlife reserves recorded a major conservation milestone in 2025, as a five-year project restored more than 3,500 hectares of habitat across 11 sites. The LIFE 100% for Nature initiative, led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), combined technology with community-led conservation to improve conditions for threatened wildlife. Robot mowers and virtual fencing formed part of the methods used to manage landscapes, while local volunteers and partners contributed to the restoration effort. The RSPB said species such as choughs and capercaillie received a boost from the work. The project also supported employment, local businesses and volunteer participation, linking ecological restoration with community involvement.

South Korea's state-run pension fund, the world's third-largest, is seeking a licence to invest in Indian government securities under a compliance-light route offered by the market regulator, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

India has been trying to draw more foreign capital into government bonds through easier registration, lower taxes and by targeting entry into global bond indices.

The drive to deepen foreign participation in India's debt market is part of efforts to diversify funding sources and attract more stable capital inflows, with the rupee trading near historic lows against the U.S. dollar.

While equities have typically dominated foreign portfolio flows in India, investors have sold nearly $45 billion in equity investments between 2025 and 2026 so far, prompting greater focus on drawing bond investments.

Foreign investors have invested $14 billion in government bonds over last year and this year.

India's benchmark 10-year sovereign bond yields are about 7 per cent, while shorter-dated Treasury bills yield roughly 5.30 per cent-6 per cent, levels that compare favourably with many developed-market government securities.

Korea's National Pension Service, which has more than $1.3 trillion in assets, will be one of the first to apply under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) lower compliance window for foreigner investors investing only in government bonds, the sources said.

Scientists of ICAR–Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore have achieved a major breakthrough in the production and ecological restoration of two high-value indigenous catfishes — Mystus tengara and Mystus cavasius — in Chamta beel, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, under the collaborative CIFRI–WorldFish project.

The initiative pioneered an innovative restoration strategy wherein seeds of these indigenous catfishes were first nurtured under protected captive conditions within specially designed pen enclosures before their phased release into the open wetland ecosystem. This scientific approach substantially enhanced fish survival, growth, and establishment in the natural habitat

Earlier this summer, as supplies began running low following an increase in home fires across the area, Disaster Program Manager Jon McCollum asked the community for help.

Sadie Hutson, a resident of Dubson, North Carolina, answered the call and soon, began collecting such toys from thrift stores rather than leaving them behind. But buying them was only the first step. She repaired each of the 114 stuffed animals herself. The toys that might have otherwise remained on thrift-store shelves or been discarded were cleaned, mended and restored before being prepared for their next homes.

Her project was not simply about collecting toys. It was about transforming something old into something that could offer comfort to another child.

For children who lose their homes in fires, the damage can extend far beyond walls, furniture and possessions. Familiar objects, photographs, school supplies and toys can disappear within minutes. While emergency organisations work to provide necessities such as food, shelter, clothing and other assistance, small personal items can also provide a sense of familiarity during a period of upheaval.

Wetland research and conservation projects in the Mississippi River watershed, Lower Mekong Basin and parts of Central America will receive funding through the National Geographic Society’s new Blue Boundaries program.

The first round of grants will support eight projects examining water quality, wildlife, pollution and climate-related changes. The society developed the six-year program with the Chubb Charitable Foundation to fund scientific research and public education focused on wetlands, coastal systems and reefs.

A year ago, Downicary in Devon was, in Chris Packham's words, a plain, flat, green field. Today, the 55-acre site looks very different.

A system of ponds and wetland areas has been dug into the land, filling with water over winter and attracting wildfowl and waders. As the water level dropped back in summer, dragonflies, damselflies and marshland plants appeared. Parts of the grassland have also been left long and allowed to flower.

The changes are part of a wider rewilding project involving specialists, ecologists and conservation partners. Tree planting has also been a major part of the work, with 3,500 trees and shrubs sourced from the Woodland Trust going into the ground across the 55-acre site.

A year on, monitoring has recorded otters, kingfishers and beavers along the river, alongside wildlife settling into the new ponds and grassland.