India

A new life’s dream was left incomplete. Indian Army Major Hamza Arif had tied the knot just a month ago. But while returning to the military camp after completing his duty, a horrific road accident took his life. Major Hamza died in this accident in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer. Two lieutenants travelling with him were seriously injured. The accident occurred on Thursday night around 12:30 AM in a military area at Thaiyat, about 18 km from Jaisalmer district headquarters. According to reports, Major Hamza Arif, Lieutenant Abhinav Rathore and Lieutenant Ayushman were returning to the military camp after finishing duty. Major Hamza was driving the Army’s Tata Safari. At that time, in the darkness, a camel suddenly came onto the road and the vehicle crashed into it at high speed. Due to th...

Biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak has launched India's first dedicated capacity-building programme for local communities aimed at strengthening the conservation of the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon, the country's only ape species. The week-long residential training programme, held from June 17 to 22 at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Assam, was organised in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department's Jorhat Forest Division. The initiative received support from The Habitats Trust, the IUCN Section on Small Apes and the IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group. Twenty participants from Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland attended the programme, which focused on empowering communities living near gibbon habitats to play a greater role in wildlife conservation. The par...