PUNE: The statistical models used by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had failed to predict all the three droughts in India in the last decade. Though statistical models will still be used for monsoon forecast, the ministry of earth sciences is putting more emphasis on dynamic models.

M Rajeevan of National Atmospheric Research Laboratory said, “the failure to predict the 2009 drought has raised many serious issues. On the other hand, the state-of-the art coupled ocean atmospheric models have sho-wed improved skills in predicting inter annual variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall.”

He was speaking at the golden jubilee conference of Indian Institute of Climate Change (IITM), Pune, on ‘opportunities and challenges in monsoon prediction in changing climate’. Since 2011, the IITM has used the coupled model for monsoon forecast.
Better weather forecast needs data from all parts of the globe. “In every part of the world, farmers are saying that the climate is not as it used to be. Hence, traditional knowledge is also failing. For better prediction of weather, we need observations from all countries. We need super computers of even higher capacities. We need to have knowledge about how to translate scientific progress into concrete applications,” said Michel Jarraud, secretary general, World Meteorological Organisation.

New Burscough site would be three times the size of Ormskirk site

Marks & Spencer could close its Ormskirk town centre store and move to a new, bigger site at Burscough.

The retailer is working on plans for a new 18,000 sq ft food-hall near Ringtail Retail Park in Burscough. The new site would be three times the size of the current M&S food store in Ormskirk, according to M&S.

Existing staff working in the Ormskirk site will transferred to the new site and around 25 additional jobs will be created, if the changes go ahead. The Ormskirk shop, off Market Way, would close.

Property developer Rothstone Estates is working with the retailer on plans for the proposed new Burscough site, near the A59 Liverpool Road South and Pippin Street roundabout. Customers would access the store from High Lane. The site was previously occupied by a care home.

M&S has opened a public survey on-line, asking people about the idea.

It said: “We have been searching for a new site locally for some time, so we can provide a better shopping experience and wider product range for customers. We are keen to secure our future locally so we can continue to offer our high quality, award-winning products for Burscough and Ormskirk residents. If planning is approved, the new store will stock the full M&S food range, including fresh produce and the latest product launches.”

The plan includes an in-store bakery, dedicated flower and wine shops, and a click and collect point for on-line orders.

Outside, 152 parking spaces are proposed and electric vehicle charging points. Landscaping is also around the site perimeter. M&S expects the new site will be open from 8am-9pm on Mondays to Saturdays, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

West Lancashire Council is expected to handle the Burscough planning application, if M&S goes ahead with the ideas. The plan could spark a debate among councillors, businesses and residents about the impact on Ormskirk, the local economies of different towns and future traffic levels in Burscough.

M&S says it has long-standing relationships with 9,000 select farms across the UK including 20 in Lancashire.

Rothstone Estates is described as a specialist in mixed-use property schemes, roadside and food retail developments. Based in Yorkshire, it has worked on developments across the country including other new M&S stores.

To find all the planning applications, traffic diversions, road layout changes, alcohol licence applications and more in your community, visit the Public Notices Portal.

WASHINGTON: An elephant figurine, made up of artificial pearls and semi-precious stones, which was gifted by the then Indian Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani to US Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002, has made its way to the State Department exhibition hall.

“Secretary Colin Powell received this gift from Indian Minister of Home Affairs Lal Krishna Advani,” the State Department said in its remarks written at the bottom of the elephant figurine.

In fact, it is one of the less than 50 gifts among the hundreds of those received by the Secretary of State over the year by foreign dignitaries that have been selected for display at the Exhibit Hall, in the centre of Henry S Truman Building, headquarters of the State Department, official sources said.

Describing the gift, the State Department said, “with royal aplomb, the great man rides in the howdah, or canopied seat, as the mahout or guide in front leads the elephant”.

“This colourful cloisonne figurine harks back to times when elephants were an indispensable part of Indian life – for transportation, fighting battles, protecting land and traversing forests,” it said.

The elephant figurine was made by Neeru Goel, an Indian artist from Bengal, who specialises in enamelware sculptures.
The Department officials, while explaining the reason for the selection of this particular gift from India to be displayed at the exhibition hall, said that elephants are a cultural icon of the country, which over centuries have become a status symbol representing wealth, wisdom, and strength.

Trump officials are warning that California’s dependence on foreign oil has become more than an economic issue, arguing it now poses a broader national security concern as geopolitical tensions continue to affect global energy markets.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum joined FOX Business’ David Asman Friday on “Varney & Co.” to discuss domestic energy production, California’s reliance on imported crude and efforts to restart production at the offshore Sable Oil Project near Santa Barbara.

OIL PRODUCERS ORG SHREDS CALIFORNIA DEM FOR BLAMING IRAN WAR FOR HIS DISTRICT’S GAS PRICES

California remains one of the nation’s largest energy-consuming states, but its in-state oil production has steadily declined over the past several decades. As production has fallen and refinery capacity has shrunk, the state has increasingly turned to foreign suppliers to meet demand.

Wright said restarting previously drilled offshore wells could help reduce that dependence while strengthening energy security for military operations across the state.

CALIFORNIA BUSINESS OWNERS ‘WORKING FOR PEANUTS’ AS COSTS, RECORD GAS PRICES AND REGULATIONS DEVOUR PROFITS

“We have 30 military facilities in California, which gets over 60% of its oil imported from overseas,” Wright said.

“This is a way to increase energy security for our military operations in California and start to change the game for businesses and consumers in the state of California.”

The comments come as energy security has reemerged as a major policy issue amid ongoing instability in parts of the Middle East and continued debate over domestic oil production.

Burgum argued that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s energy policies have increased reliance on foreign suppliers while contributing to higher fuel costs for residents.

ENERGY SECRETARY CHRIS WRIGHT WARNS CALIFORNIA’S ENERGY CRISIS UNDER NEWSOM COULD THREATEN NATIONAL SECURITY

“They’re regulating refineries out of existence. California… imports… 60% of their oil from foreign countries. That is an absolute national security risk,” Burgum stressed.

He pointed to Iraq as California’s top foreign oil supplier earlier this year and said the state has become increasingly dependent on imported energy as refinery capacity has declined.

“The number one importer into California on February 1 of this year was Iraq… They’ve [California] turned themselves into an energy desert, an energy island,” he continued.

ZELDIN TOUTS US ENERGY FUTURE, SAYS INDO-PACIFIC NATIONS INCREASINGLY INTERESTED IN AMERICAN SUPPLY

The Interior secretary also tied domestic energy production to broader economic and national security goals, arguing that reliable and affordable energy remains critical for manufacturing, electricity generation and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

“President Trump’s energy policies are making the nation more secure, the world more peaceful, and is absolutely making America more affordable,” Burgum said.

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New Delhi: India can sustain a more than 7% growth rate this fiscal year, supported by policy measures and structural reforms, said V Anantha Nageswaran, chief economic advisor, on Friday.

He however underlined that the growth expectation assumes a return to global conditions prior to February 28, referring to the start of the Iran war, which has since sparked global economic turmoil, impacting countries including India. “Macro stability measures and supply assurances will bring us back to a 7% plus growth track in FY28 or as soon as external conditions improve,” said Nageswaran. India’s GDP grew 7.8% year-on-year in the March quarter, taking full fiscal year growth to 7.7%, according to official data released Friday.

Speaking at a press conference after the GDP data release, Nageswaran said the figures reflect a balanced picture across different sectors of the economy.

“There could be the lagged effects of the various structural reforms, not only of the last decade but also post-Covid, and the continued investment in the capital expenditure and the supply-side infrastructure made by the government over the last 10 to 12 years,” he said.

Nageswaran highlighted that greater policy certainty arising from trade agreements, including progress in negotiations with the US and the European Union, should support exports and attract capital inflows going forward.

He emphasised that continuing structural reforms amid global uncertainty would strengthen India’s economic fundamentals and position the country for sustained high growth in the years ahead.
Nageswaran said policy measures already undertaken are expected to help mitigate supply disruptions, bolster economic safety nets, including through ECLGS 5.0, and preserve macroeconomic stability. The RBI Friday lowered the GDP forecast for FY27 to 6.6% from 6.9% projected in April, citing higher energy and commodity prices, and ongoing supply disruptions linked to the Iran war. It also raised the retail inflation forecast for FY27 to 5.1% from 4.6%.

Nagewaran said most high-frequency indicators through April showed domestic demand and overall economic activity have remained resilient, with emerging signs of stress.

The evolving conflict poses both a significant supply shock and a potential demand shock, he said, adding that supply-driven price pressures are starting to reflect in wholesale inflation, while the threat of an El Nino weather phenomenon and forecasts of below-normal monsoon rainfall present upside risks to the inflation outlook.

On nominal GDP, Nageswaran said growth is likely to exceed the 10.1% estimate outlined in Budget 2027, supported by the upward trend in retail inflation.

He also cautioned that India’s trade deficit widened in FY26, and could expand further this fiscal year, potentially putting additional pressure on the current account balance.

New Delhi: India’s Statistical Business Register (SBR) will help map supply chain linkages, identify investment clusters and guide public investment in logistics infrastructure with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics services, statistics ministry secretary Saurabh Garg said on Friday.

Privacy protections and consent-based data-sharing protocols will remain embedded in the framework, Garg said at a National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) workshop on the economics of AI and digital public infrastructure. The government is building an SBR, a centralised database of all business entities across the country. “Data is the raw material of AI. You can have energy, chips and models, but without data, AI is not there,” Garg said.

Data harmonisation has become the government’s next major focus in its digital public infrastructure agenda, he said, stressing that AI can only be as effective as the quality and consistency of the underlying data. While ministries can exchange information through APIs and digital platforms, the challenge lies in ensuring “semantic interoperability,” common definitions, classifications, identifiers and metadata across datasets, Garg said. -Our Bureau