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In an extraordinary breakthrough, scientists have recently uncovered a phenomenon that might reshape our understanding of life on <keyword id="19912640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="earth" source="keywords">Earth</keyword> — and beyond. Dubbed "<keyword id="22522490" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dark-oxygen" source="keywords">dark oxygen</keyword>," this newly discovered form of <keyword id="20075793" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxygen" source="keywords">oxygen</keyword> is produced deep <keyword id="20372239" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="underwater" source="keywords">underwater</keyword>, far below the sunlit zones where <keyword id="22965692" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="photosynthesis" source="keywords">photosynthesis</keyword> has long been thought to be the sole producer of oxygen on our planet. This finding, announced in late July 2024, has not only challenged long-standing beliefs about the origins of aerobic life but has also sparked renewed interest in the search for <keyword id="21077288" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="extraterrestrial-life" source="keywords">extraterrestrial life</keyword>. <h3 style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">The <keyword id="20313609" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="discovery" source="keywords">discovery</keyword> and how it works</h3>The discovery took place in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, within the mysterious <keyword id="22522492" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Clarion-Clipperton-Zone" source="keywords">Clarion-Clipperton Zone</keyword>, a vast underwater region renowned for its polymetallic nodules — metal-rich deposits scattered across the seafloor. For over a decade, researchers led by Andrew Sweetman of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) encountered perplexing data indicating the presence of oxygen in this lightless environment. Initially dismissing these findings as sensor errors, the team eventually confirmed that the oxygen was indeed real and originating from the nodules themselves. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112655642" title="&amp;#39;Alien: Romulus&amp;#39; director Fede Álvarez said he had to fight Disney to keep its extreme ending" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The key to this process lies in the electrochemical properties of the polymetallic nodules. These nodules, composed of metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, act like "geobatteries" capable of generating small electrical currents through a process called seawater electrolysis. This reaction splits water molecules, producing both hydrogen and oxygen. The voltage required is minimal — comparable to that of a standard AA battery — but when nodules are clustered together, their collective energy is sufficient to produce significant amounts of oxygen. <h3 style="line-height:1.2;margin-top:14pt;margin-bottom:4pt;">Implications for <keyword id="20144488" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="alien-life" source="keywords">alien life</keyword></h3>This discovery has profound implications for the search for extraterrestrial life. Previously, the existence of oxygen was considered a strong indicator of photosynthetic life forms. However, if oxygen can be produced in such an unconventional and lightless environment on Earth, it opens the door to the possibility that similar processes might occur on other celestial bodies with comparable conditions. This raises the tantalising prospect that life — or at least oxygen production — could exist on planets or moons without the need for sunlight. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112860594" title="Space startup Reflect Orbital plans to sell &amp;quot;sunlight on demand&amp;quot; — how will it work?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>While the discovery is thrilling, it also presents challenges, particularly in the context of deep-sea mining. As industries look to exploit the mineral wealth of the ocean floor, there's now a pressing need to consider the environmental impact of such activities. The destruction of these oxygen-producing nodules could have severe consequences for <keyword id="22965693" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="deep-sea-ecosystems" source="keywords">deep-sea ecosystems</keyword>, potentially creating more "dead zones" where life struggles to recover.

Dark oxygen: How the discovery of new oxygen deep underwater has reignited the search for alien life

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Black Sea faces a long-term danger from naval mines in the Russia-Ukraine war.</li><li>Ships have struck drifting mines in the last two years as Ukraine struggled to clear shipping routes.</li></ul>Against all odds, Ukraine has gained the initiative in the Black Sea.But a silent threat under the waves is poised to long outlast Russia's aggression: an unknown number of naval mines likely laid by both sides.Even their locations — classified information to each of the warring parties — have become an open question as multiple incidents indicate that some have been drifting.The issue is underscored by recent joint exercises between the US and NATO partners off the coast of Bulgaria, where it was<a target="_blank" href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2024-09-11/sea-mines-russia-ukraine-15140456.html"> announced</a> that US and allied reconnaissance aircraft had spotted more than 100 mines in the Black Sea since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. At least five ships have been affected, US 6th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee <a target="_blank" href="https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2024-09-11/sea-mines-russia-ukraine-15140456.html">said</a>.Keeping sea lanes clear of mines is critical to Ukraine's ability to export grain — in December last year, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67834841">Ukraine said</a> that a Panama-flagged bulk carrier had struck a mine, injuring two.They've also washed up on Black Sea shores well beyond Ukraine's territorial waters — most recently on August 13, when Romanian authorities<a target="_blank" href="https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-mine-black-sea-danube-delta/33077047.html"> conducted a controlled explosion</a> of a mine in a Danube conservation area.Today, ships are passing through Ukraine's grain corridor with relative confidence, although they remain on alert."The threat of mines in the Black Sea still exists," Arlo Abrahamson, head of public affairs at NATO Maritime Command, told Business Insider.They pose a threat to the Black Sea's coastal dwellers and seafarers and, in enough numbers, could threaten the region's economies and grain shipments.It's unclear how many remain out there — and nobody knows how long it will take to clear up.<h2 id="ff62bd2e-457f-4c36-b661-7d700f1a8049">Combing the sea</h2><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/density-russia-minefields-insane-says-ukraine-official-counteroffensive-2023-8">Landmine clearance</a> work is slow — and naval mine clearance is slower, said Steve Horell, a former naval intelligence officer and a senior defense fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis."It's inaccurate to say 'demining' about naval mines," he said. The relevant term at sea — "mine countermeasures" — is a testament to how much harder it is to ensure there's not an explosive still lurking somewhere.<div type="image" title="Ukrainian landmine warning" height="683" width="1024" msid="113697836" hostid="261" sizebytes="59986"></div>On land, demining efforts focus on a single level, not particularly deep in the soil. But underwater, the search goes deep as well as wide.Also, landmines tend to stay put. Once exploded, "at some point you can have some degree of certainty you've combed over this piece of earth," as Horell put it. But at sea, a new mine could drift into the same spot the next day, he said.Modern naval mines are generally triggered in two ways — a magnetic trigger, or a pressure-sensitive one, he said. Either way, you can't move fast to remove them. Older mines can be triggered by contact with a ship's hull."What you've got is, generally speaking, smaller ships moving slowly so that they don't trigger the mines that they're trying to find and disable, and just searching very painstakingly in repetitive patterns," he said.Mine-hunting is methodical, technical, and dangerous. Ships can also look for naval mines using sonar or magnetic detection, and helicopters and remote vehicles can also seek them out."But it's always going to be that slow kind of an effort," Horell said.<h2 id="01498c06-7cda-49f5-9d84-4d10a905308e">A desperate move</h2>When Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's navy was badly outmatched.Russia's Black Sea Fleet flagship, the Moskva, prowled the waters, famously<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-snake-island-border-guards-are-actually-alive-and-well-2022-2"> capturing Snake Island</a>.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-says-drove-russia-snake-island-russia-says-goodwill-2022-6">The Moskva</a> — and Russian control of the island — are now distant memories. But at the time, Ukraine's only available move was defensive. It <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukrainian-sailors-sank-their-own-flagship-to-prevent-capture-russia-2022-3">scuttled its own flagship</a> to prevent it falling into Russian hands.<div type="image" title="A plume of water and some debris shoot out of the Black Sea off the coast of Burgas, Bulgaria, on July 22 2022 during military mine countermeasures exercise Sea Breeze." height="674" width="1000" msid="113697839" hostid="261" sizebytes="50280"></div>But while it was short on ships, it had a large stock of Soviet-era naval mines, which it drew on for defenses.Russia, too, had plenty of spare mines, and as incidents racked up all along the Black Sea's western coasts in 2022, it was<a target="_blank" href="https://maritime-executive.com/article/uk-mod-mines-in-black-sea-are-almost-certainly-of-russian-origin"> soon accused</a> of laying them.It's a cheap and very easy thing to do."Any platform — ship, boat, submarine, aircraft — could be a mining platform," said Horell. "And with varying degrees of sophistication, you could basically have a general-purpose fishing boat or work boat and just push these things off the back."It's unclear exactly how many have been laid; <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dw.com/en/experts-warn-black-sea-mines-pose-serious-maritime-threat/a-61334599">Estimates initially ranged in the hundreds</a>, with Ukraine regularly accusing Russia of air-dropping more.<h2 id="9537ecb0-5a6f-4926-8688-3d6e1f2cd944">Mines where you really don't want them</h2>In the simplest possible terms, the Black Sea's main currents run counter-clockwise and, according to Horell, take "about three to six months for a full rotation."It means that "any naval mining, in pretty short order, becomes a risk and a threat in the entire Black Sea," he said.<div type="image" title="A map of the Black Sea with numerous arrows indicating the direction of water circulation. The arrows largely run counterclockwise." height="373" width="768" msid="113697823" hostid="261" sizebytes="54462"></div>A mine on the loose near Ukraine's major port of Odesa — in the northwestern Black Sea — could within weeks pass through the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.Which is exactly what happened.Several had been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dangerous-naval-mines-used-in-russia-ukraine-war-floating-away-2022-4">found drifting</a> far from where a mine should be — one was so <a target="_blank" href="https://www.dw.com/en/experts-warn-black-sea-mines-pose-serious-maritime-threat/a-61334599">close to the Bosphorus</a>, the Turkish channel that connects the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, that the strait had to be closed.In May 2022, the International Maritime Organization<a target="_blank" href="https://wwwcdn.imo.org/localresources/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Documents/Ukraine%20crisis%20CL%204524/Circular%20Letter%20No.4573%20-%20Maritime%20Security%20Threat%20Posed%20By%20Free%20Floating%20Sea%20Mines%20In%20TheBlack%20Sea%20Region%20(Secretariat).pdf"> sent out a warning</a> about "a serious and immediate threat to the safety" of ships operating in the Black Sea due to free-floating mines.How they started drifting is unclear.Later, in 2023, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kherson-dam-explosion-mines-being-swept-away-in-ukraine-2023-6">the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/black-sea-mines-russia-possible-unmoored-during-ukrainian-winter-storm-2023-11">a fierce winter storm</a> both gave rise to worries that fixed mines could have become dislodged by flooding."It's also quite plausible that Russia was adding more mines to the water in that situation," said Horell.It's also not known for sure which types were in use, but several<a target="_blank" href="https://www.dw.com/en/experts-warn-black-sea-mines-pose-serious-maritime-threat/a-61334599"> were reported</a> to be contact mines anchored just below the water's surface. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bulgaria-destroys-naval-mine-off-its-black-sea-coast-2022-07-01/">One such contact mine</a>, found off the coast of Bulgaria in July 2022, was a YaM mine — a Soviet-era anchor-type river mine that floats a few feet below the surface."So was it actually floating mines that came loose due to weather conditions, or were they placed intentionally to create a threat perception?" asked Johannes Peters, head of the Center for Maritime Strategy and Security at Kiel University in Germany. "We're still not quite sure.""Most of the mines were quite old," he added. "It doesn't make them less dangerous, but we don't know the maintenance situation."Anchored mines are required in international law to have a failsafe that neutralizes the explosive if they come loose, he said — but, he added, there's no way of knowing if that mechanism still works.The matter raised major fears for ships transiting Ukraine's grain corridor, which Russia openly threatened after withdrawing from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in the summer of 2023.Soon after, Ukraine's armed forces <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/OperationalCommandSouth/posts/pfbid0vZHgUj7itLXcCw9kHENM1AF1bKfW1AbXGkAdFnzKMdzqoefH3b32xyq4GCqpn5Brl">accused Russia</a> of dropping several mines onto the corridor, and in December 2023 a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-67834841">hit a mine</a>, injuring two.This was the last major incident between a commercial ship and a stray mine, and, Peters said, the volume of naval mines in these waters is likely much smaller than initially feared.Today, the situation has stabilized; even as mines continue to wash up on beaches, exports have begun approaching pre-war levels.<h2 id="249f78f8-7843-41be-928e-10e3b55c0c99">Sounding the alarm</h2>Nonetheless, campaigners at Greenpeace have concerns in connection to a major gas extraction project in the Black Sea.Neptun Deep is a joint project of Romanian energy companies OMV Petrom and Romgaz to build an offshore gas field in Romanian territorial waters.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.oxfordenergy.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Insight-133-Black-Sea-upstream-Neptun-Deep-FID-taken.pdf"> Analysts say</a> that the deepwater project, due to start pumping gas in 2027, is set to turn the country into a net exporter of gas, further freeing the continent from dependence on Russian energy.<div type="image" title="An aerial view of an offshore platform operated by Romanian energy company OMV Petrom in the Black Sea." height="584" width="1000" msid="113697843" hostid="261" sizebytes="28346"></div>But — as part of broader objections to fossil fuel extraction — Greenpeace said in<a target="_blank" href="https://www.greenpeace.org/static/planet4-romania-stateless/2024/06/7b5c64be-en_mines_risk_analysis_black_sea.pdf"> a June 2024 report</a> that OMV Petrom and Romgaz' impact assessment "fails to consider the risk caused by naval mines."The Greenpeace report's co-author Marc Dengler, a climate and energy expert at the campaign group, told BI last week that this is a serious omission. The main risk would be the danger to ships and workers during the construction phase, he said."But it can also hit the platform itself and especially the pipeline," he added. The consequences to the environment would be "really, really dramatic," he said.Romgaz and OMV Petrom did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Considering Greenpeace's concerns, Peters acknowledged that the extraction area is close to a mined war zone. But Romania's navy is well equipped at detecting and dealing with mine encounters, he said.For Horrell, the security relief brought about by reducing Europe's dependence on Russian energy outweighs concerns about mines impacting the project."Certainly there's ecological risks to any offshore drilling, but to suggest that the risk of a floating mine vastly increasing that, is to me a stretch," he said.<h2 id="0eca6bae-5037-4489-887c-5224aba3a91d">Tomorrow's problem</h2>Earlier this year, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania — the three countries other than Ukraine most affected by the drifting mine threat — banded together in a naval alliance to clear their waters.Three ships will go mine hunting at least twice every six months,<a target="_blank" href="https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2024/01/11/turkey-bulgaria-romania-team-up-to-clear-black-sea-mines/"> Defense News reported</a>.<div type="image" title="Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (C), Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar (L) and Bulgaria's Deputy Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov (R) shake hands after signing an agreement on demining the Black Sea to ensure safe waters after Russia's war in Ukraine, in Istanbul, on January 11, 2024." height="667" width="1000" msid="113697828" hostid="261" sizebytes="45318"></div>The move is to be applauded, Horell said — but the "limited capacity of those three navies to do that is going to mean it would be a long time before you can have that sort of assurance."Clearing the rest of the Black Sea, including Ukraine's own waters, may have to wait until long after the war.A pair of minesweepers sold to Ukraine by the UK remain at anchor in Portsmouth. They're blocked from entering the Black Sea by Turkey's reading of<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-ukraine-montreux-convention-keeping-warships-out-of-black-sea-2023-10"> the Montreux Convention</a>, which bars warships passing through the Bosphorous in wartime.In the absence of ships like that, Horell suggested other means, such as uncrewed mine-seeking vessels, that can pass through smaller waterways to the Black Sea.Even after hostilities end, Ukraine has learned that any peace with Russia comes with few guarantees — and Ukraine may say: "'Okay, we are not in a war anymore, but we are far away from peace as well,'" said Peters.In that instance, Kyiv may decide to keep its coastal defenses in place.For Peters, no one can say exactly how long it would take to clear the waters."It has a political dimension, it has a technical dimension, it has a capability dimension," he said.He added: "It's hard to declare that 'it is cleared.' You just can define the degree of uncertainty you want to live with."

The Black Sea has a deadly naval mine problem that will long outlast the Ukraine war

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists have discovered thousands of new species in an area of the Pacific Ocean.</li><li>They found 5,578 species in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a 1.7 million square mile region.</li></ul>Scientists researching an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean have discovered over 5,000 new species, according to research published in the journal <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00534-1">Current Biology</a>.The area, which is rich in minerals, has been identified as a target zone for future mining, and scientists have set out to research the area's ecosystem before it begins.Of the 5,578 new species discovered, around 88% to 92% were "new to science," the report says.The new species were found thousands of feet deep in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), an area of the ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico that spans 1.7 million square miles.<div type="image" title="Location of the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the Pacific Ocean." height="682" width="910" msid="100725029" hostid="261" sizebytes="111406"></div>One of the main concerns is that mining activity would destroy this fragile ecosystem that has likely been unchanged for millions of years.Adrian Glover, a researcher at London's <a href="https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/may/90-of-species-in-prospective-deep-sea-mining-zone-are-unnamed.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Natural History Museum</a> and a co-author of the study, said, "It is imperative that we work with the companies looking to mine these resources to ensure any such activity is done in a way that limits its impact upon the natural world."According to the report, the CCZ was first explored in the 1960s, while informal lists of species were created from the late 1970s to the 1990s.<div type="image" title="A squat lobster discovered in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone" height="801" width="1603" msid="100568583" hostid="261"></div>"In a way, I am surprised about how little we actually know," said Muriel Rabone, a deep-sea researcher at the Natural History Museum and the lead author of the study."Considering we have been visiting the CCZ since the 1960s, and it is actually the best-known abyssal region, yet we still know only 10% of species-level diversity," she added.<div type="image" title="An array of crustaceans found in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone" height="1559" width="2079" msid="100568585" hostid="261"></div>The Natural History Museum says that the CCZ is home to a wide variety of species, including sea cucumbers, sponges, crustaceans, worms, "and even the odd fish." One of the incredible discoveries in the region earned nicknamed the "gummy squirrel" due to its jelly-like appearance, Glover told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/25/more-than-5000-new-species-discovered-in-pacific-deep-sea-mining-hotspot">The Guardian</a>.<div type="image" title="A discovery in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone" height="2628" width="3504" msid="100568587" hostid="261"></div>Nineteen contracts have so far been awarded to deep-sea mining contractors to explore the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, according to the <a href="https://www.isa.org.jm/exploration-contracts/">International Seabed Authority</a>.

A pristine region of the Pacific Ocean targeted for deep-sea mining contains 5,000 new marine species, say scientists

The deadly landslides in Kerala's ecologically fragile Wayanad district were triggered by a heavy burst of rainfall, made 10 per cent heavier by <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword>, according to a new rapid attribution study by a global team of scientists. Researchers from India, Sweden, the US and the UK warned that such events will become more common as the climate continues to warm. To measure the impact of human-caused climate change, the scientists from the <keyword id="12008149" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="World-Weather-Attribution" source="Orion">World Weather Attribution</keyword> (WWA) group analysed climate models with high enough resolution to accurately reflect rainfall in the relatively small study area. The models indicated that the intensity of rainfall has increased by 10 per cent due to climate change, they said. The models also predict a further four per cent increase in rainfall intensity if the average <keyword id="21951013" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-temperature" source="keywords">global temperature</keyword> rises by two degrees Celsius compared to the 1850-1900 average. The scientists, however, said there is a "high level of uncertainty" in the model results as the study area is small and mountainous with complex rainfall-climate dynamics. Having said that, the increase in heavy one-day rainfall events aligns with a growing body of scientific evidence on extreme rainfall in a warming world, including in India, and the understanding that a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, leading to heavier downpours. According to scientists, the atmosphere's capacity to hold moisture increases by about 7 per cent for every one-degree Celsius rise in global temperature. The Earth's global surface temperature has already increased by around 1.3 degrees Celsius due to the rapidly rising concentration of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide and methane. Scientists say this is the reason behind worsening <keyword id="19912530" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="extreme-weather-events" source="keywords">extreme weather events</keyword>, such as droughts, heat waves and floods worldwide. The WWA scientists said that while the relationship between land cover, land use changes and landslide risk in Wayanad is not fully clear from existing studies, factors, such as quarrying for building materials and a 62 per cent reduction in forest cover may have increased the slopes' susceptibility to landslides during heavy rainfall. Other researchers have also linked the <keyword id="22597176" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wayanad-landslides" source="keywords">Wayanad landslides</keyword> to a combination of forest cover loss, mining in fragile terrain and prolonged rain followed by heavy precipitation. S Abhilash, the director of the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), had earlier told PTI that the warming of the Arabian Sea is leading to the formation of deep cloud systems, resulting in extremely heavy rainfall in Kerala in a short period and increasing the risk of landslides. "Our research found that the southeast Arabian Sea is becoming warmer, causing the atmosphere above Kerala to become thermodynamically unstable. This instability is allowing the formation of deep clouds," he had said. According to the landslide atlas released by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre last year, 10 out of the top 30 landslide-prone districts in India are in Kerala, with Wayanad ranked at the 13th spot. A study published by Springer in 2021 said all landslide hotspots in Kerala are in the Western Ghats region and are concentrated in Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Wayanad, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts. It said about 59 per cent of total landslides in Kerala have occurred in plantation areas. A 2022 study on depleting forest cover in Wayanad showed that 62 per cent of forests in the district disappeared between 1950 and 2018, while plantation cover rose by around 1,800 per cent.

Wayanad landslides linked to 10% heavier rainfall due to climate change: Study

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="4497343" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="pink-salt">pink salt</keyword> comes from remnants of ancient seabeds that crystallized 600 million years ago.</li><li>It's mined deep inside the mountains of <keyword id="3001" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pakistan">Pakistan</keyword> at the <keyword id="10713672" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="khewra-salt-mine">Khewra Salt Mine</keyword>.</li><li>Historically, Pakistan has seen little of the profits, even though pink salt is sold as a gourmet product worldwide.</li></ul>Following is a transcription of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>:Narrator: Himalayan salt doesn't actually come from the <keyword id="52569" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="himalayas">Himalayas</keyword>. It's mined 186 miles away in Pakistan. Thanks to its pink hue and supposed <keyword id="6362030" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health-benefits">health benefits</keyword>, the salt has exploded in popularity since the late 2000s. Today, it's turned into lamps, statues, and of course, table salt. But extracting the coveted salt means descending into dark caves, then blasting and carrying heavy rock.Faizan Panjwani: The problem is the massive size of the blocks that come from the mine. We don't have the technology in our mine to efficiently extract the salt.Narrator: We went inside the mine turning this mountain into 400,000 tons of pink salt each year.The Khewra Salt Mine, here in the Punjab region of Pakistan, is the second largest salt mine in the world. The pink salt comes from remnants of ancient seabeds that crystallized 600 million years ago. Legend has it, it was actually Alexander the Great's horse that first discovered the salt rocks when it stopped to take a lick. Then, under British rule, salt mining ramped up in the 1870s.Today, it's a popular tourist destination and a working mine, producing the majority of the world's pink salt. All the mining starts here, at the train station. This train takes miners deep into the mountain. Here, tunnels stretch for 25 miles, and it's always 64 degrees.Asif Chauhan: The mine has a total of 17 levels. There are five above us. We are at the sixth level, or the ground floor, and there are 11 levels underground. Narrator: Three hundred miners work these dark chambers. They've used many of the same mining tools for over a century: pickaxes, hand drills, and gunpowder.Muhammad Ashraf Abbasi: First, we do the drilling. We do the drilling with a hand auger. Then we do the packing with gunpowder. Next, we ignite it by using a safety fuse, and then we blast out the salt. Worker: Warning, everyone move to the side! Warning, everyone move to the side!Abbasi: After that, just to be safe, we wait for half an hour before going in and loading the salt. Narrator: Miners will spend eight hours underground at a time.Muhammad Qamar: Obviously, working in the mine 30 to 40 feet underground is hard. But we get paid well and on time.Narrator: Only half of the mountain's salt is actually mined. The rest is used for structural support so the chambers don't collapse. Tractors haul the mined salt blocks out of the mountain. Each day, miners excavate over 1,000 tons of salt, or about the weight of 157 elephants.Outside, they search for the blocks with the best shape and coloring to send to manufacturers. Once picked, the blocks are loaded up on trucks either by hand or crane and sent across Pakistan.Historically, Pakistan couldn't process this raw pink salt, so much of it was exported to India cheaply. India would treat the salt, label it as made in India, and sell it at a premium. Pakistan saw little of the profits. NPR reported that a ton of salt sold to India for $40 could fetch $300 in Europe. In 2019, a social media campaign calling for the end of salt exports to India went viral. That same year, the Pakistani government banned all salt exports to India. The goal? Returning the profits to Pakistan.Waqas Panjwani: Twenty-three percent of Pakistan's rock salt was exported to India as raw material. Then it was re-exported overseas to the same market we are exporting to right now. The government's decision will definitely benefit us.Narrator: But some Pakistani salt exporters suffered. They didn't speak English and couldn't meet Europe's tough import standards. Only about a dozen exporters saw an opportunity to sell products under Pakistani labels directly to Europe. Muhammad was one of them. Every month, he purchases 300 tons of salt from the mine for his company, Himalayan Decor International.Muhammad Imran: From the Khewra mine, salt is loaded onto several trucks that <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> on the motorway and bring it to our factory, which is in Lahore on Defence Road which is 350 km away.Narrator: His artists turn these blocks into more than 200 different products.Imran: Natural salt lamps, geometrical shapes, animal salt licks, eating and cooking plates. We are also making wall tiles. We are also making a lot of salt for food.Narrator: Most of the work is done by hand, but drills and saws have sped up the process in recent years.Imran: After that, we check the quality. Then we wash it. After that, we install a bulb and wooden base, and that brings it to the final packing stage. We produce almost 10,000 to 15,000 salt lamps monthly.Narrator: Over in Karachi, RM Salt Pakistan grinds up blocks into table salt.Faizan Panjwani: Basically this is the raw material that you can see is in different sizes. This ranges from 2 to 3 kg, 3 to 5 kg. And this is the large size, 9 to 12 kg, 12 to 15 kg. It's available in a range.Narrator: Blocks are fed into the grinder and broken down into smaller grains. Workers bag and weigh 1,000 of these pouches of pink salt every hour. Like Muhammad's factory, RM Salt also makes lamps and other specialty products. After the raw material we get, we convert it into a different shape as per our order. As you can see in the cutting machine, he is cutting different sizes. On this saw, water prevents dust from flying up. But on the grinders, it's not possible, which is why Muhammad's staff wore masks even before the pandemic. Over at RM Salt ...Faizan Panjwani: As you can see, in this facility we have installed a vacuum through which we can absorb the dust. This is an order from USA, one of our clients. We are making these goods for them. The moon shape and the heart shape, as well. After double drill, it goes through the washing process. We have to do this manually because of the different block sizes.Narrator: The lamps are then coated with a gel to prevent humidity from interacting with the salt, and then they're shrink wrapped. RM Salt ships 30 containers of products every month. Muhammad exports about 80% of his products, primarily to Western countries like the US, UK, and Spain, where demand has spiked in the last decade because of the alleged health benefits.Chauhan: Three colors of salt are found here. White, red, or pink. White has sodium chloride, pink has magnesium, and red has iron.Waqas Panjwani: 98% of this is sodium chloride, or NaCl, the same as sea salt. But the additional benefits are that it has 84 minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium.Rhiannon Lambert: However, it's such a very small percentage of the salt that makes up these minerals, you are highly unlikely to get any real benefit or any trace of them in your regular serving of salt itself. But nutritionally, it's pretty much similar to regular salt.Narrator: It's also pretty similar-tasting to sea salt. But others claim Himalayan salt has healing powers, whether inhaled, used in spa treatments, or in lamp form.Lambert: There's a lot of homeopathic remedies that can seem very, very appealing, but actually they're not grounded in evidence.Narrator: And it's these false health claims that have driven the price up. Himalayan salt can cost up to 20 times the price of normal table salt.Waqas Panjwani: Normally, the price of a pink salt pouch starts at 60 cents for a manufacturer. I am talking about a 1-kg bag. On the <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> market, it sells for around $9. Narrator: But that money doesn't always make it back to the miners. They take home less than 1,500 rupees a day. Not much more than the cost of this bag of <keyword id="10713671" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="himalayan-sea-salt">Himalayan sea salt</keyword> at Walmart. And those salaries have stayed the same even though Pakistan has severed its salty relationship with India and the pink salt is seeing growing demand abroad.Imran: The demand for pink salt is increasing day by day across the whole world. I don't think there will be any decrease in demand or sales because people are using it a lot, and every day sales are increasing.Narrator: Luckily, the mountain won't run out of salt any time soon. It's estimated only about 220 million tons of salt have been excavated here -- nothing compared to the nearly 6.7 billion tons left.

How 800 million pounds of Himalayan salt are mined each year

<ul><li>Mining for <keyword id="6354947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bitcoin">Bitcoin</keyword> is likely to get more difficult as August rolls in.</li><li>Bitcoin's hashrate, which determines the total computational power required to mine a coin, has improved by a whopping 15% since its massive crash in June.</li><li>The recovery is led by miners who migrated out of China in search of greener pastures, coming back online.</li></ul>Bitcoin miners outside of China have been reaping the benefits of Bitcoin’s drop in difficulty. But, the joy ride may soon be coming to an end as more miners come back online and the fight to be first intensifies. According to US-based <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite&amp;is_retargeting=false&amp;shortlink=BI&amp;c=site&amp;pid=Business%20Insider&amp;af_click_lookback=7d&amp;af_channel=Business%20Insider&amp;af_adset=article&amp;af_force_deeplink=true">mining</a> company Luxor’s weekly newsletter, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty is likely to increase as August kicks in. “For the first time since China’s hashrate went lights out, we’re anticipating next week’s adjustment to be positive, a roughly 1.75% increase,” said the report. When Bitcoin is easier to mine, it means that less energy is being used, which, in turn, means the process becomes cheaper for miners. They are able to mine more with the same computational power and increase the chances of hitting gold — or, in this case, Bitcoin. If the difficulty of mining Bitcoin increases, it’s going to get harder for miners to score the jackpot, and that margin for profit is also likely to take a hit. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bitcoin’s hashrate has already increase" comment="subhead" text="Bitcoin’s hashrate has already increase">Bitcoin’s hashrate has already increase</cmsannotation> <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite&amp;is_retargeting=false&amp;shortlink=BI&amp;c=site&amp;pid=Business%20Insider&amp;af_click_lookback=7d&amp;af_channel=Business%20Insider&amp;af_adset=article&amp;af_force_deeplink=true">Bitcoin</a> briefly breached the $40,000 mark on July 27 at 11:30am Indian Standard Time (IST), recording a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bitcoin-price-largest-surge-after-speculation-of-amazon-accepting-cryptocurrency-payments/articleshow/84753902.cms">one-day rise of more than 7%</a> — a welcome relief for investors hoping that the cryptocurrency would recover from its $30,000 rut, after correcting its mid-April peak of more than $60,000. On the other hand, Bitcoin's hash rate, which determines the total computational power required to mine a Bitcoin, has also improved by a whopping 15% since its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/why-bitcoin-mining-will-be-easier-with-drop-in-hash-rate-amid-china-crypto-crackdown/articleshow/83810948.cms">massive crash in June</a> and now stands at almost 100M terahashes per second (TH/s). If the hash rate increases, the difficulty of mining a block of Bitcoin also increases. Since more and more miners are trying simultaneously, Bitcoin’s in-built algorithm automatically makes it harder to unlock a block. The measure helps in controlling the supply of coins and prevents a sudden flow of too many of them. For the community, it’s a positive indicator as it means the network is recovering from its pitfall. However, for individual miners, it spells bad news as they will have to spend more time mining a coin than earlier. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Chinese miners are making a comeback" comment="subhead" text="Chinese miners are making a comeback"><keyword id="3225503" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chinese-miners">Chinese miners</keyword> are making a comeback</cmsannotation> The last few months have been a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/a-massive-crash-in-cryptocurrency-prices-wiped-out-1-trillion-of-wealth-reports-suggest/articleshow/82829155.cms">rough ride</a> for Bitcoin and all other cryptocurrencies as short-sellers exited and traders grew confident from a flurry of positive news from crypto stalwarts. However, no event has had a bigger impact than China’s crackdown. The increase in difficulty will primarily be driven by Chinese miners coming back online. Most of them have found new homes in other countries, set up their rigs, and won’t have any reason to back offline unless another regulatory crackdown affects their region. The rise in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/why-bitcoin-mining-will-be-easier-with-drop-in-hash-rate-amid-china-crypto-crackdown/articleshow/83810948.cms">hash rate signifies</a> that the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/chinas-bitcoin-miners-are-looking-at-us-kazakhstan-canada-and-europe-amid-the-exodus/articleshow/83806714.cms">great miner migration effort</a> is finally paying off. Miners have started moving their equipment out of China and are actively reopening business on the other side of the world — most of them reportedly in the US. It's where green energy is abundantly available, and government regulations won't be turbulent. China used to contribute up to 65% of Bitcoin's total hash rate before the crackdown. The exodus of miners created a sudden drop. With miners gradually coming back up online, the hash rate is expected to recover steadily in the coming weeks. <h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:18pt;margin-bottom:6pt;"><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What's powering the rise in Bitcoin's value?" comment="subhead" text="What's powering the rise in Bitcoin's value?">What's powering the rise in Bitcoin's value?</cmsannotation></h2>An increase in the number of people mining Bitcoin is not the only factor that allowed the cryptocurrency’s price to escape the $30,000 limbo. The initial push came when it was revealed that Amazon was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/amazon-may-soon-allow-users-to-pay-in-cryptocurrencies-like-bitcoin/articleshow/84724732.cms">considering </a>payments in Bitcoin. A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/amazon-is-looking-to-hire-someone-to-lead-its-digital-currency-and-blockchain-initiatives/articleshow/84679269.cms">job listing</a>, followed by confirmation from a source, hinted that the e-commerce giant could be exploring the space actively. The news has since been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/amazon-rejects-speculation-about-bitcoin-payment-plans-as-untrue-but-says-its-still-exploring-crypto/articleshow/84789686.cms">denied</a> by the company, but it was still enough to rally the crypto markets. Meanwhile, the US Treasury has also been actively discussing regulations for stablecoins, which have often been criticised for being non-collateralised. <div type="ExtQuote" text="The secretary underscored the need to act quickly to ensure there is an appropriate US regulatory framework in place. The PWG (President's Working Group) expects to issue recommendations in the coming months" auname="The US Treasury Department said in a statement on July 26"></div> The government's stance is seen as good news for the larger crypto community since regulations also mean standardisation. At a time when countries like China are toeing the line of an outright ban, regularisation efforts are at least a way for cryptocurrencies to coexist with the current financial system. Around the same time, Tesla CEO Elon Musk <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musk-says-tesla-will-accept-bitcoin-payments-again-once-miners-use-50-clean-energy/articleshow/83509061.cms">confirmed </a>that the electric vehicle company would most likely accept Bitcoin as payment when mining for cryptocurrency is powered by 50% or more green energy. Considering the miners' migration attempts to the US, experts are bullish about the future. Energy consumption has always been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/a-single-bitcoin-transaction-has-a-bigger-carbon-footprint-than-100000-hours-of-youtube-videos/articleshow/84373569.cms">Bitcoin's Achilles heel</a>, and China's crackdown could as well be a boon in the long run. <a href="https://forum.businessinsider.in/">For a more in-depth discussion, come on over to Business Insider Cryptosphere</a> — a forum where users can deep dive into all things crypto, engage in interesting discussions and stay ahead of the curve. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/imf-remains-wary-of-cryptocurrencies-calls-legalisation-an-inadvisable-shortcut/articleshow/84790881.cms" style="">Inadvisable shortcut, a step too far, and dire consequences — the IMF warns countries against using Bitcoin as a national currency</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/elon-musk-and-michael-saylor-had-the-most-influence-on-crypto-markets-over-the-last-three-months/articleshow/84789343.cms">Elon Musk and Michael Saylor’s influence on crypto markets have made it as volatile as the ‘crypto winter’ of 2017</a> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bitcoin’s hashrate has already increase" comment="subhead" text="Bitcoin’s hashrate has already increase"> </cmsannotation>

Bitcoin is getting harder to mine as its hash rate recovers and price momentarily crosses $40,000

<ul><li>BBitmain Technologies, the world’s largest mining rig seller, has <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-23/world-s-top-bitcoin-mining-rig-maker-halts-sales-as-clients-flee">stopped</a> spot delivery of its <keyword id="6354947" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="bitcoin">Bitcoin</keyword> mining rigs globally.</li><li>Bitcoin mining rigs refers to the computing infrastructure employed by mining farms to mine Bitcoins.</li><li>Prices of Bitcoin mining rigs have tanked by as much as 75% after China’s crackdowns.</li><li>The global hash rate for Bitcoin and other cryptos has fallen dramatically since last month.</li></ul>In perhaps the biggest indicator of the impact China’s crackdown on <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">cryptocurrencies</a> has had on the industry, Bitmain Technologies stopped spot delivery of its Bitcoin mining rigs globally. The Chinese company is the largest Bitcoin mining rig maker in the world, and has stopped spot deliveries in order to raise local prices in the country, thanks to reduced demand, as mining firms are leaving China amid the crackdown. The company told <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-23/world-s-top-bitcoin-mining-rig-maker-halts-sales-as-clients-flee">Bloomberg</a> that it has stopped selling new equipment ‘after prices for top tier rigs plunged by about 75% since April’. The company spokesperson disclosed that there’s no guidance on when the company plans to get back to business as usual. For now, Bitmain plans to only continue selling gear for the future delivery of devices used to mine smaller altcoins. Bitmain may be waiting for miners to find new homes Demand aside, postponing sales could also help miners shift their business to other setups. China’s crackdown has led some of the largest mining farms in the world to look elsewhere and consider setting up businesses outside the country. Firms like Bitmain may want to retain the farms’ business by ensuring that they can deliver to these new markets. According to Bloomberg, the company had a closed-door event with hundreds of its mining clients last week. During the meeting, Bitmain promised to help these miners hook up with data centers in countries like the US and Kazakhstan. Bitcoin and Ethereum, being the largest <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">cryptocurrencies</a>, also consume the most amount of power, and hence make for the biggest markets for companies like Bitmain. A supply crunch will boost prices for those wanting an out For those planning to leave the world of Bitcoin mining for good, a crunch in supply could help them get a better price for their machines. China’s crackdown on the <keyword id="2721952" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="crypto">crypto</keyword> industry has wreaked havoc across the industry this time. The 2021 ban has often been compared to 2017, except that this year’s ban is having a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/heres-how-chinas-2021-crypto-crackdown-in-2021-differs-from-the-2017-ban/articleshow/83802778.cms">tangible impact</a> on the industry. <div type="image" title="Bitcoin" msid="83808453" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Bitcoin harshrate&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bitcoins-hash-rate-drops-to-a-six-month-low-after-china-shuts-nearly-90-of-its-bitcoin-mining/articleshow/83712677.cms">reported</a> earlier, the global hash rate for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has reduced since last month. The hash rate signifies the amount of computing power being put towards crypto mining around the world. Before the Asian giant started to clamp down on miners in the country, China was responsible for more than half of all the Bitcoin mining in the world. <div type="image" title="Bitcoin" msid="83808527" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;China accounted for the bulk of the world&amp;#39;s bitcoin mining as of April 2021&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> “Recent news on the China mining shutdown is very reminiscent of China every few years. They’ve banned banks from using bitcoin, but this is actually different. I’ve never seen an exodus like this before,” Darin Feinstein, founder of Blockcap, one of the largest bitcoin mining companies, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/22/bitcoin-drop-below-30000-sparks-fears-of-another-crypto-winter.html?utm_term=Autofeed&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_content=Main&amp;utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1624390854">told</a> CNBC. Big exchanges and mining farms have been looking for alternatives too — but some are not successful. Crypto miner Huobi Mall announced that it would be shutting down mining operations in China in May. Last week, it stopped offering some of its exchange services because of the crackdowns. “Due to recent dynamic changes in the market, in order to protect the interests of investors, a portion of services such as futures contracts, ETP [exchange-traded products] or other leveraged investment products are temporarily unavailable to new users from a few specified countries and regions,” the company <a href="https://www.coindesk.com/huobi-derivatives-chinese-traders-alternatives">told</a> Coindesk. <a href="https://forum.businessinsider.in/">For a more in-depth discussion, come on over to Business Insider Cryptosphere</a> — a forum where users can deep dive into all things crypto, engage in interesting discussions and stay ahead of the curve. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/heres-how-chinas-2021-crypto-crackdown-in-2021-differs-from-the-2017-ban/articleshow/83802778.cms">Here’s how China’s 2021 crypto crackdown in 2021 differs from the 2017 ban</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/zomato-is-seeking-a-8-billion-valuation-in-its-ipo-does-it-make-sense/articleshow/83801848.cms">There are a few reasons why Zomato wants $8 billion valuation from its IPO -- here's a look at if it makes sense</a>

World’s largest Bitcoin mining rig seller isn’t taking any new orders for foreseeable future

<ul><li>Shares of <keyword id="1553175" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone-Idea">Vodafone Idea</keyword> opened 10% lower after reports widening of net loss and inability to generate cash flow and raise funds.</li><li>The company has reported a net loss of ₹7,022 crore in <keyword id="141295" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="March-quarter">March quarter</keyword> 2021 as against net loss of ₹4,532 crore in December quarter 2020.</li><li>The <keyword id="6354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telecom">telecom</keyword> operator has a piled up net debt of ₹1.7 lakh crore</li></ul>Shares of Vodafone Idea tanked over 15% at 9:23 a.m on July 1 to ₹8.50, as the <keyword id="6359480" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aditya-Birla">Aditya Birla</keyword> Group-backed telecom operator confessed its struggles to run operations amid its inability to raise funds in its March quarter <keyword id="6402403" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="results">results</keyword>. Shares of the company were trading at ₹9.30, down 6.5% at 10:06 a.m. The company highlighted its concerns related to the inability to raise funds and clear piled up debt, which questioned their journey forward as a firm. Vodafone Idea reported a net loss of ₹7,022 crore in the March quarter along with a net debt of ₹1.7 lakh crore. The company stated that its “financial performance has impacted its ability to generate the cash flow that it needs to settle/refinance its liabilities and guarantees as they fall due, which along with its financial condition is resulting in material uncertainty that casts significant doubt on the Company’s ability to make the payments mentioned therein and continue as a going concern.” Moreover, the company has witnessed a major decline in average revenue per user (ARPU), which fell to ₹107 in the January-March quarter, a decline of nearly 12% from the preceding quarter. Analysts had expected the company to report losses narrowing and reduction in average revenue per user (ARPU) considering the end to interconnect usage charges (IUC) regime. Gross revenue of the company has also declined to ₹9,607 crore in March quarter as compared to ₹10,894 crore in the December quarter. The company has attributed the fall in revenues and ARPU to removal of IUC. The IUC is a charge made by one telecom operator to another when its customers make outgoing calls to the other operator. On the other hand, the company saw a marginal rise in 4G subscriber base to 11.39 crore as compared to 10.97 crore in the preceding quarter. EBITDA numbers have gone up to ₹4,408 crore in the March quarter, a rise of nearly 3% from the previous quarter. EBITDA margin has improved at 45.9% from 39.3% in the December quarter. EBITDA is <keyword id="6357061" type="SPONSORED" weightage="20" keywordseo="earnings">earnings</keyword> before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation. As per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (<keyword id="6356988" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="trai">TRAI</keyword>), Vodafone Idea had the best voice quality in the country for 6 months consecutively between November 2020 and April 2021. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/thousands-of-indias-transgenders-are-missing-vaccines-due-to-fear-follies-and-lack-of-ids/articleshow/83990511.cms">Thousands of India's transgenders are missing vaccines due to fear, follies and lack of IDs</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/asteroids-contain-metals-worth-quintillions-of-dollars-but-mining-them-wont-necessarily-make-your-richer-than-bezos-or-musk/articleshow/83989878.cms">Asteroids contain metals worth quintillions of dollars — but mining them won’t necessarily make your richer than Bezos or Musk</a>

Vodafone Idea shares in deep red as an uncertain future looms

<ul><li>NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is likely to face a seven-month delay in being launch ready according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) audit of COVID-19’s impact.</li><li>The audit also pegged the monetary impact at $10.4 million in 2020 so far with the cost expected to balloon by $36 million in the long run.</li><li>The NISAR project between NASA and <keyword id="6358064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword> is expected to be the first of its kind to deliver high-resolution images on the Earth’s surface to track local changes and measure regional trends.</li></ul>The landmark satellite project of the <keyword id="116095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Space-Research-Organisation">Indian Space Research Organisation</keyword> (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to capture the first-ever high-resolution images of the planet is set to face a seven-month delay. The launch was initially scheduled for January 2023 abroad ISRO's GSLV Mark-II launch vehicle. <div type="Video" msid="81842074" hostid="261" title="How NISAR Will Deploy After Launch" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=81842074"></div> NASA’s most recent audit of its budget and impact of the pandemic shows that the cost of the project dubbed NISAR has already ballooned by $10.4 million in 2020. As the shadow of the pandemic continues to loom, the programme is estimated to get more expensive by a whopping $36 million. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is among NASA’s projects to be the most significantly impacted. NASA’s audit reveals that a few activities continued unhindered, a moderate amount proceeded at a reduced level because of limited access to facilities and significant number of activities were essentially suspended with NASA shutting 12 of its 18 major facilities. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is NISAR?" comment="subhead" text="What is NISAR?">What is NISAR?</cmsannotation> NISAR’s high resolution images will be used to track local changes and measure regional trends. The data will provide scientists with a better understanding of the causes and consequences of changes on the surface of land. NASA and ISRO hope that scientists will use this information to figure out how resources can be better managed as well as address the burgeoning problem of global warming. <div type="Video" msid="81842153" hostid="261" title="Global Biomass Mapping by NISAR" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=81842153"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is causing delays for NISAR?" comment="subhead" text="What is causing delays for NISAR?">What is causing delays for NISAR?</cmsannotation> All activities around NISAR were forced to come to a stop in mid-March 2020, according to NASA. Limited activities focused on the project’s hardware were resumed later during the same month. However, the remaining hardware activities did not come back full throttle until early June 2020. The project was also subject to delays from domestic and international partners. For instance, Boeing’s manufacturing operation underwent an initial two-month-long delay in March 2020. It faced another five-week long delay in August 2020 due to COVID-19 exposure. As of September 2020, teams working on the NISAR project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) were at near-normal levels. <div type="image" title="NISAR_edited" msid="81841660" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Members of the NISAR mission at NASA&amp;#39;s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California received the S-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) from their partner in India on 20 March 2021&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/google-bmw-volvo-and-samsung-ban-on-deep-sea-mining-could-favour-india-but-the-country-has-its-own-plans-to-exploit-ocean-resources/articleshow/81777647.cms">India has the most to gain from Google, BMW and Volvo’s call for a ban on deep-sea mining — but it has its own plans to exploit resources under the ocean</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/earth-lost-more-arctic-sea-ice-than-the-area-of-rajasthan-and-madhya-pradesh-combined-in-2021/articleshow/81775537.cms">The planet lost more Arctic sea ice than the area of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh combined in 2021</a>

NASA-ISRO joint radar satellite could face a seven-month delay and cost $36 million more bearing the impact of COVID-19

Depression over Bay of Bengal may intensify into cylonic storm: MeT <keyword id="50863" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhubaneswar">Bhubaneswar</keyword>, Nov 5 () A fresh low pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression on Tuesday, the Meteorological Centre here said. It is likely to further intensify into a cyclonic storm on Wednesday, the MeT Centre said. "The depression lay centred over east-central and adjoining south-eastern Bay of Bengal and north <keyword id="134931" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="andaman-sea">Andaman Sea</keyword>, about 950 km south-southeast of Paradip in <keyword id="6357961" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="odisha">Odisha</keyword>," Director of Bhubaneswar MeT Centre, H R Biswas said. It is likely to intensify into a deep depression shortly and then into a cyclonic storm on Wednesday, Biswas said. "The cyclonic storm may move west-northwestwards initially and then north-northwestwards, towards Odisha-West Bengal coasts," he said. The likelihood of a cyclonic storm over Odisha comes barely six months after the <keyword id="6386783" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="CYCLONE">cyclone</keyword> Fani devastated coastal areas of the state on May 3, claiming around 64 lives and leaving many without a shelter. The warning comes a fortnight after six people were killed in rain that battered the state under the impact of a low pressure area. Under the impact of the fresh depression, several parts of coastal Odisha are expected to receive rain from November 8 which is likely to intensify, the MeT Centre said. "We are constantly monitoring the movement and direction of the depression. At present, a clear picture about its possible impact is yet to emerge," a MeT official said. As sea conditions will be rough and there will be high velocity winds, fishermen have been advised not to venture into deep seas till further notice. SKN ACD MM MM

Another cyclone might be looming over Bay of Bengal as fresh low pressure forms

<ul><li>China's crackdown on cryptocurrencies doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop with the ban on bitcoin mining.</li><li>The Asian giant’s central bank is also laying down the hammer when it comes to crypto-related services and other cryptocurrencies, particularly <keyword id="8067293" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Stablecoins">stablecoins</keyword> like Tether.</li><li>The country seems to be worried about its financial stability and the threat stablecoins could pose if there was enough adoption.</li></ul>The crackdown on cryptocurrencies by China is unlikely to stop with Bitcoin mining. Authorities in the country have indicated that other digital tokens, particularly <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">stablecoins</a>, are also a serious threat. <div type="ExtQuote" text="Some commercial organizations’ so-called stablecoins, especially global stablecoins, may bring risks and challenges to the international monetary system, payments and settlement system, etc." auname="Fan Yifei, a deputy governor of the People’s Bank of China, told reporters on July 8"></div> With China’s <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/china-finance-pboc-idUSL4N2LE26L">financial stability</a> coming into question, the crackdown on <keyword id="6357017" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="cryptocurrency">cryptocurrency</keyword> is seen as a way to contain one of the potential sources of instability. And, the People’s Bank of China is hardly alone in being a central bank that doesn’t trust digital currencies. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the US Treasury, the South Africa Reserve Bank, and others are also warning citizens to be wary of the risk that <a href="https://wazirx.com/signup?invite=2kpah6gr&amp;utm_source=business-insider&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=microsite">cryptocurrencies</a> carry. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is China’s problem with stablecoins?" comment="subhead" text="What is China’s problem with stablecoins?">What is China’s problem with stablecoins?</cmsannotation> Stablecoins aren't like your normal cryptocurrencies — they don’t gain their value from the number of transactions verified. Instead, they gain their value from external references. This can be a currency like the US dollar or a commodity like gold. However, since cryptocurrencies are still in their early days, there is a certain lack of transparency. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/tether-is-a-cryptocurrency-thats-not-volatile-and-pegged-against-the-us-dollar/articleshow/83604895.cms">Tether</a>, based on the dollar, has been accused — repeatedly — for not having the funds to back up its claimed holdings. And, it has also been accused of manipulating Bitcoin’s price. Global stablecoins, if adopted by enough people, can not only have an impact on the economy but also have the power to influence a country’s monetary policy. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="China’s war on crypto is far from over" comment="subhead" text="China’s war on crypto is far from over">China’s war on crypto is far from over</cmsannotation> Just days ago, regulators asked a software maker called Beijing Qudao Cultural Development to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/china-sends-out-another-crypto-crackdown-warning-as-it-orders-a-beijing-software-maker-to-shut-down/articleshow/84177408.cms">shut shop</a> over allegations of cryptocurrency trading. The move is being seen as a warning shot for other Chinese companies to stay clear of crypto trading or offer any crypto-related services. The accounts of crypto influencers on Weibo were also <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/china-crypto-crackdown-weibo-bitcoin-influencers-accounts-blocked-2021-6">shut down</a> for violating the platform’s guidelines and China’s laws last month. According to the People’s Bank of China, the action was necessary to “prevent and control the risk of speculation in virtual currency transactions”. All this and more has been happening since late May when China issued a national-level call to clamp down on Bitcoin mining and transactions. With miners in the country accounting for more than half of the mining volume worldwide, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/bitcoins-mining-difficulty-dropped-significantly-because-the-hash-rate-plunged-/articleshow/84140379.cms">Bitcoin’s hash rate</a> — how fast transactions are verifying — has been dropping as miners try to find <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/worlds-largest-bitcoin-mining-rig-seller-isnt-taking-any-new-orders-for-foreseeable-future/articleshow/83808381.cms">new jurisdictions</a> to set up operations. Now, investors and crypto players alike are waiting with bated breath to see where the Asian giant’s regulators will strike next. <a href="https://forum.businessinsider.in/">For a more in-depth discussion, come on over to Business Insider Cryptosphere</a> — a forum where users can deep dive into all things crypto, engage in interesting discussions and stay ahead of the curve. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/cryptocurrencies-exchanges-can-run-into-trouble-with-investors/articleshow/84205889.cms">Cryptocurrencies aren't all diamonds and roses — lawsuits from people who lost big are piling up with exchanges</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/crypto-sports-sponsorships-are-heating-up-again-as-ufc-bags-a-multi-million-dollar-deal-from-crypto-com/articleshow/84229910.cms">Crypto sports sponsorships are heating up again with multi-million dollar deals on the table</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/ceo-of-the-worlds-largest-cryptocurrency-said-that-financial-assets-like-cryptocurrencies-only-come-along-once-in-a-generation/articleshow/84164488.cms">The CEO of the world’s largest cryptocurrency asset manager reckons that crypto as an asset class is ‘here to stay’ — Here are 12 of his best quotes</a>

China’s crypto crackdown is not likely to stop with Bitcoin mining — stablecoins, software, influencers are also on its radar

(Eds: Adding details) New Delhi, Mar 12 () Parliament on Thursday passed a bill that will remove end-use restrictions for participating in coal mine auctions and open up the coal sector fully for commercial mining by domestic and global companies. The Mineral laws (Amendment) Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with 83 MPs voting in its favour and 12 against. The Lok Sabha had passed the bill last Friday. Replying after a brief discussion on the bill, Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi said the legislation will help in bringing more FDI in the coal and mining sector, and boost the economy. The minister said the bill was important as India should be using its own natural reserves, instead of importing coal worth Rs 2.7 lakh crore. "We have to produce coal and reduce imports," he said, adding more domestic output would lead to more electricity generation and also cut the oil import bill. The minister also assured the MPs that the government will strengthen the state-owned Coal India Ltd (CIL). "CIL will be strengthened. I have already given it a target to produce 1 billion tonne by 2023-24...There will be no problem in CIL," Joshi said. According to the minister, the legislation will bring a "sea change" in the sector. Joshi said the stress should be on exploiting reserves without harming the environment. He said India has one of the largest reserves of coal in the world and if it is not mined, it would turn into "mud". In a statement, the coal ministry said Parliament passed "The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020 for amendments in Mines &amp; Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 and The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015." The Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, will open a new era in Indian coal and mining sector specially to promote ease of doing business, the statement said. The Bill will transform the mining sector in the country, boosting coal production and reducing dependence on imports, the statement quoted Joshi as saying. The amended provisions clearly provide that companies which do not possess any prior coal mining experience in India or have mining experience in other minerals or in other countries can participate in auction of coal/lignite blocks. This will not only increase participation in coal/lignite block auctions, but also facilitate the implementation of FDI policy in the coal sector, the statement said. Now, the companies which are not 'engaged in specified end-use' can also participate in auctions of coal mines. The removal of the end-use restriction would allow wider participation in auction of coal mines for a variety of purposes such as own consumption, sale or for any other purpose, as may be specified by the Centre. The bill also allows prospecting licence-cum-mining lease (PL-cum-ML) for coal/lignite which increases the availability of coal and lignite blocks, and coal blocks of varying grades in a wide geographical distribution will be available for allocation, it said. The successful bidders/allottees have now been entitled to utilise mined coal in any of its plants or plants of its subsidiary or holding company. Amendments also provide for allocation of the coal mine to the next successful bidder or allottee, subsequent to termination of its allocation along with the matters incidental to it. A provision has also been made for appointment of designated custodian for management of the mines, apart from Schedule II mines, which have come under production and whose vesting/ allotment order has been cancelled. With the amendments, environment and forest clearances along with other approvals and clearances shall automatically get transferred to the new owners of mineral blocks for a period of two years from the date of grant of new lease. This will allow new owners to continue with hassle-free mining operations. During the period, they may apply for the fresh licence beyond the period of two years. The auction of lease of mines can now be started before expiry of lease period. It will enable the state government to take advance action for auction of mineral blocks so that the new lease holder could be decided before the existing lease gets expired. This will help in seamless production of minerals in the country. "The new provisions will also augment the exploration of the deep seated minerals and minerals of national interest by allowing Non Exclusive Reconnaissance Permit (NERP) holders to apply for composite licence or Mining Lease (PL-cum-ML).Various repetitive and redundant provisions of MMDR Act and CMSP Act have also been omitted for ease of doing business," it said. The Bill replaces the ordinance for amendment of the MMDR Act 1957 and CMSP Act which was promulgated on January 11, 2020. The Ordinance, which was cleared by the cabinet in January, had brought amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, and the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015. Earlier, 12 MPs from different parties expressed their views on the bill. The House saw division of votes on the bill after Elamaram Kareem of CPI (M) pressed for it. SID ABM

You Searched For "deep sea mining impact on india" and got 12 results

Dark oxygen: How the discovery of new oxygen deep underwater has reignited the search for alien life

BI India Bureau

The Black Sea has a deadly naval mine problem that will long outlast the Ukraine war

Mia Jankowicz

A pristine region of the Pacific Ocean targeted for deep-sea mining contains 5,000 new marine species, say scientists

Bethany Dawson

Wayanad landslides linked to 10% heavier rainfall due to climate change: Study

PTI

How 800 million pounds of Himalayan salt are mined each year

Abby Narishkin,Steve Cameron

Bitcoin is getting harder to mine as its hash rate recovers and price momentarily crosses $40,000

Shivam Vahia

World’s largest Bitcoin mining rig seller isn’t taking any new orders for foreseeable future

BI India Bureau

Vodafone Idea shares in deep red as an uncertain future looms

Bhakti Makwana

NASA-ISRO joint radar satellite could face a seven-month delay and cost $36 million more bearing the impact of COVID-19

Prabhjote Gill

Another cyclone might be looming over Bay of Bengal as fresh low pressure forms

PTI

China’s crypto crackdown is not likely to stop with Bitcoin mining — stablecoins, software, influencers are also on its radar

Prabhjote Gill

Parliament passes law to open coal sector for commercial mining

PTI

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