More than 100 dolphins found dead in Brazilian Amazon as water temperatures soar
Sao Paulo (AP): More than 100 dolphins have died in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the past week as the region grapples with a severe drought, and many more could die soon if water temperatures remain high, experts say.
The Mamiraua Institute, a research group of Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said two more dead dolphins were found Monday in the region around Tefe Lake, which is key for mammals and fish in the area.
Video provided by the institute showed vultures picking at the dolphin carcasses beached on the lakeside. Thousands of fish have also died, local media reported.
Experts believe high water temperatures are the most likely cause of the deaths in the lakes in the region.
Temperatures since last week have exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Tefe Lake region.
The Brazilian government's Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, which manages conservation areas, said last week it had sent teams of veterinarians and aquatic mammal experts to investigate the deaths.
There had been some 1,400 river dolphins in Tefe Lake, said Miriam Marmontel, a researcher from the Mamiraua Institute.
"In one week we have already lost around 120 animals between the two of them, which could represent 5 per cent to 10 per cent of the population," said Marmontel.
Workers have recovered carcasses of dolphins since last week in a region where dry rivers have impacted impoverished riverside communities and stuck their boats in the sand. Amazonas Gov. Wilson Lima on Friday declared a state of emergency due to the drought.
Nicson Marreira, mayor of Tefe, a city of 60,000 residents. said his government was unable to deliver food directly to some isolated communities because the rivers are dry.
Ayan Fleischmann, the Geospatial coordinator at the Mamirau Institute, said the drought has had a major impact on the riverside communities in the Amazon region.
"Many communities are becoming isolated, without access to good quality water, without access to the river, which is their main means of transportation," he said.
Fleischmann said water temperatures rose from 32 C (89 F) on Friday to almost 38 C (100 F) on Sunday.
He said they are still determining the cause of the dolphin deaths but that the high temperature remains the main candidate. (AP)
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Adani, nephew not charged under US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: Adani Green
New Delhi: Billionaire Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani have not been charged with any violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the indictment filed by US authorities in a court in a bribery case, the Adani Group said on Wednesday.
Gautam Adani, founder chairman of the ports-to-energy conglomerate, Sagar Adani and another key executive, Vneet Jaain, have been charged by the US Department of Justice with being part of an alleged scheme to pay USD 265 million in bribes to Indian officials to win contracts for supply of solar electricity that would yield USD 2 billion profit over a 20-year period.
In a stock exchange filing, Adani Green Energy Ltd, which is at the centre of the bribery allegations, said reports claiming that the three have been charged with FCPA violations "are incorrect".
They have been charged with offences that are punishable with a monetary fine or penalty.
"Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain have not been charged with any violation of the FCPA in the counts set forth in the indictment of the US DOJ or civil complaint of the US SEC.
"These directors have been charged on three counts in the criminal indictment, namely (i) alleged securities fraud conspiracy, (ii) alleged wire fraud conspiracy, and (iii) alleged securities fraud," the filing said.
The Adani Group has denied all allegations and said it will take all possible legal recourse to defend itself.
A criminal indictment has been filed before the United States District Court Eastern District of New York by the Department of Justice in the case of USA against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain.
"The indictment does not specify any quantum of any fine/penalty," the company said.
The civil complaint alleges that the executives violated certain sections of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Act of 1934, and aided and abetted Adani Green Energy Limited's violation of the Acts, it said.
"Although the complaint prays for an order directing the defendants to pay civil monetary penalties, it does not quantify the amount of penalty," it said.
