The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
After two-and-a-half months of protest and six farmer deaths, the kisan Sangharsh Samiti (kss), a farmers' group in Sriganganagar district, Rajasthan, has called off its agitation. kss was protesting about the lesser water they felt they were allocated via the Indira Gandhi Canal (igc) this year. Apparently, "all' of their …
The Union ministry of health and family welfare needs to rethink its plan to introduce hepatitis b vaccination as part of the universal immunisation programme in the country. Does India really need it? For one, the vaccination protocol is faulty. Secondly, the real incidence of the disease is much lower …
India's economic growth is mainly based on energy from fossil fuels like coal and therefore has considerable potential in reducing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well in CDM participation. CDM projects starting after January 1, 2000, are eligible to earn certified emission reductions (CERs). However the modalities and procedures …
Brazil's government is trying to resolve the conflict between indigenous communities and people involved in illegal mining activities in Indian reserves. It is submitting a bill to the Congress to make mining in these reserves legal. "The lawshould get through the lower house and the senate in 45 days,' Paulo …
The Hong Kong government has been urged to formulate standards for fine particulate matter (fpm) in ambient air. A recent study reveals that fpm levels in Hong Kong are nearly four times higher than that permitted by us air quality standards. fpm comprises chemical particles less than 2.5 microns in …
The Indian government has permitted the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ongc) and the Indian Oil Corporation (ioc) to buy assets of Russian oil giant Yukos. Yukos is currently reeling under crisis. Its chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky was recently detained for fraud and tax evasion. Its shares have dropped and …
The uk government is facing flak from indigenous people across the globe for blocking a historic un declaration on indigenous rights, the strongest of its kind so far. The un Decade of Indigenous Peoples ends this year; a draft declaration has been framed after extensive consultations. But the uk has …
Agroforestry could be a good option to produce raw materials for forest-based industries such as pharmaceuticals, paper and furniture. Besides weaning away pressure from forests, it can provide additional income to farmers and ensure subsistence. However, after years of promotion by the government, agroforestry in India has not lived up …
another round of prevarications and delay tactics has hit the process of setting pesticide residue standards for soft drinks and carbonated beverages. Nearly 10 months after the Joint Parliamentary Committee (jpc) endorsed the findings of the Centre for Science and Environment (cse) on pesticide residues in soft drinks (see
pakistani fisherfolk have launched a movement to pressure the government to solve their problems, particulary those linked with Pakistani Rangers. The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (pff), which represents the country's three million fisherfolk, announced some of its protest plans at a meeting in Ibrahim Haidery, a coastal village of Karachi housing …
The government of Chhattisgarh is on a mission to promote jatropha. It has planted 6 lakh saplings in the last six months and has requested additional funds from the Union government to plant more jatrophas. On face of it, promoting the plant makes good sense: jatropha has medicinal uses and …
Keeping them is much tension, getting rid of them is irksome. Confidential documents sure are a big headache for institutions. Most either shred them or consign them to flames, when they have no use for such paper. But in Sri Lanka, companies have found an environment-friendly way of disposing confidential …
Efforts to guard the river Yamuna in Delhi against industrial pollution received a major blow recently. The Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation (dsidc) missed the October 15, 2004, deadline proposed by the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee (scmc) on hazardous waste to make 10 Common Effluent Treatment Plants (cetps) fully operational. …
state governments across the country have missed the October 1, 2004, deadline to implement the new in-use emission norms for vehicles, better known as the pollution under control (puc) certificate programme. The Delhi government has extended the deadline by one month and the West Bengal government by one-and-a-half months. The …
the Kerala government is trying to dodge the issue of rehabilitating the tribals who faced police firing from close range at the Muthunga Wildlife Sanctuary in February 2003 while fighting for control over forestland. The National Human Rights Commission (nhrc) has asked it to furnish details in this regard. The …
bypassing the Nigerian government, oil company Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (spdcnl) has decided to fund human development activities in the country through direct partnership with the un Development Programme (undp). Ironically, it is the oil exploration activities undertaken by companies like Shell that sparked rebellion in the …
statistics with the Union ministry of textiles (mot) point at a major slump in the textile industry. Textile mills have been downing their shutters at an average rate of one mill per week. The fact that the textile industry is the second largest employer in the country accentuates the severity …
