This paper presents a status report of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) on two crucial development parameters—inequality and poverty—that have a significant bearing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; especially SDG-1 and SDG-10). The paper tracks the origins and movements of absolute and relative poverty, …
The visiting Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin on Sunday said the cost of the next phase of Kudankulam atomic project would go up if Russia has to foot the additional liabilities arising from a possible nuclear accident. “If there are several points that require additional assurances, of course, it …
India is expected to see a substantial jump in the number of millionaires in the next five years as the total tally for the super rich in the country is likely to touch 242,000 by 2017, a report says. According to a Credit Suisse Research Institute’s Global Wealth Report, the …
Kudankulam plant must be governed by constitutional principles of absolute liability and ‘polluter pays’ New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Centre on a writ petition seeking a direction that the Kudankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu not commissioned without resolving Russia’s liability in case of …
One out of every eight people in the world is chronically undernourished, the United Nations' food agencies said on Tuesday, warning that progress to reduce hunger has slowed since 2007/08 when high food prices sparked riots in several poor countries. In their latest report on food insecurity, the UN agencies …
“Any agreement in violation of statute or law is void,” says Bench The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Union government to explain whether an agreement with Russia to waive civil liability in case of an accident at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant would have an impact on the exchequer. …
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to explain whether exempting the Russian manufacturer of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor could adversely cost India’s exchequer and tax payers in the event of a tragedy taking place because of faulty reactor. This comment came from a bench of …
Poland wants its new shale gas law to go into force next year, Piotr Wozniak, the deputy environment minister responsible for the draft law said on Wednesday, but added that it would be best if a shale gas tax waited until at least 2016. Poland, which aims to be Europe's …
A 200-year period covering the heyday of both the Roman Empire and China's Han dynasty saw a big rise in greenhouse gases, according to a study that challenges the U.N. view that man-made climate change only began around 1800. A record of the atmosphere trapped in Greenland's ice found the …
US Court Finds It A Long-Term Health Risk, But Kudankulam Storage Doesn’t Worry Madras HC New Delhi: Though delivered in quick succession, the two judgments — one from the US court of appeals and the other from the Madras high court — could not have adopted more contrasting positions on …
M. Appavu writes to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Former MLA of Radhapuram M. Appavu has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop the filling-up of enriched uranium fuel in the first reactor of Kudannkulam Nuclear Power Project until credible arrangements are made to send the nuclear waste to be generated …
Petition says plant should be governed by principle of ‘absolute liability, polluter pays’ A fresh writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, contending that the Kudankulam nuclear power plant could not be commissioned without resolving the issue of Russia’s liability in case of an accident. The public interest …
Canada dropped its longtime opposition on Friday to the international listing of asbestos as a hazardous material, a designation intended to curb the use abroad of the fire-resistant substance, which can cause cancer and other illnesses. Canada had been the main opponent of such a listing, which would require exporters …
Viewing poaching with cross-border linkages as a “major problem” to wildlife conservation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday asked intelligence and enforcement agencies to co-ordinate better to break the nexus between those involved in the illegal activity and their markets. Addressing a meeting of National Board for Wildlife here, Singh …
New Delhi Castigating municipal bodies for the high level of pollution in cities, Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai said on Wednesday the urban bodies must cleanse and update their books of accounts in order to tap the bond market as it is the practice in developed and emerging economies. …
A global perspective is developed on a number of high impact climate extremes in 2010 through diagnostic studies of the anomalies, diabatic heating, and global energy and water cycles that demonstrate relationships among variables and across events. Natural variability, especially ENSO, and global warming from human influences together resulted in …
New Delhi India's energy plans in Russia may suffer a setback with the country’s nuclear liability law coverage extending to the Kudankulam power plant set up with Moscow’s participation. Russia is already upset after its telecom major Sistema was asked to pay more as licence fee after the 2G spectrum …
Climate change may pose a much more serious threat to the world's poor than existing research has suggested because of spikes in food prices as extreme weather becomes more common, Oxfam said on Wednesday. More frequent extreme weather events will create shortages, destabilize markets and precipitate price spikes on top …
China has been actively pushing for the establishment of a semi-official multilateral platform for energy cooperation, particularly with its neighbors in central Asia, an industry official said Tuesday. National Energy Administration official Wei Xiaowei said an "energy club" would allow Shanghai Cooperation Organization members and observers to expand energy cooperation …
The Climate Action Tracker has updated our analysis on national greenhouse gas emission reduction proposals for 2020 under the international climate negotiations. We find that governments are taking action to implement their reduction proposals, but many are set to fail in reaching those proposals. Recent highlights include the agreed link …
Urges govts to shore up programs to protect their most vulnerable populations World food prices jumped 10 percent in July as drought parched crop lands in the United States and Eastern Europe, the World Bank said in a statement urging governments to shore up programs that protect their most vulnerable …
