Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
the challenge faced in the control of infectious diseases such as hiv/aids, tb and malaria is now seen more as a political and communications one than scientific and medical. Medical and technical solutions to keep major contagions in check are now available. Yet, they remain major killers, says a recent …
The festivities of January 1, 2002, signified the sealing of a pact between the Kerala government and the Adivasi Dalit Samara Samithi (agitation council) on October 16, 2001. The agreement guarantees allotment of one to five acres (around .5-2 hectares) of land to all landless tribal families in the state …
For just us $101 billion a year in medical research and treatments, 8,000,000 lives can be saved annually in the developing world. Moreover, us $186 billion a year in world income now lost to illness can be recovered. So concludes a report on economics and health published recently by the …
An emergency fund to pay for forest protection is in the pipeline in China. According to the Chinese government, the first stage will involve a one-billion-yuan package supplied by the Finance Ministry for maintaining 13.3 million hectares of forests in 11 provinces this year. Logging has been banned in ecosensitive …
In a move that will see the world's deepest oils drilled off the East African coast, the Kenyan government has signed an exploration treaty with a uk- based company. Although the move is likely to expand Kenya's fuel supply and get the government out of the mess caused by the …
californian energy crisis is not simply a result of indiscreet state policy. The crisis stems from the combination of high regional natural gas prices, a large drop in hydroelectric power from dry weather conditions, and a demand shock due to the unseasonably warm summer of 2000. Moreover, air pollution regulations …
A 1,070-kilometre oil pipeline project in Chad and Cameroon is expected to fetch them us $2 billion and us $500 billion respectively, over the project's 25-year lifespan. However, environmental and human rights groups have offered strong opposition to the project and asked for a moratorium on World Bank financing for …
countries finally managed to bring to close protracted negotiations on ways to reduce emissions of heat trapping green house gases (ghg) like carbon dioxide. The resulting agreement has no teeth and does not come close to the level of action required to arrest climate change. It instead dilutes commitments already …
the uk government is promoting solar energy in a big way. It has offered energy companies three million pounds to help develop solar power systems for public buildings like schools, churches and hospitals. Energy Minister Brian Wilson said the money could lead to the construction of 12 to 15 large-scale …
The ongoing debate on the role of private funding for public research is of vital importance. Already, the prestigious scientific journal, Nature , has asked its authors to disclose any financial interests related to their studies. Thirteen leading medical journals, including New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Journal of the …
STOMPING ON A DREAMThe incomplete check dam at Goudpali village in Naktideul Block of Sambalpur, Orissa, stands testimony to the insensitivity of the laws and the government to the needs of the people. The government has forced work to stop on the check dam being built by people. Goudpali houses …
a wide range of opinion continues to exist on whether genetically modified (gm) crops pose a significant risk to human health. But there is a growing consensus on one important aspect of the debate: greater public investment is needed in the research used to justify claims that such crops are …
Amid environmental concerns, a Venezuelan power line was inaugurated in Brazil recently. The us $400 million high-voltage line runs through Venezuela's ecologically sensitive southeast corner, including the Canaima National Park, which is the site of the Angel Falls
the much talked about move against the poachers in the Corbett Tiger Reserve (ctr) is in danger of falling apart at its most crucial juncture. The Union government has since February 2001, stopped payment to the 275-member task force engaged by the ctr authorities to patrol the reserve. Its members …
The Maharashtra government has decided to shelf its much-hyped devolution of power to the gram panchayats , a promise that the ruling Democratic Front government has been making since it assumed office. The chief minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh, announced the proposal last September at a public meeting and subsequently the governor …
G lobal trade in coarse grains in 1995 was to the magnitude of about 132 metric tonnes (mt) and is projected to rise to 175 mt by 2005. About 80-85 per cent of this export originates from industria lised countries, where coarse grains are cultivated for animal feed. In Japan, …
That they are called coarse grains summarises their present status in Indian society. Go anywhere in the country, and you will see a marked inferiority accorded to
hailed as a "bold' step to create the right environment for economic reforms, the Union Budget, presented by Union finance minister Yashwant Sinha on February 28, totally ignores the real environment. Rather, it creates an atmosphere to pollute the environment in more ways than one. At a time when there …
