-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) A prolonged and deadly heatwave has hit large swaths of India and Pakistan affecting hundreds of millions of people and sparking food and energy shortages. Experts say the extreme heat is a grim preview of what the climate crisis has in store for a region home to over 1 billion people. Temperatures in India’s capital and parts of Pakistan have at times reached close to 50°C, killing...

-United Nations News Countries are expected to spend a staggering $1.8 trillion importing food they need this year; this would be a new world record but worryingly, it’s going to buy them less food, not more. That’s according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which on Thursday suggested that for some countries, the situation potentially heralded “an end of their resilience to higher prices”. Ever-higher fixed costs for farmers of so-called...

-The Tribune With policy-backing, subsidies and availability of easy credit, farmers are being pushed to buy more machines. Punjab has five times more tractors than required. As more technological gadgets and machines are promoted, farmers are increasingly sucked into a debt cycle, while equipment manufacturers are laughing all the way to the bank. At a time when farmers across the world are struggling to recover their cost of production, an Oxfam report...

-The Hindu Exports rose 15.5% in May while imports surged 56.1% to stay above $60 bn for third month India’s merchandise trade deficit widened to a monthly record of $23.33 billion in May, as exports grew 15.5% to $37.3 billion while imports jumped 56.1% to $60.62 billion, as per preliminary data from the Commerce and Industry Ministry. The previous highest monthly trade deficit was last November’s $22.91 billion. Goods exports shrank 7.2% from...

-NDTV.com India banned wheat exports earlier this month as an intense heat wave hit output and domestic prices hit a record high. Davos: International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva on Tuesday implored India to reconsider its ban on wheat exports, saying the country could play a key role in international food security and global stability. "I do have an appreciation for the fact that India needs to feed nearly 1.35 billion people...