-AFP Water problems in many parts of the world are chronic and without a crackdown on waste will worsen as demand for food rises and climate change intensifies, the UN warned on Sunday.  Issued on the eve of a six-day gathering on world water issues, the United Nations, in a massive report, said many daunting challenges lie ahead.  They include providing clean water and sanitation to the poor, feeding a world population set...

-PTI A top UN official has condemned the murder of Indian journalist Chandrika Rai and asked the concerned authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators of the "shocking crime" to justice. Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, said authorities in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, where Rai had lived and worked, must ensure the murder is investigated. "I condemn the murder...

-The United Nations The head of the United Nations agency tasked with promoting and defending the freedom of the press today condemned the murder of a journalist in India and called on local authorities to undertake a thorough investigation into the killing. Freelance journalist Chandrika Rai, 43, was found dead last week along with his wife and two children in their home in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Rai regularly published articles...

-EPW   The system of environmental clearances for developmental and industrial projects needs to be reworked. India seems to have perfected the art of creating laws and rules that are destined to fail. Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of environmental regulations. You have pollution control boards that can do nothing to control pollution. And you have a system of environmental ­impact assessment (EIA) before a developmental or industrial project...

River Brahmaputra has eaten more than half of Asia's largest riverine island Majuli over the last 60 years. With land disappearing, there is progressive loss of the traditional means of livelihood of its people, leading to their displacement. Some lately are migrating even as far away as Andhra Pradesh, finds out Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty after a visit. Farmer Sridhar Bora stops mid-way as he brings down his axe on a tree...