-Hindustan Times The irregularities in Doing Business reports had affected four countries: China; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates; and Azerbaijan. World Bank Group has decided to discontinue ‘Doing Business’ reports that used to assess investment climate in countries after data irregularities were found in 2018 and 2020, reported news agency Reuters. In August 2020, World Bank paused the publication of Doing Business reports following a number of irregularities were reported regarding changes...

India faced a second and worse wave of COVID-19 pandemic a few months back. The unemployment problem is looming large in the country. At this juncture, the country requires journalism to tell the stories of courage, of loss and grief and also of resilience, of the state of preparedness and about the efforts being made by communities, individuals, civil society and government. For better media coverage of critical issues like human...

-Down to Earth West Rajasthan stares at drought, records rainfall deficit of 24% till September 7 Scant rainfall in the already arid Bikaner district of Rajasthan has triggered a fear of acute drought and distress. Reports of cattle dying due to starvation have started trickling in. The district received rainfall only once in July, followed by a scant spell in the first week of September in a few areas, according to farmers. It recorded...

-Science.thewire.in * In the near-term, the IPCC report reaffirms that India can no longer afford to ignore the very real developmental challenge that Climate Change poses at home. * In a significant development, the government’s statement contains a clear and welcome acknowledgement of the relationship between Climate Change and extreme events. * To embark on a low-carbon development pathway, however, India will need an institutional architecture with a more strategic bent. “It is unequivocal...

-Down to Earth blog The ecology of Himachal Pradesh’s hydropower hub is too fragile for such projects “Twenty-five years ago, people could be excused for not knowing much, or doing much about Climate Change. Today, we have no excuses,” Desmond Tutu, South African theologian, had said. The recent landslides in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district brought back focus on how 40 per cent of the state is geologically ‘highly sensitive’, according to a report...