-The United Nations   Several United Nations agencies and their partners are calling for greater cooperation to tackle the threat posed to the world’s forests from extreme weather events and natural disasters. Extreme weather events that greatly impact the health of forests include cyclones, floods, landslides, tornadoes, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions – so-called “abiotic disturbances,” according to a news release issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is among 14...

A transparent assessment of the costs and risks associated with India's ambitious nuclear plans must be made before any ground is broken at Jaitapur or elsewhere. You really have to hand it to the nuclear industry. In any other sphere of the economy, a major industrial disaster is likely to have adverse, long-term financial consequences for the company or companies whose product or activity was involved in the accident, regardless of...

The sharp rise in food prices inflation will remain a major cause of concern as inflationary pressures on the domestic front are likely to be exacerbated by higher levels of global commodity prices, the Economic Survey has said. It also indicated that the political turmoil in the Middle East and the “easy money” policy being followed by developed nations trying to jump-start their own economies after the global recession of 2008-09...

India’s food inflation accelerated for the fifth straight week to the highest in more than a year, reinforcing fears it will spill over to broader prices and pile pressure on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to tighten monetary policy. Unseasonal rains have pushed up prices of vegetables such as onions and tomatoes in recent weeks, and the authorities are bracing to live with elevated price levels in the near term. Onion...

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) as well as state departments in Raigad district have advised people not to consume fish for some time, as they might be contaminated due to the Oil Spill near the Mumbai harbour. Uran taluka tehsildar, Dilip Walunj, said that it was only a matter of few days that the fish ban advisory had been issued. "Fishermen traditionally do not venture out during monsoon due to...