The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) has warned against the increasing leasing and buying of millions of hectares of farmlands in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America for food and fuel production. This land is being leased to private investors and sovereign wealth funds with no explicit legal agreement on how water will be used on these farmlands. The World Bank has estimated that over 56 million hectares of land in Africa...

Remember when the public was outraged at the idea that the poverty line should be 32 rupees, or 63 cents, a day in urban areas? We’ve now learned it should really be 29 rupees. And believe it or not, this is no sleight of hand to show a drop in poverty. The Planning Commission’s latest poverty estimates, released Monday evening, show a 7 percentage-point drop in India’s poor, the largest fall since...

It’s a two-storey palatial structure of deep pink sandstone, with granite floors and a massive dome. It’s coming up at 9 Mall Avenue in Lucknow — outgoing chief minister Mayawati’s latest acquisition of prime real estate in the city. It is fenced by high pink sandstone walls, with four watch towers manned by security personnel at the corners. Barricades on the road in front kept out the curious crowds who went...

In December 2011, CAG tabled a well-analysed audit report in Parliament claiming a loss of 1,200 crore, or $250 million, on the import of subsidised pulses through 2006-11 under the supervision of department of consumer affairs (DCA) of the food ministry. The government's intention to introduce such a scheme cannot be faulted: during 2005-08, seven million tonnes of wheat was imported at high prices, chana (chickpeas) values spiked from 21...

Five suspected bank robbers die at the hands of police Five men suspected to be involved in two recent bank robberies in the city were gunned down by the police at a Velachery apartment in the small hours of Thursday. But rather than bringing the curtains down on the daring heists that shook the city, the “encounter” itself looks set to move centre-stage, with the police claim of firing in self-defence...