India’s hunger crisis worse than Bangladesh, Nepal

Around 15 per cent of India’s population is undernourished and 38.7 per cent of children suffer from stunted growth

World Bank to lend Sri Lanka US $100 million for building climate resilience

The island nation has also signed an agreement for a loan of up to US $102 million in case of a natural disaster is declared an emergency

India fishing in troubled Sri Lankan waters

Why the long-standing dispute between India and Sri Lanka over fishers crossing maritime boundaries remains unresolved

Modified decision

Sri Lanka delays imposing a ban on GM foodstuffs

Sri Lanka bans export of high-value medicinal plant

Sethusamundram project is unviable

Sri Lanka’s agriculture department criticised for promoting pesticides

The department promotes toxic pesticides, fertilisers of multinationals despite kidney disease link, allege analysts

Human activities in Asia have reduced elephant habitat by nearly two-thirds since 1700

Asian elephants are one of the most endangered large mammals

Beyond a flailing state

Health ministry cannot provide basic services, the finance ministry cannot collect taxes and the chaos of governance worsens

Nurturing effect of pine

Pine trees have helped restore native vegetation in Sri Lanka’s Sinharaja Forest Reserve

New species of snake discovered in Western Ghats

It is named after Varad Giri of Bombay Natural History Society who brought it from Goa

South Asia

Sri Lanka grapples with elephant-human conflict

South Asia

HIV positive people in Sri Lanka to now get health coverage

Four insurance firms will bear HIV-related medical costs; move aimed at increasing access to treatment

Officials push five-in-one vaccine

Pentavalent vaccine linked to child deaths in Sri Lanka, Bhutan; ball in high court

In Short

Jaffna erupts over land acquisition by Sri Lankan government

Move spurs fears that settlers would be brought in to change the demographic profile of region in run up to provincial elections

Virgin islands In peril

Tourism planned in Sri Lanka’s islands threatens their fragile ecosystem and the lives of people there

Blowing out a tradition

The ban on conch shell trading has sent the industry into a tizzy

Sri Lanka regulates GM food import

Climate change to cut South Asia’s growth by 8.8 per cent by end of century: ADB

GDP loss for Maldives projected at 12.6 per cent, for India 8.7 per cent

Plastic busters

A bacteria and a fungus make a formidable pair

A decade after tsunami, people still await rehabilitation

Tamil Nadu government claims affected people rehabilitated, ground reality different

Kandy gets beauty treatment

Sri Lanka employs aquatic plants to clean up its heritage lake