The agricultural sector is both an emitter of greenhouse gases and a victim of global warming. Technological change, water utilisation and cropping pattern in agriculture have implications both for emission reduction and adaptation. While hydrocarbons and raw material-based industries contribute to global warming, their productivity is not necessarily affected by the phenomenon, as is the case in agriculture. Agricultural production impacts climate change and, in turn, is impacted by it. Hence, technology and investment decisions in agriculture can help mitigate the impact of climate change. That will need investment in appropriate technologies and in cleaner and greener farming systems. It is, therefore, surprising that agriculture is not on the agenda in the on-going global negotiations on climate change.

Farming greenhouse gases

Business Standard

Bottomline overrode sentiment in the closure of the iconic Far Eastern Economic Review.

Barun Roy: The end of an era

Bhabha would have welcomed private sector participation in nuclear energy.

K Subrahmanyam: Homi Bhabha - Scientist, visionary, dreamer

With less than two months to go for the climate-change summit in Copenhagen, India has resolved to re-brand itself as a deal-maker.

Pallavi Aiyar: Constructing a winning narrative

The original poster boys of the Indian pharmaceutical industry all seem to be in a spot of bother. Habil Khorakiwala of Wockhardt has sold his animal health, nutrition and hospital businesses to repay the debt on his books. Dilip Shanhgvi of Sun Pharma faces regulatory problems in the US. Caraco Pharmaceuticals, a company he owns in that country, faces a manufacturing ban imposed by the Food &amp; Drug Administration. Dr Reddy&rsquo;s Laboratories has had to recall products in the US.

Bhupesh Bhandari: The new pharmaceutical order

The new alliance, with India as a 'deal-maker', will do little to cut emissions to anywhere near the desired levels.

Sunita Narain: The climate coalition

After the celebrations must come sobriety. The Congress Party and its ally in Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party, have good reasons to celebrate a clear victory, in two states. In Haryana it has been a close call. The verdict is as much an endorsement for the Congress Party as it is a comment on the state of the Opposition. In Maharashtra, in particular, the poor showing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is yet another wake up call to a party that has still not got its act together. It is now so clear that without a change of leadership at the very top, and without capturing the imagination of a new India, the BJP will not be able to pose a challenge to the Congress at the national level, even though it is the case that it is in government in more states than the Congress.

A stabilising verdict

The benchmark prime lending rates that banks use to offer a signpost to their lending rate structures have lost much of their significance and utility, thus prompting a study by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) of what has been happening and inviting public discussion on proposals for a new system of base rates. The benchmark rates, which should reflect changes in the policy rates of RBI, have ceased to do so. Besides, sub-benchmark rates now abound, despite benchmark rates being based on the logic of prime lending rates which only the best customers of banks get. A key fallout from the present system is that retail customers of banks borrowing on floating rates, linked to benchmark rates, often do not see a positive impact on their rates of the RBI signalling a downward movement in interest rates.

Rational, not administered

A few days ago the investment community globally was surprised by the announcement that the Brazilian authorities were planning to re-introduce the IOF levy (a tax on foreign financial transactions). A measure clearly designed to reduce appreciation pressures on the Brazilian currency. This tax used to exist and was only abolished in 2008 (when the global financial system was on the verge of collapse, and all emerging market, or EM, countries were seeing huge capital outflows).

Akash Prakash: The capital inflow conundrum

It&rsquo;s a pity that home buyers in this country have got such a raw deal all these years while developers have been almost a law unto themselves. Finally, the ministry of housing is trying to help protect consumers and keep a check on the construction of residential property with the proposed Model Act for Real Estate (Regulation of Development).

Shobhana Subramanian: What&#39;re the builders so worried about?

A year or two ago Gore Vidal was expected at the Jaipur Literature Festival, and was scheduled to make one appearance in Delhi. I was all ready to arrive early and stick my hand out to have it shaken by the master. There must have been many others with similar aspirations. But in the event Gore cancelled his trip to India.

Vidal, withal

Tensions with China and the challenge posed by Maoists have had their share of headlines these past few weeks. They are seemingly unconnected issues, but they come into focus together when one looks at key statistics on economic growth and human development. Take China first, for it has acquired massive strategic advantage in terms of global economic impact, diplomatic reach, military might and a hold on the world&rsquo;s imagination because it has performed spectacularly over three decades.

T N Ninan: 2 headaches, 1 solution

Sadly, no Indian Railways porter &mdash; I almost wrote &lsquo;coolie&rsquo;, the word I grew up with, then absolutely neutral but now horribly politically incorrect &mdash; reads Business Standard. Otherwise, this column would have assured him that the demands and discourtesy that the authorities so desperately want to abolish before next year&rsquo;s Commonwealth Games are by no means a uniquely Indian phenomenon.

Sunanda K Datta-Ray: Pricey porters

After nine suicide attacks in just 11 days that killed 160 people, including many from the security forces, the Pakistan Army has finally started its long-awaited offensive in South Waziristan where the Pakistani Taliban are based. The success of the offensive, against the backdrop of a serious civil-military division in Pakistan and unresolved debate in Washington, could be critical for the fate of Pakistan, which is financially broke and politically paralysed.

Ahmed Rashid: Fight for Waziristan&#39;s survival

In the same way that you should get massages and take naps or meditate, you should, everyone should, make a point to eat out by yourself from time to time,&rdquo; wrote Amanda Hesser in her wonderful Cooking for Mr Latte. &ldquo;You should be kind enough to yourself to lavish your appetite with good food without the interruptions of company.

Table for one

Mahatma Gandhi would disapprove of me. Not only do I pay taxes as he once refused to; animals die, and grain is fermented to keep my cats and me happy in-between filing tax-returns, which is one of the most painful tasks on the semi-annual agenda.

Devangshu Datta: Getting that EDGE

There is at least one question that bedevils all relationships, whether they be romantic, platonic, filial or the vastly complicated one you have with yourself (for which I can&rsquo;t think of an existing word but will propose the one suggested by a smarter friend, &ldquo;autorelationship&rdquo;): Is this the sort of question that takes so long to get to, what with run-ons and parenthetical clauses, that you&rsquo;ve completely forgotten where it was going? The answer to which is: That&rsquo;s the sort of cheap shot that&rsquo;ll pad out a word count nicely and further alienate hostile readers.

Truth is beauty, unless it isn&#39;t

The Clinton Tapes is a mesmerising account of a complex and fascinating man whose presidency was a rollercoaster of high-minded ideals and sordid scandal.

Lakshman Menon: Jury&#39;s still out on Clinton

One morning in Pelling, when we were on our way back from a walk, we saw a curious sight. A motley crowd of people was gathered in the tiny market square, and jute bags were being distributed all around. Given that the town was sleepy even during the day, we wondered what was happening so early in the morning.

Geetanjali Krishna: A fine balance in Pelling

There was a time when the raddiwallah was particularly friendly with us for the weekly collection of empties that we earned him. For some reason, my wife&rsquo;s housekeeping consisted of placing the empty bottles outside the front door and in full view of our neighbours, leading to not a little speculation (and despair) about the binges in our home.

Kishore Singh: Tipsy-turvey

Villagers had to fight to get unemployment allowance worth Rs 14 lakh in Sitapur&rsquo;s villages though this is something they are assured under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

Sreelatha Menon: Winning a fight

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