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To jointly develop iron ore mining in Sumatra

BANGALORE: The GJR Group, with mining interests in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, has signed an agreement with PT Earthstone Resources of Indonesia, engaged in large scale mineral exploration and mining in Africa and Asia.

G. Janardhan Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director, told reporters here on Monday that the partnership would lead to GJR investing $30 million to acquire a 50 per cent stake in a 438 hectare iron ore mining area in Sumatra, Indonesia, to be developed jointly with Earthstone.

West Asian, North African Countries Turning To Expensive Schemes For Maintaining Food Supply

Andrew Martin
Cairo: Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa in a quandary, as they are forced to choose between growing more crops to feed an expanding population or preserving their already scant supply of water.

Banning almost all cross-border trade in ivory, as the United Nations did in 1989, doesn

International agreements on climate change, food security and energy use could drift beyond reach if next week's Geneva talks on liberalising world trade collapse, Peter Mandelson, the European Union's chief trade negotiator, warned on Thursday.

"The chances for a breakthrough are improving, but that breakthrough is not yet in the bag,' said Mr Mandelson.

A Doha deal was important, he said, because "the global economy faces a barrage of problems... It would bring fresh confidence to a world economy that is certainly in need of it'.

In a move that potentially puts India's elephants at risk, China was on Tuesday approved as trading partner for stockpiles of ivory from Africa by the 57th Standing Committee meeting of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Geneva. A decision was taken to allow 108 tonnes of ivory, from Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe to be sold to China as a possible partner; before this, Japan was approved as a trading partner, which means an auction will be held to decide which country purchases the ivory.

No to DDT spray: A Ugandan high court has asked the health ministry to suspend the spraying of ddt in northern part of the country following a petition by nine groups of farmers, traders and conservationists.

The world will experience a growing risk of conflicts over food, energy and water in coming years. The population rises each year by about 80 million people, with most of the increase in impoverished regions already facing environmental stress. Climate change, water scarcity and tighter oil supplies will add to the stresses.