• mounting joblessness: Unemployment will keep soaring in India even if the country manages to sustain an annual economic growth of 8 per cent up to 2026, according to a study conducted by the London School of Economics. The study, India Project, focuses on the high growth rate of India's population. It draws attention to flaws in the content and implementation of the country's policies pertaining to reproductive health and family welfare, population, agriculture and the environment.

• bicycles banned: China's biggest city, Shanghai, has banned bicycles on its principal avenues