- Why Aid Fails, from the authors of the best selling book Why Nations Fail.
- Does India have more polluted air than China? And why is there not the uproar in Delhi like there is in Beijing? Interesting pieces in the NY Times and Bloomberg Businessweek.
- Relatedly, the 2014 Environmental Performance Index ranks countries on nine environmental issues. India comes in at 155 out of 178 (compared to China at number 118). But when ranked just on the air quality, India (174) and China (176) are right at the bottom.
- Iran's president calls the country's water shortage a national security issue.
- Saudi women's workforce participation has doubled over the last six years.
- UNDP's annual Equator Prize, which recognises local sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities in developing countries, is open for nominations.
- UNICEF has released its latest State of the World's Children report. (H/t UN Tribune.)
- It's a new Hans Rosling video! In his typically deft manner, Hans unpacks a misconception: will saving poor people result in overpopulation?
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