Each year, across the tropical and subtropical world, thousands of lives are lost or irrevocably damaged by snakebite envenoming. The latest scientific developments—especially a promising “broad‐spectrum” antivenom—have generated hope. But what exactly does this breakthrough mean for rural masses, for farmers, for productivity and development in Asia and Africa? And when, if ever, might it become a transformative relief? Below is a synthesis of the current knowledge, the realistic challenges and the implications for rural livelihoods and global health.
Venezuela, Heavy Crude, and the Limits of Monetary Hegemony: Oil Quality, the Petrodollar, and the Emerging Geopolitical Order
Venezuela’s prolonged economic and political crisis is often explained through a narrow lens of domestic mismanagement and authoritarian governance. While these factors are significant, they represent only a partial account. This article advances a dual-structure argument: first, that Venezuela’s oil wealth is technically constrained by the heavy, high-sulphur nature of its crude and the institutional degradation of PDVSA; and second, that Venezuela’s attempt to transact oil outside the US dollar system positioned it as a strategic challenger to the petrodollar regime. The article evaluates competing explanations, situates Venezuela within broader de-dollarization dynamics, and outlines policy implications for an emerging multipolar monetary and energy order
When Moral Authority Must Yield to Constitutional Necessity: An Open Appeal to Professor Muhammad Yunus**
Bangladesh stands today at a historic crossroads. Nations are not destroyed only by dictatorships; they are equally imperilled by prolonged uncertainty, institutional ambiguity, and the conflation of moral authority with executive power. Professor Muhammad Yunus, a globally admired Nobel Laureate and pioneer of microfinance, commands immense respect for his contributions to poverty alleviation, women’s empowerment, and social entrepreneurship. His legacy through Grameen Bank and related institutions is secure and globally celebrated.
Women’s Empowerment and Marine Algae: Global Perspectives With Special Reference to India, Brazil, South-East Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Japan
Marine algae—popularly recognised as seaweeds—constitute one of the planet’s oldest, most productive, and most climate-resilient biological resources. Sustaining diverse ecological and economic functions, seaweeds contribute significantly to nutrition, blue carbon sequestration, climate mitigation, circular bio economies, and coastal livelihoods. Globally, between 8–10 million women depend directly or indirectly on seaweed-related activities.
AI for Dignity: Revitalising Indian Agriculture from Distress to Resilience – A Policy Paper for the Global Summit on Artificial Intelligence, New Delhi – February 2026
Indian agriculture employs nearly half of the nation’s workforce yet remains trapped in a vicious cycle of low incomes, high drudgery, climate volatility, gender invisibility, occupational hazards, weak market power, chronic indebtedness, and alarming levels of psychological distress culminating in farmer suicides. This paradox—where those who feed the nation remain among its most vulnerable—represents one of the gravest policy failures of post-independence India. This paper argues that Artificial Intelligence (AI), if ethically governed and inclusively deployed, can become a transformative public good capable of restoring dignity, resilience, and remunerative value to Indian agriculture.
GLOBAL ETHICAL FRAMEWORK FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND FAITH
This policy paper examines the profound ethical, moral, spiritual, and societal challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence in relation to faith, religion, human values, law, and social order. It argues that while AI offers transformative benefits, its unchecked deployment risks eroding human dignity, moral responsibility, family life, justice systems, and spiritual discernment. Drawing upon shared wisdom from global faith traditions and ethical thought, the paper proposes a Global Ethical Framework for AI and Faith. It presents guiding principles and policy recommendations aimed at ensuring that AI remains human-centred, value-driven, and accountable, contributing to a just, compassionate, and sustainable world order.
Crop Waste, Air Pollution, and Sustainable Transitions in Indian Agriculture: A Policy Paper
Crop waste management has emerged as one of the most consequential yet persistently neglected challenges in Indian agriculture and global sustainability governance. India generates over half a billion tonnes of agricultural residues annually, a substantial portion of which continues to be disposed of through open-field burning—most visibly in the rice–wheat systems of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. The resulting air pollution regularly engulfs Delhi and large parts of northern India, producing severe public health impacts, economic losses, ecological stress, and reputational costs for the country.
Rapporteurs Report on the 177th Seminar of GMF & SDF—Prepared by Dr. Shivaprasad MD
The 177th Seminar of the Global Millets Foundation (GMF) and the Sustainable Development Forum (SDF) was held on 28th December 2025. The programme began with a welcome address by Dr. K. M. George, who highlighted the objectives of GMF and SDF in promoting millets, wellness, and sustainable development. This was followed by the Presidential Address by Executive Chairman Dr. Mathew Abraham, who explained wellness as a holistic concept encompassing physical, mental, and social well-being.
RECLAIMING CREDIBILITY:MODERNISING INDIA’S NATIONAL ACCOUNTSFOR A DYNAMIC AND TRUSTWORTHY ECONOMY(Policy Paper )
India stands today at a decisive inflection point. As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, its national statistical architecture must be robust, contemporary, and globally credible. Yet the recent IMF downgrading of India’s National Accounts Statistics (NAS) to a ‘C’ grade—the second-lowest category—has exposed long-standing structural vulnerabilities.
The IMF observed that India continues to rely on an outdated base year (2011–12), incomplete datasets, inconsistent methodologies, and delayed revisions that undermine reliability. A dynamic economy requires dynamic measurement. National accounts shape policy-making—forming the backbone of GDP estimation, GVA analysis, fiscal strategy, sectoral prioritisation, inflation targeting, and monetary policy.
Empowering Young Professionals for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth
Young professionals today stand at a decisive intersection of demographics, development, digital disruption, and planetary sustainability. Their empowerment is no longer a social aspiration but an economic urgency. While nearly 1.8 billion people globally are between 15 and 35, vast structural inequalities—between North and South, urban and rural, digital haves and have-nots—persist, preventing millions of young professionals from contributing meaningfully to national development and global sustainability.
