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WASHINGTON — The World Bank has approved US$330 million for Kenya to expand electricity access and deepen investment in green energy.

WASHINGTON - The Agro-biodiversity and Climate Adaptation project will be implemented in Yemen with over US$5.0 million extending over four years, including a US$4.0 million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which will be administered by the World Bank.

Jerusalem - The World Bank has transferred an additional US$91 million to the Palestinian Authority (PA). These resources will help support the urgent budget needs of the PA, providing, inter alia, support for education, health care and other vital social services for the Palestinian people and for the economic reforms currently underway.

Cologne — The latest annual report from the World Bank on the global carbon market showed that in 2009 it grew to $144 billion, up 6% from 2008 despite enduring its most challenging year to date. The global economic crisis negatively impacted both demand and supply sides and, as industrial output plummeted, the demand for carbon assets fell. The State and Trends of the Carbon Market 2010, released today by the World Bank at Carbon Expo in Cologne, also said that on the supply side, the reduction in access to capital made it difficult for many project developers to lock in financing. As a consequence, project origination ground to a halt.

WASHINGTON — The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors has approved US$63.66 million to create a unique regional network of 25 public health laboratories across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda. This network will operate across country borders, improving access to diagnostic services to vulnerable populations in cross border areas and making optimal use of internet and mobile communications to improve public health.

Baku - The World Bank has approved a US$ 70 million equivalent IDA Credit and a US$ 171.6 million IBRD Loan to the Republic of Azerbaijan for the Third Highway Project. This Project will improve safety and efficiency of the Baku - Shamakhi road by upgrading it from two to four lanes, and will strengthen management of the nascent motorway network.

Environmental pollution remains a serious issue in the developing world, affecting the lives of billion people, reducing their life expectancy, and damaging children's growth and development. The Government has recently revised the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and limits for 12 pollutants have been notified. Area classification based on land -use has been done away with so that industrial areas have to conform to the same standards as those for residential areas. The annual average norms for Lead, Nitrogen Dioxide (No2), Arsenic, Nickel, Benzene and Benzo(a ) Pyrene in ambient air are at par with the European Union norms. However, the norms for Particulate Matter having size less than 10 micron (PM10 ) and Particulate Matter having size less than 2.5 micron (PM2..5) are more relaxed than EU norms. Indian norms for Carbon Monoxide, Ozone and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) are more stringent than EU norms. Ammonia is additionally included in our NAAQS.

With India's weapons import in 2009 officially estimated at around US$ 2.1 billion giving the country a dubious distinction as the world's biggest arms importer for the year, it may be time to induce some of the global arsenal producer-exporters to set up manufacturing shops in India. Between 2005 and 2009, India imported arms worth US$8.4 billion. The value of the total defence import, including spares, attachments, gears, electronic items and weaponry, is however much larger. Therefore, the latest 'discussion paper' prepared by the union commerce and industry ministry on allowing as much as 74 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence is a very timely and welcome initiative.

NEW DELHI: The prime minister's anniversary press conference this week has been examined with a fine tooth comb by the media and commentators. While there has been criticism that Dr Manmohan Singh chose not to give out much concrete information in course of his interaction with the journalists, he has for all practical purposes laid out a broad vision of work for the government. Instead of rattling off a series of small incremental steps that his government has taken in the last one year, the prime minister spoke of the overall strategy in the remaining four years of his government. That seems fitting for the highest executive of the country. Let us examine these.

Peru sets an example to other emerging markets of how to reach a fast track of growth and poverty reduction by carrying out strong economic policies, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said in Lima.