Nation pays homage to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 56th death anniversary

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Nation pays homage to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 56th death anniversary</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The day is also observed as Mahaparinirwan Diwas and Buddhist monks recite from the sutras and render religious songs on the occasion.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Dr Ambedkar is known as the designer and formulator of the Indian Constitution. He was appointed the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee on 29 August 1947. </span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Nation pays homage to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 56th death anniversary

Nation pays homage to Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on his 56th death anniversary The day is also observed as Mahaparinirwan Diwas and Buddhis...

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SC refuses to give any direction to Govt on nuclear safety

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Supreme Court on Monday refused to give any direction to the Government on the appointment of an independent regulatory body to oversee nuclear plants. The apex court, however, kept the issue open by asking those against the construction of such plants to come out with the solution on nuclear safety through a "public debate" and assured them that it will "look into it".</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The apex court, at the same time, asked the petitioners to place before it within four weeks the models adopted by United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada other countries on the appointment of regulatory body, independent of the government and establishment, to overlook the nuclear safety.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

SC refuses to give any direction to Govt on nuclear safety

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to give any direction to the Government on the appointment of an independent regulatory body to overs...

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Burns to visit India next week

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5024" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is scheduled to visit New Delhi to discuss a “whole gamut” of relationship with top Indian leaders.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">On his maiden trip to India as the Deputy Secretary of State — the most powerful position in the U.S. State Department after the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton — Mr. Burns’ visit is reflective of the high-level engagement between the two countries in the aftermath of the Bali meet between the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and the U.S. President, Barack Obama.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">main focus is on bilateral ties.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div></div>

Burns to visit India next week

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is scheduled to visit New Delhi to discuss a “whol...

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S&P to put eurozone countries on 'credit watch'

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The rating agency, Standard and Poor's (S&P) has put Germany, France and 13 other eurozone countries on credit watch due to fears over the impact of the debt crisis. S&P's move could downgrade the countries with top AAA ratings. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The agency said in a statement that Credit Watch placements are prompted by its belief that systemic stress in the eurozone has risen in recent weeks to the extent that it puts downward pressure on the credit standing of the eurozone as a whole. </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">       </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> The only two countries not put on credit watch were Cyprus, which is already under review and Greece whose rating has already been severely downgraded.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">According to a report from Paris, Chancellor Merkel and President Sarkozy have set up a series of measures they want to implement as soon as possible. They include automatic sanctions for countries which exceed deficit limits. Angela Merkel says they want all EU member states to sign up to this new deal. But they intend to go ahead come what may.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

S&P to put eurozone countries on 'credit watch'

The rating agency, Standard and Poor's (S&P) has put Germany, France and 13 other eurozone countries on credit watch due to fears...

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Former Ivory Coast Strongman Appears at Hague Court

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of Ivory Coast, appeared in public for the first time on Monday, as he faced courtroom cameras and a panel of international judges in The Hague.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Mr. Gbagbo, who pushed his country into civil war after refusing to accept his defeat in a election last year, was brought to the International Criminal Court six days ago to face charges of crimes against humanity.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">More than 3,000 people died, Human Rights Watch has said, as a result of Mr. Gbagbo’s efforts to stay in power, many killed by the former president’s security forces.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Former Ivory Coast Strongman Appears at Hague Court

Laurent Gbagbo, the former president of Ivory Coast, appeared in public for the first time on Monday, as he faced courtroom cameras and a...

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Government asks Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Facebook to screen user content

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Indian government has asked Internet companies and social media sites like Facebook to remove disparaging, inflammatory or defamatory user contentfrom India before it goes online</span></span></div></div>

Government asks Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Facebook to screen user content

The Indian government has asked Internet companies and social media sites like Facebook to remove disparaging, inflammatory or defamatory ...

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Prince Albert Joins Climate Talks as EU Voices Concern on China

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The European Union voiced the first sign of discord at United Nations climate talks as Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Ethiopian President Melez Zenawi join envoys working on a plan to fight global warming.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">In  the South African port city of Durban, diplomats from 192 nations have made little progress on how to renew the Kyoto Protocol, whose limits on fossil fuel emissions lapse at the end of 2012. China wants industrial nations to sign up to further commitments under the pact. The U.S. never ratified the accord, and the EU says it will extend Kyoto only if all major emitters adopt carbon goals.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Prince Albert Joins Climate Talks as EU Voices Concern on China

The European Union voiced the first sign of discord at United Nations climate talks as Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Ethiopian President ...

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Himalayan glaciers are melting, says IPCC research

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Himalayan glaciers are melting after all, according to new research released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).</span></span></li> </ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The IPCC were forced to apologise for claiming that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035.</span></span></li> <li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span></span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The 2009 scandal, known as ‘Himalayagate’ led to criticism of the IPCC, a group of scientists convened by the United Nations to warn governments around the world about the effects of climate change.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">In an effort to move on from the embarrassing episode, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the IPCC, has now announced that the latest statistics show the glaciers are melting, according to the limited amount of science available.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The reports, presented at the UN climate change talks in Durban were brought together by the the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Himalayan glaciers are melting, says IPCC research

The Himalayan glaciers are melting after all, according to new research released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). ...

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Planet like Earth found in star's habitable zone

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Scientists and their Kepler spacecraft have discovered for the first time a planet in distant space that is much like Earth, circling a sun-like star and lying in a region neither too hot nor too cold for an atmosphere that could support some form of life.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The temperature on that planet, the scientists say, probably is a comfortable 72 degrees, rain or shine.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Dubbed Kepler 22b, the planet exists in what astronomers call the habitable zone of a solar system at whose center is a star only a little smaller and fainter than Earth's sun. It lies about 600 light-years away and is 2.4 times Earth's size, although its mass is still unknown</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">Kepler 22b circles its sun every 290 days, compared with Earth's year of 365 days, the Kepler team has determined</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Planet like Earth found in star's habitable zone

Scientists and their Kepler spacecraft have discovered for the first time a planet in distant space that is much like Earth, circling a s...

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Putin's party suffers setback

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia suffered a setback in Russia's parliamentary election on Sunday, polling less than half of the votes and losing its overwhelming majority in the lower house.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">With 96 per cent of the ballots counted, United Russia received 49.54 per cent of the votes, down from more than 64 per cent four years ago. It is set to lose almost a quarter of seats in the 450-member State Duma, and will see its 315 seats reduced to 238 seats. This will deny the Kremlin the freedom to change the Constitution at will.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Putin's party suffers setback

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's United Russia suffered a setback in Russia's parliamentary election on Sunday, polling less than ...

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Poor social security, a major concern for workers in Asia-Pacific region

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">While Asian economies boomed before the global recession in 2008, the fruits of that progress did not translate into better wages or secure employment conditions for workers in the region. The International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s Asian Decent Work Decade launched in 2006 was aimed at five priority areas of competitiveness, productivity and jobs; labour market governance; youth employment, managing labour migration and local development for poverty reduction.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">During the 15th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (ARPM) on social protection policies trade unions pointed to the unacceptable growing inequality in the region and said growth was not inclusive. The impressive economic growth had not translated into fair economic distribution like good living wages or effective labour market interventions</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;"> </span></span><br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;"> Noriyuki Suzuki, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Asia Pacific</span></span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;"> </span></span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Another area of concern was the 15 billion Asians living outside their countries and this formed one-fourth of the world's migrant population</span></span></li> </ul></div>

Poor social security, a major concern for workers in Asia-Pacific region

While Asian economies boomed before the global recession in 2008, the fruits of that progress did not translate into better wages or secu...

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Lalit Kala Akademi Secretary sacked

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div id="5035" style="display: block;"> <ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">In a first such incident in the history of Lalit Kala Akademi, the services of its secretary Sudhakar Sharma have been terminated by the prestigious arts body's outgoing chairman Ashok Vajpayee.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Dr. Sharma  was dissmissed“on the charges of non-compliance of several decisions, not upgrading his own subordinates, and not doing enough in spite of instructions that includes holding of triennial in November 2011.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div></div>

Lalit Kala Akademi Secretary sacked

In a first such incident in the history of Lalit Kala Akademi, the services of its secretary Su...

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Union Sports Ministry and IOA concerned over Dow Chemicals link with Olympics

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The Union Sports Ministry has written a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asking it to lodge a protest against the Dow Chemicals sponsorship of the London Olympics with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Dow Chemicals, the owner of the Union Carbide, whose plant was responsible for the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, had signed a sponsorship deal with IOC in July 2010 to support the Olympic Movement worldwide till 2020.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Union Sports Ministry and IOA concerned over Dow Chemicals link with Olympics

The Union Sports Ministry has written a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asking it to lodge a protest against the Dow Chemi...

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Nadal secures fifth Davis Cup title for Spain

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Rafael Nadal got the winning point as Spain won a fifth Davis Cup title</span></span><br /> <br /> </li> <li style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">The World No. 2 beat Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro to give the host a 3-1 win, rallying from a set down to see off the 2009 US Open champion 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (0).</span></span><br /> <br /> </li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva; text-align: justify;">Spain previously won the titles in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2009.</span></span><br /> <br /> </li> <li> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">There  was more heartbreak for Argentina which became the first nation to lose four finals — it also lost to Spain in the final three years ago at home.</span></span><br /> </li> </ul></div>

Nadal secures fifth Davis Cup title for Spain

Rafael Nadal got the winning point as Spain won a fifth Davis Cup title The World No. 2 beat Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro to ...

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