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The UPA is under tremendous pressure from its important ally the DMK to vote against the resolution on Sri Lanka for violation of human rights at the UNHRC meeting in Geneva later this month. The DMK and other Tamil Nadu political parties want further toughening of stand against Lanka.

New Delhi: The global verification body for nuclear programmes, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has is satisfied with India’s safety measures at nuclear power plants. It is not satisfied with Iran and North Korea.

NEW DELHI: The National Knowledge Commission’s (NKC) recommendations for creating 1,500 innovative universities within the 12th Plan seem to go unattended at present due to inadequate outreach of new technologies in higher education. By the new technology it is meant, imparting education and skills through application of new methods and novel teaching aids. Blending the latest teaching methods and the new techno-centric aids would alone draw the younger generation to learn, explore and gather knowledge and thus contribute to the societal growth, it is believed in the NKC.

In the run up to the union budget, the Reserve Bank of India had issued its fresh guidelines for allowing new private sector banks. The RBI announcement was followed up by the finance minister in his budget speech and it was promised that the new banks licences should be cleared soon. Yet later, RBI had invited prospective applicants for bank licences to raise any of their doubts or clarifications about the new RBI guidelines and post these to the central bank before the process of selection of new entrants kicks off later in the year.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It had all the ingredients that go into the making of a typical Bollywood box office hit: romance, sleaze, the third angle, suspense, stunt and villainy. The protagonists in the political film being played out are: Forest and Film Minister K B Ganesh Kumar who belongs to Kerala Congress(B), his wife Dr Yamini Thankachi, his father and Kerala Congress(B) chief R Balakrishna Pillai, Government Chief Whip P C George and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – More than 75% of the countries in Asia and the Pacific are experiencing a serious lack of water security, with many of them facing an imminent water crisis unless immediate steps are taken to improve management of water resources, says a new study prepared jointly by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF).

Resignation of Saugata Roy, former Union minister of state and a leading member of Lok Sabha group of Trinamool Congress (TMC), from the post of advisor of industry to the chief minister Mamata Banerjee, reflects the deepening momentum of a crisis syndrome in not only the TMC but within the management of the 22-month government. Apparently, the cleavage grew out of differences about question of land use in the perspective of industrialization.

Beyond the maze of numbers, four features of finance minister P Chidambaram’s budget stand out. First, thanks to its obsession with reducing the fiscal deficit, the budget fails to raise social sector expenditure—just when that’s badly needed, especially for the sake of the poor. Second, the budget doesn’t strongly stimulate growth. Third, it makes relative economic stagnation and high inflation (stagflation) highly likely. And finally, the government’s bias towards foreign capital has become more brazen.

Rahul Gandhi’s occasional ruminations on life (marriage, children) and politics (the quest for power and position) show him as someone who is not chary of sharing his private thoughts with even strangers. It is an uncommon characteristic for a person in public life, most of whom are extremely cagey and diplomatic.

New Delhi: India appears to have been taken aback by Italy's decision not to send back its two marines accused of killing Indian fishermen.