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New York: A United Nations expert on torture today called on all countries to ban the solitary confinement of prisoners except in very exceptional circumstances and for as short a time as possible, with an absolute prohibition in the case of juveniles and people with mental disabilities.

New York: Organizations in 12 countries that help victims of human trafficking seek justice, return home and otherwise recover from their ordeal were collectively awarded some $300,000 today in the first grant of a new United Nations fund.

Twenty-three developing-country officials took part in a 10-13 October 2011 workshop designed to help their countries make use of flexibilities for pharmaceuticals in the WTO TRIPS (intellectual property) Agreement.

New Delhi: Indian Defence Forces has been asked to adopt the latest technology in developing new warfare systems and go for joint operations at levels. They have been also told to take advantage of the latest advances made in information technology.

A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led by Mr. Mbuyamu Matungulu, Mission Chief for the Union of the Comoros, visited Moroni during October 4–18, 2011 to continue discussions of performance under the country’s economic program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). The mission met Dr. Dhoinine Ikililou, President of the Union of Comoros. It held discussions with Vice-President and Finance Minister Soilihi and with other members of the Cabinet of the Union; with the Governor of the Central Bank of the Comoros; with members of parliament as well as representatives of the private sector, civil society, and the donor community.

If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wanted to insult the people of Southern Tamil Nadu and Kerala who are agitating against the Koodankulam nuclear power station, he could have found no better way of doing so than by agreeing to meet their six-member civil society delegation on October 7—only to unleash Department of Atomic Energy secretary Srikumar Banerjee upon them to lecture them on the virtues of nuclear power.

Anna Hazare must have realized by now that it is easier to start a movement than to sustain it. Even if his team was not such a motley group as it is, the Gandhian might have found it difficult to retain the initial momentum. For one, a democracy allows so much of free space to both supporters and opponents of a cause that neither is able to completely out-argue the other. For another, a movement targeting virtually the entire political class and even the system itself requires a level of intellectual sophistication which was absent in the team.

New Delhi: In the backdrop of the bitter experiences faced recently by the Indian students at the California-based Tri Valley University and closure of the London Campus of TASMAC School of Business, India has sought US collaboration for access to hassle-free quality higher education.

New York: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Syrian President Bashar-Al Assad to take decisive action and accept the Human Rights Council’s commission of inquiry into the violence in his country to find out exactly what happened and to put an end to civilian deaths.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team visited Ouagadougou during September 29–October 14, 2011 to carry out discussions with the Burkinabè authorities on the third review of their economic and financial program supported by the IMF under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF); and on the 2011 Article IV consultation.