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MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank will be providing a loan to help fund the first privately owned and financed wind farm in Pakistan. The output from the plant will provide much-needed additional power for Pakistan, improve the country’s energy security, and lower reliance on fossil fuels.

Not long ago, when the chief commissioner of income-tax (zone I) of Kolkata gave some brief details about a series of tax raids the department made at the premises of over a dozen high-earning medical doctors and surgeons and sealed their 79 bank lockers at a hurriedly-called press briefing programme, a few reporters wanted to know the final outcome of a similar tax raid on city physicians that was announced in a similar fashion two years ago. The chief commissioner fumbled and looked uneasily at his colleagues sitting by the both sides of his chair for answer. Since no one answered, the chief taxman forced a pleasant grin before media persons and said: “Very good question! We will collect the information and let you know soon.” The press meet was over faster than the department officials and reporters had probably expected.

BHOPAL: The issue of suicides by farmers in Madhya Pradesh has been completely politicized - both by the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress. The Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has announced that he would be undertaking a fast-unto-death from Feb 13 to protest against the Central government’s “indifference” to the state’s demand for a financial package to aid the farmers. This, obviously, is an attempt to put the blame at the Centre’s door and there is nothing surprising about it.

New Delhi: UPA led Union Government of India, which is presently neck deep in corruption, has been trying to amend the Right to Information Act for quite some time. More recently, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has circulated a suggestion stating if information seeker under this act dies, the concerned file would be closed. If it is accepted, it would further endanger the lives of the petitioners including RTI activists who are already facing all sorts of attacks, including attempts to murder.

New Delhi: India today urged the industrialized nations to commit their emission reduction targets for 2020 that are consistent with the Copenhagen goal of containing the likely temperature increase to no more than 2 degree centigrade or less.

New Delhi: India’s polar research projects are aimed at contributing towards the study of climate change, polar biology and glaciology. Its Arctic Research Programme complements its work in Antarctic, according to the Union science and technology and earth sciences minister, Pawan Kumar Bansal.

'The African Development Bank needs to be relevant to all its Regional Member Countries (RMCs), and that includes fragile states. These are states in need of our expertise and support. We must continue to uphold the vision and boldness the Deputies had when they founded this initiative. We must use all available instruments to respond to the needs of these states, including public support,'* President Donald Kaberuka.

New York: A group of United Nations independent human rights experts today voiced alarm at limits imposed by governments on the right to freedom of expression and information, saying recent mass protests in several countries were the result of frustrations by people who felt ignored or neglected.

New York: A special United Nations football match played by some of the world’s top footballers in December raised more than half a million dollars for ongoing post-disaster reconstruction work in Haiti and Pakistan, and for disadvantaged communities in Greece.

New York: The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Côte d’Ivoire today reported that 18,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been identified in the western areas of the country, adding that the number could rise when the registration of the people, currently under way, is completed.