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New York: The United Nations today called on all States to end the “heinous crime” of enforced disappearances which has seen countless people vanish into secret prisons or worse, often never to be seen again, in cases of conflict and internal unrest.

New York: The United Nations voiced “extreme alarm” today at reports of “atrocious human rights violations” in Libya, including mass summary executions apparently carried out by Colonel Muammar al-Qadhafi’s forces in the last few days before they lost Tripoli, the capital.

New Delhi: The Indian Defence Minister AK Antony has told all stakeholders of Coastal Security that unless they worked with a unified purpose, there would be no real progress.

No government in India has bent over backwards to please a civil society campaign as much as the Manmohan Singh government, in respect of the Jan Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill, drafted by a small group of people, including Anna Hazare, nominated by an NGO called India against Corruption (IAC). And no single individual’s act has recently attracted as much popular support as Mr Hazare’s fast for passing the Bill on terms dictated by him by an impossibly short deadline. Anna’s suspension of the 12-day fast on August 28 morning following the adoption of the resolution conveying the sense of the house by Parliament on Saturday, is apparently a big victory for this particular civil society group.

Having hustled the government into accepting the Jan Lokpal bill almost in its entirety, except for the inclusion of the higher judiciary and the conduct of MPs in parliament, Anna Hazare has every right to congratulate himself on his famous victory. The enthusiasm caused by his movement has also evidently made him eager to jump back into the fray with fresh demands with the electoral reforms as the starting point. However, notwithstanding the current fervour, especially in the previously politically apathetic middle class, his future path may be more bumpy than what he has experienced so far.

New York: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today urged heightened preparedness and surveillance amid signs that a mutant strain of the deadly bird flu virus is spreading in Asia and beyond.

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force took a significant step towards ifor ensuring its cyber security, when the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne was formally handed over the license to issue Digital Signature Certificates by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA), Dr N Vijay Aditya at Air Headquarters on Monday.

Call it its habitual double-speak or helplessness, Pakistan’s role in encouraging militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is again back in media headlines. Ironically, this is happening amidst stepped-up efforts by India and Pakistan to normalize their relations. Pakistan’s youthful Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar during her last week’s China visit said that “India and Pakistan should learn to live with each other”. She also repeated in her August 24 Beijing statement her country’s resolve not to allow its territory to be used for terror activities.

India has gone through a new “August Kranti” (revolution), remarkably non-violent, and on a much larger scale than civil movements of the past, aimed at bringing about a corruption-free society, inspired by the renowned social activist Anna Hazare with his epic fast on Delhi’s Ram Lila grounds. A Parliamentary commitment to come up with a toughest law possible to root out the evil at all levels enabled him end his 12-day ordeal (August 16-27) on the morning of August 28, and the nation rapturously celebrated victory.

New Delhi: In a span of less than four days yet another daring rescue mission was successfully undertaken by pilots of Leh based Helicopter Unit, when they evacuated one American national, Steven John Swenson from one of the most difficult glacier, named ‘Shupka Kunzang’ located at the base of Saser Kangri-II peak in the East Karakoram range of Ladakh region in India, according to sources in the Defence Ministry.