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Just as the world recalls in horror the April 26 nuclear accident at Chernobyl in Ukraine 25 years ago, another nuclear disaster of staggering proportions is unfolding at Fukushima in Japan. In some ways, this isn’t a coincidence. The global nuclear industry has learnt no lessons from Chernobyl, nor sobered down its hubris-driven, fanciful claims about the safety of nuclear power. As we see below, a similar catastrophe could occur in any of the world’s 400-odd reactors.

Osama bin Laden’s death is of greater relevance to the West than to India. The Al Qaeda leader’s primary target was America, followed by Europe which was a breeding ground for some, like the 9/11 bomber Mohammed Atta and the failed shoe bomber, Richard Reid. Occasional terrorist acts were also carried out in Europe as, for instance, in Madrid and London. But, as a Saudi who resented the presence of American troops in Islam’s holy land, Osama’s antipathy towards the US was all-consuming. It is possible that his proximity to the Americans during the anti-Soviet jehad in Afghanistan bred further contempt for them because of their arrogance and pleasure-loving lifestyle.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Australia’s Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) have signed a risk-sharing agreement that should make it easier for some of Asia’s developing economies to import crucial Australian goods. The agreement is part of ADB’s Trade Finance Program (TFP).

New York: Warning of the consequences of unsustainable consumption and production on the world’s ecosystems, a senior United Nations official today urged Member States to agree on a plan to promote a more efficient and safer use of the Earth’s resources.

On 2 May 2011, the Working Party on Vanuatu’s accession, which reconvened in April, cleared the path for its membership in the WTO by approving, ad referendum, the accession package which spells out the terms of Vanuatu’s accession.

New York: Experts from around the world gathered in Vienna today for the start of a five-day United Nations conference aimed at standardizing the use of place names so that governments, organizations and the public can benefit.

New York: The joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur has announced a new initiative to help aid agencies access hard-to-reach communities in parts of the strife-torn Sudanese region.

Making predictions about tricky and complex issues is a hazardous task. This is particularly so in the case of Jammu Kashmir whose post-Independence history has seen frequent turns and twists. The latest turn is represented by the more positive changes that have taken place in the state’s scenario in the past few months. Will these changes prove to be a fore-runner of a relatively lasting peace and normalcy in the state, an essential pre-requisite for finding a solution of the Kashmir tangle? To attempt an answer one needs to have a closer look at the happenings the trouble-torn state has witnessed during the past few months.

LUCKNOW: The massive response of the people in Uttar Pradesh to the campaign by the civil society group of Mr. Anna Hazare in various parts of the state, has made it apparent that the issue of corruption will figure prominently in the ensuing campaign for the assembly elections due in early 2012.

NEW DELHI: India’s insurance industry will outpace the economic growth of the country and is likely to reach US$350 billion to 400 billion in terms of premium income by 2020, making it among the top three life insurance markets, an industry report revealed. India will be the top 15 non-life insurance markets by 2020 also, according to an industry study conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the US based Boston Consulting Group.