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New York: Road traffic should get quieter in the near future, thanks to a new procedure for measuring noise in vehicles, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

With the UPA Government having disturbed the equilibrium between the Lt. Colonel and their equivalent in the Armed Forces and their civil services counterparts Deputy Secretary and their equivalent in Civil Services by including the former in Pay Band-4 and commensurate Grade Pay and leaving out the later in Pay Band-3 and commensurate Grade Pay has created most anomalous situation in the bureaucracy, the spectacle of which was never witnessed before.

In India, colonial rule reinforced the feudal tradition of elevating the elite above the common people. The baneful effects of this class division are now all too visible in the VIP syndrome in the country's political life.

Doesn't the winding up of the Integrated Guided Missile Programme launched under Dr Kalam in 1983 signify its terminal crisis? Why doesn't India have a reliable intermediate-range missile barring the Agni-I? If the Defence Research and Development Organisation is a grand success, then why hasn't it completed a major project without obscene delays and cost overruns—including the Main Battle Tank (launched in 1974, not ready despite a 10-fold bloating of costs), and the Light Combat Aircraft (started in 1983, but still lacking an engine)? Why has the nuclear submarine's cost risen 30-fold? And why did the Department of Atomic Energy have to get critical Russian designs and equipment for its reactor despite working on it for 34 years?

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is supporting Viet Nam's efforts to bolster its domestic economy and ensure social stability through a short-term $500 million fiscal stimulus loan.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Local currency bond markets in emerging East Asia grew rapidly in the first half of 2009 as governments continued to fund economic stimulus packages. Notably, corporate bonds have become a significant driver of overall market growth as the region recovers from global recession, according to the latest issue of the Asia Bond Monitor from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

G20 Governments have refrained from extensive use of restrictive trade and investment measures in recent months but have continued, in a limited way, to apply tariffs and non-tariff instruments that have hindered trade flows, the heads of the OECD, UNCTAD and the WTO indicated in a joint report to G-20 leaders meeting in Pittsburgh later this month.

Pakistan's dithering on prosecuting the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks apart, two latest Jammu and Kashmir-related developments expose the Pakistani rulers insincerity about resumption of the stalled Indo-Pakistan composite dialogue (including Kashmir) for which they have lately, with the US nod, started pressuring India. One, revival, obviously with ISI connivance, of cross-LoC infiltrations leading to a spurt in terrorist violence which along with infiltrations had sharply declined over the past few years. Two, issuing of the Gilgit-Baltistan Empowerment and Self-governance Order.

NEW DELHI: India is not agreeable, at the moment, to grant market economy status to China despite continuing requests by the Chinese Government to this effect.A thorough appraisal by the Commerce Ministry has come to the conclusion that the issue can be considered only towards the end of Regional Trading Arrangement(RTA) negotiations after securing concessions from China on issues of interest.

With the introduction of swanky indigenously built German Linked Hoffman Buschk (LHB) coaches in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains, Indian Railways have since set in motion a process of switching over completely to manufacture of stainless steel coaches hereafter to replace the existing Integral Coach Factory (ICF) coaches. The complete switch over to manufacture of stainless coaches forms part of the Government resolve in the Eleventh Five Year Plan document.