What is common between Brazil, Russia, India and China? That’s easy. They are the so-called BRIC countries. But, what is common between these BRIC countries and other emerging economies such as Indonesia, Argentina and South Africa? The answer: inequality. This disconcerting connect between these emerging economies is the focus of a report released last week by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the think tank for the club of...

-Reuters   Kyoto Protocol extended; environmentalists, small nations say deal lacks ambition, does not do enough Climate negotiators agreed to a pact on Sunday that would for the first time force all the biggest polluters to take action on greenhouse gas emissions, but critics said the action plan was not aggressive enough to slow the pace of global warming. The package of accords extended the Kyoto Protocol, the only global pact that enforces carbon...

-The Times of India   Neighbourhood private schools in Gurgaon would soon be identified as part of a state-wide exercise under the Right to Education Act (RTE). After identifying the schools, the tuition fee and other funds meant for the Poor and needy children studying in them will be refunded.  Haryana education minister Geeta Bhukkal made the announcement while addressing the grievances of the people in her constituency, Jhajjar, on Sunday.  While cities like...

Its eye on the UP Assembly elections, the Centre is going to package the reservation for backward Muslims being planned out of the 27 per cent OBC quota as part of a series of reservation measures, covering a large bracket of beneficiaries. Apart from designating the quota for Muslims as part of a larger reservation for “minorities”, the UPA government is planning to promise a quota for “the most backward”...

-AP   A UN climate conference reached a hard-fought agreement Sunday on a complex and far-reaching programme meant to set a new course for the global fight against climate change for the coming decades. The 194-party conference agreed to start negotiations on a new accord that would put all countries under the same legal regime enforcing commitments to control greenhouse gases. It would take effect by 2020 at the latest. The deal also set...