-AP   As delegates gather in South Africa to plot the next big push against climate change, Western governments are saying it’s time to move beyond traditional distinctions between industrial and developing countries and get China and other growing economies to accept legally binding curbs on greenhouse gases. It will be a central theme for the 20,000 national officials, lobbyists, scientists and advocates gathering under U.N. auspices in the coastal city of Durban...

-The Hindu   A pro-nuclear plant agitation has begun: Narayanasamy Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy on Wednesday briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the situation in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, where an agitation is on against the commissioning of the nuclear power plant. Later speaking to journalists, Mr. Narayanasamy expressed hope that the stalemate would be resolved soon. “A pro-nuclear plant agitation has started in Kudankulam…The ATMosphere is changing slowly.” Stating...

The climate change negotiations are deadlocked because of a basic difference of approach. Developing countries are calling for enhanced implementation of existing agreements, while developed countries are insisting on a new agreement that would shift a large share of their obligations to the shoulders of developing countries, particularly the ‘newly emerging economies’ like India and China. The European Union is calling for negotiations on a new agreement to replace the...

-The United Nations The presence of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s ATMosphere last year reached its highest levels since pre-industrial times, a report released by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns today. The latest edition of WMO’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, which places special focus on rising nitrous oxide concentrations, also notes that the rate of increase of greenhouse gases has recently accelerated. “Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse gas...

-Kashmir Dispatch   High Court Bar Association has said that the revocation of “draconian laws” like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) can minimize the sufferings of the people in Jammu and Kashmir till its resolution was sought out. Addressing a just-concluded 2-day conference on National Consultation on Human Rights, conducted under the auspices of Human Rights Law network at India Islamic Centre at Lodhi Garden New Delhi India, the General Secretary of...