With only three more days of negotiations to go, UN chief Ban Ki-moon says agreement may be 'beyond our reach – for now' A global legally binding deal on climate change is likely to be off the table, at least "for now", the United Nations secretary-general has said in his most downbeat assessment of the talks. Assessing the nine days of negotiations at Durban so far, Ban Ki-moon told delegates: "It may...

Health care in India, at its finest, matches the standards of international best practice. The knowledge, skill and confidence of its doctors and nurses, the sophistication of available technology, quality of service and five-star hospitality compete with the best in the world. Its relatively low cost has made it an important player in the health tourism sector. However, at the other extreme, publicly funded health care services often do not...

The Goa government has moved the Supreme Court challenging an order of Bombay High Court's Goa bench bringing governor's report to the Centre about the political situation in a state under the ambit of Right to Information Act, a decision that created major legal discomfort in the corridors of power. The appeal by Goa government, which has also sought a stay on the November 14 HC verdict, is listed for mentioning...

While Asian economies boomed before the global recession in 2008, the fruits of that progress did not translate into better wages or secure employment conditions for workers in the region. The International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s Asian Decent Work Decade launched in 2006 was aimed at five priority areas of competitiveness, productivity and jobs; labour market governance; youth employment, managing labour migration and local development for poverty reduction. Today workers' unions are...

-The Telegraph   Two prominent leaders of India Inc have slammed the way Parliament has virtually been locked down by “misconceived and unfortunate” protests against foreign investment in retail — a decision they termed “an essential part of India’s growth story”. The concerns and an appeal to farmers, consumers and common people have been flagged in an open letter by Ashok Ganguly and Deepak Parekh. Ganguly, a Rajya Sabha MP, is a former...