Industry reacts with caution to the grant of a compulsory licence to Natco, but cancer patients welcome it and hope for many more. THE first compulsory licence (CL) issued by the Indian patent office, to the local drug manufacturer Natco Pharma Ltd to sell the generic version of Bayer AG's anti-cancer drug Nexavar, has led to varied reactions. The landmark decision has also raised concerns about the outcome of cases...

Rural India has been denied access to globalisation, penalising farmers and farm labour. For the farmer, the government's policy is best described as Dhritarashtra's embrace. After the Mahabharata war was over, the old king met his nephews, the victorious Pandavas, and embraced them, one by one, in a gesture of forgiving and affection. When, Bhima's turn came, the loving embrace was so tight that it crushed a metal dummy of the second...

-The Telegraph Ambika Soni today voiced surprise that Trinamul was protesting the June 30 deadline for digitisation of TV in Bengal despite the junior I&B minister being from that party and aware of the decision taken last year. Both Houses of Parliament had passed the Cable Television Networks Regulation (amendment) Bill last December to ensure digitisation of TV transmission and distribution in the four metros by June 2012 and across the country...

A new report underlines the benefits of organic farming in the age of climate change While addressing a conference on the National Water Week this week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underlined the brewing water crisis. It could as well have been called the ‘National Water Weak’ — for this precious commodity for life is struggling to survive. The maximum blame for wastage of water is often put at the doors of...

-The Times of India The state CID has written to Facebook asking it to delete certain morphed images of chief minister Mamata Banerjee after a Trinamool Congress supporter lodged a complaint on April 12, citing specific posts and 'objectionable comments' flooding social networking sites.  The CID also wants to know the IP addresses from where the pictures were posted.  It is sure to scare netizens after what happened to Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh...