-The Hindustan Times In an reply to a query under the Right to Information Act , the Union ministry of commerce and industry has admitted that it has no "specific information to furnish" regarding the Union government's claim in a newspaper advertisement that foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail would create over one crore jobs and that 50% of the total foreign investment would be in villages. A Bhopal-based advocate, NK Jain,...

-IPS News Doha: United Nations climate talks are on the edge of collapse Thursday, according to a coalition of civil society and representatives from half of the world’s countries. Once again, rich industrialised nations are putting nothing on the table in terms of increased emissions cuts and financial support for poor nations, said Celine Charveriat, director of advocacy and campaigns for Oxfam International. “This is just like WTO (World Trade Organisation) negotiations where...

-The Economic Times DOHA: At a time when the reticence of industrialised countries to providing climate finance and reducing emissions is hampering an outcome at Doha , UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon unambiguously called on the industrialised countries to do more. At the same time, the UN top boss made it clear that all countries need to make an effort according to their level ofeconomic development to tackle climate change.  Negotiators from...

-The Economic Times DOHA: India faces the risk of devastating drought as monsoon rains are likely to have a shortfall of 70% in the years ahead, as climate change shakes up global weather phenomena, recent research and experts at a global conference said. The risk of adverse changes in global weather is aggravated by the fact that international efforts to act against climate change have been blocked by deep divisions among the...

-The Economic Times A couple of months ago, the UPA government cleared Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail. It is a politically risky step. But for once, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showed both spine and spunk biting the bullet. Since then, both Left parties and the BJP have expressed serious reservations over the decision. The general view is that it will affect the lakhs of small, indigenous kirana stores spread across...