The novelist and critic, C.S. Lewis, said he had no time for those who thought that since they had read a book once, they had no need to read it again. The great works of literature were to read again and again. The urge to go back to a book was prompted sometimes by aesthetics, the desire to savour once more its artful or elegant prose; and, at other times,...

The melting of Himalayan glaciers has been a bone of contention between international environmentalists and the Government of India. The government believes that some perceptions of the international environmentalists are alarmist. Now a new global report has sought to set aside that controversy by measuring the rate at which the Himalayan glaciers are melting. (The report enclosed below) The Himalayan glaciers are melting faster than the global average and the rate...

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday registered a disproportionate assets case against a senior IAS officer, presently posted in the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) as Commissioner, after raiding his residence and other places allegedly owned by him in the capital region. The investigating agency also claimed to have recovered huge assets disproportionate to his known source of income. The officer, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, 43, is posted as Commissioner...

Cutting emissions drastically is neither easy nor cheap, so the developed world is looking for scapegoats. As you read this, a deal is possibly being signed at Copenhagen to save the world from climate change. But be very clear. The agreement which the world has waited for is not going to be either an effective deal or a fair deal to reduce emissions in the world. The reason is clear: The...

Curbing inflationary expectations is the priority Food price inflation has been in double digits for almost a year. Officially this week it is clocking up 20 per cent, the highest in 11 years. Stories of inflation in pulses and vegetables have appeared repeatedly in newspapers all over the country. The minimum support price for wheat has more than doubled in the past three years. The sugarcane farmers invaded the roads of...