-The Hindu Joe Biden, who won the 2020 presidential race, could take the U.S. back to the leadership position in the fight against climate change The U.S. could become the leader in the world’s quest to avert dangerous climate change under a Joe Biden presidency, marking a return to global cooperation and reversing President Donald Trump’s isolationist rejection of efforts to cut carbon emissions. On November 4, a year after serving notice, and...

Although no journalist was murdered in the country last year as opposed to six such murders in 2018, it would be wrong to say that press freedom has never been violated, says the recently released report by Reporters without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontières - RSF) -- a media watchdog organisation that works for freedom of expression and information. The report says that India's performance in 2020 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI)...

-Hindustan Times The two-week-long talks, defined as “disappointing” and “unfortunate” by delegates at the closing session of the negotiations, concluded on Sunday after deliberations went into overtime of nearly 48 hours after the official November 13 deadline. New Delhi: The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) at Madrid failed to build consensus on crucial issues of carbon markets, compensation for climate change induced ‘loss and damage’ to vulnerable countries and enhancing nationally determined...

-Frontline.in Interview with Aruna Roy. ARUNA ROY is a well-known social and political activist. A former Indian Administrative Service officer, she resigned from the IAS in 1975 and has since worked with the most oppressed in society. Aruna Roy’s observation on government service is indicative of her future concerns: “Everyone calls it an elite service; I always felt the discourse should be a bit better than what it was. I was shocked...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has sent a notice to the Maharashtra government following media reports that its education department has decided to close down zila parishad schools with fewer than 10 students and shift them to nearby institutes. The NHRC, in a recent directive, gave the state government four weeks to submit a detailed report. It said the decision, likely to affect about 1,300 schools, according to the...