The union cabinet is expected to decide on India's stance at the UN climate conference in Durban with environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan suggesting to adopt a hardline approach and shun flexi-approach of her predecessor Jairam Ramesh. In a cabinet note circulated, the environment ministry has sought reiteration of India's stance in 2010 that says no to a legally-binding climate treaty, demands a second commitment period of Kyoto Protocol, ensures climate...

Like stags fighting, the first days of each annual UN climate summit start with delegations circling each other politically, looking for weaknesses, gauging strengths. The summit that began this week in Durban, South Africa, has been no different - and though it might seem that little has been accomplished so far, a number of blocs have at least made their positions clearer than ever before. And that's vital if effective negotiations are...

-The Hindu   Parliament logjam continues   The government and the Opposition hardened their stance on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail sector, as Parliament remained disrupted for the third day on Tuesday on the issue. A meeting convened by Leader of the House and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to reach out to the Opposition on the issue, 90 minutes before Parliament began its session, proved nothing more than a ritual. The entire Opposition...

-The Indian Express   They had come to impart lessons on governance, but Nandan Nilekani and Ashis Nandy were forced to end their speeches abruptly at a Youth Congress convention here by impatient cadres who were more keen to listen to Rahul Gandhi. Nandy, renowned political psychologist, and Nilekani, Chairman of the new Unique Identification Authority of India, were the two non-political speakers invited to the convention to share their experiences in governance...

There is no typo in the title of this article, but the term “scorepati” is perhaps confusing. By way of explanation, let me introduce three acquaintances. Meena, age 50, lives in a two-room kaccha hut with her disabled husband Chhote Lal who studied up to Class 2. They own half an acre of unirrigated land and a goat. Meena is unable to take up any remunerated work as Chhote Lal needs...