-AFP   A French court on Monday found US agro giant Monsanto legally responsible for the poisoning of a farmer with one of its herbicides in 2004, in a verdict that could have global implications.  "Monsanto is responsible for Paul FRAncois's suffering after he inhaled the Lasso product ... and must entirely compensate him," said the judgement from the court in the southeastern city of Lyon.  "This concerns farmers around the world," said the...

You know your negotiating strategy is in trouble when countries ranging as far as Norway in the developed world to partners like South Africa and neighbours like Bangladesh start quoting Gandhi and Nehru back to you. Two months ago, this was the unfortunate situation Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan had to face at the Durban conference on climate change. That she managed, through a passionate last-minute speech, to ensure that all was...

Former chief minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad Yadav on Tuesday claimed that all the allegations leveled against him in the Rs 900-crore fodder scam were biased and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) had acted against him under political pressure to ruin his career.  Lalu was replying to questions of special CBI judge PK Singh in the fodder scam case (RC 20/96) related to FRAudulent withdrawal of more than Rs 37...

-The Times of India   The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that lodging under-trial accused in jailindefinitely will breach their fundamental right to life and ordered release of joint managing director of a big grain export firm on bail in a case of alleged deFRAuding of nationalized banks. Releasing Dipak S Mehta of Vishal Exports Overseas Ltd on bail similar to the apex court's earlier decision to grant bail to corporate bigwigs...

The government’s draft report on black money — that has been circulated to members of the high level committee on black money for final comments — confirms that details of the HSBC accounts in Geneva have given the country its biggest black money trail. Citing this as an instance where the government has moved fast in tracing the coded account holders, the report states that the receipt resulted in information...