-PTI In a major relief for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BSP supremo Mayawati, the Allahabad High Court on Monday dismissed petitions against her in the Taj Corridor case. The Lucknow bench of the court also dismissed the petitions against her cabinet colleague NASeemuddin Siddiqui. Passing the order, the bench comprising justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and Ashwani Kumar Singh said all petitions were devoid of merit and were accordingly being dismissed. BSP leader and...

-The Hindu Governments, industry, civil society meetin Azerbaijan to discuss future of Internet India has decided to take a decisive stand on Internet governance at a conference being hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 6-9. An indication of the importance that India accords to the global dialogue on Internet governance is evident from the fact that Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal is himself leading the government delegation, which will include senior officials like...

-New Yorker A couple of weeks ago, Munich Re, one of the world’s largest reinsurance firms, issued a study titled “Severe Weather in North America.” According to the press release that accompanied the report, “Nowhere in the world is the rising number of natural catastrophes more evident than in North America.” The number of what Munich Re refers to as “weather-related loss events,” and what the rest of us would probably...

-Al Jazeera Treaty to ban chemicals that harmed the ozone layer came about when there was consensus between science and politics. In 1974, chemists Mario Molina and Frank Sherwood Rowland published a landmark article that demonstrated the ability of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to break down the ozone layer, the atmospheric region that plays a vital role in shielding humans and other life from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It marked the opening salvo of...

-Outlook Maharashtra government today declared as drought-affected more than 6000 villages in Aurangabad, Pune and NAShik districts of the state. "A total of 6,250 villages, having crop yield less than fifty paise are drought-affected," Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation Dr Patangrao Kadam said, adding various measures like organising fodder camps and pressing water tankers into service to cater to villagers are being launched. Kadam said as many as 2,894 villages in Aurangabad district...