-The Times of India CHENNAI: Loading of uranium fuel in the first unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant started on Wednesday, the Vinayaka Chaturthi day, as the controversial project took a major step towards becoming operational. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had given its final clearance for loading fuel on Tuesday night. "Fuel loading has started and it will take at least 10 days for the process to be completed,"...

-The Hindu Building ‘capitalism with Indian characteristics’ means decisions cannot ignore concerns of voters and communities As the economy slows down and the rupee wilts, Manmohan Singh has bitten the ‘reforms’ bullet with both eyes on the credit rating agencies whose negative reports have done much to dampen the ‘animal spirits’ of investors, foreign and native. Last November, when the Congress party made a push to introduce foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail,...

-IPS News UXBRIDGE, Canada- Growing Water shortages in many countries are a major threat to global security and development and should be a top priority at the U.N. Security Council, a panel of experts said in a new report. However, that report ignores the biggest threat to Water security: neoliberal policies of the free market economic system laying waste to the natural world and turning Water into a commodity, activists counter. China...

-PTI The Punjab government today inked a Memorandum of Understanding with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to address issues pertaining to climate change, sustainable development, conservation and optimal use of Water. The MoU was signed by Principal Secretary of science, technology, environment and non-conventional energy department, Karan Avtar Singh and Director General of TERI, Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, in the presence of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Appreciating the joint efforts taken...

-The Hindu The government’s ill-conceived urban development schemes are threatening the future of Delhi The Delhi Urban Arts Commission was constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1972 with the sole intention of acting as a supra urban body to guide the future development of Delhi. After 40 years of its existence, chaired by a galaxy of bureaucrats and, more recently, famous architects, it is still difficult to evaluate whether it has...