-The Hindu TV commercial on GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine against Rota virus makes unsubstantiated claims, says ASCI At a time when the commercial interests of major private hospitals or pharma giants often take precedence over the health concerns of the common man, a New Delhi doctor has managed to get the Advertising Standards Council of India to stall a television commercial, aired by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, hailing the benefits of its vaccine against Rota virus. The...

-Outlook Nearly 50 illegal constructions have mushroomed in surrounding areas of Taj Mahal in past three years, threatening the beauty of the monument considered as a 'symbol of love' worldwide. According to information released by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in response to an RTI query, a total of 533 illegal constructions have taken place in the entire Agra circle, out of which 46 have come up in Tajganj area. Many of...

-The Hindu The incorporation of the Aadhar number in the electoral rolls will help to minimise malpractices and enable more people to participate in elections Every October, the Election Commission begins the annual exercise of revising the electoral rolls with the following January 1 as the effective date. This October, there was another Important news — the launching of Aadhar enabled service delivery in Dudu in Rajasthan. The EC and Aadhar can...

-PTI Criticising the land acquisition bill cleared by the Cabinet, social activist Medha Patkar today said it has left many basic issues of conflict over forcible land acquisition unresolved. "It is also against the Parliamentary democracy that a unanimous report of the Standing Committee is not given due Importance before finalising the draft and approving by the cabinet," she said in a release. "We would also like to point out that whole process...

-The Economic Times The results of the UN climate-change conference that closed in Doha, Qatar, last Saturday show once again that the international negotiations are progressing, albeit slowly. At the heart of these negotiations is the most challenging energy transformation the world has ever seen. Past energy transitions have taken a long time to unfold. Firewood was not displaced by coal until the 18th century. It took one century for oil to...