Environment, Health and Education

• Canada Allows Barbaric Seal Slaughter 
  In continuation of its barbaric tradition, the Canadian Government has allowed hunters kill hundreds of thousands of harp seal pups off its East coast.<More>

• Stricter Pesticide Regulation 
  In an encouraging move, the Central Insecticide Board (CIB) will, through the Ministry of Environment, soon ban 7 pesticides and also fix the maximum residue limit (MRL) for 23 more.<More>

• No Drop in Bird Flu Cases over summer 
  With the onset of summer, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the bird flu virus is not going to die with the hot weather as once the virus is in an animal, it will continue to survive regardless of ambient weather conditions.<More> 
  US Finds New H5N1 Subtype  
  Contingency plans to check Bird Flu  
  Culling of 70,000 birds begins 
  Bird Flu is back 

Neighbors

• India-Pak Friendship & Peace Accord
  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered a peace, security, and friendship accord to Pakistan and asked that country not to link Kashmir with this accord; Pakistan responded positively to this proposal but refused closer business ties. <More>

• Caution on Escalating Violence in Lanka 
  The Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) cautioned both the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) against gradually worsening confrontations.<More>

• Nepal Journalists under Siege 
  An independent international media mission that completed a tour of Nepal stated that the media there has been muzzled both by the Government and the Maoist terrorists.<More>  
  Nepal besieged by Maoist Terrorists 
  The Nepal Stalemate

World

• Pro-Russian Party to Win in Ukraine
  A pro-Russian Opposition Party of Regions led by former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich was leading in initial counting and is expected to trounce a pro-Western party that failed to improve living standards or the economy.<More>