Govt Survey Finds 41% OBC
The Government’s premier statistical body found that India has 41.1% population belonging to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and not 52% as asserted by the Government wanting to create a vote-bank by granting them reservation in premier educational institutions.<More>

New Bird Flu Strain
A new strain of bird flu virus, like the one originally found in China’s Fujian Province by researchers from the University of Hong Kong and American St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at Tennessee, has spread to 6 other provinces and 3 other countries.<More>

Modest AIDS Allocation
At the valedictory function of a three-day national workshop on HIV/AIDS for teachers Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi says that the Federal Government had allocated Rs. 906 crore (USD 196 million) to combat AIDS.<More>

Ayurveda ‘Standardization’ Plans
Instead of dealing with burning issues such as rampant cases of Dengue, Chickengunya, recurrent polio, and newer strains of tuberculosis (TB), and unacceptable child and maternity mortality rates, Federal Health Minister wants standardization of Ayurveda.<More>

“Pakistani Taliban” Claims Responsibility
The Pakistani Taliban with whom Pakistan had signed a peace agreement owned up to carrying out the suicide attack on an army camp in North West Frontier Province in response to the airborne attack on a Madrasa in the neighboring Bajur tribal district.<More>

Madrasa Bombing Inspires Protests, Reprisals
The monster Pakistan created came back to haunt the master with a reprisal attack in response to a helicopter attack on a madrasa alleged to be a terrorist training camp as thousands of armed tribals protested against the Army action.<More>

Manned Space Mission Idea Gets Boost
A National Consultative Meeting organized by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) saw 80 top scientists and technologists unanimously voting that India pursue the idea of manned space mission.<More>

Assam Blasts Pinned on ULFA
A top Government team headed by the Federal Home Secretary and attended by Army and Central forces pinned the blame for the twin blasts in Guwahati killed 14 people and injuring 48 others on United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).<More>

Improved Thorium Reactor Next Year
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) said that its work on an improved heavy-water based reactor capable of generating 300 megawatts (MW) using thorium will be available sometime next year. When ready, the design will be adopted by the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) to generate 700 mw of power.<More>

Siachen on Indo-Pak Agenda
Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri's statement that the two countries were close to an agreement on Siachen, an External Affairs spokesperson said that Pakistan is aware of India ’s “terms on which an agreement can be reached.”<More>

IB Says Cannot ISI Info to Pak
The Intelligence Bureau Deputy Director Ashok Karnik said that it is cannot provide detailed evidence to Pakistan about ISI’s involvement in the July 11 Mumbai train blasts because “It would be difficult to say what is credible and what is clinching.” Therefore, he says that “It is not a viable proposal.”<More>

Solar Vaccine Cooler
An Indian scientist under a grant from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has developed a solar-powered vaccine cooler which replaces traditional lead batteries and ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) thus making it practical and eco-friendly.<More>

Russia Demands Time-Bound Iran Sanctions
Providing several “line in/line-out” edits to the draft resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for its nuclear sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the sanctions must include “a time limit” and “mechanisms for ending the sanctions.”<More>

Hu’s Visit Aimed at Building Trust
Ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to India from November 20-23, both nations are building up the tempo through orchestrated sound-bites focusing on the positives and not referring to the disagreements plaguing bilateral relations.<More>

India Asks Pak to Stop Stalling SAFTA
Setting the tone for upcoming Foreign Secretary level talks, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee asked Pakistan to remove “obstructions” and allow “free flow of trade” and go beyond the expanded trade basket.<More>

Lanka Referendum on Merger?
Under threat by right-wing JVP of a law suit, a coalition partner to the Government, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratna Wickremanayake told the Parliament that the controversy over the merger of north and east provinces could be settled through a referendum.<More>

Speculation on Balanced Baglihar Dam Verdict
India and Pakistan is to meet the independent World-Bank (WB) appointed expert adjudicating on the Baglihar Dam dispute this week and the report is stated to favor Pakistan on the height of the Dam and India on the presence and location of sluice gates.<More>

China Happy With Border Talks
Ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s impending visit and echoing upbeat Indian sentiment, a Chinese Foreign Ministry document said that there has been “progress” on the “boundary negotiations” and “border areas have remained peaceful and tranquil.”<More>

Indian Relief Supplies for Lanka
In a significant development, India has agreed to honor a request from the Sri Lankan Government (SLG) to supply relief goods to displaced populations of the North and East suffering from the closure of the A-9 Highway that is the lifeline of the Jaffna Peninsula.<More>

Nepal-Maoist Arms Accord
In a welcome development, the Government of Nepal (GoN) seems to have reached an understanding with the Maoists where the terrorists will be confined to cantonments in 7 locations and their arms escrowed in designated places.<More>

The Donkey’s Kick
As Democrats routed the Republicans in the US mid-polls and seized both houses of the Congress after 12 years, there is a lot of fear in India that Indo-US relations, specifically the nuclear deal, assiduously built by the Bush Administration may be a casualty.<More>

Saudis Warn of Iraq Disintegration
Saudi Arabia believes that Iraq is a “lost battle” that will disintegrate because of Iranian “interference,” Kurdish drive for quasi- independence, and there is no “endgame” to the US occupation that has “failed by every single measure.”<More>

Saddam to Hang
An astounded Islamic world was shocked at the anticipated verdict of death by hanging for ousted Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein for the 1982 killing of 148 people coincidentally timed for the November US elections as observers remained divided.<More>