Law Minister Meets with CEC Discusses Consultations on Electoral Reforms

The Union Minister for Law & Justice, Dr. M Veerappa Moily, today met with the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners for the finalization of the program of the National Consultation on Electoral Reforms to be held on 2 – 3 July 2011 in New Delhi and the seventh and last Regional Consultation to be held in Guwahati on 12 June 2011.

NHRC issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt on Ramdev crackdown

The National Human Rights Commission on Monday issued notices to the Union and Delhi governments seeking reports within two weeks on the midnight crackdown on Baba Ramdev’s supporters at Ramlila ground here.According to the rights panel, it has issued notices to the Union Home Secretary, Delhi Chief Secretary and the city Commissioner of Police calling for reports.

Ramlila crackdown: woman with spinal injuries still critical

The condition of Raj Bala, the woman who received spinal injuries in the police lathicharge at Ramlila Maidan in the wee hours of Sunday, remained critical today at the G. B. Pant hospital in New Delhi , doctors said.51-year-old Raj Bala is one of the 71 people injured in the pre-dawn police crackdown at Ramlila Maidan, where yoga guru Ramdev was holding his indefinite hunger strike.

High drama at AICC; man tries to hurl shoe at Dwivedi

High drama was witnessed at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in New Delhi on Monday when a person posing as a journalist tried to attack party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi with a shoe, apparently miffed over the treatment meted out to Baba Ramdev.

Call for recognition of Earth's ‘human epoch’

These are epoch-making times. Literally. There is now “compelling evidence,” according to an influential group of geologists, that humans have had such an impact on the planet that we are entering a new phase of geological time: the Anthropocene.Millions of years from now, they say, alien geologists would be able to make out a human-influenced level in the accumulated layers of rock, in the same way that we can see the imprint of dinosaurs in the Jurassic, or the explosion of life that marks the Cambrian.Now the scientists are pushing for the epoch to be officially recognised.

German cabinet agrees to nuclear energy phase out

The German cabinet agreed on Monday to plans for the nation to phase out nuclear energy by 2022.Chancellor Angela Merkel was forced to abandon a decision made just last year to extend the life of Germany’s nuclear power facilities following the crisis which engulfed Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant in March. Instead, Berlin is to exit nuclear energy over the next 11 years.

Egyptian mummies hold clues of ancient air pollution

Scientists have found evidence of particulates in the lungs of ancient mummies, suggesting that Egyptians may have been exposed to air pollution hundreds of years ago.Particulates, tiny microscopic particles that irritate the lungs, have been linked to a wide array of modern-day illnesses, including heart disease, lung ailments and cancer.

Anand wins Leon Masters for eighth time

World champion Viswanathan Anand completed a comprehensive 4.5-1.5 victory over Spain’s Alexei Shirov to claim the Leon Masters rapid chess title for the eighth time at Leon, on Sunday.In the six games, spread over three days, Anand won a game and drew the other on each day to stamp his superiority. Each player had 45 minutes per game plus 30 seconds increment for each move made.