Advertisent in Pakistan of lost radioactive material raises furor

A few advertisements on 'lost' radioactive materials have raised concern in Pakistan. The advertisements appeared in some Urdu newspapers last month. They asked the public to inform officials if they found any 'lost or stolen' radioactive material. Pakistan's nuclear authority on May 2 said there was a "very remote chance" that nuclear materials imported 40-50 years ago "were unaccounted

SC intervenes in Tata Sky-Sun TV dispute

The Supreme Court has stepped into the dispute between dth provider Tata Sky and Sun tv. It has directed the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (tdsat) to adjudicate whether or not the Tata and Star tv owned dth company can access select signals of Sun tv.

US's National Association for Colored people to bury 'Negro'

The us's National Association for Colored People will hold a symbolic funeral for the word "nigger" at the organisation's annual convention in July as part of its campaign to end the prevalence of racist and sexist language, images and concepts in the media.

I&B ministry to amend rule on employing foreigners in Indian media

The Union information and broadcasting ministry (i&b) is considering amending rules pertaining to employment of foreigners and non-resident Indians (nris) in newspapers and other current affairs publications. These publications will have to intimate details of foreigners/nris they propose to employ. But they can employ foreigners or nri while the process of clearance is underway. This modifies an earlier clause that stated "All entities

News snippets

>> US publications like The Washington Post and National Geographic are increasing their offerings of "green" content, hoping to attract readers and advertising revenues from manufacturers and retailers who are suddenly walking the earth-friendly path. The National Geographic Society has also rolled out a new site: Green.National Geographic.com. That site includes environmental news, how-to videos and tips on eco-friendly travel and activities.

Brazil to regulate junk food

In November last year, Brazil's National Health Monitoring Agency launched a public debate on regulations that would ban radio and tv advertising for soft drinks and foods with sugar, saturated fat or salt. The government is expected to issue a decree on such measures in June. Brazil is not alone. Junk food regulation bills are also on the anvil in other Latin American countries such as Mexico and Chile.

Film on world's rarest rhinos

One of the world's rarest rhinos was caught on film for the first time on Borneo island, recently. Malaysian officials of global conservation organisation wwf said the two-minute video, recorded early this year by a camera hidden in the jungle, was the first to capture the behaviour of the elusive two-horned Borneo rhino in the wild. There are only between 25 and 50 of the rhinos left alive in the dense jungles deep in the heart of the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo, and the

Shell fighter bags Goldman Environmental Prize

Willie Corduff, an Irish farmer who opposed oil giant Shell's plans to build a gas pipeline on his land, is among this year's recipients of the Goldman Environmental prize. Awarded annually to six grassroots environmental heroes by the California-based Goldman Foundation, the us $125,000

Online

An alternative to car culture? www.worldcarfree.net Almost all of us have, at some point, rued our slavish dependence on cars. But the exasperation has always been fleeting. Most of us bear with traffic congestion and car breakdowns and brave unsafe roads, comforting ourselves with the thought that there are no alternatives. But there actually are. The website under review takes you on a tour to such a world.

WB-supported programme to improve Africa's connectivity

Broadband connectivity is still poor in Africa. Since global optical fibre broadband infrastructure has not yet been introduced here, people in eastern and southern Africa cannot afford to make international calls. The Africa Regional Communications Infrastructure Programme (rcip) supported by the World Bank, seeks to improve international connectivity in Africa. The us $424-million programme, announced in Washington dc on April 2, seeks to cut prices for international capacity. In the