This was probably pushed through between the many adjournments in the Lok Sabha today. Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shrimati Jayanthi Natarajan said this in a written reply to a question by . Kumari Meenakshi Nataraja. 

Researches on the Himalayan glaciers and their impacts on rivers have been conducted. However, no specific research has been conducted regarding possible effects of climate change on Ganga and Yamuna rivers. No study has been conducted regarding effects of linking of river on environment.

In effect, a study to assess the impact of climate change on four sectors in four regions of India has been undertaken and a report titled "Climate Change and India: 4X4 Assessment - A Sectoral and Regional Analysis for 2030s' was published in 2010.

Details of the Manipur blockade being lifted. We were the first to report that news. See our 15:22 pm post. 

The indefinite economic blockade in Manipur that entered its 121st day Monday has been temporarily withdrawn, said a leader of theUnited Naga Council (UNC) spearheading the agitation.

"We have decided to temporarily lift the blockade on the two national highways from 6 am Tuesday," UNC president Loli Adani told a public meeting at the Naga-dominated Tamenglong district of Manipur.

The UNC is spearheading the blockade on the two national highways since Aug 21 to counter the economic blockade launched by the Sadar Hills District Demand Committee (SHDDC) on Aug 1 demanding conversion of the Kuki tribal majority Sadar Hills area into a full-fledged district.

A growing number of Muslim students in one of Britain's leading medical Universities are boycotting lectures on evolution claiming it conflicts with creationist ideas established in the Koran.  

Similar to the beliefs expressed by fundamentalist Christians, Muslim opponents to Darwinism maintain that Allah created the world, mankind and all known species in a single act.

More on FDI for retail on the Economist.

The chief executive of a large European retailer was still sceptical at lunchtime on November 24th when news started trickling through that India's government was finally letting international companies do business in the subcontinent's vast retail market.

"I will believe it when I see it,' he said. A few hours later it was official. After procrastinating for two decades, India is opening up its underdeveloped and fragmented retail market to foreign direct investment.

Read

With Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha raising the red flag against FDI in multi-brand retail, nearly half of the 53 cities may slam the doors on global chains. 

According to the 2011 data on the Census of India website, there are 46 cities that had a population of 10 lakh, of which 25 are unlikely to allow the likes of Walmart, Carrefour and Tesco to open stores since the political leadership in these states have gone on the offensive against the government's move to permit global retailers to set up shop in the country.

Read the Times of India report.

This is what you should know on the FIR story: On Saturday, a Delhi court ordered that a police complaint/FIR be lodged against Kiran Bedi for allegedly misappropriating funds meant for her NGOs and rejected her complaint seeking further probe into Commonwealth Games-related graft case.

The FIR against her is on the basis of a complaint filed by a Delhi-based lawyer Devinder Singh Chauhan who alleged she "looted" various paramilitary forces and police organisations in the name of imparting free computer training under her trust's banner.

This is the first time Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi have appeared together since his remarks early this month that she should not have overcharged her hosts by inflating travel bills.

Asked about the controversy over Bedi flying economy class  Kejriwal said, that it should not have happened. "She (Bedi) should not have done it. She has said it will not happen again. I would not have done what Kiran Bedi did," he said.

Kejriwal, however, said she had only committed a "technical irregularity" and was not a personal beneficiary of the money.

DMK leader and Kanimozhi's father, Karunanidhi reacts: I'm so happy Kanimozhi has got bail. Party will decide on new post for her.  

India has never had a freely convertible currency since independence.  We therefore have no way of knowing its true value in the international markets.  The currency's day to day value is loosely determined by demand supply in the local currency markets open only to domestic players and a few authorized foreign banks with in a band set by RBI. 

Read Sonali Ranade's blog.

The Delhi High Court today granted bail to DMK MP and 2G scam accused Kanimozhi and four other accused in the 2G scam.

Kanimozhi's bail hearing was originally scheduled for December 1, but the court agreed to advance it on Thursday after she filed an application in light of the Supreme Court order granting bail to 5 corporate executives who are also accused in the case. However, the court did not grant her bail and the hearing was adjourned to Monday.

Kanimozhi has sought bail on grounds of being a woman with a young child who she needed to take care of.

The others who got bail today include Kalaignar TV chief Sharad Kumar, Cineyug Films' Karim Morani, Kusegaon directors Asif Balwa and Rajeev B Agarwal.

Former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura has been denied bail. All the accused have to furnish two bond sureities of Rs 5 lakh each.

For all those who hit Ikea's huge warehouse stores abroad, here's news:

Scandinavian home products giant IKEA that has stayed away from the Indian retail sector saying it will enter only on its own, is set to announce its plans for the market with the government allowing 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail, says the reuters report. 

Amid speculation that Rahul Gandhi may take up a larger role in the party, Home Minister P Chidambaram today said elders at some point of time must step back and give way to younger leaders. 

Addressing the National Convention of Youth Congress, he recalled that 40 years ago when he had attended a similar convention in Kolkata, he had felt that the older leadership make way for younger leaders. Chidambaram said that he still felt the same way.

"I firmly believe older leaders at some time must step back and give way to young leaders," he said. 

Noting that Congress has to fight several battles, including a formidable one in Uttar Pradesh, he said however tough the battle may appear to be, Congress party,Youth Congress and Rahul Gandhi will triumph. 

Just in: the Enforcement Directorate has issued a notice to BCCI for alleged the contravention of foreign exchange rules during IPL-2.

The IPL 2 event was shifted out of India and held in South Africa after security concerns made it impossible to hold the domestic event in the country.

The showcause has been given over the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) contravention amounting to around Rs 1650 crores. The money was transferred from India without following the FEMA norms. 

Such was the financial mismanagement at the cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines that it did not deposit tax deducted from employees' salaries -- amounting to Rs 422 crore over the last couple of years -- with the Income Tax authorities. The company failed to meet its obligations amounting to Rs 15 crore towards employees' provident fund, service tax and fringe benefit dues too.

Read the Indian Express report.

Holding that the "biggest corruption" was within the country's political system, Rahul Gandhi today made a passionate plea to the youth to take a plunge into politics to clean the system and eradicate the menace.

Addressing the first-of-its-kind convention of Youth Congress delegates from across the country, Gandhi said only the entry of more youths into the country's political system can remove corruption from it.

Read the report on Firstpost.com

FDI in retail: Why the politicians are illogical, and have got it wrong. Read the piece on Firstpost.com

And another one along those lines: Nancy Dell'Olio could never be accused of being the shy or retiring type. But the former partner of football manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has now gone a stage further -- by agreeing to pose naked.

Read the Daily Mail story

Something to wake you up from your post-lunch slumber.

OMG pictures of Kim Kardashian practicing yoga with a naked instructor. Cracks in her marriage with Kris have appeared after he walked in on this scene.

Read the Daily Mail story.

Details of the all-party meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

With the political opposition over FDI in retail gathering momentum, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today held consultations with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and is likely to call an all-party meeting tomorrow to resolve the deadlock in Parliament.

Singh held consultations with Gandhi soon after the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adjourned for the second day on the FDI issue.

The DMK has termed the decision as "dangerous" and demanded that the decision be withdrawn forthwith. 

Government sources said moves were afoot to call an all-party meeting tomorrow in a bid to break the deadlock over the issue which saw Congress ally Trinamool Congress joining the united opposition in demanding cancellation of the Cabinet decision on allowing FDI in retail.

The BJP-led NDA has already declared that it would not allow Parliament to function till government withdraws the decision on FDI in retail. 

The BJP and the Left parties were among several who had given adjournment motion notices in Lok Sabha today.

While on FDI, read the Indian Express editorial on the issue:

The decision to allow greater foreign direct investment in retail has reverberated across the political spectrum -- but instead of analysing its effects on farmers, consumers, workers and the economy in general, most major parties have simply played to their own limited agenda.

The Left laid out a rote statement on the monopolisation of the retail sector by MNCs; Mayawati accused Rahul Gandhi's 'foreign friends' of benefiting from the decision;

Uma Bharti threatened to torch any Walmart store that dares to show up; and the BJP, as a whole, condemned it as an anti-people action.

More 

Anand Mahindra tweets: We were not always big fish.Competition grew our muscles "@YiAOrg: small business, farmers need protection. Bigger fish have muscle to compete."

India is now the world's largest weapons importer, according to a 2011 report by arms watchdog SIPRI, accounting for 9 percent of the world's international arms transfers -- most from Russia -- between 2006 and 2010. India will spend an estimated $80 billion on military modernization programs by 2015, according to an estimate from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Read the report on Foreign Policy magazine. 

Kevin Rudd said he would be taking a "hard line" as Australia's principle negotiator on any such agreement. He said India currently had no "crushing need" for Australian uranium, but rather the policy change was aimed at
cultivating good relations with the rising Asian power.

Meanwhile, Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop said Rudd's comments made Gillard's announcement even more extraordinary. "If Kevin Rudd is the principle negotiator for uranium sales to India why was he not included in any discussion prior to the prime minister making her announcement?" Bishop said. 

If you recollect, Kevin Rudd was angered by Julia Gillard's uranium backflip, as the Prime Minister's controversial party threatens to divide the Labor Party.

The Foreign Minister was in India when Gillard announced the Australia government would reverse a ban on selling uranium to the sub-continental country.

Rudd was not consulted on the decision, leaving the former PM fuming and pushing his already delicate relationship with Gillard to the edge.

Read

Uranium sale to India "would not start automatically" after the Labor government's reversal of a ban against its export to the country, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said today.

Stating that the policy change was aimed at cultivating good ties with the rising Asian power, Rudd added that it "won't automatically translate into a beginning of sales," reports PTI.

"India will first have to make strong commitments under a bilateral nuclear safeguards agreement," he said. "I take my non-proliferation responsibilities deadly seriously," he said.

Another read on the Nato strike on the Pakistan army base -- this is from the Economist.

Pakistan's deeply troubled relationship with America has survived so many intense provocations this year, it will probably also get over the latest bloody incident.

Yet there is no guarantee.

Read

So what does India Inc think of FDI on retail?

A PTI report says that while FICCI extended an all-out support to the
government, CII recommended "a calibrated approach for introducing FDI in the retail sector in terms of the percentage and minimum capitalisation requirements". 

Addressing a press conference, FICCI Secretary General Rajiv Kumar said opening of the retail sector would create big employment opportunities in the country.

CII, on the other hand, said while it "strongly supports the introduction of FDI in multi-brand retail trading, it recommends a calibrated approach for introducing
FDI in the retail sector in terms of the percentage and minimum capitalisation requirements".

The leaders were addressing a rally in Lahore, where around 800 people had gathered to protest against the Pakistan governments alliance with the United States.

Maulana Abdul Rauf Farooqi said 'the enemy' had challenged Pakistanis by attacking the soldiers on Pakistani soil.

Mamata Banerjee's distaste for 'anything' foreign has landed the Union Ministry of Railways in an expensive spot of trouble. The Railways is being forced to cough up nearly Rs 4.5 crore as 'penalty' to a Paris-based Institute, HEC, which had been training senior Railways officers since 2006.

Read the report on Firstpost.com

Filmamker Mahesh Bhatt is all set to enter the Bigg Boss house for few hours to offer a lead role to adult movie star, Sunny Leone in Jism 2. The 63-year-old director-producer says he chose to announce the film on the reality show because of its popularity among the masses.

Meanwhile, the Indian Artistes and Actors Forum today filed a written complaint with the I&b Ministry, regarding Sunny Leone's participation in the show.  The letter asks the government to take stringent action against the channel for indirectly encouraging and promoting pornography in India via the introduction of Sunny Leone, who is a porn star, in the Bigg Boss House.

In 2006, around 40% of Indian children under the age of five were undernourished, only a small improvement from six years earlier, when the rate was 43%, according togovernment data. South Asia as a whole has the highest proportion of underweight children in the world, worse even than sub-Saharan Africa, according to 2008 UN data.

Read the report on the Wall Street Journal.

On the Wall Street Journal: Have 20 years of economic liberalization been kind to the poor? In particular, how have India's Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes fared since the country opened up to the forces of economic reforms? Already politically empowered, have they also been economically empowered by liberalisation?

Here's a report, a certain Ms Mayawati should read.

If Walmart does make it to India, this is probably something, they will not have to face: The mayhem of Black Friday sales.

Watch: Black Friday shoppers destroy Walmart displays 

An all-party meeting has been called to discuss the Parliament logjam, especially the opposition to FDI on retail. Sonia Gandhi has already met the PM over the issue today.

Voting has begun today in Egypt's first parliamentary elections since longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising nine months ago.

The new parliament will choose a 100-member committee todraft a new constitution for the country as per the SCAF's (Supreme Council of Armed Forces) plan.

Elections are being held through a mixed system -- the individual candidate system and the closed party list system.

The ballot paper asks each voter to pass three votes: two for individual candidates split into professional and farmer/worker categories and one for a political grouping.

Many people have complained of the complexity of the system and the division of constituencies. Just ahead of polls, thousands of protesters occupied Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, the hub of the uprising that unseated Mubarak, demanding that the military council that replaced him hand power to a civilian government.

SP leader Mulayam Singh and BJP leader Uma Bharti make unlikely allies with both threatening to burn down any foreign mall that sets up shop in India if the FDI on retail goes through. Last week, Uma Bharti promised to burn down Wal-Mart if it set foot in India.

Meanwhile, a report on the Dawn says that Pakistan's military today denied reports that Nato forces in Afghanistan came under fire before launching a cross-border attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers over the weekend.

"This is not true. They are making up excuses. What are their losses, casualties?' said army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas in a text message.

A report, citing Afghan and Western officials, had said that fire from a Pakistani military outpost into Afghanistan prompted the air strikes. 

Pakistan has buried 24 of its troops who were killed in a Nato airstrike at a checkpoint on the Afghan border. Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani led mourners in funeral prayers at military headquarters in the north-western city of Peshawar, reports bbc.co.uk.

South Korea's president has said he will wear thermal underwear during the winter, as part of the government's effort to avoid power shortages.

Lee Myung-bak, nicknamed "bulldozer" for his no-nonsense style, said the underwear was uncomfortable initially, but he gradually got used to it. He said all citizens needed to co-operate to avoid power shortages, says the bbc.co.uk report. 

Alright then, both houses of Parliament have been adjourned till tomorrow. Not a day's work in the winter session, so far.

Parliament has now reconvened after the morning adjournment. So far, an estimated Rs 14 crore has been lost over the FDI logjam.

In the first two days of this session, Parliament lost about 17 hours work and over Rs 4 crore cumulatively, considering that rough estimates says each hour of Parliament's work costs the national exchequer Rs 25 lakh.

While the opposition National Democratic Alliance boycott of the home minister P Chidambaram in the Lok Sabha led to adjournments and loss of four work hours on Tuesday, an aggressive and united opposition again forced both houses of Parliament to adjourn without transacting much business for the second day on Wednesday.

On Thursday, both Houses were adjourned for the day following uproar by the opposition on issues like price rise, demand for Telangana and special status to flood-ravaged Odisha.

Resuming after three days of no work on Friday, the government's approval of 100% FDI in single-retail brand and 51% in multi-retail brand led to protests by the opposition, forcing the adjournment of both the Houses.

Led by Congress' major ally Trinamool Congress members, demonstrations against the FDI decision led to a chaos resulting in adjournment of Rajya Sabha for the day.

Here's what happened during the five minutes that the Parliament met today.

Opposition members created an uproar in both Houses of Parliament over issues like allowing 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, demand for
Telangana state and threat to people of Kerala due to Mullaperiyar dam.

Soon after Speaker Meira Kumar announced start of the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, Opposition members were on their feet demanding a debate on the FDI issue.

BJP member Murli Manohar Joshi, who had given an adjournment notice to discuss government's policy on FDI, insisted that the issue be taken up immediately. 

In world news, the US is bracing for a spike in terrorist attacks on its Afghan supply lines after 28 Pakistani soldiers were killed by a NATO helicopter, which may have been fired on from a Pakistani military post.

Read the report on the Daily Beast.

Just in: The Delhi High Court has suspended the sentence against former Telecom Minister Sukhram in graft case and has granted him bail. On November 19, Sukhram was awarded five years imprisonment by a Delhi court after being convicted of taking Rs 3 lakh as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996. 

However, on November 25, the Delhi high court sought the Central Bureau of Investigation's response on Sukhram's appeal challenging his conviction and sentencing. The court also sought 86-year-old Sukh Ram's medical report on his plea for suspension of sentence on health grounds and old age.

Read MK Bhadrakumar's blog on the Nato strike on Pakistan on Saturday.

Excerpts:

An unusually perceptive regular reader of my blogs wrote back to point out that the NATO air strikes on Pakistan took place on 26/11.

But if his/her suggestion was that US and NATO were signalling to India on the very 'anniversary' of the Mumbai attacks, I won't quite see it that way. 

The point is, the timing of the NATO attack was very awkward - even by US standards. My intuition is that the NATO air strike was not a 'stand-alone' affair and most likely had a background to it. 

I get the gut feeling that the US blundered into a Pakistani trap."

More

Amid worsening unrest, Egyptians will head to the polls Monday to cast their vote in the first election held since an improbable revolt toppled one of the world's longest-serving rulers.

Polls are set to open at 8 am for the first of many rounds to decide who will sit in the upper and lower houses of parliament. Egyptians have dozens of political parties and thousands of independent candidates to choose from in what, for many, will be their first election.

Read the story on cnn.com.

Fifteen people were burnt to death, in Buldhana district of Maharashtra, following an accident that involved two buses. Sources say 57 others have been injured out of whom 35 are said to be critical, says CNN IBN.

The injured have been rushed to the nearest hospital. Sources added that the toll is expected to rise. The two buses met with an accident on the Nagpur-Aurangabad highway.

One of the buses was on its way from Pune to Nagpur. Reports say that both the buses were speeding which lead to the accident.

The BJP's Prakash Javdekaar has given notice for suspension of quesion hour in Parliament.

It's the second day of the Parliament's winter session. There was no business conducted last week after both Houses were adjourned every single day over price rise and the FDI on retail.

This is the Parliament Schedule for today:

Lok Sabha

1. Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011
2. Damodar Valley Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2011
3. New Delhi Municipal Council (Amendment) bill, 2010
4. Discussion on inflation situation

Rajya Sabha

1. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2011
2. The Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research Bill, 2011
3. The Prasar Bharati (Broadcasting Corporation of India) Amendment Bill, 2010

Confusion prevailed over Anna Hazare's protest plans today with a prominent MCD functionary saying that the civic body has not given permission for the
agitation at Ramlila Maidan even as Team Anna insisted that they have got the nod. 

MCD Standing Committee Chairman Yogender Chandolia said no permission has been given to Hazare for using the Ramlila Maidan for his protest next month. 

Team Anna said Hazare will lead the protest in Delhi if a strong Lokpal Bill is not passed in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament. 

"No permission has been given yet," Chandolia, a senior local BJP leader, said when asked about claims by Team Anna that they have been given permission to use the Maidan from December 27 to January five for the protest.

FDI in retail: Opposition to corner govt in Parliament (The Times of India)

Several oppn parties have given notice for adjournment motion & efforts are on for floor coordination with even parties supporting UPA like BSP and SP. Read

Black money probe: Govt may soon reveal names of those with illegal foreign accounts (The Times of India)

Information about 26 account holders of LGT Bank was passed on by German tax authorities in March 2008, a year after India requested for it. Read

Broke Kingfisher even retains tax cut from its staff, they get IT notices (Indian Express)
Kingfisher did not deposit tax deducted from salaries worth Rs 422 cr over last few years. Read

Mayawati plays caste card to the hilt (The Hindu)
She was addressing a Dalit/OBCs BSP workers' convention at the Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan here. It also marked the formal launch of the Bahujan Samaj Party's campaign for the next year Assembly poll. Read

Pakistan border fire provoked Nato raid: Reports (The Hindustan Times)
The West is striving to limit the fallout from a deadly Nato air raid on Pakistani border troops, but reports the soldiers opened fire first on US and Afghan forces risked stoking new tensions. Read