Dharam Shourie

Stories by Dharam Shourie

Risk management: New buzzword for Indian firms

Risk management: New buzzword for Indian firms

Rediff.com   2 Apr 2008

Intense global competition and rapid growth are forcing Indian firms to examine corporate enterprise risk management (ERM) elsewhere, especially in Europe, Australia and North America, where the process is more mature, according to a study. ERM is a cohesive, enterprise-wide process allowing companies to identify, assess and respond to the social, political and economic risks of doing business.

US property tax: India to appeal

US property tax: India to appeal

Rediff.com   20 Mar 2008

India is likely to appeal against the decision of a US court upholding imposition of $ 42.4 million property tax on it by the city for using the United Nations Mission's building in New York for residential purposes.India has been arguing that tax cannot be levied as the diplomatic staff, which occupies the 20 floors of building in midtown Manhattan across the United Nations headquarters, is exempt from tax.

New draft on UNSC expansion rejected

New draft on UNSC expansion rejected

Rediff.com   19 Mar 2008

India on its part pointed out that the paper does not have the core elements of the position of the Group of Four comprising India, Japan, Germany and Brazil or have a "categorical and unambiguous" formulation on expanding the permanent membership of the council, diplomats said. India also said the paper does not have a formulation on increasing the representation of developing countries.

Advance made in anti-HIV research

Advance made in anti-HIV research

Rediff.com   17 Mar 2008

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have also succeeded in forcing the virus towards dormancy. The authors say that their study shows how a developmental decision between HIV's two "replication fates" is made. The scientists were able to measure the level of "noise" or randomness in the HIV gene expression and use this noise to probe how HIV decides to replicate or remain dormant.

Don't underestimate Al Qaeda: India tells UNSC

Don't underestimate Al Qaeda: India tells UNSC

Rediff.com   13 Mar 2008

"We should not underestimate the Taliban and Al-Qaeda nor fight terrorism with any less military and political determination than in the immediate post-2001 days after terrorist attacks on the United States," India's UN Ambassador Nirupam Sen told the Security Council on Wednesday.

Play this game online and feed millions

Play this game online and feed millions

Rediff.com   8 Mar 2008

The interactive vocabulary game allows a player 20 grains of rice for each correct answer. The money raised through advertising is used to underwrite rice donations. Thus it allows children simultaneously to bolster their vocabularies and help feed world's hungry children. With between 3 lakh and 5 lakh people playing it daily, it has generated 21 billion grains of rice for WFP.

Greenhouse gases not forcing climate change: Paper

Greenhouse gases not forcing climate change: Paper

Rediff.com   3 Mar 2008

Scientists at the University of Rochester, the University of Alabama, and the University of Virginia have said that the observed patterns of temperature changes over the last 30 years are not in accord with what greenhouse models predict. These observations are in conflict with the conclusions of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and also with some recent research publications based on essentially the same data.

Urbanisation? India has a long way to go

Urbanisation? India has a long way to go

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2008

Currently, 3.3 billion people of estimated population of 6.4 billion are living in urban areas and their number would double to 6.4 billion by 2050 when some 9.2 billion people are expected to inhabit the earth, the report said. But the United Nations says there is nothing to worry about it as urbanisation shows the dynamism of the economies and rich societies are among the highly urbanised.

Watch out for Tuberculosis! It is spreading fast

Watch out for Tuberculosis! It is spreading fast

Rediff.com   27 Feb 2008

The study, 'Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in the world', is based on data collected between 2002 and 2006 on 90,000 TB patients in 81 countries. It found that extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB), a virtually untreatable form of the respiratory disease, has been recorded in 45 countries.

LTTE is the most dangerous extremist outfit: FBI

LTTE is the most dangerous extremist outfit: FBI

Rediff.com   11 Jan 2008

The LTTE has 'quite a resume' as a terrorist group, which is credited with perfecting the use of suicide bombers, inventing suicide belts and pioneering the use of women in suicide attacks, the top investigating agency said.

UN warns against economic recession

UN warns against economic recession

Rediff.com   10 Jan 2008

In a recent report, the UN warns the world against economic recession and calls for a global action.

NY slavery case: Convicted woman sent to jail

NY slavery case: Convicted woman sent to jail

Rediff.com   21 Dec 2007

After a three-week trial, a jury had convicted the multi-millionaire couple, which has a world-wide perfume business, on all 12 charges brought against them by the prosecutors which included forced labour, involuntary servitude and harbouring illegal aliens.

To Santa Claus, North Pole

To Santa Claus, North Pole

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2007

Who gets more than six million personalized letters every year? Santa Claus -- also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas and Ded Moroz (Russia), according to the United Nations Universal Post Union.

Indian students' murder: Motive still unclear

Indian students' murder: Motive still unclear

Rediff.com   16 Dec 2007

A four-agency task force probing the killing of two Indian doctoral students at a Louisiana State University apartment has intensified investigations, but has so far been unable to identify the motive behind the double homicide as two senior Indian officials reached the campus to take the stock of the situation.

US: Four killed in two shootings in Colorado

US: Four killed in two shootings in Colorado

Rediff.com   10 Dec 2007

A gunman shot dead two staff members of a missionary training centre and injured two others. Just 12 hours later, another man was shot dead and four others injured by an attacker near New Life church, before he was killed by a security staff, about 112 kilometers away from the first shooting site.

Probe Modi's role in fake encounter case: HRW

Probe Modi's role in fake encounter case: HRW

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2007

A US-based human rights watchdog has asked the Indian government to investigate the role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in fake encounters in the context of his reported statement "endorsing the extra-judicial execution of a terrorism suspect" by police.

India protests UN resolution on Myanmar

India protests UN resolution on Myanmar

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2007

India voted against the resolutions, supported by an overwhelming number of western States, on Myanmar and Iran and abstained on one criticising North Korea's human rights record. Several delegations also protested that the texts represented an attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of member states and were politically motivated with no real interest in human rights.Delegate Kunwar Sarvraj Singh stressed on the need to promote human rights through dialogue.

UN allocates US$ 8.8 mn to cyclone-hit Bangladesh

UN allocates US$ 8.8 mn to cyclone-hit Bangladesh

Rediff.com   21 Nov 2007

The grant will make funds available immediately for relief operations and enable several UN agencies, including the World Food Programme, the UN Children's Fund and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, to provide food, shelter, water and sanitation. Citing government statistics, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that over 2,400 people are dead and 1,500 missing after Cyclone Sidr. Over 273,000 houses, 760,000 acres of crop were destroyed.

Cash incentives for eco-friendly farmers

Cash incentives for eco-friendly farmers

Rediff.com   16 Nov 2007

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has proposed cash incentives for farmers adopting eco-friendly practices.In its annual publication, The State of Food and Agriculture 2007, FAO noted that agriculture employs more people and uses more land and water than any other human activity.

'Revamp international financial institutions'

'Revamp international financial institutions'

Rediff.com   15 Nov 2007

While developing countries have made significant efforts towards good governance and domestic resource mobilisation, the support by the international community has lagged far behind, Member of Parliament Sachin Pilot said addressing the economic and financial committee of the United Nations General Assembly.