The pre-paid auto service is riddled with problems and needs to be reformed. While commuters prefer it for convenience and security, drivers are wary of it for many reasons TIMES NEWS NETWORK It was conceived as an indigenous solution for safeguarding commuters from being fleeced by autorickshaw drivers about 22 years ago. The pre-paid scheme for autos and taxis is used by about 3 lakh passengers every month but over the years

Tanushree Roy Chowdhury | TNN New Delhi: It's now official: last month was the coolest June in the recorded history of the capital. The average maximum temperature

Samajwadi Party and Congress on Wednesday stepped up their efforts for an early conclusion of their pact on the nuclear deal, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh swiftly complying with SP's demand for a public statement to allay the apprehensions on the controversial India-US agreement.

May Also Seek Heads Of Deora, RBI Chief, Ronen Diwakar | TNN New Delhi: Samajwadi Party's support for the beleaguered Manmohan Singh government will not come cheap. The party, which virtually holds the key to the government's survival given the imminent withdrawal of the Left's support, is likely to come up with an expensive wishlist.

MADRID: In a clear indication that India - and other developing economies - had better get used to high oil prices, the cartel of oil exporting countries, which fuels four out of every 10 consumer, on Monday threw out finance minister P Chidambaram's suggestion that OPEC should restore the price band mechanism to control runaway crude.

Megha Suri,TNN With over 18 lakh private vehicles and parking space to accommodate barely 25,000, the Capital is reeling under a severe parking crisis. A recent survey by RITES has revealed that Vishwavidyalaya Metro station, Old Delhi Railway station, Karol Bagh and Bahadurshah Zafar Marg to have the most congested parking lots in the city.

As India heads into the G-8 summit to face the world on its climate change strategy, the government's policymakers believe India has a more evolved and far-sighted climate change policy than China. China released its climate change action plan in 2007 and will join India as the favourite targets for the developed world in fending off pressure on climate change. Senior officials here said India's action plan focused on energy security and sustainable development while the Chinese plan focused mainly on emission reduction.

NEW DELHI: The Centre, battling shortage of food grains and double-digit inflation, got a significant relief on Monday from the Supreme Court, which imposed an interim ban on further export of non-basmati rice. This interim order came on the Centre's petition questioning the decisions of various high courts to allow rice export by firms, which had challenged the April 1, 2008, central notification banning such exports.

JAMMU: A day after the J&K government decided to scrap the controversial land transfer to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) which sparked off protests across the valley, the saffron brigade forced a complete shutdown in Jammu on Monday. The bandh call was given by BJP and its allies against what they called "the politicization and surrender of the state government to separatist forces on the issue of allotment of land to SASB". Shops, schools and colleges were closed while roads were deserted. There was thin attendance in government and private offices.

Akhil Bhartiya Vidarthi Parishad activists wave the national flag during a protest in Jammu. JAMMU: Protesters blocked traffic and fought pitched battles with police here as the BJP-Shiv Sena sponsored shutdown demanding removal of Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra over the Amarnath Shrine land row entered the second day on Tuesday. Three BJP activists were injured in skirmishes with police as demonstrators burnt tyres and torched effigies of the Governor, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, police said.