The Lib Dems have voted in favour of allowing state-funded faith schools to continue selecting pupils by faith.

The party has also rejected calls to ban the setting up of new state-funded faith schools in a vote at its spring conference in Harrogate.

Vrindavan: Myriad colours of Holi have drenched Mathura and Vrindavan in joyful festivities.

Though Holi is a single day affair elsewhere in the country, for the Brijwasis (people of Vrindavan where Lord Krishna spent his childhood days), the festival is celebrated for 16 days to commemorate the divine love of Radha for Lord Krishna or 'Dhulandi'.

As I read celebrity atheist Christopher Hitchens's recent Newsweek attack on the pope in particular and Roman Catholicism in general, I remembered an incident that happened when I was in the U.K. in early January. Walking out of London's Victoria Station, I was stopped by a TV reporter who asked me what I thought about the British atheists' newest ad campaign.

In the first step by a developing country to stop multinational companies patenting traditional remedies from local plants and animals, the Indian government has effectively licensed 200,000 local treatments as "public property" free for anyone to use but no one to sell as a "brand".

Visa restrictions for single women traveling to India; 2) Indian visas for Russian female singles; 3) Female, under 45? – No entry.

In late December 2008, the Russian electronic media brought bad news for female tourists going to India. Reports were circulating that the Indian Embassy in Moscow stopped granting visas to single women under 45 years of age.

Ken Simmons starts cycling around 8am, a homemade rucksack made of twine and sacking lying limp upon his back. He pops in to a couple of properties on the way, collecting scraps of straw to fill his bag. About 30 minutes and three kilometres later, he stops at a lifestyle block, and looks out across the paddocks. There she is.

Roman Catholic and Orthodox Jewish officials in New York are mounting an intense lobbying effort to block a bill before the State Legislature that would temporarily lift the statute of limitations for lawsuits alleging the sexual abuse of children.

Experts say these colours can harm our skin, hair and can cause respiratory problems too.

Holi is synonymous with smiles, gaiety and colours. However, the chemicals used in coours can be a dampener on spirits.

ON one of her regular visits to New York from Virginia, Christine Breighner told Rebecca Damon, a longtime friend, that she didn’t want to visit the tourist sites she’d seen before. She wanted to extend her horizons beyond the latest Broadway show or exhibit at the Met. Not too long before, Ms. Damon had received a brochure advertising a call-and-response chanting session called kirtan after a yoga class. Now she passed it along.

MOST of the chicken, fruit and vegetables in Ellen Devlin-Sample’s kitchen are organic. She thinks those foods taste better than their conventional counterparts. And she hopes they are healthier for her children.

Lately, though, she is not so sure.

NEW DELHI: The next time you hear someone recite verses from the Bhagavad Gita, pay more attention. The wisdom of the ancient Indian scriptures may come in handy in tackling issues from management strategies to corporate governance in today's highly competitive world of business.

IN almost-spring, as itchy gardeners drag out grow lights and seed-starting flats, it seems a fitting moment to trace the germ of a new and very green gardening idea. It first took root beside a reeking, unspeakable lagoon in the northwest corner of Connecticut and is blossoming sweetly nationwide. Kindly summon a gardener’s tolerance for earthy subject matter as this gritty tale unfolds

First Solar Inc. announced it reduced its manufacturing cost for solar modules in the fourth quarter to US $0.98/watt, breaking the $1 per watt price barrier that the industry has been striving towards in recent years.

People's health could be harmed by social networking sites because they reduce levels of face-to-face contact, an expert claims.

Dr. Aric Sigman says websites such as Facebook set out to enrich social lives, but end up keeping people apart.

Divorce adds to the impact of global warming as couples switch to wasteful single lifestyles, Australian senator Steve Fielding says.

He told a Senate hearing on today that divorce led to a "resource-inefficient lifestyle" and it would be better for the planet if couples stayed married.

Sympathizing with Hollywood celebrity Mike Myers over his “Love Guru” being declared the “worst movie” of the year, protesting Hindus have offered forgiveness if he pays his obeisance in a Hindu temple.

US-based Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who led the protests against “The Love Guru” for lampooning Hinduism starting March last, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that ksama (forgiveness) was one of the main virtues of Hindu ethics.

What a pleasant surprise. For those who like their films visually appealing and literate, intelligent and delightful, this will be a most satisfying entertainment. It is G-rated though it is not a children's film.

The screenplay is an imaginative expansion by Alan Sharp (Rob Roy) of a small novel written in 1936. The book is principally conversations between the narrator of the novel and the Anglican dean who comes to dinner to discuss reincarnation.

WASHINGTON - Taking another step into the abortion debate, the Obama administration will move today to rescind a controversial rule that allows health care workers to deny abortion counseling or other family planning services if doing so would violate their moral beliefs, according to administration officials.

March is Women's History Month. A new analysis of data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that women are more religious than men on a variety of measures.

A group of prominent Indian scientists and engineers has issued an urgent appeal to stop the building of a hydro-electricity project on the Ganges.

Their appeal came as noted scientist GD Aggarwala continued his 36-day fast against the project. He has been on a water and honey diet since 14 January.