A government-sponsored programme, which outlines the replacement of incandescent bulbs and CFLs with energy-efficient LED lamps is saving a staggering 68 lakh kilowatts of energy every day. This means a cut in 645 megawatts of power during peak hours, a 5,520-tonne drop in daily carbon emission and domestic savings of Rs 2.71 crore every day. The LED push, under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme, was launched full swing across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh in January. Nearly two crore LED bulbs have been distributed in these states, reports Economic Times.

Australia clears way for Adani Group's $7 billion coal and rail project
Gujarat's Gautam Adani group has said today that it had won Australian government approval to build its massive Carmichael mine and rail project after clearing environmental concerns. A court on August 5 temporarily blocked progress on the A$10 billion ($7.34 billion) project in the inland Galilee Basin following a claim Adani failed to include conditions to protect two vulnerable species.

Subhas Chandra Bose's family hails PM Modi's move to declassify files
Accepting long-pending demands of family members of Subhas Chandra Bose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that the government would declassifying secret files related to Netaji. The assurance by the PM was hailed by family members of Netaji who hoped that the 'historic' decision would finally lift the veil over his mysterious disappearance. Modi made the announcement after meeting 35 members of Netaji's family yesterday. He said that the government will start unveiling the secret files related to Bose from January 23 next year and said that there was no need to strangle history.

14-year-old domestic help locked in cupboard by Gurgaon businessman
Another case of domestic hand being abused has been reported in Gurgaon. A 14-year-old girl, working as a domestic help, was on Wednesday found locked in a cupboard in a businessman's home in Gurgaon. She has alleged that she was beaten by her employers with a mop. She also claimed that she used to get only two chapatis a day. As per police, the girl's uncle brought her from Jharkhand earlier this year and handed her over to the businessman. The girl, who hailed from Jharkhand, has been admitted to a hospital. Last month a Saudi Arabian diplomat waas in news for raping two of his domestic helps in Gurgaon's posh apartment block.

US spares Modi government but concerned about religious incidents
The US, in its International Religious Freedom Report for 2014 released in Washington on Wednesday, has expressed concerns over reports of religiously-motivated killings, coerced religious conversions, and actions restricting the right of individuals to change religious beliefs in India. The report released by Secretary of State John Kerry, however, gave a thumbs up to the Indian authorities as they "continued to enforce laws designed to protect "religious sentiments" and minimize the risk of religious violence, which some argued had the effect of limiting freedom of expression related to religion."The report lamented that hundreds of legal cases remained pending from violence during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots in an indirect dig at the Congress as well as the BJP governments.

International airlines offer discounts to woo Indians
International airlines are giving away discounts of up to 50% to fill seats in the upcoming holiday season, as most Indian tourists now prefer frequent short trips throughout the year to one big trip in the holiday season. Apart from changing customer habits, increased competition due to additional capacity deployed by airlines have also impacted their loads. Travel companies, however, expect the discount deals to find many takers.
 
Cess on petrol, diesel likely to fund Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
The government may issue Swachh Bharat bonds and impose a cess on automobile fuels, telecom services and mineral waste to fund Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet national cleanliness project. A group of chief ministers headed by Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu submitted a report to Modi on Wednesday outlining ways to mobilise funds for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan initiative. "Swachh Bharat bonds may be issued and a Swachh Bharat cess may be levied by the central government on petrol, diesel, telecom services and also on accumulated waste produced by plants generating mineral waste like coal, aluminum and iron ore," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, citing the report.

Sensex bounces over 100 points, Nifty above 8,150
The S&P BSE Sensex surged as much as 165 points in opening trade on Thursday, led by gains in ITC, ICICI Bank, HDFC, RIL and Tata Motors. The Nifty50 surged past its crucial psychological level of 8,150, supported by gains in pharma, banks, capital goods, metal, and realty stocks.  At 9.20 am the 30-share index was trading at 26,949, up 169 points or 0.63 per cent. It touched a high of 26,954.04 and a low of 26,836.77 in morning trade. Most other Asian markets traded positive on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei rose 0.8 per cent while South Korea's Kospi was up by a per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 1.6 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite was trading higher by 0.8 per cent.

Overnight Wall Street was dragged lower by Walmart as the retail giant announced weak results raising concerns over US earnings this season. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 157.14 points, or 0.92 per cent, to 16,924.75, the S&P 500 lost 9.45 points, or 0.47 per cent, to 1,994.24 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 13.76 points, or 0.29 per cent, to 4,782.85.