NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, May 9 (Reuters) – Officials of India’s
drug regulator have been colluding with pharmaceutical firms to
speed up approval procedures, allowing some drugs that are not
allowed in other countries to go on sale, according to an
18-month investigation by lawmakers.

The parliamentary panel’s 78-page report names a number of
major international drug companies and Indian firms.

NEW DELHI, May 9 (Reuters) – India’s main drug regulator has
not been properly scrutinising some drugs before approving them,
and some of its officials are colluding with drug firms and
medical experts to circumvent procedure, according to a new
parliamentary report.

The report by parliament’s health committee, the result of a
more than year-long investigation, painted a chaotic picture of
the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which
oversees the licensing, marketing and trials of drugs in India.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama faces a crisis in the Middle East and it’s not just Libya. Some 2,400 miles (4,000 km) farther away in Yemen, Washington may soon lose a crucial ally in its war against al Qaeda.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power for three decades, has allowed U.S. forces to conduct clandestine operations, including unmanned aerial drone strikes, against a Yemeni offshoot of al Qaeda that American officials say poses a profound threat to U.S. national security.

WASHINGTON, March 10 (Reuters) – Libyan rebels have lost
momentum and are not likely to dislodge Muammar Gaddafi from
power, top U.S. intelligence officials said on Thursday as
Washington backed further away from any military action.

The White House said the United States would send civilian
disaster relief teams to rebel-held eastern Libya to help with
humanitarian efforts but stressed they would not be accompanied
by military or security personnel.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top U.S. spy chief said Thursday that better-equipped forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi were likely to prevail in the long run against rebels fighting to end his 41-year rule.

National Intelligence Director James Clapper gave his assessment as the United States and its NATO allies debated in Brussels over how to support Libyan opposition groups who have suffered a series of military setbacks.

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) – The White House on
Wednesday strongly defended its response to the turmoil in
Libya, insisting it has taken “dramatic action” and rebutting
criticism that its consensus-based approach is too cautious.

As President Barack Obama’s top advisers met to debate what
to do next, Muammar Gaddafi’s forces halted a rebel advance in
the east of the oil-producing North African country and
opposition forces suffered setbacks in the west.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s top aides were due to meet on Libya on Wednesday as the White House debates military options and parries growing criticism of its handling of the turmoil in the North African country.

“The Obama administration is throwing out so many conflicting messages on Libya that they are blunting any potential pressure on the Libyan regime and weakening American credibility,” said an editorial in The New York Times, a newspaper that is often supportive of Obama’s policies.

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s
top aides were due to meet on Libya on Wednesday as the White
House debates military options and parries growing criticism of
its handling of the turmoil in the North African country.

“The Obama administration is throwing out so many
conflicting messages on Libya that they are blunting any
potential pressure on the Libyan regime and weakening American
credibility,” said an editorial in The New York Times, a
newspaper that is often supportive of Obama’s policies.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House pushed back on Monday against pressure from some lawmakers for direct intervention in Libya, saying it first wanted to figure out what various military options could achieve.

“It would be premature to send a bunch of weapons to a post office box in eastern Libya,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “We need to not get ahead of ourselves in terms of the options we’re pursuing.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is reluctant to get sucked into Libya’s increasingly messy conflict, despite its fears that the oil-producing North African country is descending into chaos.

WHAT COULD TRIGGER U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTION?

Possibly a major jump in the death toll. Analysts say massacres of civilians, aerial bombing of civilian targets or a concerted military offensive by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to retake rebel-held territory could be possible triggers.