Govt. To Give Every Poor Family Mobile Phones

• Weathering It Out. According to a climate report by The Energy and Research Institute, Maharashtra will get hotter summers by 2 to 3 degrees and increased rainfall by 5 to 10 per cent by the 2050s. In Mumbai, the sea level is not expected to rise as high as was once estimated and thus will not pose a threat to residents. [Hindustan Times]

• Mobile Phone. In a scheme, expected to be announced by the Prime Minister on August 15, the government will give one mobile phone to every family living below the poverty line. Call “Har Hath Mein Phone”, the scheme will provide phones to six million households and give them 200 minutes of free local talk time. [The Times of India]

• Half-Mast. In honour of the victims of the shooting at a gurudwara in Wisconsin on Sunday, August 5, the American flag will be flown at half-mast at all US government buildings and diplomatic missions until Friday, August 10. “As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence in Oak Creek, Wisconsin…I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 10, 2012,” said a statement by US President Barack Obama. [The Times of India]