-The Times of India ALLAHABAD: From December 1, for booking a ticket in any reserved class of the train, a passenger will have to produce one of the prescribed proofs of identity failing which the said passenger will be treated as ticketless traveler and will have to pay fine accordingly. This provision will, however, not affect the existing provision of Tatkal scheme where during the journey, the passenger is required to show...

-The United Nations A reduction of more than 50 per cent in the rate of new HIV infections has been achieved across 25 low- and middle-income countries – more than half in Africa, the region most affected by HIV – according to a new United Nations report, which shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is producing results. “The pace of progress is quickening – what used to take a decade...

-The Telegraph Kolkata: Owners of potato cold storages today announced a day’s shutdown on Monday and threatened a longer agitation to protest the Mamata Banerjee government’s refusal to allow a rent hike. Many officials termed this as another instance of the “populist” government’s reluctance to raise tariffs. “The rent is our only source of income. Overhead costs have spiralled in the past two years. But the government is not allowing us to increase...

-The Times of India Families living in cities and towns with annual income of up to Rs 1 lakh or monthly earning of up to Rs 8,334 will fall in the category of economically weaker section (EWS), according to new criteria formulated by the housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry. Households having income between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh or monthly earning of up to Rs 16,667 will be classified...

-Live Mint While natural disasters grab our attention, everyday events like illness drag most people into poverty  In a small town of Gujarat, I met Chandibai, a woman, about 50 years of age. Fifteen years previously, her husband, Gokalji, had owned a general-purpose shop in the town centre. The family also owned a house and some agricultural land. In 1989, Gokalji developed an illness that confined him to bed, sometimes at home...