-The Indian Express It made a wan sight — the expanse of Mumbai’s MMRDA ground, the SITe for the next phase of Anna Hazare’s “second independence struggle”, looked even larger because of the small crowd pressing into the centre. Less than a tenth of the numbers expected actually showed up. What a change from a few months back, when Team Anna seemed to be the unstoppable force that collided with the...

In Bihar, the coupon system to distribute PDS grain fails to prevent corruption. AT the Jamaluddin gram panchayat in Patna district on January 26, 2007, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched an ambitious reform of the public distribution system (PDS) in Bihar: a coupon system. He claimed that it would “empower the poor and stop black-marketeering” and that it was “not a simple coupon but a powerful weapon in the hands...

-PTI   In yet another blow to 21 social networking SITes including Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and Youtube, a Delhi court on Friday issued summons to them for facing trial for allegedly webcasting objectionable contents. Metropolitan Magistrate (MM) Sudesh Kumar took cognizance on a private criminal complaint and has directed the Centre for taking "immediate appropriate steps" and also file a report in the court by January 13. The court's order came three days...

-The Times of India   Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday that opening up of the multi-brand retail sector to foreign investment was still on the "mind of the government" and it would be pursued once consensus emerged among political parties and other stakeholders. Mukherjee blamed lack of consensus among political parties for the government's inability to implement the reform measure but said it did not reflect the lack of intention or...

-The Hindustan Times   Team Anna was left red-faced on Friday when the Bombay high court said what was “satyagraha” for it could be a “nuisance” for others. Worse, in a face-saving move later, Anna Hazare publicly denounced his team's decision to move court — and get snubbed in the process — as “wrong”, calling his followers “overenthusiastic”. Team Anna had sought an exemption or discount on the rental for the Bandra-Kurla Complex grounds...