-The Times of India The government is facing a pincer attack over its reform decisions with opposition parties ranging from BJP to the Left planning nation-wide protests, possibly on the same day, against UPA-2's bid to allow FDI in sectors like multi brand retail and civil aviation. Regional parties like Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal (U) also joined the chorus of protests, demanding a rollback of the hike in diesel prices along...

-The Hindustan Times The government’s go-ahead to FDI in multi-brand retail on Friday drove another wedge between the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee threatening to take “hard decisions” if the decision wasn't reconsidered within 72 hours. Banerjee, who  has also demanded a rollback of the diesel price hike, said the decision was a “big jolt” and called an emergency meeting of her party in...

-Live Mint/ The Wall Street Journal Contributions more than doubled between 2004 and 2009 polls; experts say published figures just tip of the iceberg  Contributions, including money from top companies, to the country’s two largest political parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), more than doubled between the 2004 and 2009 general elections. This revelation affirms a trend of companies, most of which are listed, opting for a transparent route to...

-The Times of India LUCKNOW: The major source of the income of political parties in India is through donations and voluntary contributions. However, majority donations comes from undisclosed contributors. According to the study conducted by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR), an umbrella body of non-governmental organizations working across the country for transparency in political and electoral system, the top five political parties with the highest total income between financial year (FY)...

-The Times of India Hooked to organic food for its supposed health benefits? Here's some food for thought. In the largest analysis of studies till date on organic food, researchers from Stanford University have said there is "little evidence of healthier benefits from organic food over those grown conventionally". The researchers found no difference in protein or fat content between organic and conventional milk. No consistent differences were also seen in the...