-The Hindu   Coordinator of the Anti Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project movement, S.P. Udhayakumar, has decided to file defamation case against Union Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office, V. Narayanasamy, for alleging that the protesters were getting money from foreign countries to stop commissioning of the plant. Speaking to Reporters here on Saturday, he said that the Congress was supporting the commissioning of the plant. “They are terming us anti-nationals only for...

The Gujarat government had sacked an employee in connection with the riot case that led to 31 life terms yesterday — not the three among the accused but one who became a key prosecution witness. It was police constable Munsaf Khan, who had not only identified several key accused in the Sardarpura massacre of 33 Muslims but exposed the rioter-police collusion. Khan’s victimisation partly mirrors that of another whistleblower policeman, IPS officer...

-The Telegraph   Sharad Pawar’s hometown Baramati was shut down today by farmers demanding higher remunerative prices for sugarcane. The protest by the farmers has sent a strong political message to the ruling Congress-NCP government. Baramati is the seat of Maharashtra’s powerful and influential sugar belt that controls the state politics. Shops and establishments were closed down as hundreds of sugarcane farmers camping here for the fourth consecutive day intensified their protest and organised rasta...

The Army today opposed any move to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from peaceful areas in Jammu and Kashmir, arguing that the current lull in violence could be deceptive. “There cannot be islands of peace,” senior army commanders were said to have argued at the Unified Command HQ meeting today. If Srinagar and Budgam are peaceful, it does not mean they can be separated from the larger situation...

The Centre is exploring the possibility of introducing different petrol prices for two-wheelers and cars in an attempt to combat a perception that it is insensitive to the plight of the common people. Facing a flurry of protests from allies, Opposition parties and consumer groups against the hike in petrol prices last week, senior cabinet ministers are considering whether differential pricing is possible to insulate users of two-wheelers and three-wheelers from...