-The Hindustan Times Bhubaneswar/Hyderabad: At least four more people have been killed and 66,000 evacuated as the flood situation worsened in Odisha following incessant rain in most parts of the state for the fifth consecutive day on Friday. The continuous downpour has added to the suffering of the people after Cyclone Phailin hit the beach town of Gopalpur in Ganjam on the night of October 12 with a wind speed of more...

-The Telegraph Patna: For eight years, Martha Dodarai has been walking 20km every day to reach a child for polio vaccination. Next month, her arduous journey will be recognised by the United Nations Foundation in New York. Dodarai, 43, who grew up in Latehar and works in Darbhanga, will represent frontline polio workers from around the world when she is feted at the Global Leadership Awards Dinner on November 6. A citation on the...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The environment ministry has set up an expert group, as mandated by the Supreme Court, to determine whether hydropower projects along Alaknanda and Bhagirathi Rivers and their tributaries contributed to environmental degradation, an effort to ensure there is no repeat of the Uttarakhand disaster witnessed earlier this year. Headed by Ravi Chopra, member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and director of People's Science Institute,...

-The Hindu Mining companies have received favourable impact assessments even as they do great damage to the environment because regulators are willing to look the other way Last week, world leaders concerned about economic development got together at the International Monetary Fund, and gave a series of most instructive interviews. Our Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram, said that his problem was the slowing down of India's economic growth and reduction in government revenues....

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Swathes of eastern India resembled a gigantic overflowing bucket for parts of this week, with several areas flooded though the monsoon rainfall in the region till September was a staggering 28 per cent below average. Twelve of the region's 15 large River-fed reservoirs were brimming with water on Thursday night. Water levels in three of Jharkhand's five large reservoirs were above the full capacity although the operators, facing the...