-The Hindu Hyderabad: Severe tropical cyclone Helen tapered off into a low pressure area on Saturday causing extensive damage to standing paddy crop and leaving six dead in the four districts of coastal Andhra region. According to official reports, six persons - two each in Krishna and East Godavari and one each in Srikakulam and West Godavari - were dead while paddy crop spread over 3.5 lakh hectares suffered extensive damage. In...

-PTI The Finance Ministry has sought financial assistance from World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) for rebuilding of damaged infrastructure in flood- ravaged Uttarakhand. "In view of the emergency situation, both ADB and the World Bank have been requested to fast track the processes of needs assessment, project preparation and approval," the Finance Ministry said in a statement. It said a joint mission of the World Bank and ADB, led...

-The Hindustan Times Far from the neatly trimmed lawns of India Gate that so often reverberate with cries for justice, far also from the corridors of power where ministries recently squabbled over the right age for consensual sex, lie 197 districts - yes 197, read the figure again - where children are regularly abused. In these districts -- all ridden by conflict -- words like illegal detention, arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, torture...

-The Hindu Allahabad: At least 36 people were killed in a stampede at Allahabad railway station on Sunday evening, the railways said today. Out of these, only 20 bodies have been identified, which include 17 women. All the bodies are at the Medical College Mortuary in Allahabad, where post-mortem is being conducted. The incident occured at 7 p.m. near platform no 6, where a footbridge reportedly collapsed due to the heavy rush of pilgrims...

-The Times of India GUWAHATI: Assam is no stranger to floods. But this deluge is the worst it has seen in many years. The first wave of floods—from April to Juneclaimed 126 lives. More than 700 animals in Kaziranga National Park and elsewhere have died. Fears of a second wave hitting soon loom large. The annual devastation comes in multiple waves in Assam—three to four—starting from April. According to the state disaster...