-The Times of India THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Kerala): Of late, stories about social media have been not very encouraging, as it was increasingly turning out to be a platform spewing venom. But, during last week’s flood, it turned out to be a lifesaver for hundreds - literally. A group of social media enthusiasts, who have already been connected through Facebook harnessed the immense potential of the platform. An active volunteer group of 6,000 was...

-PTI Washington: A global media watchdog has urged the Indian government to ban a group of nationalists targeting "biased" journalists online, saying the harassment of those who don't toe the line of the ruling party was reaching "alarming proportions". The watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said that with the general election nearing, journalists must be able to express themselves without having to fear for their physical or professional survival. "Otherwise, Indian democracy...

-Mongabay.com * India’s environment ministry has notified the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Rules 2018 to ensure proper utilisation of Rs 660 billion for plantation of trees across India. * Environmentalists and civil society groups are against the rules as they point out that the rules ignore the rights of forest dwellers and tribals. They also said that the new CAF rules are against existing laws ensuring forest rights and self governance for...

-Livemint.com Preference for government jobs is highest among college-educated rural youth, a segment seen at the forefront of recent agitations for quotas, shows analysis In one of the largest such exercises ever conducted in the world, millions of applicants are appearing this month for an online recruitment test conducted by the Indian Railways. The Railways Recruitment Board (RRB) has received more than 24 million applications for roughly 120,000 vacancies in the organization. Most...

-Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Indian authorities to ban a group of pro-government Hindu nationalists who have launched an online campaign against “biased” journalists. RSF also urges the authorities to guarantee the physical and professional survival of journalists threatened by these militants. This online militia unveiled its existence on Twitter last week, calling itself “India Against Biased Media” and using the hashtag #IABM to recruit volunteers. Its...