-The Hindu Haryana's Sonia, daughter of Relu Ram Punia, former Haryana MLA, might become the first woman in India's history to be hanged as President Pranab Mukherjee has rejected her mercy petition. Government sources say the President has also rejected mercy petitions of at least six other death convicts. Sonia was convicted along with her husband Sanjeev in 2007 of killing eight members of her family, including her father, over a property dispute...

-Live Mint Farmers resisting India's biggest FDI deal are paying a heavy price for their stand In June 2005, the Orissa government signed the country's biggest foreign direct investment deal yet with the South Korean steel manufacturer Posco for a $12 billion (around `65,856 crore) plant near Paradip in the mineral-rich state. Livelihoods in eight existing agricultural and fishing villages were to give way for the project that was intended to be...

-The Times of India HYDERABAD: At a time when the central government is formulating ways to 'strengthen' the not-so-adequately used Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI) in the country, here is a man from AP who has been penalised by the state information commission for using the RTI a little too frequently. Turns out that E Sivaramanjaneyulu, a resident of Navapala village in Anantapur district, dashed off over 100 RTI applications,...

-The Telegraph Calcutta: The Bengal government today suggested that panchayat elections be held on May 5 and 8, springing in the high court a surprise that had little new other than the fresh dates. The government's proposal did not address the security concerns of the state election commission that had moved Calcutta High Court on Monday. According to the commission, central forces have to be deployed if the polls are held in two...

-Live Mint Reimbursing schools that reserve 25% seats for underprivileged children may end up costing the govt about Rs.16,000 cr The central government is faced with the prospect of a large bill to pay for the implementation of one of the key elements of the right to education (RTE) legislation-reimbursing private schools that reserved 25% of their seats for underprivileged children-even as the 31 March deadline for most of the law's other...