-The Hindu An avalanche in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand early this month claimed at least 62 lives, destroyed two hydropower projects and ravaged the region. Jacob Koshy reports on how development projects are endangering the lives of people in the young and fragile Himalayas The Rishiganga river looks like an idyllic brook from the balcony of Gyan Singh Rana’s two-storey house. The former headman of the village of Raini, who is in...

-The Hindu This year can go down as the year when we set the PLAnet on a path towards healing As COVID-19 upends our lives, a more persistent crisis demands urgent action on a global scale. Three environmental crises — climate change; nature loss; and the pollution of air, soil and water — add up to a PLAnetary emergency that will cause far more pain than COVID-19 in the long-term. For years, scientists...

-The Hindu Subjective well-being and income are intricately linked The question whether the rich are more satisfied with their lives is often taken for granted, even though surveys, like the Gallup World Poll, show that the relationship between subjective well-being and income is often weak, except in low-income countries in Africa and South Asia. Researcher Daniel Kahneman and his collaborators, for example, report that the correlation between household income and reported life...

-IndiaToday.in A Delhi court said the law of sedition was a powerful tool to maintain peace and order in the society and it cannot be invoked to quieten the disquiet under the pretence of muzzling the miscreants. A Delhi court said the law of sedition cannot be invoked to quieten the disquiet under the pretence of muzzling the miscreants. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana said this while granting bail to two persons --...

-The Indian Express A modified version of the laws with a roadmap can be on the agenda — not everywhere, but most PLAces outside the lands of the five rivers. The Supreme Court took a practical stand on the farm trade laws — implement them after consultation and with a well-defined framework spelt out. It led to the stand the government has taken — of holding the laws in abeyance for 18...