-The Times of India CHENNAI: If an anti-corruption website ( www.ipaidabribe.com) set up by Bangalore-based NGO Janaagraha is an indicator, Chennai is the second most corrupt city in the country after Bangalore. More than 1,100 Chennaiites posted on the website, which encourages voluntary disclosure of bribe-paying, that they had cumulatively paid more than Rs 7 crore in the last three years to grease the palms of government officers. Most pertain to land...

-The Hindu The Bali ministerial conference in December presents a crucial opportunity to bring about changes in WTO rules Ending hunger and poverty requires major national policy initiatives in developing countries. The United Nations Secretary-General has articulated a broad zero hunger vision, endorsed and embraced as a priority by national leaders in many developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Production of food by small cultivators in developing countries has a...

-PTI Soaring inflation, high fuel cost, rising cost of education and health insurance premiums have eroded the real incomes of middle-class Indian families, with household savings rates dropping by a staggering 40 per cent in the last three years, says an Assocham survey. "Poor households are unable to maintain the consumption levels at current prices while middle income families find their purchasing power erode fast, thus having far less surplus money," Assocham...

-The Hindustan Times New Delhi: The six-day exercise of filing nominations for the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections ended on Saturday, picking amazing pace in its last lap. On Thursday, 414 candidates filed their nominations and on Saturday alone 775 more were added to the tally, taking the total to 1,189 nominations. Further corrections will be made after eliminating duplicate filings. The largest number of nominations came from the Mustafabad constituency (41) while the...

-Reuters Laws excluding daughters, widows from inheriting land still exist in some states, says the study New Delhi: Some Indian laws promote a preference for sons over daughters, the United Nations said on Thursday in a report that highlights the country's struggle to reverse a long-term decline in the number of girls. Bans on child marriage, pre-natal sex selection tests and dowries are poorly enforced, while laws excluding daughters and widows from...