A group of villagers, instigated by Maoists looking to establish a role for themselves in Pachuara village’s dealings with a mining company set up there, murdered Sister Valsa John as they perceived her to be an obstacle in their designs, the police have concluded. Seven of those villagers have been arrested, including Advin Murmu, who is also accused of raping an associate of the Sister, said IG of Santhal Pargana Arun...

-The Hindu   The United Progressive Alliance government has not delivered on its promise of bringing in legislation against communal violence. After initial talks, the Centre has fallen silent on the Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill which needs speedy tabling, a panel comprising drafters of the legislation said at a meeting here on Friday. “Not just the leadership, but the executive too have failed to give...

-BBC   A judge in India has sentenced eight men to death and 20 others to life imprisonment for three so-called honour killings that took place in 1991. The men were found guilty of murdering a Dalit boy and a girl from a higher caste who had eloped together, as well as the boy's cousin. All three were set alight and hanged, the court in Uttar Pradesh state heard. A BBC correspondent says the sentences...

If Uttar Pradesh was to be declared a separate country today, it would be the sixth-largest nation. With a total population at par with Brazil, population density comparable to that of the UK and per-capita income similar to Kenya's, it indicates the paradox of its citizen occupying the same space as his Latin and UK counterparts, yet living in conditions similar to those in Africa. Setting this hypothesis aside, let us...

-The Hindu   “Church premises used for stir against Kudankulam plant” As some of the churches are being used to disseminate anti-Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) messages urging the people to join the ongoing protest against the nuclear power project, the police here have started registering cases against priests who either allow or indulge in such activities. After the St. Lourdes Church premises at Idinthakarai was converted into anti-KKNPP protest venue, a number of...