-The Business Standard   The latest controversy in the British media, triggered by unethical professional practices by journalists at Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, holds important lessons for the Indian media, and not just because Mr Murdoch has a significant presence in India and seeks more. The most important lesson is that public policy must prevent the emergence of all powerful media moguls like Mr Murdoch. The extent of concentration in...

A PIL questions the very legitimacy of the IB No whereofs to it?     * A PIL filed in and admitted by the Karnataka High Court asks if the IB is “extra-constitutional”     * The IB hasn’t been constituted under an Act of Parliament, does not have a charter of duties     * The British set it up in 1887     * The court has served notices on the home ministry and the IB *** Is...

Plans for a nuclear plant generate protests Fear factor...     * Protests have rocked Srikakulam district, where NPCIL plans a 9,000 MW nuclear plant     * The plant will displace people from 12 nearby villages     * The project is estimated to cost Rs 1.2 lakh-crore     * NPCIL promises a “liberal” resettlement package. Activists counter the proposed plant is a Fukushima-like environment risk. *** Earlier this year, sustained protests brought nationwide attention to the 2,640...

-The Economic Times   A group of ministers formed to approve the draft mining Bill, has agreed to earmark 100% of the royalty paid by major mineral mining companies , to compensate people displaced by such projects. The panel, chaired by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee , which met on Thursday , also agreed to earmark 26% of the profit made by coal mining companies, in favour of people directly affected ,...

-The Hindu   Bill aims at making ethical committees looking into trials ‘robust' A legislation to monitor the entire research on human bodies by a single authority is likely to be introduced in the winter session of Parliament, according to V.M. Katoch, Secretary, Department of Health Research. The Bill will seek to make the ethical committees, presently looking into clinical trials on human beings, ‘robust' by constituting a monitoring mechanism over them. It was felt...