-The United Nations The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a record high in 2012, continuing an upward trend which is driving climate change and which will shape the future of the planet for hundreds and thousands of years, according to the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The agency's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin shows that between 1990 and 2012, there was a 32 per cent increase in radiative forcing...

-Newsclick.in Caste discrimination percolates down to the food plates for Musahar community in Madhepura district of Bihar Reports Neha Dixit "The mahant of the Shankar Math told me to stay away from ultra-Left people the day I questioned the Collector about the hunger deaths in my village," recounts Prabhansh Manjhi. Prabhansh is from the Musahaar community in Madhepura district of Bihar. Estimated to be 2.3 million in the country, they are Mahadalits, one...

-The Hindustan Times Bhopal: Kharauwa, a tiny hamlet 35 km northwest of Bhind district headquarters, looks like any other village in the country from the outside. But look deeper and the difference is apparent: very few female kids play in its lanes and bylanes. Dig deeper and the reason is not very difficult to fathom: Female infanticide and foeticide is rampant in this part of Madhya Pradesh and Bhind is notorious for its...

-The Economic Times A decline in paddy production in eastern states and Andhra Pradesh has triggered speculation of a lower rice output this year, stoking a 10-30% spike in prices at a time when high vegetable prices have pushed inflation to a seven-month high. Floods and incessant rains in major rice producing states such as West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh during the harvesting period have affected the paddy crop. Talking to...

-The Hindu Bangalore: It is a move that will bring a positive change to preventive healthcare, including maternal and disease-control programmes. The State government is all set to provide mobile phones to all the 35,000 Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in the State. These activists are community health workers in the World Bank-sponsored National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which is being implemented by the Union government across the country. According to...