Trinamool Congress government’s policies in West Bengal are leading to suicides of small farmers, a reign of terror in the Jangalmahal area and a curbing of academic and trade union rights. Its student activists beat up students and teachers who do not profess loyalty to the party. Will the CPI(M) which led the previous Left Front government for 34 years and paid the price for its insolence and corruption...

The right of women to participate in political life is guaranteed by several international conventions, but transforming an abstract right into a reality requires hard work on the ground, says a new study released here. Published jointly by the U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for International Affairs, the 118-page report points out that although 40 to 50 percent of members of political parties globally are women,...

-The Times of India Six months after it began probing the murder of RTI activist Shehla Masood in Bhopal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday said it has solved the case arresting two people, including an interior designer, Zahida Pervez. CBI sources said Pervez was the key conspirator in the murder, adding that she had hired a Kanpur hitman called Imran Ali to kill Masood. Imran was nabbed in Kanpur....

-The Times of India   The UPA government is bracing for a mega strike on February 28, backed by trade unions cutting across party lines, in protest against rising prices, disinvestment of profit-making PSUs and violation of labour laws among other reasons. They will be joined by around 8 lakh bank employees who are protesting against reforms and outsourcing of jobs.  Almost all sectors, except railways, are likely to come to a stop...

It's Okay to call a woman sexy. At least that's what the head of the National Commission of Women believes. At a seminar in Jaipur on Saturday, NCW chairperson Mamta Sharma said, "Don't be offended if someone says 'sexy', rather take it positively." The audience comprising students and sadhvis appeared stunned.  The 'Gateway to Future' seminar was organized by Terapanth, a socio-religious organization, to discuss various women's issues, including crimes against...