-Down to Earth   Scientists in Bihar find a plausible link between pesticides and breast cancer "There were no apparent risk factors. I had no family history of breast cancer, married early, had a baby whom I breastfed. Above all, I followed a healthy lifestyle. The only thing that could have led to my cancer could be environmental factors-exposure to pesticide residues through food and pollution," narrated Niti, a young breast cancer survivor,...

-The Times of India PATNA: Call it the AAP effect. The Bihar government has decided to wage a war on corruption and 576 officers and employees are likely to be dismissed from service within two months over graft allegations. Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday reviewed the progress in the investigation of corruption cases against these officers and employees. Since departmental proceedings against 187 of the 576 government employees are in the...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The rift between the Prime Minister's Office and the Congress is once again out in the open over passing of a landmark legislation to prevent diversion of funds earmarked for Scheduled Castes/Tribes, a core constituency that Congress has lost steadily. The latest bone of contention - the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan Bill 2013 - is ready for the consideration of the Cabinet. While...

-The Times of India VARANASI: In an extremely cold and shivering night, a man with torn clothes was eating something picked up from a dustbin at platform number 4 of Charbagh railway station of Lucknow. Some passenger may have thrown the leftover eatable. But, finding it insufficient to satiate his hunger the man started looking for some more stuff in other dustbins at the platform. When this correspondent tried to interact with...

-The Hindu Business Line Clientelism - tying benefits to political choices - cannot work because voting preferences cannot be ascertained. Do parties and their local agents link access to government services and benefits from government welfare schemes to how voters vote, or are expected to vote? This political strategy, which social scientists refer to as clientelism, depends on a massive investment in local leaders who collect information on voters' party preferences, vote choices...