A 6.9-magnitude earthquake epicentred 68km northwest of Gangtok struck at 6.11pm today, killing 14 people in India and four in Nepal and sending people rushing out of buildings from Calcutta to Delhi. Nine died in worst-hit Sikkim, one each in Siliguri, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri, and two minor children in Bihar, including a boy crushed in a stampede. Several houses collapsed and walls developed cracks in Gangtok, where many tall buildings have...

-The Hindu   Chaos prevails at the Government Rajaji Hospital where slogans were raised Hundreds of angry Dalits gathered at the Government Rajaji Hospital here on Sunday and raised slogans against the State government and the police for the firing on Dalits at Paramakudi in which five persons were killed. Chaos prevailed at the hospital as the protesters raised slogans after six Dalit youths — Siva, 19, Paramasivam, 20, Senthil Murugan, 23, Chaturagiri, 22,...

The Government has a proposed timeline for the award of compensation under the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill. This timeline was not in the draft of the Bill posted on the Government's Web site on July 29 for comments from stakeholders and the public. After these responses and consultation with the stakeholders, seven changes have been made, the Rural Development Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, said. The Minister said that the...

-The Telegraph   The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and the All Assam Students Union today launched statewide protests against the movement of turbines meant for lower Subansiri hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh. Two Bangladeshi vessels, carrying the NHPC turbines, which had remained stranded for months at Bongshichar in Dhubri district following anti-dam protests, had yesterday set sail for Jogighopa in Bongaigaon district to offload the consignment. In Guwahati, about 200 KMSS members, led by...

-The Economic Times   The government has defended its new land acquisition bill as industry-friendly, refuting criticism that provisions contained in the legislation were retrograde and would push up costs for state-run and private companies. Industry groups had slammed the new Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill (LARR) 2011, cleared by the cabinet earlier this week and tabled in parliament on Wednesday, saying it was "burdensome" and "anti-development". But Rural Development Minister...