-IPS News Environmental activists are cautiously optimistic that a call by a court-appointed technical committee for a ten-year moratorium on open field trials of genetically modified (GM) crops will shelve plans to introduce bio-engineered foods in this largely agricultural country. “We are now waiting to see whether the Supreme Court will accept the recommendations of its own committee at the next hearing on Oct. 29,” said Devinder Sharma, chairman of the Forum...

-The Hindu New norms come after many households in city surrender additional permit Here’s some relief to large households worried about restrictions on LPG connections. They need not surrender the additional connection. As per the new norms announced by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas on Friday, consumers can retain multiple connections but will have to shell out more for the cylinders. They will be priced thrice as much as the subsidised...

-The Pioneer With an average of 93 crime against SC/STs being reported daily, a number of dalit human rights groups on Thursday urged the Government to amend the SC/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the Winter Session of Parliament to ensure speedy trial and higher conviction for such crimes. These groups, united under National Coalition for Strengthening SCs and STs, have approached Congress president Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council and various political...

-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: An application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act filed with the state police by a city-based group revealed that in 95 per cent of the total cases of crime against women between 2001 and 2009, the investigation is either pending with the courts or is abandoned due to lack of any further leads. Citizen Resource and Action Initiative (CRANTI) had filed an RTI in 2009 with...

-Pratirodh.com Social activist and National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) leader Medha Patkar along with other activists demanded resignation of Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar for his involvement in Lavasa scam.   Here is the full statement:   Corruption of one politician after another in nexus with the builders and corporations are getting exposed. The scandals which were already investigated and prosecution initiated also are to be re-viewed in the renewed context and taken to...