-The United Nations   An independent United Nations expert on freedom of expression today warned that governments are increasingly restricting the flow of information on the Internet due to its potential to mobilize people to challenge the status quo. Frank La Rue, a Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today: “Governments are using increasingly sophisticated technologies to block content, and to monitor and identify...

-The Times of India   The ministry of petroleum and natural gas on Saturday said that kerosene allocation to Gujarat has been reduced, keeping in view the substantial LPG penetration in the state. Gujarat's monthly quota of kerosene for distribution under the public distribution system (PDS) has been slashed by 32.19% from 76,712 kilolitres (KL) in 2010-11 to 52,020 KL in 2011-12, effective from June 1. The state government had raised...

Rs 3 lakh – that's the price a pharmaceutical company has paid to the family of a person who died in their clinical trial. Others weren't even this lucky. According to the Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI) records, 25 people died in clinical trials carried out by nine pharmaceutical companies in 2010. Families of five of these victims received "compensation for trial related death" — the amount ranging from Rs...

-The Times of India   While participation of the Anna Hazare group in the drafting of the Lokpal Bill to check corruption in public life is uncertain, the government is set to draw a line that will see a conditional inclusion of the prime minister and exclusion of higher judiciary and actions of MPs in Parliament. Despite having opened the web of consultations wide with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee seeking the opinions...

Brushing aside protests from a section of landowners, a determined district administration today stepped up its land acquisition drive in Gadakujang and Nuagaon gram panchayats. Simultaneously, the authorities also worked out strategies for taking up the drive in the Dhinkia gram panchayat, the nerve-centre of anti-Posco movement. “The land acquisition process was peaceful barring a few cases where people expressed unwillingness but we managed to prevail over them,” said special land acquisition...