-The Hindustan Times Guwahati: Is it a coincidence that the militancy-mauled Northeast has had a large number of retired police, intelligence, army and paramilitary officers as governors? The first among them was general SM Shrinagesh, who took charge of undivided Assam in two phases, the first of which began in 1959. The separatism-troubled Naga Hills were then part of Assam. And now, former Delhi police commissioner KK Paul has replaced former BSF and...

-The Economic Times The monsoon made a dream start this year. Bountiful rainfall in June has prepared the ground for bumper harvest and lower food inflation. But don't celebrate. Look beyond the immediate future and good monsoon this year may not really be good news. It has merely delayed an agricultural crisis, which our complacent policymakers perhaps need to jolt them into action. With food demand rising in step with the growing...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: Patients infected with the human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) in the Northeastern states have been unable to undergo a key test required to start anti-HIV drugs for several weeks because of delays in procurement by government agencies, patient interest groups said today. The Indian Drug Users Forum said several government HIV-treatment centres across Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura are facing a "complete stock-out" of biochemical reagents that measure levels...

-The Indian Express Mumbai: Residents of Mumbra, a suburb Northeast of Mumbai and known to many as the place where Ishrat Jahan lived, suffer from a feeling of insecurity and a perception of discrimination, according to a study commissioned by the Maharashtra government's minority development department. The preliminary findings of the 2011 study, conducted by Dr Ranu Jain of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, were presented to the government Friday. The study,...

-The Economic Times PUNE: After receiving a 32% above-average rainfall in June, the country is likely to get good rainfall in July too. According to IMD officials, the Madden-Julian Oscillations (MJO) has become favourable for the monsoon and will result in good rainfall from mid-July. This will benefit kharif crops, which have been sown early due to timely monsoon. D Shivanand Pai, head of IMD's long-range forecasting division, said, "The Madden-Julian Oscillation...