-Live Mint Despite being declared unconstitutional by SC, ‘khaps' continue to hold sway in parallel with the state machinery Rohtak/Bhiwani: Ravinder Gehlawat and his wife Shilpa had been married for less than four months when they were marched out of their village-Dharana in Jhajjar district of Haryana-by men of the local community and warned never to return. Their fate was sealed on 24 April 2009 when the local khap panchayat, which translates...

-The Telegraph Kolkata: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the chief minister has asked district superintendents of police to initiate against Sudipta Sen cases of abetting the suicide of depositors. The SIT, led by director-general of police Naparajit Mukherjee, held a meeting today to discuss the strategy to pin down the Saradha Group chief for masterminding the default crisis that allegedly led five depositors to commit suicide in the districts. "Other...

-The United Nations The Asia-Pacific region, which has overtaken the rest of the world in consumption of raw materials as affluence and manufacturing increase, must boost its resource efficiency or risk losing ground in lifestyle, economic growth and environmental sustainability, according to a UN report released today. From 1970-2008, consumption of construction minerals increased 13.4 times, metal ores and industrial minerals consumption 8.6, fossil fuels 5.4, and biomass 2.7 times, according to...

-The Hindu Shramik Mukti Sanghatana appeals to Jayanthi Natarajan not to give final nod After rejecting a proposal last year, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has recommended clearance of land for the controversial Kalu dam in Thane district, drawing sharp criticism from activists and tribals affected by the project. A letter on Thursday to Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, conveyed their "utter shock and dismay"...

-The Indian Express In the wake of the collapse of the Saradha chit fund company, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry has asked all television channels - general entertainment as well as news and current affairs - to furnish details of their shareholding pattern and equity structure. This includes the Saradha Group. According to sources, the ministry's letter, sent on Friday, asks channels to inform whether there had been any changes in their...