-The Indian Express Government must step up private sector involvement in agricultural research. Why Bharat Ratna awardee C.N.R. Rao called the acts of politicians "idiotic" is for him to elaborate. Perhaps he was referring to those advocating a ban on GM research in India. After all, Rao has vehemently urged a five-fold increase in funding for research and development in agriculture. That includes research on GM crops. On the food front, we have...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: A detailed audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India of some major trusts run by business houses and sports bodies has allegedly revealed misuse of income tax exemptions granted to them. Among them are at least two Tata trusts and a number of state cricket associations. The audit report, one of the first to be signed by the new CAG, S K Sharma,...

-The Times of India WARSAW: Though the ongoing climate talks has failed to bring cheer to developing countries as rich nations have, so far, not made any commitment to set aside a corpus to battle global warming, hope springs eternal for the negotiators. They are expecting that the high-level ministerial round may throw up a pleasant surprise, where developed countries would finally pledge a sum -$20-$30 billion annually - for assisting poor...

-The Telegraph Thiruvananthapuram: The Centre's move to implement an ecology panel's report on conservation of the Western Ghats has provoked a call for a 48-hour civil disobedience agitation by the Catholic Church in Kerala, starting Sunday midnight. The Church claims the K. Kasturirangan report, notified on Wednesday, will hit the livelihoods of farmers living in the "high ranges" - foothill areas bordering the forests - and force them to relocate. Green activists deny...

-The Hindustan Times New Delhi: In the run-up to the 2014 general elections, it's party time in India. No fewer than 142 political parties have been registered with the Election Commission in the past two months. From 1,392 parties in August-September, the number swelled to 1,534 by mid-November. Godmen, builders, property dealers and retired bureaucrats are among those who have floated the parties, ostensibly to have a say in the world's largest democracy. Election...