-Outlook Bhubaneswar: In another setback to the Odisha government's plan for bauxite mining for Vedanta on the Niyamgiri hills, an eleventh Gram Sabha and the penultimate one of the scheduled 12 to be held, today voted against the proposal. The Gram Sabha or village meeting at Khambesi village in Rayagada district unanimously rejected the proposal with all its 72 members, including 49 women, saying no. The members said the mining would severely affect...

-Outlook Expressing concern over the recent tragedy in Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court today prohibited setting up of any new hydroelectric power project in the state and directed the Centre to constitute an expert body to study environmental degradation caused by such projects. The court directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Uttarakhand government not to grant any further environmental or forest clearance for any hydroelectric power project until further orders. "We...

-FoodFirst.org NEW YORK CITY-Five innovative grassroots groups from across the globe working for democratic access to land, seeds, water and food have been honored with the 2013 Food Sovereignty Prize, the US Food Sovereignty Alliance announced today. Winners of the fifth annual Food Sovereignty Prize were chosen from among more than 40 inspiring projects creating on-the-ground solutions to hunger and poverty, said the alliance, a network of food justice, anti-hunger, labor, environmental,...

-The Hindu     In June, the CIC ruled that political parties should come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act In a landmark judgment, in June this year, the Central Information ComMISsion (CIC) ruled that political parties should come within the ambit of the Right to Information Act. The CIC order noted: "We have no hesitation in concluding that INC/AICC, BJP, CPI(M), CPI, NCP and BSP have been substantially financed by the...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday refuted allegations levelled by IAS officer AshokKhemka that the beneficiaries of land deals in Faridabad included his "aunt". Hooda also rejected allegations of irregularities in land deals levelled by Khemka in his recent communique to the chief secretary. Hooda said while the woman mentioned by Khemka was an inhabitant of his native village Sanghi, she was no relative...