-The Times of India Lucknow: In a big surprise, women have won nearly 44% of the pradhan seats in panchayat polls across UP, challenging the myth that elections at the rural level in this state are essentially a male-dominated affair. This means that 11% of total winners are women who won the seats in the general category, over and above the 33% seats reserved for them. "The results are proof of women...

-The Hindu Meerut: According to officials in the Lucknow police headquarters, over 100 people have been arrested and 25 cases filed in the last one week. Uttar Pradesh is on the boil again. In just about three weeks, there were as many as a dozen incidents of communal violence. Nine districts of the State, including urban areas like Kanpur, Mianpuri, Kannauj, Pratapgarhm, remained tense because of communal clashes during Durga idol immersion and...

-Business Standard Marriages on hold, children being returned from schools over unpaid fees; the rural economy is bearing the brunt of unseasonal rains, a crisis in the sugar cane sector and a fall in prices of farm pro Hapur/ Meerut: In the mid-afternoon, when most farmers are returning home to rest, Rana Ranjit Singh is sweating buckets on his farm in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district, searching for vegetables left undamaged after untimely...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The comptroller and auditor general (CAG) is finalizing a report on yet another instance of massive loss to the state exchequer because of favours shown to private parties by the political establishment. The CAG's audit report on the Taj Expressway project could also find place among India's biggest scams, with successive Uttar Pradesh governments being accused of causing loss of thousands of crores to the...

-The Hindustan Times The Congress-led government in Kerala has decided to set up an exclusive fast-track court to deal with sexual atrocities against women and children. Announcing this here on Wednesday, chief minister Oommen Chandy said the court would be set up in Kochi immediately. “We have decided to sanction 18 new posts to set up a new additional and district court in Kochi. This court would deal only with cases...