-The Economic Times When the voting stops on August 19, the scorecard, which is currently 9-0, may well read 12-0. An emphatic and embarrassing rejection of state and corporate plans to mine bauxite atop the Niyam Dongar hilltop in the Kalahandi district of Odisha. Twelve tribal villages that call this mountain range home have, in all likelihood, secured their religious rights over the hill and its natural resources, including 72 million...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said intercepted phone conversations of former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia indicated her alleged influence in every field of decision-making and wondered why investigating agencies, despite being aware of the Radia tape contents, did not take action for four years. "We are unable to appreciate one thing. Virtually in every field, which should be with the government, a private person, call her...

-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: It is not only the opposition parties but cooking gas distributors also want the UPA government to delay the implementation of direct benefit transfer of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) scheme. They fear there would be problems and errors in meeting the stiff timelines as authorities rush to transfer cash directly to the bank accounts of 14 crore consumers before general election next year. "The government is in...

-The Hindu     While denying voting rights to undertrials contradicts the principle that a person is innocent until proved guilty, disenfranchising convicts will aggravate their alienation from society The Supreme Court's decision last month in Chief Election Commissioner v. Jan Chaukidar has attracted significant attention for its perceived potential to address the criminalisation of politics. Justices A.K Patnaik and S.J. Mukhopadhaya ruled that since one of the conditions to be a candidate under...

-ANI WASHINGTON: Volunteers and Friends of Aam Aadmi Party in the United States, Singapore and Australia organized protests during the weekend against the planned amendment to the Right to Information (RTI) Act in the upcoming parliament session. The protests were planned to show the strong public demand for transparency in political parties as well as the anger against the any amendments to the act by vested interests. Protesters gathered in front of the...