-IANS Gali Janardhana Reddy, a struggling businessman who became a billionaire in less than a decade and dictated terms to BJP in Karnataka, completes a year behind bars Sep 5 on charges of illegal mining. The former Karnataka BJP minister, however, continues to make news -- for wrong reasons though, like cash-for-bail deal which has sent his brother Gali Somashekara, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator, also to jail. The third Reddy brother...

-People's Democracy IT seems the Sheila Dixit government of Delhi, backed by powerful elements in the UPA-2 Central Government, will let nothing stand in the way of water privatisation in the capital. Several earlier attempts going back many years to fully or partially privatise distribution of water, especially the big loan application to the World Bank in 2005, were foiled by vigilant community organisations, public interest groups, trade unions and political...

-The Times of India The Central Bureau of Investigation is set to register FIRs in the Coalgate scam on Tuesday morning and conduct raids at the premises of those private players who got coal blocks by misrepresenting facts. Sources said the first set of FIRs into the alleged irregularities in the allocation and utilization of coal deposits may cover eight to ten private companies and are likely to be filed after these...

-The Hindu The All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) on Monday expressed concern over dismantling of the Group of Ministers (GoM) set up in mid-2010 to examine the issue of crimes and killings in the name of “honour”. “Commitment” AIDWA president Shyamali Gupta said: “This GoM was constituted under the chairmanship of former Union Finance Minister [and President] Pranab Mukherjee to suggest legal and other measures for dealing with these crimes and killing. The...

-The Times of India Non-government wildlife experts on board the PM-chaired National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) are planning to write a joint letter to PM Manmohan Singh complaining of alleged illegalities and malpractices of the environment ministry. In a move that could further embarrass the government, they are also considering using the letter to the PM later in the Supreme Court to oppose some green clearances given by the ministry and some...