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Narmada authorities allowed to proceed with impunity


Even as the CAG audit findings find faults with SSNNL for diverting the central funds from canal construction to unintended purposes, permission has been granted to raise the Narmada dam height. Himanshu Upadhyaya. points out this irony and more.




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Uttarakhand tragedy: How we ignored the writing on the wall


As the massive disaster in flood-stricken Uttarakhand unfolds, Himanshu Upadhyaya draws attention to the glaring inadequacies in disaster management preparedness and risk reduction in the state, as well as the nation, as exposed by recent audits.




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How much do you know about the air you are breathing?


Red, yellow and green are not just about traffic lights any more. Colour coding the air quality in cities is a critical step towards dissemination of pollution data among citizens. But does India’s air quality index satisfy all the necessary conditions for optimal use? Sarath Guttikunda has more.




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Preparing for the future of RTI


If RTI applications continue to rise in number, it will not be too long before the system as we know collapses and will have to be overhauled. More suo motu disclosures are needed to avert this, writes Vivek Vaidyanathan.




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Judges under scrutiny


Despite recent concessions to be subject to Right to Information Act, the Supreme Court's attitude to the sunshine law remains a matter of concern, writes Pradeep Baisakh.




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Private, but not above the RTI


Recently, the Chennai High Court ruled that a PPP project falls within the ambit of the RTI Act. The court's reasoning gives hope for a more liberal interpretation of the law itself in the future. Shripad Dharmadhikary reports.




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Nothing secret about Panel reports


Central Information Commission asks MoEF to make an environment expert panel's report public, outlining arguments that could be used for disclosure of many other documents. Krishnaraj Rao writes.




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Cutting Through the Nike Vaporfly Controversy

The current version of Nike's controversial Vaporfly sneakers won’t be banned in competition, track and field’s world governing body ruled on Friday. That's likely to fuel further debate about whether the high-end racing shoes offer an unfair advantage. We took a look at the tech inside the shoes to see what all the fuss is about. Photo/Video: Alexander Hotz/WSJ




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Designer Eileen Fisher’s Future of Fashion

Fashion designer Eileen Fisher on trend-free fashion and the limits of technology.




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U.S. Markets Nervous About Direction of Europe

U.S. stock futures advanced, buoyed by gains in European markets, but caution prevailed given increasing worries about Spain's debt crisis. Paul Vigna has details on The News Hub. Photo: Bloomberg.




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Markets Cautiously Try to Rebound From Losses

Stocks edged higher, rebounding from sharp losses on Monday, though caution about Spain's debt crisis lingered ahead of a pivotal weekend election in Greece. Steven Russolillo reports on Markets Hub. Photo: Reuters.




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Rise in Bond Yields Fan Spain Bailout Fears

An ominous rise in Spanish government bond yields fanned speculation that the country might need a bailout of its own. Matt Phillips reports on Markets Hub. Photo: Reuters.




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CBS's Growth Outpaces Viacom

WSJ Heard on the Street's Miriam Gottfried visits Mean Street to shed light on how Viacom and CBS, since splitting into two companies in 2006, have experienced a role reversal in terms of growth. Photo: Getty Images.




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Antoni Porowski on the Future of Food

“Queer Eye” host Antoni Porowski explains why blueberries are better than cauliflower rice and predicts where he’ll be in a decade.




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Designer Mary Katrantzou To Debut Costumes for New York City Ballet

London fashion designer Mary Katrantzou is among four designers who created costumes for the new York City Ballet. Others include Carolina Herrera, Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton and Thom Browne.




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Teens Grapple With Social Media Burnout

Adults often think teens just zone out on Instagram and Snapchat, but when WSJ's Julie Jargon sat down with high schoolers in Sherman Oaks, Calif., they said there are times when social media socializing gets to them and they have to put the phone down. They also shared their decisions to make their accounts private or public-and why it's better not to post every feeling. Photo/Video: Emily Prapuolenis/The Wall Street Journal




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Whole Foods Sees Traffic Jump After Price Cuts

Competitors may especially worry about losing higher-income customers.




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Hershey CEO: Be Careful About Changing Iconic Brands

Hershey Chief Executive Michele Buck said food companies have to be careful about tinkering with beloved brands to make them healthier. She is joined by Wall Street Journal reporter Annie Gasparro. Photo: Gabe Palacio for The Wall Street Journal




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White House Outlines Three Phases to Restart Economy

President Trump outlined new federal guidelines on April 17 to reopen the country, saying governors should take a "phased and deliberate approach" to restart their state economies. Photo: William Volcov/Zuma Press




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How to Safely Groom Your Dog Between Haircuts

After weeks with nonessential businesses closed, many dog owners are stuck with shaggy pups that are barely recognizable. Gary Angell, co-owner and head groomer at My Two Dogs, shares his tips to keep your dog looking fresh while you wait. Photo: Adam Banicki/The Wall Street Journal




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Mixpanel CEO’s Unicorn Dreams Take a Back Seat to Cutting Costs

Mixpanel’s efforts to fuel rapid growth cost the startup, which is now struggling to regain its stature in a highly competitive industry.




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Tim Draper Puts Celebrity to Test With $190M Seed Fund

Tim Draper is putting his celebrity to work as a venture investor. The billionaire investor, who starred in the reality TV show Startup U and tried to make Silicon Valley its own state, has raised $190 million for a seed fund.





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The Future of the Eurozone

Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn talks with WSJ Deputy Managing Editor Alan Murray about Europe's debt crisis, its effect on the future Eurozone economy, and the ramifications for the auto industry in this excerpt from Tuesday's Viewpoints conversation.




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'BJP rout was clearly the swansong of Advani'

'The BJP ran a miserable campaign and the Third Front, happily, was clueless. It also showed the disutility of a negative campaign where the BJP could not proffer any viable policy alternatives to Congress,' says Professor Sumit Ganguly.




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'We drove out an evil force called Left'

'People of this state have suffered for long. Hence, their patience level is very low at the moment. We have to act double quick to improve the state of life in Bengal,' says senior Congress leader Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury.




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'Youth have to be taken on board'

'The demographics is that the majority of our voters and the majority of the population are youth, so we must make serious efforts,' says Biju Janata Dal MP 'Jay' Panda.




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In Greece, a Radical Triangular House Brings the Outdoors Inside

Greek architect Tilemachos Andrianopoulos provides a tour of his design: a triangular home that blurs the line between inside and the olive grove outside. "Even for a completely new structure, there is always something that already exists there," he says. Photo: Rob Alcaraz/The Wall Street Journal




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Rating our MPs: A few ground truths


What should be the yardstick of performance for our leaders in the Lok Sabha? Should they be held accountable for issues of governance in their local constituencies, or their legislative record in parliament? Kishore Mandyam explains his stance.




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Women MPs: At par, but rare still


Mainstream political parties do not give sufficient opportunity to women so that their representation has remained poor. Voters, however, view them as equal performers, as a recent survey has shown. Prabhu Mallikarjunan presents some interesting findings on the issue.




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Shock & awe on Hindutva Web sites

'There is more introspection already going on on these web sites than in New Delhi and state capitals, and there is more loud thinking than in the endless debates on our television channels.'




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All about last phase of LS election

All about last phase of LS election




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How Narendra Modi's propaganda won out in Gujarat

The proactive engagement with business and corporate leaders and the reciprocation in turn indicate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's ability to exploit the superficiality and lack of ideological depth on part of those preoccupied with profit and business isolated from a larger world view, feels Jatin Bhatt




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Modi has arrived. But is India ready?

Modi has arrived. Probably the country is not yet ready. Modi knows it. If Modi destroys the existing political consensus he will have to quickly replace it with another, notes M R Venkatesh.




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Why Doesn't Facebook Have a Dislike Button?

Supporters of a "dislike" button, which Facebook does not have, say the culture of Facebook has become too nice. WSJ's Andy Jordan reports from San Francisco on what some creative contrarions are doing to game the Facebook system to "get" a dislike button.




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Motion Sick? This Tech Company Thinks It Might Have a Solution

If you’ve read a book in a car, you probably know what motion sickness feels like. WSJ’s Tim Higgins visits Massachusetts-based ClearMotion, which is betting its suspension technology could provide a solution as we move closer towards a future with driverless cars. Photo: Max Esposito/WSJ




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The alleged sell-out that has left our fishermen fuming


An expert committee appointed to review the existing marine fishing policy and suggest a new one has come up with recommendations favouring the bigger, foreign players, drawing the ire of the smaller fishing community. P N Venugopal has more.




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Himachal power project under scrutiny


Kanchi Kohli reports from the public meetings on a Hydro Electric Project that involves diverting a river tributary near Manali in Himachal Pradesh.




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Some concrete solutions


India generates 100 million tonnes of fly ash each year, and close to 90% of this ends up in waste mounds. But Georg Dirk believes that 40% of this by-product of thermal power stations can be turned into cement, reducing energy costs, environmental pollution, and waste. Darryl D'Monte reports.




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Green, yes, but risky too


The central government has just announced that it plans to "dope" petrol with 5% of ethanol, a biofuel made from sugar cane, from November 1. However, this also poses some problems; cars, not people, will be responsible for most of the increase in global grain consumption this year, writes Darryl D'Monte.




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DISCOMs face a stark future


The energy sector is undergoing a massive transformation, with large customers option for direct access from producers and those in the middle looking for decentralised storage and consumption. Between these forces, the old distribution business faces serious risk, says a report from the Prayas Energy Group.




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The silent revolution


Despite the severe social and political constraints in our country, the last 10 years have witnessed steady progress in women's political empowerment in India. George Mathew takes stock.




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The women whose voices we seek to stifle, but can’t


High rhetoric and token gestures abound on International Women’s Day. Yet, a brave woman of the soil was threatened, attacked and prevented from holding a rally that would have voiced the real issues faced by many women. Freny Manecksha met Soni Sori days before she was attacked, and recounts her story.




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Should films have statutory warnings on violence against women?


A 90-second video put together by a group of women activists demands a pop-up statutory warning on screen every time a woman is assaulted or abused. Shoma Chatterji critiques the video, raising several questions over its content as well as the stance that it takes.




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A debt we can do without


While the West has abandoned the realism of the past century and has now turned to cooperation in pursuing common goals, South Asia remains trapped in this old paradigm, says Firdaus Ahmed.




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Malnutrition rampant, may trigger crisis


"India should be worried." Experts reiterate that child malnutrition is not only responsible for 22 per cent of India's disease burden - and for 50 per cent of the 2.3 million child deaths in India -- but is also a serious economic hazard. Neeta Lal reports.




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Institutionalising compensation for lost forests


A new Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha, ostensibly to re-green India, is actually a blow to the environment. Rather than conserve forests, it advocates market mechanisms to make money off afforestation in degraded lands. Kanchi Kohli writes.




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Uttarakhand Gujjars being ousted without compensation


A large number of Ban Gujjar tribal families remaining within the Rajaji National Park are facing constant harassment from the state forest department. Their rehabilitation is mired in red tape. Aparna Pallavi reports.




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A miner's shortcut to green clearance goes awry


A Jindal group-Government of Tamilnadu firm attempted to get forest clearance for mining in the Eastern Ghats forests of TN. Both the Ministry of Environment and a Supreme Court monitoring committee rejected clearance. Kanchi Kohli has more.




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'E' is for efficiency, but what about empathy?


The MoEF’s recent move introducing e-filing of applications for approval of forest land diversion may facilitate procedural agility and efficiency, but precludes the interpretation of environmental and human complexities critical to a fair process. Kanchi Kohli elaborates.