-TheWire.in The law will benefit only a minuscule percentage of women, while ignoring the majority who are working as contractual labour, farmers, self-employed women and housewives. New Delhi: The passage of the landmark Maternity Benefits Act 1961 by the Indian parliament, which mandates 26 weeks of paid leave for mothers as against the existing 12, has generated more heartburn than hurrahs due to its skewed nature. The law will also facilitate ‘work from...

-IPSNews.net UNITED NATIONS: Millions of children still die before reaching their fifth birthday every year, according to the 2016 State of The World’s Children Report released here Tuesday by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The report, which is released annually, shows that a country’s income does not always determine progress in child mortality. Many poorer countries are outpacing their richer neighbours in reducing their mortality rates, and some rapidly growing economies –...

-IPSNews.net UNITED NATIONS: Despite their contribution to social justice, civil society organisations came under “serious attack” in 109 countries in 2015, according to a new report published by CIVICUS Monday. “Civil society freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly have been under serious attack in 109 countries around the world in 2015 alone,” said Mandeep Tiwana, Head of Policy and Analysis at CIVICUS, an international organisation representing civil society organisations, at a...

-The Hindu “Accountability is a facet of the rule of law.” This established legal principle has acquired fresh significance after the Supreme Court ruled that the armed forces cannot escape investigation for excesses in the course of the discharge of their duty even in “disturbed areas”. In such notified areas, security personnel enjoy statutory protection for their use of “special powers”. While hearing petitions demanding an inquiry into 1,528 deaths in...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday barred former additional solicitor general (ASG) Indira Jaising's NGO Lawyers Collective from receiving foreign funds for 180 days with immediate effect and asked why its licence under the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act, 2010, should not be cancelled over misuse and diversion of foreign contributions, including for payment of Rs 96.60 lakh as remuneration to Jaising while she was ASG. Lawyers Collective was...