-The Times of India CHENNAI: More than 6,500 Indians are living an uncertain life in prisons in 80 foreign countries, half of them in three Gulf countries. The Gulf countries have the largest number of Indian prisoners, with 1,691 in Kuwait, 1,161 in Saudi Arabia and 1,012 in the UAE. Among the neighbours, Pakistan holds 253 Indians in its prisons, China has 157 of them and Sri Lanka 63. Languishing in the...

-Outlook Geneva: For the first time, a UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women will visit India next week to assess the overall situation of violence against women at a time when questions are being raised on the safety and security of women there. Rashida Manjoo, the Special Rapporteur, charged by the Human Rights Council to monitor violence against women, its causes and consequences worldwide, will meet with government authorities and...

-Live Mint CCEA clears recommendations on sugar sector made by Rangarajan panel; subsidy burden to rise Pushing ahead with long-pending reforms of the sugar industry, the cabinet on Thursday approved the dismantling of rules requiring sugar mills to sell the sweetener at below-market prices through the public distribution system (PDS) and abolished curbs on open market sale. The cabinet committee on economic affairs cleared the recommendations made by a panel headed by C....

-The Times of India The government is redrafting the anti-rape law following serious concerns raised by Cabinet members that the proposed legislation was loosely-worded and open to misuse, and did not account for new social realities of a growing women workforce and inadequacies of law enforcing agencies. The criminal law amendment bill was urgently referred to a group of ministers after objections were raised at Tuesday morning's Cabinet meeting over the formulation...

-The Business Standard Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) has denied allegation by a Sri Lankan interest group that the Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu was leaking radiation, and said the phase 1 of the project would be ready soon and power production would start by April-end. The Sri Lankan group, the People's Movement Against Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, on Saturday alleged that the plant had been leaking radiation since February...