-AFP UNITED NATIONS: Muslim and western nations on Friday overcame deep divisions to agree a historic United Nations declaration setting out a code of conduct for combating violence against women. Iran, Libya, Sudan and other Muslim nations agreed to language stating that violence against women and girls could not be justified by "any custom, tradition or religious consideration." Western nations, particularly from Scandinavia, toned down demands for references to gay rights and sexual...

-The Hindu A year after the United Progressive Alliance government passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, raising the age of consent for sex from 16 years to 18, the Group of Ministers (GoM) set up on Tuesday to suggest changes in the new draft law to check crimes against women has recommended reducing it to 16. Currently, Section 375 of the IPC says that one of the conditions for...

-Live Mint The Street Vendors Bill, 2012, is the first attempt to regulate urban street hawkers India’s more than 10 million street vendors should be registered on the basis of their Aadhaar numbers to ensure proper identification, a standing committee has recommended in its report on the Street Vendors Bill, 2012. “The Aadhaar card may be linked towards identification of street vendors,” the panel said in the report it submitted to the Lok...

-Live Mint Attempt to broad-base direct benefits transfer plan may help shore up the Congress’s standing among rural population The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government plans to include its flagship rural job guarantee programme in the second phase of its ambitious direct benefits transfer (DBT) plan, under which beneficiaries of social welfare programmes will receive money directly in their Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. The attempt to broad-base the cash transfer plan before several...

-The Telegraph Imphal: A book on Irom Sharmila, Iron Irom: Two Journeys, was released by Bollywood actor Abhay Deol, at a function in Mumbai on Friday on International Women’s Day. The book, jointly authored by documentary filmmaker and writer Minnie Vaid and poet-activist Irom Sharmila, was released at Kitab Khana in Mumbai. Abhay, a supporter of the rights crusader, promised to continue his support of Sharmila and creating awareness about her among his...