-The Hindustan Times It’s official. Sex between individuals below the age of 18, even if consensual, is a crime. However, the new rules — notified on Wednesday to enforce the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act — failed to address how law enforcing agents can identify the accused and the victim when both the persons involved are minors. This concern was raised by several state governments. “It is a highly complicated...

-Deccan Herald A 15-year-old girl from Siwan, Bihar, was admitted in critical condition to the burns unit of Safdarjung hospital, after a classmate threw acid on her leading to complete blindness in one eye, burnt face, and breathing, speaking and hearing impairment. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has asked the Bihar government to release immediate financial assistance for the child’s treatment.  Tuba Tabassum, a class-X student, left for tuition...

-The Hindu Wrapped in a shawl turned grey from grime, the three-month-old baby girl was brought to meet this correspondent near the Taimur Nagar police post. “How do you like her,” the girl’s maternal aunt, Rahima, asked. “I know she is too skinny, so she looks horrible. But one month of proper food, and she will turn healthy. Look, her features are so sharp.” Rahima had made contact hoping to sell the...

-The Indian Express The number of polio cases worldwide reached a record low in 2012, giving experts confidence that the disease can finally be eradicated, according to presentations made at a major US conference. Just 177 cases were recorded globally through October 2012, down from 502 during the same period last year, said virologists attending the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Atlanta. But the experts said...

-The Hindustan Times Millions of Parents and their children may soon no longer have to bear the risks associated with unregulated playschools with dubious teaching methods and crumbling infrastructure that often charge high fees but fail to deliver on promises. The human resource development (HRD) ministry, headed by newly appointed MM Pallam Raju, on Thursday got state governments to agree to expand the Right to Education Act (RTE) to cover preschools. Under...