-Outlook Gutka lobby protests stick’s escape Law On Their Side The tobacco industry has enough clout and money to secure the support of top politicians-cum-lawyers in courts:     Arun Jaitley: ITC, market leader in cigarettes     Ram Jethmalani and Abhishek Manu Singhvi: Dharampal Satyapal Ltd     Kapil Sibal: Dhariwal industries *** Just about two months back, newspaper readers were taken aback by a series of front-page ads, one of which stated how 14 states had had banned...

-The United Nations The credibility of the Internet depends on how much civil society – the broad label given to worldwide activism outside government – is able to take part in its evolution, a United Nations independent expert said today. “Civil society participation is essential to ensure legitimacy of global discussions on the future of (the) Internet,” the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Frank La Rue,...

-Outlook In the backdrop of the brutal rape of a 23-year-old paramedical student in the city, the Indian Women's Press Corps today met Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and demanded systemic and institutional interventions to check the rising crimes against women in the capital. A four-member delegation of the IWPC comprising president T K Rajalakshmi, general secretary Mannika Chopra, vice president Shobhna Jain and senior columnist Neerja Chowdhury met the CM and submitted...

-PTI Parliament on Thursday paved the way for corporate houses to enter the banking sector by approving the banking bill, a key reform legislation pending for long. Parliament also passed the amendments to the debt recovery laws or Sarfesi law after a reply by finance minister P Chidambaram on the combined discussion on the two bills in Rajya Sabha. These two Bills -- Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2012, and Enforcement of Security Interest...

-The Indian Express The Zee-Jindal issue came up in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour on Tuesday with members expressing their concern over unethical practices in the media, including paid news and unfair reporting. While some members underlined the need for regulating the media, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari maintained that self-Regulation was the best option. He offered to have a detailed discussion on the issue and maintained...