-The Indian Express   The world's population will reach 7 billion in five days, the UN has said as it urged the global community to seize the opportunity and invest in health and education of its youth. Actions taken now will decide whether the future will be healthy, sustainable and prosperous or marked by inequalities, environmental decline and economic setbacks, a United Nations report has said. "The world must seize the opportunity to invest...

Prof. Thomas Pogge of Yale University on Tuesday strongly advocated the need for global institutional reforms to eradicate poverty, ensure Human Rights and secure global justice. He suggested establishing a Health Impact Fund (HIF) to complement the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Prof. Pogge made these observations while delivering the First Dr. Arjun K. Sengupta Memorial Lecture at O. P. Jindal Global University in Sonepat near Delhi. Prof. Pogge said:...

-The United Nations   The United Nations independent expert on the right to food cautioned today that smallholder farmers face the risk of exploitation under contract farming arrangements with processing or marketing companies, and recommended mechanisms that could ensure that such agreements are fairer. “Contract farming for its benefits, which I am not denying, nevertheless locks farmers into one segment of the food chain,” said Olivier De Schutter, the Special Rapporteur on the...

‘Our police are capable of shouldering tasks with capacity and calibre' Some parts of Kashmir may soon be free from the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), thus paving the way for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), a long pending demand of political parties and Human Rights groups. An indication to this effect was given by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at a police commemoration day function at Zewan, near...

-The Times of India   Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and newly-formed NATGRID have joined the exclusive list of organizations that are exempted from sharing information under the RTI Act except for the matters pertaining to allegations of corruption and Human Rights violations. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had approved in June that these three organizations would be spared from sharing information under the second schedule of the RTI Act....