-Frontline A recession-hit world is only just waking up to the prospect of the coming food crisis resulting in a period of political turmoil with unexpected consequences.  For the third time in five years, the world is braced for another food crisis. Bad weather conditions are leading to projections of major production shortfalls in some of the world’s leading food suppliers. Substantially reduced access and sharp price increases are, therefore, expected to...

-The Economic Times The government may ban wheat exports by private traders under open general licence despite having enough stocks to feed the country for two years due to concerns about high global prices and the drought-like situation back home that has triggered a 20% rise in wheat futures in a month. "There are chances that private traders may divert all the available wheat in the market -- released at subsidised rates...

If you were a tad worried about the government`s intentions to censor free speech by controlling the internet and monitoring your access to the Web through a vague and draconian legal framework - `IT Rules, 2011`, followed by an attempt to pre-screen content on Google and Facebook - you haven`t seen anything yet. In mid-2011, the success of the internet and social media in bringing down dictatorships in Egypt and Libya...

The proposed criminalisation of consensual sex between youngsters in the 16-18 age group is seen as regressive and in denial of social realities. THE minimum age for consensual sex has been raised from 16 to 18 in the amended Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011, recently approved by the Union Cabinet. If approved by Parliament, this will make sexual activity with a person below 18 a criminal offence,...

Move to form body with 50 governments to oversee Internet governance The raging controversy over excessive state regulation of the Internet based on the IT Rules 2011 is now likely to be dwarfed by discussions in Geneva later this week on India's proposal to the United Nations General Assembly for government control of the Internet. Led by the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the Geneva meet is a multi-stakeholder discussion...