-The Hindu It has managed to retain stabilisation of its HIV/AIDS epidemic, holding on to prevalence rate of 0.25 % With the UNAIDS report putting India among the nations with a 50 per cent or over drop in HIV incidence rate (new infections), this is clearly good news for the country. Down south, Tamil Nadu, once considered a high-prevalence State, also has good news. The State has managed to retain stabilisation of its...

-The Telegraph Take a quiz. Here are the clues. The honeymoon has soured and the great hope sunk The government is under the shadow of kickbacks allegations The government decides to call criticism “grossly indecent”, “scurrilous” and “intended for blackmail” and crucify the critics The government wants to prescribe a minimum period of jail for the critics. Now the question: Name the year and the government. That was the summer of 1988. The Rajiv Gandhi government had run...

-The Times of India Your favourite restaurant may soon get legal protection for its centuries old recipe with the government starting discussion on possible norms for trade secrets. The latest intellectual property right (IPR), which draws upon an established practice in several countries, may actually cover everything from manufacturing processes to sales and distribution methods, ad strategies and client and vendor lists — a move that could provide comfort to companies...

-The Hindu Any political benefit the Congress hopes to reap in 2014 will come at the cost of reducing the effectiveness of social welfare schemes In getting its ministers to endorse the shift to cash transfers from the AICC office in New Delhi, the Congress has highlighted the political nature of the move. The party clearly expects cash transfers to play the same role for it in 2014 that the National Rural...

-Outlook Against the backdrop of the latest case of alleged honour killing, the Law Commission has recommended making it a non-bailable offence but disagreed with Supreme Court's suggestion that death sentence be applied to all such cases. The Commission had also asked the government to explore the possibility of a new law to prohibit unlawful caste assemblies (like Khaps) which take decisions to condemn marriages not prohibited by law. "No person or any...