-The United Nations Despite significant progress in meeting international development goals for women's empowerment, gaps in key areas remain, which require a renewed effort from all partners to better integrate gender issues into the overall quest for sustainable development, a United Nations gender equality official said today. "It is ... essential to harness the synergies between gender equality, women's Rights and empowerment with sustainable development in its three dimensions - economic, social,...

-The Business Standard India has emerged as a "voice" in climate change and trade negotiations. The already industrialised countries say that India is obstinate, strident and unnecessarily obstructionist in crucial global debates. The problem is not that India is loud - this it needs to be. The fact is that, while ecological and economic globalisation are interlinked and irrevocable, there is a fundamental weakness in the overall rules that govern these...

-Outlook Rights group People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) today asked West Bengal Human Rights Commission chairperson Justice (retd) A K Ganguly to step down from his post after being indicted by an apex court panel for "unwelcome behaviour" and "conduct of sexual nature" towards a law intern. It said WBHRC chairperson should "gracefully tender his resignation" from his post to uphold the dignity of the high office and also to uphold...

-Outlook   The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights today sought the views of NGOs, working for child Rights, on Women and Child Development Ministry's proposal to treat youngsters above 16 years of age guilty of heinous crimes on par with adult offenders. NCPCR chairperson Kushal Singh held a meeting with 40 NGOs which voiced their concern about the Ministry's seeking an amendment in the Juvenile Justice Act according to which youngsters...

-The Hindu Article 370 was and is about providing space, in matters of governance, to the people of a State who felt deeply vulnerable about their identity and insecure about the future. At the Bharatiya Janata Party's recent Lalkar rally in Jammu, its prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, called for a debate on Article 370. This is encouraging and suggests that the BJP may be willing to review its absolutist stance on...