-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The debate over Section 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) continues to dominate discussions in public forums. Author Vikram Seth, who has been vocal about his views since the Supreme Court verdict recriminalized gay sex last week, on Saturday used the platform of the Rashtrapati Bhavan to slam Section 377. In the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee on the dais and senior leaders...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: An Indian government laboratory released a formulation of salt fortified with iodine and iron for mass consumption, calling it a tool to combat anaemia and iodine deficiency, without adequate and rigorous evidence to show that it increases blood haemoglobin levels, scientists have said. The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, has shared the formulation and production technology for its double fortified salt (DFS) with seven salt-producing companies, some...

-IPS News Bhubaneswar: More than a month after Cyclone Phailin battered Orissa, tribes in the eastern Indian coastal state are still feeling its wrath. Besides the damage to their homes and hearths, it has also meant a loss of their traditional food. "Calamities like Cyclone Phailin affect all equally, but the tribes are far more vulnerable to the impact of calamities because of lesser resilience," Special Relief Commissioner P.K. Mahapatra tells IPS. This...

The Pension Parishad is holding a dharna in Delhi for the rights of elderly since 26 November. It has demanded that a Universal and Non Contributory Old Age Pension System should be established with a minimum dignified amount of monthly pension not less than 50% of minimum wage or Rs 2000/- per month, whichever is higher. Despite several rounds of talk held between the campaign leaders and the Government in...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has viewed seriously ineffective implementation of series of directions to curb custodial deaths and sought explanation from the Centre and states after being informed that nearly 12,000 persons died - either in jail or in police stations - in last five years. A bench of Justices S S Nijjar and F M I Kalifulla was pained when amicus curiae A M Singhvi moved...