HEADLINES

• Audio clips of the Lokpal Bill panel proceedings to be made public pursuant to RTI plea
• Gujarat IPS Officers' Association backs Sajeev Bhatt and family against the victimisation
• Five Gujarat policement suspended for negligence that led to escape of Sohrabuddin case witness
• Today, October 10, 2011 is World Mental Health Day

NATIONAL NEWS

• India-China border mechanism by year end; to resume defence dialogue early next year
  • Putting the recent exchanges over oil explorations in the South China Sea to the side, the countries may reach an agreement by the year end on border incursions & resume defence dialogue after that;
  • These initiatives add to the impetus provided by the first-ever Strategic Economic Dialogue, an idea proposed by India's PM during which time the parties discussed water and energy issues, etc;
  • The upcoming boundary talks will be the 15th round of talks between the countries.
• Traditional mindsets and cultural sanctions prevent India's fulfilment of U.N obligations
  • India has told the U.N that traditional mindsets and culturally sanctioned practices continue to affect the degree of fulfilment of obligations uder the Optional Protocol on the rights of the Child, the Sale of Childrenm, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, 2011. The original protocol was ratified by India in September 2005;
  • The recently launched Integrated Child Protection Scheme is said to contribute to the improvement of children but many cultural practices continue to exploit young girls;
  • India has also admitted that limited follow-up and monitoring is also a mojor drawback in the system.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• NATO backed air and ground attack on Sirte, Libya which is the last Gaddafi controlled bastion
• IAEA team in Japan to start thyroid tests for radiation exposure post-Fukushima incident

EDITORIALS, OPINIONS & COLUMNS

• Here is a good lead on the revival of the paid news scam
• India's role in the development of Afghanistan is discussed in this article
• Here's a good discussion on why Myanmar has halted work on the dam being built with Chinese help
• Here's a very good discussion on the actual issues relating to the proposals for Tribals in the new mining bill.

EMINENT PERSONS IN THE NEWS

• Here is an article on Tawakkol Karman, the first Arab woman from Yemen to receive the Nobel Peace Prize which was awarded to her and shared with two others a few days ago.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS NEWS

• Here is a summary of the various policy changes that have been inititated by the Govt in the recent past
• Stricter Norms for Hazardous units, night shifts for women proposed
  • Stricter norms for hazardous units, changes to allow women to work on night shifts, increase in the limit of overtime work to over 100 hours and concessions for disabled people are some of the proposed changes to the Factories Act, 1948. The lats set of amendments was in 1987;
  • The amendments are necessitated following the ratification of the ILO convention No.174 by India.