The report was produced by the Verma Committee, which was named after former Chief Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma and set up in the wake of the death of a 23-year-old woman whose gang-rape in New Delhi last month sparked nationwide protests.

“This report and its far-reaching recommendations are not only a tribute to the brave young woman who was raped and murdered five weeks ago, but to all victims of sexual violence and assault in India,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

“It is also a testament to the power of the young women and men of India, and the broader civil society, who have joined hands across the nation to say ‘Enough is Enough’.”

Pillay saluted Justice Verma and the Committee on producing a thorough report so quickly, and for involving women’s groups and civil society so fully in the process.

The report recommends a number of far-reaching changes, including punishment for marital rape, domestic rape and rape in same-sex relationships; requiring police officers to register every case of reported rape and ensuring that those who fail to do so face serious repercussions; ensuring accountability of police or armed forces personnel for sexual violence; and punishing offences such as stalking and voyeurism with prison terms.

Pillay praised the report for eschewing the death penalty and any lowering of the age of juvenile perpetrators, opting instead for heavy prison sentences ranging from seven years to life imprisonment.

The report also calls for a change in the way rape victims are treated by changing the humiliating protocol for medical examinations they experience; cracking down on extra-legal village councils, known as khap panchayats, which often issue edicts against women; implementing measures to improve sexuality education in schools and the community; and making new legal requirements and electoral reforms to ensure that people charged with criminal offences may not hold political office.

“The Committee’s recommendations are grounded in a framework of rights, equality and non-discrimination, and represent a paradigm shift towards recognition of women as holders of rights, not just objects of protection,” Pillay said. “The report should serve as a beacon for many other countries struggling to respect the rights of women more comprehensively by addressing sexual violence through legislation, policies and programmes.”

Pillay acknowledged some steps already taken by the Government, including the establishment of fast-track courts, and urged all political leaders of the country to rally around the Verma report and make it a national priority to execute its recommendations. She also reiterated her office’s readiness to assist in any aspect of the report’s implementation.

Between 2000 and 2011, measles deaths dropped from 542,000 to 158,000 globally, representing a 71 per cent decrease. New cases also dropped during the same period by 58 per cent, according to new data released by the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

However, the agency warned that despite global progress, some populations remain unprotected, with an estimated 20 million children lacking vaccinations. More than half of them are concentrated in five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan. India has the largest number of unvaccinated children – 6.7 million – followed by Nigeria and Ethiopia with 1.7 million and 1 million, respectively.

In 2011, outbreaks of the disease were reported in all five countries, as well as France, Italy and Spain. Most of these countries are in WHO regions which have committed to eliminate measles by 2015 or 2020.

Measles is a highly infectious disease that occurs through the spread of nasal and oral fluids and causes complications and deaths, even in previously healthy individuals. It is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe vaccine is available.

“The measles outbreaks pose a serious challenge to the regional elimination efforts and signal where national health systems and routine immunization programmes need strengthening,” WHO stated in a news release. “Resuming progress in reducing measles cases and deaths means strengthening health systems so that they can provide effective immunization services and laboratory-supported surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases to all children.”

The new data, published in WHO’s Weekly Epidemiological Record, shows overall progress in reducing deaths is linked largely to increased vaccination coverage. Two doses of measles vaccine are recommended by WHO since about 15 per cent of vaccinated children fail to develop immunity from the first dose.

The UN health agency noted that the outbreaks indicate the need to ensure that parents are fully aware of the benefits of immunization and the risks associated with not vaccinating children.

Since 2000, with support from the Measles & Rubella Initiative, more than one billion children have been reached through mass vaccination campaigns ? about 225 million of them in 2011.

Launched in 2001, the Measles & Rubella Initiative is a partnership — led by the American Red Cross, the UN Foundation, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO — committed to reducing measles deaths worldwide.

In April, the partners of the Initiative introduced a new global plan to jointly tackle measles and rubella using the same strategy and a combined vaccine. The new Measles & Rubella Initiative aims to reduce measles deaths worldwide by 95 per cent between by 2015 and to eliminate measles and rubella in at least five of six WHO regions by 2020.

The young woman’s body was cremated in a private ceremony on Sunday soon after its arrival from Singapore, where she died at a hospital on Saturday after being sent for medical treatment.

The death of the 23-year-old student who was gang raped and assaulted should spur decisive action by the Indian government to combat sexual violence, Human Rights Watch said in report on Saturday.

The woman, a paramedical student whose name has not been made public, and a male friend were traveling in a private bus in New Delhi on December 16 when five men and a youth under 18 raped and assaulted her and beat her friend. The woman suffered severe injuries and was transferred to a hospital in Singapore, where she died.

The police have arrested the accused and are expected to file charges in the first week of January 2013.

“This murderous gang rape is a sobering reminder of the pervasive sexual violence that women and girls across India suffer,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director. “The government needs to act now to prevent sexual assault, aggressively investigate and prosecute perpetrators, and ensure the dignified treatment of survivors.”

The New Delhi gang rape highlighted the widespread problem of sexual violence in India, Human Rights Watch said.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,206 rape cases were registered in India in 2011, and experts say the number of unreported cases of sexual assault is much higher.

After her death, thousands of  mourners marched through various cities including New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore demanding stronger protection for women and the death penalty for rape, which is now punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment, Al Jazeera reported.

Following the New Delhi attack, the Indian central government formed a three-member commission headed by former Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma, to “review the present laws so as to provide speedier justice and enhanced punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault.”

While the government’s swift action to create a commission to review punishment for aggravated sexual assault is an important step, reform of the criminal law and procedure, plus improved treatment of survivors, is needed to ensure justice for sexual assault victims, Human Rights Watch said.

In the case of India, the attitude of the police towards rape was put under scrutiny when two undercover Tehelka’s reporters posed as research scholars to interview 30 police officers in the Delhi–National Capital Region. Tehelka reported that senior cops of a dozen police stations across Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad were caught on camera blaming everything from revealing clothes to having boyfriends as the main reasons for rape. Further more, some of them believed that if a woman has consensual sex with one man, then she can’t complain if his friends  join in.

Therefore, as for India, any investigations following a case of rape can be expected to be driven by prejudice, a lack of accuracy and respect, and a low rate of conviction of the perpetrators.

The situation is not different in other countries. A 2012 report by Human Rights Watch on the “Imprisonment of Women and Girls for ‘Moral Crimes’ in Afghanistan” describes similar injustices perpetrated against female victims of rape or sexual assault. The report states that prejudices of those entrusted with enforcing the law help male perpetrators of sexual violence to get away with it. The report reveals that “when women decide to leave because of abusive relationships and unhappiness,” male family members control them by making false accusations and the “ authorities [are] too willing to accept their allegations at face value.”

The report analysed three dozen cases and in most cases the judges allowed their own discretion to prevail: in the case of Tahmina J., 18, instead of pursuing her allegations of rape, the court’s decision warned that women should know that it is not safe for them to go out at night. As a result, she was convicted of zina, a broad meaning that indicates any haram (prohibited) act, and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

The problem touches every continent. For example, violence against Native American women in the United States is perpetrated at an astronomical level. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs described the plight of Native American women as a human rights crisis. Amnesty International reported that Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be stalked and their murder rate is 10 times the national average. Most disconcerting is that Native women report that the perpetrators of more than 85 percent of sexual assaults are non-Native men, as stated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In Colombia at least two women are raped every hour, according to the Instituto Nacional de Medicine Legal y Ciencias Dorenses (National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Colombia). In 2011, a number of groups, including Oxfam and the Casa de la Mujer, a non-profit Bogota-based aid organization, teamed up to produce a report called the “First Survey on the Prevalence of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Context of the Colombian Armed Conflict 2001-2009.” The study showed that from 2001 to 2009, in the 407 municipalities that have an active presence of armed forces, 18 percent of women reported a form of abuse, from rape to forced prostitution. “This means that during the nine years in which the study was carried out, 489,687 women were victims of sexual violence. This is an average of 54,410 women per year, 149 per day, or 6 women per hour,” the report states.

It might come as a surprise that similar cases of prejudice can be found also in Europe, like in the case of the 15-year-old rape victim in Rochdale, England, who had appealed for help through her parents to the social services. She told reporters that the “Social services told my Mum and Dad that I was a prostitute and it was a lifestyle choice and that because I was only six months off turning 16, they weren’t going to do anything.”

This event happened after the Council of Europe via the Committee of Ministers issued the European Assembly Recommendation 1887 (2009) on ‘Rape of women, including marital rape,’ which drawn the attention of member states’ governments for its implementation.

The situation is not necessarily better in Greece, where beside the normal routine of the Greek society where a heavy patriarchy rules, the Sharia law is applied to the Muslim women of Thrace. With the application of Sharia law by the Mufti, which is often ratified by Greek courts despite the conflicting Greek constitutional provisions and international obligations of Greece, an effective gray area is created on matters of sexual violence and rape.

Finally, Roma women not only confront multiple kinds of discrimination as women in Greece, but also as members of the Roma minority in Greece, a community with its own discriminatory patriarchy traditions and practices. Racism, patriarchy and economical disadvantages contribute to underplay any matters of sexual assault, and rape.

A panorama beyond all words horrible. There is nothing else a woman might add here.

Today, World Polio Day, is a reminder of all that has been achieved in the fight against polio. There is much to celebrate; fewer children than ever before suffer this cruel disease, and for the first time in its history, this year, India was declared polio free.

However, children in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria — the three remaining polio-endemic countries — are still affected by the ravages of this virus. And it is the children in the hardest to reach areas of these countries that are most at risk.

“India’s example shows us we can reach them. And we will reach them – by working together. In September at the UN General Assembly, the leaders of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, as well as government donors, civil society and the private sector all reconfirmed their commitment to rid the world of polio,” stated Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director commenting on the occasion.

“We have come so far together in the fight to end polio. We have the means to finish the job. We can make history. Or we can fail to seize the moment. Let history judge us harshly, let a polio-free world be our legacy to the next generation of children,” Lake insisted.

It is indeed a long hard fight the one against polio. The main thing that could threaten the polio eradication effort would be a dramatic funding shortfall (estimated at $945 million, which represents almost half the amount originally budgeted for 2012-13).

Recently, the reality of balancing the budget has led certain countries, especially in central and western Africa, to cancel or postpone polio immunization drives. The consequences could be catastrophic; millions of children could get polio from individuals travelling from endemic countries. The budget gap needs to be closed so all planned immunization drives can take place and the disease needs to be contained within its current sanctuaries.

The total budget for 2012-2013 is $2,19 billion of which $1,24 billion is covered already. The affected countries contribute roughly 20% to that total amount. Rotary International together with the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation count for 15%. The G8 puts in 14% and 6% from NGO’s such as UNICEF.

Alarmed by the funding shortfall and cancelled vaccination drives, the World Health Assembly voted on May 25 to declare the polio situation to be a “global emergency” that needs a quick response. The Review Board of the Global Eradication Initiative issued a report warning that cutbacks in vaccination drives are “escalating the risk of an explosive return of polio just as it is at its lowest level in history.”

The report further identified 20 African countries that were infected by polio imported from Nigeria from 2006-10, 18 of which have now cancelled or trimmed vaccination campaigns because of the funding shortfall. It is also estimated that 94 million children will be affected by the cutbacks by the end of this year.

In spite of the huge achievements years of fighting against polio-endemic has achieved, it seems the situation is now critical and the work is far from done, yet.

The aid is expected to reach around 80,000 victims, and will especially target the most vulnerable, such as low caste groups and tribal and religious minorities.

Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva, responsible for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response stated: “The floods came at a particularly bad time just before the harvest. And the monsoon season is not yet at its peak. Crops have been destroyed and in many cases people have also lost their homes and livestock, which further threatens their very survival. With this gesture of European solidarity we will be helping the most vulnerable families in the worst-affected districts to survive this dreadful blow.”

EU funded relief efforts will target the most affected districts of Assam – Barpata, Golaghat, Jorhat and Sonitpur. The funds will be channelled through the Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) department, which will work through its partners (international non-government organisations, UN agencies and the Red Cross family) to undertake cash-for-work programmes. These will provide the most vulnerable families with extra income to buy food, improve their diet and get them back on their feet. The money will also provide emergency flood-resistant shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation and mosquito nets to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

The July 2012 issue of the Rice Market Monitor, released by FAO today, says that production is expected to total 724.5 million tonnes – a 7.8 million tonne downward revision compared to the original forecast in April. But global output should still slightly surpass the results achieved in 2011.

“The downward revision was mainly the result of a 22 per cent lower-than-average monsoon rainfall in India through mid-July, which is likely to reduce output in the country this season,” FAO stated in a news release.

Production forecasts were also reduced for Cambodia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Nepal and Taiwan, Province of China, all of which may see a production drop in 2012, the agency added.

Also, unlike with maize and wheat, rice prices have remained “surprisingly stable” after gaining two per cent in May. “Amid abundant rice supplies and stocks, the likelihood of a strong price rebound in coming months is minimal, but the future direction of rice prices remains uncertain,” said FAO.

Some countries are expected to see production gains, including China, Indonesia and Thailand, along with several other Asian nations. Production in Africa may increase by as much as three percent, while Australia’s rice harvest was 32 per cent higher than last year.

Prospects are also good for Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela, but poor precipitation and shifts towards more remunerative products in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay are behind a seven per cent drop of production in Latin America and the Caribbean as a whole.

FAO expects that Asia – the world’s leading rice producer – will reap 657 million tonnes in 2012, up 0.4 per cent from last year.

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp, Japan’s top refiner, says it would not be able to carry on importing oil from Iran.

Kuwait and top exporter Saudi Arabia are the main beneficiaries of the fall in Iranian shipments, along with new suppliers such as Gabon, as Japan buys more oil for firing generators following last year’s nuclear disaster, according to Reuters.

Earlier this year, China halved imports of crude from Iran, while an Iranian official denied that, in a statement to Mehr news agency, today.

While India has leaped to the top of the list of Iran’s oil customers, overtaking China, in a first-quarter buying surge ahead of tighter sanctions against Tehran this summer, according to data published by a leading industry consultant.

Iran sells most of its 2.2 million barrels per day of oil exports in Asia, where China, India, Japan and South Korea make up its four biggest buyers.

The United States and Europe have imposed tighter sanctions on Iran in an attempt makes to force it to halt a nuclear program they fear will be used to make weapons, which Tehran denies.

The EU had been the second biggest buyer of Iranian oil after China and its embargo is a direct strike on the biggest source of export income for Iran, the second largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Alarabiya reported.

“Pakistan today successfully conducted the launch of the intermediate range ballistic missile Hatf IV Shaheen-1A weapon system,” the military said in a statement.

Pakistan’s Shaheen-1A is an intermediate range ballistic missile, capable of reaching targets in India, Aljazeera reported. Military officials refused to reveal details about the range of the missile.

The missile which landed in the Indian Ocean comes less than a week, after rival India tested a missile capable of delivering nuclear warheads as far as Beijing and Eastern Europe, reuters reported.

India and Pakistan have fought three full-scale wars since they were gained their independence of British India in 1947. India and Pakistan have both  carried out missile tests since they declared nuclear weapons capability in 1998. They conduct missile tests  and inform each other in advance.

Last Thursday, India tested its long range Agni V missile, which can deliver a one-ton nuclear warhead to anywhere in China.

India and Pakistan were on edge of clashing  in 2002 over the status of the Kashmir territory.

 India and the United States have accused the attacks on Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and Islamabad.

Pakistan, like neighboring India, has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).