Must read news articles – 18 september

National

Foreign embryos frozen in doubt – Human embryos of couples from across the world, frozen in liquid nitrogen at countless infertility clinics across India, now float in a sea of uncertainty with surrogacy laws in India set to become tougher.

Editorials

Forced out by a funds squeeze – Fifteen outreach workers lose their jobs after funding cuts at the National AIDS Control Organisation. HIV-positive patients themselves, they’re now left running from pillar to post.

The stories in our heads – In a meritocratic society, we see a growing prevalence of mental illness as people socialised into neo-liberal values struggle to reconcile their identity with failure, which is synonymous with dysfunctionality.

International

Let bygones be bygones: Prachanda on bilateral ties – Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Saturday declared that his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, and he were “ready to inject new dynamism” into relations between the two countries, “without letting what happened in the past get in the way”.

Snowden says disclosures bolstered privacy – Edward Snowden said on Friday that his disclosures had improved privacy for individuals in the United States, and he declared that “being patriotic doesn’t mean simply agreeing with your government”.

EU is in a critical situation: Merkel – Reeling from Britain’s decision to leave, the European Union (EU)’s remaining 27 states met on Friday to inject momentum into the ailing EU project even as they acknowledged deep divisions over the refugee crisis and the economy.

Economy

Monsoon deficit may not impact crop output – Concerns over the impact of a deficit-monsoon in some parts of the country, on crop output, seem to be exaggerated, according to a research report prepared by the Yes Bank.

Task force to evolve steps to boost India’s innovation ecosystem – The Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) has decided to set up a Task Force on Innovation. Comprising members from the industry and the government, the Task Force will assess India’s position as an innovative country.

Balance populism with spending: FM – Governments need to balance their political impulse towards populism and the need for sound expenditure management, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.