Greenpeace India granted eight-week interim stay over FCRA cancellation
The Madras High Court granted Greenpeace India an eight-week interim stay over its FCRA cancellation on Wednesday, 16 September, in a major relief to the environmental NGO. Justice MM Sunderesh, who was hearing Greenpeace's appeal on its FCRA cancellation by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), directed the organisation to serve a notice to MHA, while granting it an interim stay. "This is the fourth time we have had to seek legal recourse and the fourth time that we've had to legally challenge decisions of MHA," Vinuta Gopal, co-Executive Director of Greeenpeace India told Times of India. "The Madras High Court's decision to admit our case further reinforces our faith in the judiciary's commitment to uphold the vibrant democratic tradition of India," she further added.
Saudi diplomat accused of rape gets away to Saudi Arabia
The Saudi Government has recalled Saudi Embassy First Secretary Majed Hassan Ashoor, ten days after he was accused of raping two women from Nepal. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup confirmed the news saying that Ashoor has "left India". Ashoor could not have been tried under Indian laws unless the Saudis waved his immunity as he enjoyed diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention.
Ashoor was the deputy head of the visa section. He was believed to have shifted to the Embassy premises or with one of his colleague after the two Nepali women were rescued by the police from his apartment on 7 September.
Delhi govt puts a cap of Rs 600 on dengue tests in private hospitals; buys 1,000 beds off the shelf
The Delhi government has sprung into action to tackle the worrying outbreak of dengue in the capital that has claimed 11 lives and affected around 1800 people. Furthermore, Delhi government hospitals will continue conducting free tests for dengue. Private hospitals can not charge more than Rs 600 for the same. Platelets test in private hospitals will cost not more than Rs 50.
An emergency purchase of 1,000 new bed for dengue patients has been made by the Delhi government. Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the new beds would be added by Sunday, 20 September. Private hospitals have been directed to increase their bed strength by 10-20 per cent.
Four more detained in rationalist Govind Pansare's murder case
Photo: Patrika
In a major crackdown, the police have detained four more people in connection with the murder of rationalist Govind Pansare.
Reportedly, one woman has been detained in Mumbai, a man from Pune and two from Goa. The detained were allegedly in touch with Sameer Gaikwad, an activist of the right-wing group Sanatan Sansthan who was arrested on 16 September from Sangli.
Pansare, who was a communist and a rationalist, was shot near his residence along with his wife, in Kolhapur on 16 February this year. Pansare succumbed to his injuries four days later.
Supreme Court refuses to stay Bombay High Court order on meat ban
File photo
The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with the Bombay High Court's order of staying meat ban in Mumbai, on 17 September. With the apex court's order, meat can be sold in Mumbai today.
The Bombay High Court on 15 September had stayed the controversial ban on the sale of meat in Mumbai on 17 September. While refusing to intervene, the apex court observed that the issue should be dealt with sensitivity. The Supreme Court added that such issues can't be forced down anyone's throat.
Crime in Kerala: Nun found dead in convent room
Photo: John Macdougall/AFP
In a shocking incident, a 69-year-old nun was found dead in her convent room in Kottayam, Kerala. When Sister Amala did not attend the morning mass, fellow nuns from Carmel Convent went looking for her. They found her body in her room and it looked like she was struck on the head.
Police suspect theft and stated that Sister Amala's door was not locked from the inside. According to reports, she had been keeping unwell for the past few days. District Police Chief Sateesh Bino said, "It is not a normal death. It was caused by a deep head injury."
Bhopal woman raped inside moving bus
In what can be described as eerily-similar to the Nirbhaya case, a woman was allegedly raped inside a moving local bus in Bhopal on Wednesday night.
At around 11 pm, the woman got into the bus alone from Chhola to got to Pul Bogda. The driver Salman took her to an isolated area called Maida Mill where a man called Pandit allegedly raped her while the bus did rounds of the area. According to a news report, there was another man in the bus when the crime took place.
After the ordeal, the woman went to the nearby police station to report the rape. According to SP (Bhopal South) Anshuman Singh, both Pandit and Salman have been arrested but the third man in on the run and his identity has not been disclosed yet.
After massive earthquake, Chile endures multiple aftershocks
Photo: Christian Miranda/AFP
Strong afttershocks rippled through Chila a day after a massive 8.3-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Chile on 16 September killed at least eight people and slammed powerful waves into coastal towns. More than a million people were forced out of their homes.
The government ordered the evacuations from the coastal areas hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2010 quake disaster, when authorities were slow to warn of a tsunami that killed hundreds of people. The government ordered evacuations from coastal areas after the powerful quake hit on Wednesday evening, seeking to avoid a repeat of a quake disaster in 2010 when authorities were slow to warn of a tsunami that killed hundreds. The earthquake shook buildings in the capital city of Santiago.
The earthquake was the strongest this year.
Sperm donation for an iPhone? Only in China
Just days after two Chinese men tried to sell their kidneys to purchase the iPhone 6S, Chinese sperm banks have come up with a unique promotion. Donate sperm and walk out with an iPhone 6S. Unfortunately for Chinese men desperate for the phone, not just any sperm will do. Candidates will have to be Chinese nationals, have college degrees, be free of genetic defects and be over 165 cm tall. If they match these criteria, sperm banks are paying up to $950 for each 17ml deposit, or, in some cases, an actual phone.
VHP calls for Ghar Wapsi of AR Rahman
Photo: Getty images
Music maestro AR Rahman just can't seem to avoid the misguided attention of fringe religious groups. After having a fatwa passed against him by Raza Academy, a Mumbai-based Muslim organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) has now trained it's eyes on him as well.
The VHP seems to have seen this fatwa as an opportunity to push its own Ghar Wapsi agenda and has asked Rahman, a Muslim convert, to return to the Hindu fold. Surendra Jain, the joint general secretary of the VHP, even went as far as to say, "the Hindu society is waiting for its son". Jain even vowed to protect Rahman from future fatwas if he returned to Hinduism. The fatwa against Rahman was issued for his work on an Iranian movie titled Muhammad: Messenger of God.
14-year-old arrested for "bomb" gets invite to White House
Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old school student from Texas has had a rollercoaster of a week. On Monday he was taken away in handcuffs after teachers suspected a clock he'd built of being a bomb. Now, just days after the incident, the young aspiring engineer has received an invite to the white house from US President Barack Obama. In a tweet, Obama invited the boy to Washington, reiterating that a love for science must always be encouraged. Ahmed has been reported by teachers after he brought a digital clock he'd built to show in school. Some have claimed that the only reason he elicited suspicion was because of his ethnicity. Obama would know how that feels, having had to repeatedly fielded questions and insults due to his middle name "Hussein".
World's green cover shrinking rapidly, reveals study
The world's forest area is diminishing rapidly, a study by researchers of the University of Melbourne has unsurprisingly revealed. According to data available from the study, three percent of the world's forests, an area equivalent to the size of South Africa, has vanished since 1990, with India being one of the countries with a higher rate of loss of green cover. "In low-income countries with high forest cover, forests are being cleared for direct subsistence by individuals and families and large scale agriculture for broader economic development," Rod Keenan, one of the researchers involved in the study remarked on the disturbing development.
Vulnerability to climate change will impact health of population in India: WHO report
A World Health Organisation (WHO) report last weekend claimed that climate change would result in an additional 250,000 deaths in India from 2030-2050, due to the country's extreme vulnerability to the phenomenon. Ramesh Dhiman of the the National Institute of Malaria Research said at a seminar of 'Climate change and health risks', organised by the French embassy, that the Himalayan region is prone to vector-borne diseases, which will increase in the near future, especially malaria and dengue. On the other hand, Dileep Mavalankar, Director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, added that heatwaves in the country will also increase in the coming years.
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