Author: Prachi Mittal

As the Israel-Hamas War enters into day 19, the call for an immediate ceasefire from across the world seems to be echoed in a high-level session of the Security Council after the plea made by the UN’s Secretary General, António Guterres. On October 25, 2023, António Guterres, UN’s Secretary General, commented that Israel’s response to Hamas’s attack two weeks ago has allegedly led to the violations of international humanitarian law and urged for an immediate ceasefire. In addition to this, he also unequivocally condemned the fatal attacks by the Hamas gunmen as there can be no excuse for the “appalling”…

On Tuesday, Iranian authorities reported that about a dozen actresses are banned from working in the films over Hijab Law Violations as they “didn’t follow rules.” The Islamic Republic follows a strict dress code that includes “mandatory headscarves” and any refusal to wear hijab, be it publicly or virtually, would be considered equal to “nudity”. For supposedly violating these rules, the said actresses won’t be allowed to work in films anymore, as informed by Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, Iran’s Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister, who said that “those who do not follow the law, will not be allowed to work.”   Habib…

Hamas released 2 more elderly hostages on Monday who were being held in the Gaza Strip. The two Israeli hostages have been identified as Nurit Cooper, aged 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, aged 85. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated the release and said that their role as a “neutral intermediary” made this possible and they would be ready for any future prospects of such releases as well.  Hamas also released a statement in which they said that the hostages are being released “for humanitarian and poor health grounds” and despite this, “the enemy refused to receive them…

Parag Desai, the Executive Director of Wagh Bakri Tea Group, died on Sunday evening at a hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, due to suffering from a brain hemorrhage. He is survived by his wife Vidisha and his daughter Parisha. On October 15, Mr. Desai went out for a morning walk around Iscon Ambli road and after being chased by some stray dogs, he fell outside his residence in an attempt to evade them. A security guard informed the family about the mishap and Mr. Desai was immediately rushed to Shelby Hospital. However, as his condition started worsening, he was shifted to…

As the Israel-Hamas War continues, thousands of people have continued to pay the price with their lives and more. Since Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, around 1300 Israelis have lost their lives and around 4,000 Palestinians have been killed. The recent attack on al-Ahli hospital, where at least 500 Palestinians had taken refuge, serves as evidence of the dangerous times that we are living in and the direction it is heading towards. As negotiations between diplomats and political leaders ensue, it becomes significant to commemorate the lives of those who once lived on these very lands…

The author of the Harry Potter series, Joanne Rowling, known by her pen name J.K. Rowling has been making news headlines for her controversial remarks on the transgender community since 2017. On October 17, J.K. Rowling posted another photo on Twitter that said “Repeat after us: Trans women are women” projected on a government building, to which she wrote “No” as a caption. This sparked another debate on the ongoing transgender issues as Rowling was later seen defending her comments as she continued to say that she would “happily” go to jail, “if the alternative is compelled speech and forced…

All the religions and cultures that celebrate Navratri have started their celebrations with much excitement and splendor as the festival draws near. Garba, a form of dance that originated in Gujarat, is a significant part of such celebrations, as garba events are organized across different cities with varying scales of magnitude. During one such organization of events in the city of Ujjain, a decision was passed that prohibits non-Hindus from attending the event in order to prevent any love jihad incidents. Love-jihad is a term that is used to describe “alleged interfaith romantic relationships that some claim are attempts at…

On October 18, 2023, the Delhi Court convicted four people out of the five, in the murder case of Soumya Vishwanathan, a 25-year-old TV journalist who was found dead in her car on Nelson Mandela Marg in South Delhi in 2008. Ms. Vishwanathan worked with India Today, which was earlier called Headlines Today. On the night of September 30, 2008, as she was returning home from work, she was attacked by five robbers who later killed her through a headshot. Ravindra Kumar Pandey, Additional Sessions Judge, today declared that the four accused, Ravi Kapoor, Baljit Mallick, Amit Shukla, and Akshay…

On October 17, 2023, the Five-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court delivered its verdict on the legality of same-sex marriages for the LGBTQ community. The verdict refused to recognize same-sex marriages based on some legal technicalities and has asked the government to set up a committee in order to “examine the rights” and all possible benefits for queer couples. The Supreme Court has also refused to strike down the Foreign Marriage Act 1969 as well as the Special Marriage Act 1954. Many arguments, both in favor and opposition, were voiced with respect to same-sex marriages, which has simultaneously opened…

Nishikant Dubey, BJP leader from Jharkhand has allegedly said that TMC leader Mahua Moitra has taken ‘bribes’ from businessman Darshan Hiranandani in order to “ask questions” in Parliament. He has demanded her “immediate suspension” as her line of questioning has targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah by referencing the Adani group, which in turn has given the impression that “she was critical of the Government, possibly with the intention of seeking cover against her clandestine criminal operation”. He has asked Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to launch a probe into the matter by setting up an…