Author: Sidra Aman

At least 12 people have been killed and more than 30 are missing after a bridge collapsed in China’s northern province of Shaanxi, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. Incident Overview The bridge collapsed around 8:40 p.m. on Friday in Zhashui County in Shangluo City due to heavy rains and flash floods, according to the provincial publicity authorities. Seventeen cars and eight trucks fell into the Jinqian River below the bride during the collapse, according to initial investigations. Images showing a bridge partially submerged in the river with water rushing over it were revealed by state television CCTV. According to…

On July 19, the Bombay High Court invalidated a Maharashtra government February 9 notification that exempted private schools within 1 kilometre radius of a government-run or aided school from admitting children under the RTE quota, which reserves 25% seats for children from economically weaker and disadvantaged sections.  Court’s Decision A division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar quashed the notification and said that it was “ultra vires” (beyond legal power) to the provisions of the RTE Act and against Article 21 of the Constitution. Earlier this year, on May 6, the Bombay High Court stayed the…

Rare images show members of the Mashco Piro, believed to be the world’s most isolated indigenous tribes, residing in the remote Peruvian Amazon. They have been spotted near the banks of the Las Piedras River in the Madre de Dios region of southeast Peru, near the border with Brazil.  Who are the Mashco Piro? According to the human rights group Survival International, which released the images, the Mashco Piro tribe is the largest uncontacted tribe in the world. They were given a territorial reserve in 2002. However, the government gave concessions to several logging companies within the tribe’s territory as…

An oil tanker capsized off the coast of Oman on Monday, with 16 crew members on board, identified as 13 Indian nationals and 3 Sri Lankan nationals, currently missing, reported the Maritime Security Centre (MSC) of Oman. Incident Overview The MSC confirmed in a post on X that a Comoros-flagged oil tanker capsized 25 nautical miles southeast of Ras Madrakah, close to the port town of Duqm. Search and rescue operations efforts for the missing crew of “Prestige Falcon” are currently underway. The tanker was on its way to the port of Aden in Yemen when it capsized off Oman’s…

At least 100 students got injured as protests over the quota system for government jobs turned violent, with student groups clashing and police firing tear gas and charging with batons. Incident Overview Students from universities nationwide are protesting against the quota system of reservations for the descendants of freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence. Violence ensued on Monday; sticks and iron rods were reportedly wielded as weapons, and rocks were thrown, resulting in injuries on multiple university grounds, according to eyewitnesses and police. Reportedly, clashes happened between those protesting and those loyal to the ruling body. The Bangladesh…

Zomato has been ordered to pay a fine of Rs 60,000 to a woman from Karnataka for failing to deliver an order worth Rs 133.25 last year by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Dharwad. According to The Indian Express, the woman, whose name is Sheetal, placed an order for momos on August 31, 2023, and paid the amount through Google Pay. Order Issue and Legal Action Within 15 minutes of ordering, the Zomato app showed that it had been delivered. However, Sheetal claimed that she didn’t receive any orders, nor did any delivery agent come by her address.…

Five people have been jailed over the murder of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who was shot down by gunmen on motorcycles last year. Incident Overview Villavicencio, 59, a member of Ecuador’s national assembly and former journalist, was shot dead while leaving a campaign rally on August 9, 2023, in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. On Friday, two of those jailed were sentenced to 34 years and eight months in prison, and the other three for 12 years. The ruling, read out by one of the three court judges, Milton Maroto, can be appealed by both the prosecution and defence. The trial…

At least 65 people are believed to be missing after a landslide swept two buses into a swollen river on a Nepal highway early Friday morning. Incident Overview A landslide swept two buses into the Trishuli River in Chitwan district, about 86 kilometres west of Kathmandu, on the Madan-Ashrit Highway, in Central Nepal. Indradev Yadav, the Chief District Officer of Chitwan, told ANI News that the incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. amidst heavy rain. He reported that a search operation is underway, but the incessant rain is hindering efforts. Passenger Details The Kathmandu-bound Angel bus had 24 passengers on board,…

On July 8, the Delhi High Court ordered the removal of all encroachment and illegal construction on the banks of the Yamuna River, riverbeds, and drains flowing into the river. A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the vice chairman (VC) of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to remove all encroachments and illegal construction, appointing him as the nodal officer to work with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Irrigation and Flood Control Department, PWD, Delhi Pollution Control Board, and Forest Department to execute the order.…

On Monday, Hurricane Beryl, initially a tropical storm, swept across southeast Texas and Louisiana as a Category 1 hurricane, cutting power to more than 2.7 million homes and businesses and killing at least 8 people. What has been the impact of the hurricane so far? As of Tuesday, 2.3 million customers in Texas were without power, with additional outages reported in Louisiana and Arkansas, said PowerOutage.us. Restoring electricity is expected to take days, or even weeks, in some areas, depriving many of air conditioning amidst the ongoing heat wave. At Houston’s main airport, more than 1,100 flights were cancelled, according…