-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has recently ordered closure of many polluting units in Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere, but such a 'drastic' step could soon be the last resort if the government finally legislates a proposed law which imposes heavy fines on violators instead of shutting them down altogether. The proposed law provides for an increase in the existing penalty from Rs 1 lakh to...

-PTI GUWAHATI: The flood situation in Assam continued to improve on Monday, although 1.25 lakh people in five districts of the state are still reeling under it. According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 1.25 lakh people remain affected currently in Chirang, Morigaon, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat districts. Till Sunday, 1.6 lakh people were suffering due to the third wave of floods across six districts of the...

-The Hindu Acne drug seen to provide cure for Japanese encephalitis in limited trials Weeks after several children died of encephalitis-related complications at the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College, Gorakhpur, the Centre is looking to introduce a new drug, traditionally used for acne, to deal with the seasonal outbreaks of acute encephalitis. Last year the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said the drug did not appear potent enough to merit being...

-The Times of India AGRA: With the Supreme Court holding instant talaq, or talaq-e-biddat, unconstitutional, madrassas in Uttar Pradesh have begun preparations to teach Muslim men the "correct way to divorce". Maulana Shahbudin Razvi, national general secretary, Jamat Raza-e-Mustafa, an influential organisation of the Sunni Barelvi sect, said, "Following the apex court order on triple talaq, we conducted a meeting of clerics associated with madrassas and have urged them to inform the...

-The Hindu Original petitioner welcomes Supreme Court verdict on privacy The original petitioner in the right to privacy case is a happy man after Thursday’s verdict from the Supreme Court. In 2012, Justice (retd) K.S. Puttaswamy had approached the apex court as petitioner in a case which has seen several landmark judgments. While the Court will still hear the case on the use of Aadhaar, the judgment by the nine-judge bench delivered...