Between MoS MJ Akbar stepping down from his post amid allegations of sexual harassment and the brouhaha at the Sabarimala gates, you are bound to have missed some other news stories from Wedensday, 17 October.
Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Scroll on to read other news that missed the headlines or slipped through the cracks.
1. Delhi’s Air Quality Deteriorates to Severe Level
Delhi's air quality for the first time this season deteriorated to the "very poor" category on Wednesday, 17 October, with several areas in the national capital nearing severe levels of pollution, according to the authorities.
Stating that a number of factors were responsible for the deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution, construction activities and meteorological factors, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) predicted further deterioration of the air quality in Delhi-NCR in the coming days.
Read the full story here.
2. Sri Lanka Denies Reports Sirisena Said RAW Plotted Assassination
The Sri Lankan government on Wednesday rejected as "baseless and false" the media reports that President Maithripala Sirisena had accused India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination.
A press release by the government read: “The ministry wishes to emphasise that relations between Sri Lanka and India including at the highest levels of government are strong, encompassing multiple spheres including intelligence sharing.”
"It is disappointing therefore that matters of this nature have become the subject of distorted and erroneous media reports taking the President's remarks out of context, which has given rise to further media and social media speculation and the spread of unfounded fear among the public," the statement read.
Read the full story here.
3. Four Army Personnel Rape Deaf-Mute Woman at Pune Hospital
Four men working with the Indian Army have been booked for allegedly raping and molesting a 34-year-old speech and hearing-impaired woman employee of a military hospital in Pune in 2015, police said on Wednesday.
Besides the police, the army too is conducting a 'court of inquiry' against the four personnel, who also worked in the same military hospital at the time.
The alleged offence took place between January and June 2015 at the Military Hospital Kirkee in Pune’s Khadki suburb. The woman has been working at the facility since 2014.
Read the full story here.
4. Bishop Mulakkal, Accused in Nun Rape Case, Receives Hero’s Welcome Back Home
Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who faces allegations of raping a nun, received a rousing welcome from his supporters when he reached Jalandhar after being released on bail by a Kerala court.
Mulakkal was seen smiling as followers showered rose petals on him and garlanded him. Till a few weeks ago, he held charge as the bishop of the Jalandhar diocese.
Speaking to the media, Mulakkal thanked his the people of Punjab for their prayers, while asserting that he would cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
“The prayers of the people of Punjab supported me. I believe that they will pray for me even in the days to come. I thank everyone. Investigation is underway & I am co-operating. I’m a law abiding citizen & I trust the legal system of the country.”Franco Mulakkal
5. Student Gunman Kills 17, Injures 40 at College in Russia’s Crimea
A Russian official said a student attacked a vocational college on Wednesday, 17 October in Crimea, in a rampage that killed 17 other students and left more than 40 people wounded, before killing himself.
The comments from Sergei Aksyonov, the regional leader in Crimea, were the latest in a series of shifting explanations by Russian officials as to what exactly happened at Kerch Polytechnic College in the Black Sea city of Kerch.
Russian officials at first reported a gas explosion, then said an explosive device ripped through the college canteen in a suspected terrorist attack. But witnesses reported that at least some victims were killed in an attack by a gunman or gunmen.
Aksyonov said on television that the student, a local man acting alone, killed himself after the attack.
Read the full story here.
6. RIL Q2 Profit Hits All-Time High, Announces Stake in Den, Hathway
Reliance Industries on Wednesday, 17 October, reported its highest ever quarterly net profit in July-September as record earnings from petrochemical business and bumper earnings from retail business and telecom arm made up for a decline in refinery margins.
The oil-to-telecom conglomerate also announced an acquisition of majority stakes in Den Networks Ltd and Hathway Cable and Datacom Ltd for Rs 5,230 crore to bring under its fold 27,000 local cable operators who would help strengthen its rollout of fibre-based broadband service to households for offering ultra high definition entertainment on large screen TVs.
Its consolidated net profit of Rs 9,516 crore, or Rs 16.1 per share, in the second quarter of current fiscal, was 17.4 per cent higher than Rs 8,109 crore, or Rs 13.7 a share, in the same period of the previous financial year, the company said in a statement.
7. Shareholders in Facebook to Vote to Remove Zuckerberg as Chairman
Several public shareholders in Facebook backed a proposal on Wednesday, 17 October, seeking to remove founder Mark Zuckerberg as the board chairman, stating that he had “mishandled” several controversies involving the social media network.
According to Reuters, the proposal was tabled in June by hedge fund Trillium Asset Management. It has now been co-filed by the state treasurers from Illinois, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and was backed by the New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer.
The proposal will be voted on at the annual shareholders’ meet, set to be held in May 2019, and will seek to make the role of the board chair an independent one.
Read the full story here.
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