(1) Kolkata medical college rape-murder case
The body of a woman doctor was found inside a seminar hall of the RG Kar Government Hospital in north Kolkata on August 9, 2024. Preliminary autopsy reports indicated that she was sexually abused before being murdered. A civic volunteer of Kolkata Police was arrested in connection with the crime the next day.
Doctors and other medical staff have been protesting in different parts of the country affecting the functioning of health facilities. They are pressing for a Central law to check violence against healthcare personnel, declaring hospitals safe zones with mandatory security entitlements among other demands.
The Union Home Ministry has asked all State police forces to provide it situation reports every two hours in the wake of the protests by doctors, nursing staff and others.
The Supreme Court on Sunday (August 18, 2024) took suo motu cognisance of the rape and murder case. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case, instituted on the court’s own motion, on Tuesday (August 20, 2024).
The apex court’s suo motu intervention follows an August 13 order of the Calcutta High Court transferring the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from the Kolkata Police.
(2) Hindenburg Research vs SEBI’s Madhabi Buch
SEBI chief Madhabi Buch was linked to Adani Group-related offshore funds in a conflict of interest, American short-selling firm Hindenburg Research said on Tuesday (August 13). This comes after the firm’s earlier claim that the Adani Group was “siphoning” money by manipulating stock prices. Since SEBI is the investigating agency involved in the case, the firm said it was an “obvious conflict of interest.”
Also read: What is the latest revelation by Hindenburg on the SEBI chief all about? | Explained
According to the firm, Buch and her husband’s involvement with the Adani Group comes through offshore funds in tax havens. Offshore funds are mutual fund firms that invest in a range of internationally listed stocks on behalf of their clients.
The graphic below shows how Buch was involved, as per Hindenburg’s findings.
Mauritius’ Financial Services Commission has since denied that IPES Plus Fund 1 was based out of its territory. Buch has denied Hindenburg’s claims and said that all her finances were above-board. However, opposition parties have strongly demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the matter. The Centre, on the other hand, has refused the demand. Here is how the saga has unfolded till now.
Editorial:An unclean chit: On the SEBI investigation and Hindenburg Research’s allegations
(3) Mpox outbreak: WHO sound ‘global health alert’
Mpox (or monkeypox) was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday (August 15). This is after the Africa Centres for Disease Control declared a public health emergency of continental concern
The outbreak began in 2022. In 2023, WHO declared it as a PHEIC after countries where the infection was not endemic began reporting cases. A recent upsurge in infections has again raised concerns that the disease could become bigger.
As of June, over 99,000 infections have been reported globally.
Also read:Global mpox infections: Symptoms, treatment, and status of outbreak | Explained
One of the reasons why this surge is of concern to health professionals is a new mutation in the virus. Over time, a virus mutates into what is called ‘clades.’ Clades are strains of a virus that share similar genetic qualities. Mpox is classified into two clades. A new mutation (Clade Ib) in one of these clades has caused concern. The graphic below explains these clades.
Initially, Mpox infections passed to humans from infected animals, but newer sub-clades have increased human-to-human transmission. Sweden diagnosed the first clade Ib infection outside Africa this week when a citizen returned from an African country with high clade I infections.
Within Africa, there is a shortage of vaccines that can be used against Mpox. Around 10 million doses are needed to control the oubreak, but only 0.2 million doses might be available for immediate supply.
Also read:Mpox vaccines likely months away even as Africa CDC declares public health emergency
(4) IIT Madras ranked the top institution in India
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras bagged the top position as the best educational institution in the country overall category in the 2024 ranking conducted by National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), a surprise to no one as this is the sixth consecutive time it has appeared at the top.
In fact, seven IITs have always been featured in the top 10 list of the overall category – IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee, with institutions like Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru and All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi managing to break through their domination.
Read more about the NIRF 2024 rankings here.
(5) Heat wave: More than 47,000 people died in Europe
More than 47,000 people died in Europe due to scorching temperatures in 2023, with countries in the region’s south hit the hardest, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published on Monday (Aug. 12, 2024).
Last year was the world’s hottest on record. As climate change continues to increase temperatures, Europeans live in the world’s fastest-warming continent, facing growing health risks stemming from intense heat.
Researchers used death and temperature records from 35 European countries. They estimate that 47,690 died from causes related to high temperatures. Adjusting the data for population, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain were the countries with the highest mortality rates related to heat.
