A 46-YEAR-OLD man was sentenced to 14 years in jail for raping his minor niece with the court observing that although the DNA test favoured the accused, the girl’s testimony showed that she was sexually assaulted repeatedly. According to the case, the incident happened in April 2016 when her paternal grandparents sent the 16-year-old girl from Ahmedabad to her uncle’s home in Mumbai for household work and sightseeing. The girl was with her grandparents after her mother drowned in a river and her father remarried.
Author: National Tone
At least eight people have died and thousands have been evacuated as torrential rains battered northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, triggering widespread floods, officials say. Wednesday’s flooding caused the cancellation of the Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which had been due to take place on Sunday in Imola. Civil Protection Minister Nello Musumeci said some areas had received half their average annual rainfall in 36 hours, causing rivers to burst their banks, sending water cascading through towns and submerging thousands of hectares of farmland. Musumeci said about 50,000 people were without electricity. Eight bodies have been retrieved around the flood…
Developed countries promised in 2009 to transfer $100bn annually between 2020 and 2025 to climate-vulnerable states – but that target has not been met, British charity Oxfam says.Rich G7 nations owe poor ones an estimated $13 trillion in unpaid development aid as well as support in the fight against climate change, British charity Oxfam says. Instead of fulfilling their obligations, the International Group of Seven nations and their banks are demanding debt repayments of $232m per day, the organisation said on Wednesday. “Wealthy G7 countries like to cast themselves as saviours but what they are is operating a deadly double…
Radio journalist Ralikonelo Joki was shot multiple times by unknown attackers.Authorities in Lesotho have declared an indefinite curfew in the hope that curtailing the movement of people at night will help curb gun violence in the small southern African kingdom. The curfew, which came into force on Tuesday, comes just days after a prominent radio journalist was shot dead in a killing that shocked the nation. “A curfew is imposed on all persons throughout the Kingdom of Lesotho with effect from today,” according to a notice published in the government gazette on Tuesday. Residents are banned from being outside between…
Sam Altman, the chief executive of ChatGPT’s OpenAI, has told legislators in the United States that government regulation of artificial intelligence is “critical” because of the potential risks it poses to humanity. Altman used his appearance on Tuesday in front of a US Senate judiciary subcommittee to urge Congress to impose new rules on big tech, despite deep political divisions that for years have blocked legislation aimed at regulating the internet. “If this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong,” Altman, who has become the global face of AI, told the hearing. “OpenAI was founded on the belief that…
The Candy Man, by UK photographer Jon Enoch, has won the overall prize at the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition this year. Image source, Jon EnochThe photograph was taken in the streets of Mumbai and is part of a wider series of images of the sellers who display the candy in a variety of ways in the hope of attracting a buyer.”I’m ecstatic to receive this award, it’s a real honour to get this recognition in such a prestigious competition laden with wonderful imagery,” says Enoch. “The winning image was part of a personal project – a…
The Toronto Raptors will select 13th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft after Tuesday’s draft lottery. The lottery results were announced in Chicago. The Raptors were projected to pick 13th overall. Raptors’ prominent past first-round draft picks include Pascal Siakam (No. 27 overall in 2016), OG Anunoby (No. 23 overall in 2017) and Scottie Barnes (No. 4 overall in 2021). The Raptors had a poor 2022-23 NBA season as they went 41-41 and failed to make the playoffs, losing to the Chicago Bulls at home in the NBA play-in tournament. The disappointing campaign resulted in Raptors vice-chairman and president Masai…
Maryland’s governor has signed a new law aimed at responding to a Supreme Court ruling that has transformed the gun control battle in the United States. The raft of bills signed by Governor Wes Moore on Tuesday includes a measure to prevent someone from carrying a concealed handgun in designated areas, like schools and hospitals. But it removes language that said a person must show “good and substantial reason” to carry a concealed firearm outside of the home — language that could be challenged under a recent Supreme Court ruling. The Maryland state law is the latest response to last…
Tensions are mounting as the deadline for the US to raise its spending limits and avoid a potentially disastrous default looms on the horizon. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is meeting US President Joe Biden on Tuesday to discuss potential pathways forward. The United States Department of the Treasury has warned that it could run out of funds to cover the country’s bills as early as June 1. In US politics, it falls to Congress to raise spending limits and avoid default. McCarthy has said that he will not do so without an agreement to cut spending on social programmes.…
The Toronto Blue Jays added right-hander Thomas Hatch to the bullpen and optioned right-hander Jay Jackson to triple-A Buffalo on Tuesday. Hatch, 28, has made 13 appearances for Buffalo this season and posted a 4.91 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 22 innings. He has appeared in 21 MLB games with the Blue Jays over parts of the last three seasons. Jackson, 35, has made three appearances out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays this season. He made headlines Monday when he gave up an eighth-inning home run to Aaron Judge, right after Judge appeared to glance toward the Yankees…