1. US State Department releases Religious Freedom Report that accuses India of violence against minorities: The US secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussian released a 2021 report on religious freedom with dedicated chapters for each country. It alleges that attacks (including killings, assaults, and intimidation) on minority community members in India were happening throughout the year.
2. Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi tests positive for Covid: With hardly days before her appearance in front of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Congress chief has tested positive for Covid19. Party sources said Mrs. Gandhi, 75, underwent medical consultation and has isolated herself, adding that she was exhibiting mild symptoms and is now recovering.
3. Kashmiri Pandit employees stage sit-in protests and threaten to leave the valley: Targeted killings of Hindus in the valley have claimed the lives of a teacher, a bank staff, and a laborer within days. Instilled by fear for life, Kashmiri Pandits living in various colonies in Anantnag, Kulgam, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, and Kupwara held protests threatening to leave the valley.
4. Maharasthra court sentences 45-year-old rapist-murderer to death: On Thursday, a sessions court in Maharasthra pronounced death for Mohan Chauhan, a 45-year-old man who raped and murdered a woman in tempo in a brutal way on Sep 10, 2021, in Sakinaka. Judge Shende observed that the way the accused left the women to die is disturbing and horrific, and only a death sentence can send a true message to men with such a mentality.
5. Pain after surgery impels man to gun down surgeon in US hospital: A gunman who repeatedly complained of pain after his recent back surgery went back to the hospital and gunned down the surgeon, a fellow doctor, receptionist, and a patient. The Tulsa police department said the man was carrying an AR-style rifle and a handgun and later shot himself dead.
6. Europe puzzled by nightclub needle attacks: Hundreds of reports from France, Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands stating that people were pricked without their knowledge or permission using needles at nightclubs and concerts have puzzled authorities. With no suspect arrested yet, the motive behind the attack remains unclear.
7. Turkey rebrands itself to Turkiye: A letter from the Turkish Foreign Minister, formally requesting the country to be called Turkiye, has been sent to the United Nations. The rebranding exercise aims at disassociating the country’s name from the bird Turkey and other word-related negative connotations.
8. The United Democratic Front (UDF) of Congress wins Thrikkakara Bypoll 2022: The UDF candidate Uma Thomas has secured a sweeping victory in the Thrikkakara 2022 Bypoll with a margin of 25,000 votes. Dedicating the poll victory to PT Thomas, she said it’s a historic win for the UDF. Her LDF rival Jo Joseph garnered 47,000 votes, while BJP candidate A N Radhakrishnan came third.
9. Massive fire in Deepak Nitrite facility in Vadodara: Deafening blasts and massive fire erupted in the Deepak Nitrite facility in Vadodara, Gujarat. Seven people were hospitalized and 700 people were evacuated. Fire officials said they had to engage ten fire tenders to douse the fire. The district collector of Vadodara, however, said the cause of the blaze is not known yet.
10. Indian-American girl Harini Logan wins the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee title: 13-year-old eighth-grader Harini Logan from San Antonio, Texas, became the Scripps spelling champion to win cash and prizes worth $50,000. At one stage, when it appeared she gave a wrong answer, judges reinstated her acknowledging that she was indeed right. Harini was coached by Grace Walters, a former speller and fellow Texan student at Rice University.