1. Muzaffarpur Case: Brajesh Thakur Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
A Delhi court on Tuesday, 11 February, sentenced Brajesh Thakur to imprisonment till death for sexually assaulting several girls in a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, saying he was the “kingpin of a meticulously planned” conspiracy and “displayed extreme perversity.”
Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha also sent 11 others to jail for life in the case.
The court sentenced Thakur to “rigorous imprisonment till remainder of his life” and imposed a hefty fine of Rs 32.20 lakh on him.
In view of rising sexual crimes against children, such offenders should be dealt with an iron hand in order to send a strong message in the society so as to deter others from committing such ghastly crimes, the court said.
2. Late Arunachal CM Kalikho Pul’s Son Found Dead in UK
Shubanso Pul, son of late Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul, has been reportedly found dead under suspicious circumstances at his apartment in Brighton, Sussex, in the UK.
He was Pul’s son of with his first wife, Dangwimsai Pul.
Pul’s family and well-wishers are trying to talk to the Indian High Commission in London in order get his body back to his home town, said a family member.
Kalikho Pul (20 July 1969 – 9 August 2016) was an Indian politician and acting chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for a brief period in 2016.
3. Urban Unemployment Increases Sharply to 9.7% in January 2020: CMIE
In January 2020, the unemployment rate in India was 7.16 percent, a decline from the 7.6 percent mark recorded in December 2019, according to data released by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE).
However, urban unemployment rose to 9.7 percent, a sharp increase from the 9 percent recorded in December 2019. The average overall monthly unemployment rate over the 12 months ending January 2020 stands at 7.4 percent.
Mahesh Vyas, CEO of CMIE, elaborated on the findings in his Business Standard column, “The unemployment rate did cross 8 percent in August and October 2019. But, it has been distinctly lower than that since October. The rate seems to have slipped down decisively below 8 percent but it remains distinctly higher than 7 percent. Evidently, although the unemployment (rate over a 12-month period) is quite high at about 7.4 percent, it has stopped rising as it has been since mid-2017. The new phenomenon is a substantial increase in the month-on-month variations in the unemployment rate.”
4. ‘Novel Coronavirus a Grave Threat’: WHO Chief
The novel coronavirus outbreak poses a “very grave threat for the rest of the world”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
WHO is also convening a global research and innovation forum to mobilise international action, and identify knowledge gaps & research priorities to contribute to the control of 2019nCov.
This comes as the number of infected crossed 42,708 cases, including 1,017 deaths, as of 11 February.
“With 99 percent of cases in China, this remains very much an emergency for that country, but one that holds a very grave threat for the rest of the world,” Dr Ghebreyesus added.
5. Court Issues Notice to All 4 Nirbhaya Convicts on Parents’ Plea
A Delhi court on Tuesday, 11 February, sought response of the four death row convicts in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case on a plea by the victim's parents and the Delhi government seeking issuance of fresh death warrant.
Additional Session Judge Dharmender Rana issued notice to all the convicts and said that it will take up the matter on Wednesday, 12 February.
The victim's parents told the court that the convicts were making a mockery of the law and frustrating it.
The application was moved after the Supreme Court granted liberty to the authorities to approach the trial court for issuance of fresh date for the execution of these convict.
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