1. 3 UP cops were suspended for laxity in dealing with the gang rape case of a 13-year-old girl and the death of her father in a road accident.

The cops were apparently found guilty in the preliminary inquiry.

2. A 68-year-old man was arrested in Mumbai for allegedly raping a dog.

Identified as Ahmad Shahi, the accused is a vegetable seller in Mumbai. The police arrested him on the basis of a video shot in December last year wherein he can be seen raping a dog.

3.  A village panchayat in UP’s Muzaffarnagar banned half pants for boys and jeans and skirts for girls.

Discussing the issues affecting society, the panchayat ruled:

It is not our culture. Girls should not wear jeans or skirts and men should also wear proper clothes.

As per reports, their decision does not apply to children in schools who generally weat half pants during summer.

4. The Delhi High Court directed the Delhi Police to provide adequate protection to a lesbian woman married against her wishes and threatened with being ‘cured’ of her sexual orientation by her family.

The 23-year-old woman told the court that she was forcibly married against her will to a man on October 12, 2019, despite her parents being fully aware and informed about her identifying as a lesbian woman.

5. Maharashtra state cabinet approved ₹400 crore for the memorial of Balasaheb Thackeray.

The existing Mayor’s bungalow at Shivaji Park will be converted into the memorial.

6. Rebuking the Goa government for appointing its law secretary as state election commissioner for municipal council polls the Supreme Court said that Election commissioners in any state must be independent persons.

The apex court said:

The independence of election commission cannot be compromised in a democracy. Entrusting additional charge of State Election Commissioner to a government official in power is a mockery of the constitution.

7. India recorded 23,285 new cases of coronavirus infections on Thursday, 11th March, the highest since 23rd December.

While Delh recorded 409 new cases, its highest in last 2 months, several districts in Maharashtra also saw a steep rise. Nagpur imposed a fresh lockdown from 15-21 March.

8. A special court in Mumbai sentenced an octogenarian couple to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in a 2013 case of sexually assaulting a 4-year-old girl.

The incident had occurred 8 years ago when the couple called the minor to their residence and committed the crime. The court relied on the testimony of the victim and the girl’s medical report.

9. Bharat Biotech’s coronavirus vaccine, Covaxin, will no longer have to carry the ‘clinical trial mode’ label which means that beneficiaries will no longer have to fill up a consent form.

10. Farmer unions have called for a countrywide strike, or Bharat bandh, on 26th March, the day their protest against at Delhi’s borders completes four months.

11. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan informed the Lok Sabha that the disengagement process in the Pangong Tso area, which began on 10th February 10 has been completed.

He also informed the house that the government will continue discussions with the Chinese side to resolve the remaining issues along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

12. Denmark, Norway and Iceland temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine amid concerns of patients developing blood clots post inoculation,

13. Police in Myanmar surrounded and arrested at least 200 students and civilians protesting against the military coup on the outskirts of Yangon amid ongoing protests.

14. A report by the Central Pollution Control Board showed that Hyderabad is a home to multiple contaminated sites which contain hazardous and toxic substances.

15. A report by the Centre for Science and Environment showed that 50% of the thermal plants in India do not meet fly ash use norms.

As per the report, some plants don’t even utilise 30-40% of the fly ash.

16. A recent study suggests that summers in the Northern Hemisphere may last for 6 months by 2100 if we do not make efforts to mitigate climate change.

This could further have far-reaching impacts on agriculture, human health and the environment.

Important ones, right?