Morning briefing: IAF senior officer gets pre-arrest bail in rape case; Centre scraps export curbs on basmati, and more
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The Jammu and Kashmir high court granted pre-arrest bail on Friday to an Indian Air Force (IAF) wing commander accused of rape, mental harassment, and stalking a female flying officer in Srinagar. This decision followed a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Jammu and Kashmir Police after the woman's complaint. The high court asked the police not to file a charge sheet in the case without its permission. Bail conditions require the accused to provide two sureties of ₹50,000 each. He is also prohibited from leaving the Union territory without prior consent from his commanding officer. Dig deeper
The Centre scrapped the minimum export prices (MEPs) on basmati and onion it had imposed last year to cool domestic food inflation, according to separate notifications, in steps that will cheer farmers and traders. Earnings from export of basmati, a premium produce, had fallen sharply due to trade restrictions, while onion growers and traders had demanded removal of export barriers, citing normal kharif or summer sowing. Dig deeper
India News
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Entertainment Focus
There have been conversations and discussions around the growing need for gender equality to seep into the corridors of the entertainment world. However, actor Ram Kapoor wonders why there have been no discussions about males dealing with the same issue in the television and modelling industry. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Ram Kapoor, who is seen in The Khalbali Records, spoke about the issue in length. He feels gender equality doesn’t really need to happen in the entertainment industry because that’s the equilibrium that the audience has picked. Dig deeper
Trending
In a recent social media outburst, acclaimed author JK Rowling sharply criticised Indian-origin trans executive Mridul Wadhwa, the recently-resigned CEO of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC). The criticism follows a damning report revealing significant failings in the organisation’s ability to protect women-only spaces. Wadhwa, resigned after a review by Rape Crisis Scotland (RCS) found that she had "failed to set professional standards of behaviour" and lacked understanding of her role’s limits. The independent investigation, led by legal expert Vicky Ling, uncovered that some women using the service had been "damaged" by their experiences. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
India began their preparation for the long Test season ahead on Friday as the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai hosted the first training session for the team ahead. The Indian team, last seen in action in the opening week of August, assembled in Chennai for a training camp in preparation for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which begins next week at the same venue. It will also be India's first Test series since beating England 4-1 at home earlier in March this year. The training session, which began with captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli facing selected bowlers, comprised batting in two separate nets. One had black soil, allotted to face the spinners, and gear up for Bangladesh's familiar threat. Dig deeper