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Court rejects Centre’s view that Air Force officer has no entitlement to a commission “Let her fly... let her be airborne all the time,” the Supreme Court told the government, taking Air Force woman pilot Sandeep Kaur under its protective wing. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur offered relief to Ms. Kaur in her fight against the rules of the “Establishment,” under which her time as a pilot was over. The Union, represented by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, had appealed against a December 13, 2016 order of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT), directing the government to reconsider her application for permanent commission and let her continue to serve the country. Ms. Kaur’s application for a permanent commission was rejected in March 2016. The establishment said she was not “entitled” to seek one. The AFT told the Union to allow Ms. Kaur to stay on if she qualified and was found suitable. The AFT asked the authorities to decide her application in two months. But...

Unabated discharge of waste water on roads affects tourism and road safety When one enters Karnataka from Goa or Kerala on National Highway 66, one would be welcomed by the pungent odour of fish (if not travelling by an air-conditioned vehicle) thanks to fish-laden lorries discharging wastewater on roads. With transporters and exporters still following the age-old tradition of carrying marine products under the cover of ice, the melted ice along with residues of the marine products get collected in waste tanks fixed at the rear of lorries and mini-goods vehicles. Hundreds of such vehicles move along NH 66 carrying marine products to different places, including ports in Goa and Mangaluru and also in Kerala. While Goa and Kerala, which depend on tourism, have prohibited discharge of wastewater from fish-laden lorries on roads, no such enforcement is in place in Karnataka. Consequently, vehicle operators keep the taps of wastewater tanks open whenever they are within Karnataka splashing ...

The October killings and displacement should be investigated fairly and a long-term solution found Myanmar’s de facto ruler Aung San Suu Kyi has called for a special informal meeting with Foreign Ministers of ASEAN next Monday in Yangon to discuss international concerns over the state of the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine. Since October 9, when soldiers poured into Rakhine, over 130 Rohingyas have been killed and dozens of buildings in their villages torched. The United Nations estimates that 30,000 Rohingyas have been displaced by the ongoing violence in Rakhine. According to analysis of satellite images from Human Rights Watch, more than 1,000 houses in Rohingya villages have been razed in northwestern Myanmar. Bangladesh has provided food and shelter to around 30,000 documented Rohingyas. Perilous lives Assuming office as the State Counsellor of Myanmar after her party’s landslide victory in 2015, Ms. Suu Kyi initiated the formation of an independent and representative advisory commis...

A Cyclone Vardah likely to bring rain, strong winds to State After completing its run in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Cyclone Vardah is expected to move westward and hit the Maharashtra coast by December 14 before merging into the Arabian Sea. The state disaster management cell has sounded a general alert in the coastal areas, including Mumbai, for the next 48 hours following a forecast of strong winds with speed of 80 km and “heavy rain” along the coast of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a general warning to those living in the low-lying areas of Mumbai, and asked fishermen to not venture into the sea. “We have taken all precautionary measures and only a generic advisory has been issued. There is no need to panic,” said Suhas Divase, senior official of the disaster cell. The cyclone is likely to result in a low pressure area, create dark clouds and lightning in general while leading to “moderate” rainfall in several parts of Maha...