Indian court orders bus firm to rehire driver with HIV
An Indian court has ordered a public transport authority to rehire a sacked HIV-positive bus driver in a “landmark” case for those stigmatised for having the virus, the man’s lawyer said Friday. The man was working in the western city of Pune when he became HIV positive in 2008, leading him to require a less heavy-duty job than driving, his advocate Asim Sarode said. He took the case to the Bombay High Court, arguing that “capacity to work is more important than HIV status. This is definitely against human rights,” his lawyer said. On Wednesday, the court said the man must be reinstated within seven days and another hearing will be held to decide on his compensation.
Somali Islamist rebels suspended from Twitter again
The Twitter account of Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents was suspended Friday, the second time this year the Islamists have been pushed off the site. A message from Twitter on the English-language @HSMPress1 account read that the account was suspended, without elaborating. Earlier this week the group used the site to claim they had ambushed the convoy of war-torn Somalia’s internationally backed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Twitter warns that accounts can be suspended if users publish “direct, specific threats of violence against others”.
MERS virus claims two more lives in Saudi Arabia
Two women have died of the coronavirus MERS in Saudi Arabia, the health ministry of the country said on Friday, bringing the total number of fatalities in the kingdom to 44. The victims were identified as a 41-year-old expat who was working in the health sector in Riyadh and a 79-year-old Saudi who suffered from chronic illnesses and who came into contact with a patient stricken by the virus in the northeastern city of Hafr al-Baten.
Indian girl commits suicide after college seniors mock at her poor Englis
A pharmacy student allegedly committed suicide as she was upset with the on campus ragging by senior students, alleged her parents and family members. Sumbul Ishaq received fatal injuries on her head and limbs after she had jumped off the third floor of her college. She was on ventilator since then. However, the college administration rubbished the allegations of ragging and said that she was weak in English and was depressed for a long time. A team of the anti-ragging committee of Guru Teg Bahadur Technical University reached the college after the incident and took statements from her classmates.
Israel police arrest 15 Palestinians in Jerusalem clashes
Israeli police fired stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in Jerusalem’s Old City, arresting 15 of them, police said. Several hundred Palestinian youths demonstrated after Friday prayers in the Al-Aqsa compound, and threw stones at Israeli security forces. The Al-Aqsa compound, which lies in Jerusalem's Old City, is a flashpoint because of its significance to both Muslims and Jews.
