News Dabba 30 August: Five stories across the web for a balanced news diet

Indie Journal brings you the daily updates that the internet is talking about through various news websites. Here's a glance through some of the National and International news updates, from the UN appeal on Pakistan floods, the Jharkhand political crisis, to UK pubs facing the brunt of increasing energy bills.

UN Chief calls Pakistan floods ‘a monsoon on steroids’: BBC

Pakistan is facing "a monsoon on steroids", the UN's secretary general has warned as per a BBC report. The floods submerged a third of the country. The report adds that Antonio Guterres urged the world to come to Pakistan's aid as he launched a $160m appeal to help the tens of millions affected in the disaster. At least 1,136 people have been killed since June and roads, crops, homes and bridges washed away across the country. Read the full report on BBC.

NDTV reports Jharkhand ruling coalition MLAs to be flown

The MLAs of the ruling Congress-JMM (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha) coalition in Jharkhand are being rushed to neighbouring Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh amid worries of poaching, NDTV reports. Jharkhand is undergoing a political crisis already with the opposition BJP seeking Chief Minister Hemant Soren's disqualification from the Assembly. NDTV adds, this afternoon, the MLAs were seen leaving Soren's residence in two buses and moving towards the Ranchi airport and that a flight has been booked to fly them to Raipur. Read the full report on NDTV.

Evacuation order lifted for Fukushima town after 11 years, the Straits Times

An evacuation order for a town hosting Japan's disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was lifted on Tuesday, the Straits Times reports. This comes 11 years after the severe nuclear accident. The mandatory evacuation order for the Fukushima Prefecture town - where the Tokyo Electric Power Company complex was located - was issued after a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011. The report says Futaba, is the last municipality to see an evacuation order lifted among 11 municipalities subject to such orders following the disaster. It also adds that more than 80 percent of Futaba's total land area remains designated as "difficult-to-return" zones and that only a few former residents are expected to return. Read the full report on the Straits Times. 

Kolkata reports least number of rape cases among 19 Indian cities, The Hindu reports

Kolkata reported the least number of rape cases among 19 metropolitan cities in India last year, according to the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The Hindu's report says that Kolkata reported 11 cases of rape in 2021, while Delhi reported 1,226 rape cases — the highest in the country. Delhi was followed by Jaipur where 502 rape cases were registered, while in Mumbai, 364 cases of rape under IPC Section 376 were reported. The report adds that among States, Rajasthan last year reported the highest number of rape cases at 6,337, while Nagaland reported the lowest number of cases at four. Read the full report on the Hindu.

Reuters report: UK pubs warn of mass closures

Britain's pub and brewing industry on Tuesday called on the government to outline an urgent support package to prevent increases in energy costs causing irreversible damage to the sector. The report says that last week the energy regulator said the price cap for millions of households in Britain would jump 80% to an average of 3,549 pounds a year from October. However, no such cap has been announced for businesses. In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, members of the board of the British Beer and Pub Association called for a pause on levies, the introduction of an energy price cap for small businesses and additional grant support for pubs. Read the full report on Reuters.