News Dabba for 13 January 2023: Five stories 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 SC examining if girls aged 15 can be married based on Personal Law, the death of the Black Lives Matter founder's cousin after police arrest, to Uttarakhand probing NTPC's in Joshimath sinking.

The Hindu reports SC to examine if girls aged 15 can be married based on Muslim Personal Law

The Supreme Court on January 13 decided to examine whether girls as young as 15 years can enter into wedlock on the basis of custom or personal law when such marriages constitute an offence in statutory law. The Hindu's report on the matter says A Bench led by Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud issued formal notice on the petition filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) against a recent order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The order states that a girl, on attaining puberty or the age of 15 years and above, could be married on the basis of Muslim personal law, irrespective of the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. As per the report, the Supreme Court said the High Court order would not act as a judicial precedent for other courts. Read the full report here.

BBC on the death of Black Lives Matter founder's cousin after police arrest

A cousin of the Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors died hours after he was repeatedly tasered and restrained in the street by Los Angeles police, BBC reports. Keenan Anderson, 31, a teacher and father, died at a hospital in Santa Monica. The report adds that Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have released body camera footage of the 3 January encounter which shows Mr Anderson begging for help as officers hold him down. The police who Tasered Mr Anderson were called to a traffic accident in the Venice neighbourhood of Los Angeles at around 15:00 local time. Read the full report here.

Uttarakhand to probe if power firm NTPC responsible for Joshimath sinking

The Uttarakhand government will probe if power firm NTPC is responsible for the sinking of land in Joshimath. NDTV reports that eight institutes will investigate the cause of subsidence in the Himalayan town and the carrying capacity of all hilly areas will be checked. The key decisions were made at a Cabinet meet to assess the situation in the "sinking" town, it adds. The state government will also approach the centre for a relief package. Two members from each family that has been relocated will be given jobs under MNREGA, the government said. Read the full report here.

Sri Lanka’s former president ordered to pay victims of 2019 bombings: The Straits Times

The Straits Times reports that Sri Lanka’s top court has ordered the country’s former president and several of his senior officials to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation to the families of the victims of terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019. This is seen as a small victory in an island nation that has long suffered from a culture of rampant impunity. The Supreme Court, ruling on Thursday on a petition filed by families of the victims as well as church leaders and activists, said Maithripala Sirisena, the president of Sri Lanka from 2015 to 2019, and his top security officials had failed to prevent the carnage despite detailed intelligence reports suggesting such attacks had been imminent. The report also says that the devastating security breach was made possible by a coalition government paralysed by infighting among its leaders. Read the full report here.

Ola fires 200 more employees across tech and product teams, India Today

Ola has fired 200 people from its technology and product team. The cab aggregator fired close to 1100 employees in 2022, India Today reports. The company has cited layoffs as a part of the restructuring exercise. The employees working in Ola Cabs, Ola Electric and Ola Financial Services verticals have been impacted by the layoffs. As per the Inc42 report, the layoffs began earlier this week in the company. The Bhavish Agrawal-led company has parted ways with over 1000 employees in the past seven months. Read the full report here.