Calcutta doctor's rape and murder case, Hindenburg allegations, Mpox and more: The week in 5 charts

(1) Rape and murder case at Calcutta Medical College

On August 9, 2024, the body of a doctor was found in a seminar room of RG Kar Government Hospital in north Kolkata. Preliminary autopsy reports suggest that she was sexually assaulted before her murder. The next day, a Kolkata Police volunteer was arrested in connection with the crime.

Doctors and other medical staff are protesting in different parts of the country against the impact on the functioning of health facilities. They are pushing for a central law to curb violence against medical staff and demanding, among other things, that hospitals be declared containment zones with mandatory security requirements.

The Union Home Ministry has asked all police forces in the state to submit situation reports to it every two hours following protests by doctors, nurses and others.

The Supreme Court on Sunday (18 August 2024) your drive Taking cognizance of the rape and murder case, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear the case, which was initiated on the court's own motion, on Tuesday (20 August 2024).

The Supreme Court your drive The intervention followed an August 13 order by the Calcutta High Court to transfer the investigation from the Calcutta Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

(2) Hindenburg Research vs. SEBI's Madhabi book

SEBI chief Madhabi Buch was involved in a conflict of interest with offshore funds of the Adani Group, the American short-selling firm Hindenburg Research said on Tuesday (13 August). The company had previously claimed that the Adani Group had “diverted” money by manipulating share prices. Since the SEBI is the investigating authority involved in the case, the company spoke of an “obvious conflict of interest”.

Also read: What's behind Hindenburg's latest revelation about the SEBI chief? | Explained

According to the company, Buch and her husband's involvement in the Adani Group occurred through offshore funds in tax havens. Offshore funds are investment fund companies that invest in a range of internationally listed stocks on behalf of their clients.

The following graphic shows Buch's involvement according to Hindenburg's findings.

The Mauritius Financial Services Authority has since denied that IPES Plus Fund 1 was based outside its territory. Buch has refuted Hindenburg's claims and said that its finances were all in good order. However, opposition parties have strongly demanded an investigation into the matter by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The central government, however, has rejected the demand. Here is how the saga has unfolded so far.

Editorial staff:A dirty shit: On the SEBI investigation and the allegations by Hindenburg Research

(3) Mpox outbreak: WHO issues “global health warning”

Mpox (or monkeypox) was declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday (15 August). The Africa Centres for Disease Control had previously declared a continental health emergency.

The outbreak began in 2022. In 2023, the WHO declared it a PHEIC after countries where the infection was not endemic reported cases. A recent surge in infections has renewed fears that the disease could spread.

By June, over 99,000 infections had been reported worldwide.

Read also:Global Mpox Infections: Symptoms, Treatment and Outbreak Status | Explained

One of the reasons this increase is causing concern among health experts is a new mutation of the virus. Over time, a virus mutates into what are called “clades.” Clades are strains of a virus that share similar genetic characteristics. Mpox is divided into two clades. A new mutation (clade Ib) in one of these clades has caused concern. The graphic below explains these clades.

Originally, Mpox infections were transmitted to humans from infected animals, but newer subgroups have increased human-to-human transmission. Sweden diagnosed the first group Ib infection outside Africa this week, when a citizen returned from an African country with high clade I infections.

There is a shortage of vaccines against Mpox in Africa. About 10 million doses are needed to control the outbreak, but only 0.2 million of these may be available for immediate supply.

Read also:Mpox vaccines likely to be months away, despite African CDC declaring a public health emergency

(4) IIT Madras is the best educational institution in India

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has secured the top spot as the best educational institution in the country in the overall category in the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings 2024. This is no surprise as it has been at the top for the sixth consecutive year.

In fact, seven IITs have always featured in the top 10 list in the overall category – IIT Madras, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Guwahati and IIT Roorkee, with institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi managing to break their dominance.

Read more about the 2024 NIRF rankings here.

(5) Heatwave: More than 47,000 people died in Europe

More than 47,000 people died in Europe in 2023 due to scorching temperatures, with countries in the south of the region the hardest hit, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) published on Monday (12 August 2024).

Last year was the world's hottest year on record. As climate change continues to push temperatures higher, Europeans live on the fastest-warming continent and face increasing health risks from extreme heat.

The researchers used death and temperature records from 35 European countries. They estimated that 47,690 people died from heat-related causes. Adjusting the data for population, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain were the countries with the highest heat-related death rates.