GURGAON: A 29-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 19-year-old college student during a birthday party at a flat in Gurgaon. The accused, identified as Divyam, a resident of Delhi, was produced in a city court and sent to judicial custody on Monday. According to police, the woman, a student of Delhi University originally from West Bengal, had gone to a friend’s flat in Sector 33 on Saturday to attend a birthday party where alcohol was being consumed. Officers said the accused had joined the gathering through one of the victim’s friends. It is alleged that late at night, the accused, under the influence of alcohol, began molesting the woman. Police said he then allegedly took her to a secluded area inside the apartment and sexually assaulted her, taking advantage of her intoxicated state. The woman resisted the assault and raised an alarm, alerting her friend. The accused fled the scene, police said. The survivor approached police the next day, following which a case was registered at Sadar Police Station under Section 64(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). A medical examination was conducted and her statement was recorded before a judicial magistrate. “The accused who lives in Rohini has been arrested. He had come to the party at the invitation of a friend. Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused committed the crime under the influence of alcohol. He was sent into judicial custody and further probe is underway”, said a senior police officer.

Mumbai: After four heatwave days in less than a fortnight this month, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar will likely see light rain/thundershowers on Thursday. IMD had forecast similar conditions on Wednesday too, but no rain was recorded.Some experts said while Mumbai is unlikely to see significant thunderstorms, MMR has the best chance of scattered light showers between late Wednesday night and Friday morning. Daytime temperatures, which had peaked at 40°C last week, saw a dip on Wednesday, with the weather bureau’s Colaba and Santacruz observatories recording maximum temperatures of 32.4°C and 31.3°C, respectively, which were 1.3°C and 2.3°C below normal. Minimum temperatures logged readings around 1° below normal—with 22.6°C at the Colaba station and 21.3°C at Santacruz observatory. The city had recorded heatwaves on March 5, 9, 10 and 13. A heatwave is declared when temperatures touch 37°C or more two days in a row. On March 10, the mercury hit 40°C, making it the hottest day in five years. TNN

NEW DELHI: The Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, proposing to bring clarity in respect of prior permissions by enabling the govt to prescribe the validity period within which foreign contributions may be received and also the timelines for their utilisation.The bill is likely to be introduced in the current session of Parliament. People aware of the development said the bill proposes to introduce comprehensive and time-bound statutory mechanism for the management, utilisation and disposal of foreign contributions and assets of associations or NGOs whose registration has been suspended, cancelled, surrendered, or has ceased. “In the current act, there is no provision for managing such assets. This will bring a lot of clarity. The bill intends to streamline the reporting process and ensure that all organisations adhere to the regulatory framework,” an official said.The bill also proposes to introduce a safeguard to ensure criminal probes under the act are initiated only with the prior approval of the Union govt.Officials said the bill further proposes to rationalise penalties, including reduction in maximum jail term for different offences, which includes unauthorised receipt of foreign contribution. It also mandates approval of central govt before any criminal investigation is initiated under the act.There are 16,000 FCRA-registered associations and NGOs which receive contributions of over Rs 20,000 crore annually. The act aims to ensure such inflows do not affect national security or public interest