Deadly E. Coli outbreak linked to McDonald's expands across 13 U.S. states
Washington DC: At least 75 people have fallen ill in 13 states of U.S. following an E. coli outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders, with 22 individuals hospitalised and two developing severe kidney complications, according to federal health officials. One death has been reported in Colorado.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified uncooked slivered onions, supplied by Taylor Farms from a Colorado Springs facility, as a possible source of contamination. McDonald's has ceased sourcing onions from this facility and removed Quarter Pounders from menus in affected areas.
Taylor Farms has issued a preemptive recall of yellow onions from the facility and is cooperating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its ongoing investigation. The CDC reports that most cases have emerged in Colorado, while other states, including Montana, Nebraska, and Utah, have also reported illnesses.
McDonald's noted that some cases may be linked to travel, as several affected individuals ate at McDonald's restaurants while visiting other states. The outbreak involves E. coli O157:H7, a strain known to cause severe symptoms and which can be especially dangerous for young children, elderly individuals, and those with weakened immune systems.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
