9 Killed in Saudi-led coalition strikes in Yemen
Sanaa, June 27 : At least nine people were killed and 11 others wounded on Tuesday in an airstrike by the Saudi Arabia-led Arab coalition in the city of Hudaydah, eyewitnesses said.
The occupants of the bus that was hit in the attack were inhabitants of Hudaydah, who were attempting to leave the Houthi-controlled city before the Arab coalition begins an all-out offensive to take the city, Efe reported.
In the past weeks, fighting has taken place as Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have advanced toward the port city from the south, seizing its international airport.
Hudaydah's seaport is a critical lifeline for food aid to reach millions of Yemenis living in areas controlled by the Houthis, including the capital Sanaa.
The UN has been trying to prevent an assault that would lead to even greater food insecurity.
At least 26,000 people have been displaced by violence and fears of an impending assault by government troops on Hudaydah, according to UN data.
These forces have been pushing toward Hudaydah as part of the ongoing Saudi-led war against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, which began in March 2015.
Yemen has been locked in a political and military crisis since the popular regional uprisings of 2011, with the Houthis taking control of the capital Sanaa in September 2014, expelling President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who is supported by Saudi Arabia.
The bombing campaign by the Saudi-Emirati-United States coalition has destroyed much of Yemen's infrastructure and led to a humanitarian catastrophe, pushing millions to the brink of starvation.
Over 22 million people in Yemen are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
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.
Delhi court acquits husband, in-laws in dowry death case
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has acquitted a man and his parents in a dowry death case, saying the prosecution failed to establish allegations of cruelty or dowry harassment against them.
Additional Sessions Judge Deepak Wason acquitted Kartik Sharma, his father Ravi Dutt Sharma, and his mother Veena Sharma in the case of Shivali Sharma, who died by suicide in March 2023.
The accused were facing trial under Sections 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives) and 304B (dowry death) of the IPC.
In the April 1 order, the court said, “There is nothing on record to establish the culpability of the accused persons in the commission of the offences charged against them. The prosecution has failed to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.”
It held that while the death was unnatural and occurred within seven years of marriage, the key elements of dowry death, particularly proof of harassment connected to dowry demands, remained unproven.
According to the prosecution, the deceased's family alleged she was subjected to harassment and repeated dowry demands, including cash and a vehicle, which allegedly drove her to commit suicide.
The police registered the FIR after her parents made statements before an executive magistrate.
However, during the trial, key prosecution witnesses, including the deceased's mother, father, brother, uncle and grandmother, did not support the allegations in the court.
They consistently stated that Shivali was living a "peaceful and happy" married life and denied any dowry demand or harassment by the accused.
The witnesses further attributed her death to depression caused by her child's serious medical condition.
The court noted that the testimonies of close relatives, considered the most material witnesses, revealed no evidence of cruelty or dowry-related harassment “soon before her death,” a crucial requirement to establish an offence under Section 304B IPC.
The court observed that the medical evidence confirmed death due to asphyxia caused by hanging.
Giving the benefit of the doubt, the court said this alone was insufficient to implicate the accused without corroborative evidence of cruelty.
