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My year of unraveling is how a despairing Christy Morrill described nightmarish months when his immune system hijacked his brain. What's called autoimmune encephalitis attacks the organ that makes us us, and it can appear out of the blue. Morrill went for a bike ride with friends along the California coast, stopping for lunch, and they noticed nothing wrong. Neither did Morrill until his wife asked how it went and he'd forgotten. Morrill would get worse before he got better. Unhinged and fighting to see light, he wrote as delusions set in and holes in his memory grew. Of all the ways our immune system can run amok and damage the body instead of protecting it, autoimmune encephalitis is one of the most unfathomable. Seemingly healthy people abruptly spiral with confusion, memory loss, seizures, even psychosis. But doctors are getting better at identifying it, thanks to discoveries of a growing list of the rogue antibodies responsible that, if found in blood and spinal fluid, aid ..
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Friday said the state receives one of the lowest shares of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds from companies in the country. He attributed the low inflow of funds to the limited number of registered CSR implementing agencies in the state. "Even though there are numerous companies operating in India and are obligated under law to implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Mizoram continues to receive one of the lowest shares of CSR funds in the country," the chief minister said. Lalduhoma was addressing the valedictory function of a three-day capacity building workshop for NGOs and implementing agencies in Aizawl. The event was organised jointly by Mizoram CSR cell and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The chief minister said that CSR funds have the potential to significantly contribute to developmental works, citing the Serchhip district hospital building as an example, where over Rs 21 crore was harnessed ..
The Ministry of Home Affairs has extended the validity of registration certificates for all NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) whose licences are set to expire on June 30 and for which renewal applications are pending, officials said on Wednesday. This extension will remain in effect until September 30, or until the renewal application is processed, whichever is earlier, an official statement said. The ministry also announced that the validity of FCRA entities whose five-year licences expire between July 1 and September 30, and who have submitted or will submit renewal applications before their licences expire, will be extended until September 30 or until their renewal applications are processed, whichever happens first. "The validity of registration certificates of such entities whose validity was extended till 30.06.2025 in terms of the Public Notice dated 28.03.2025 and whose renewal application is pending, will stand extended till 30.09.2025 or
The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday allowed NGOs whose FCRA registration validity has expired to pay compounding penalty and fees from the FCRA bank account held with the SBI through the FCRA online portal. In a public notice, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it administers the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA, 2010) and rules made thereunder, which regulate the receipt of foreign contributions by NGOs, voluntary organisations and associations, and their utilisation for bonafide activities as per law. According to Rule 12(5) of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011 (FCRR, 2011), no person whose certificate of registration has ceased to exist shall either receive or utilise foreign contributions until the certificate is renewed. Accordingly, NGOs and associations whose registrations ceased after the expiry of the validity period were not able to make the payment of compounding penalty and fees from the FCRA bank account. "In view of the abov
China will sanction United States officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organisations who it says have "performed poorly on Hong Kong issues, the foreign ministry announced. The US in March sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in transnational repression and acts threatening to further erode the city's autonomy. The officials included Justice Secretary Paul Lam, security office director Dong Jingwei and former police commissioner Raymond Siu. In a retaliatory move against Washington, DC, on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun in Beijing said China strongly condemned the acts, calling them despicable". The US has seriously interfered in the affairs of Hong Kong and violated international law principles, he said China has decided to impose sanctions on US congressmen, officials, and NGO leaders who have performed poorly on Hong Kong-related issues, Guo said, adding the response was made according to the ...
Electric vehicle maker Omega Seiki Mobility on Thursday said it will provide women drivers with 2,500 specially-designed pink auto rickshaws on lower prices pan-India in a phased manner. The scheme, as part of the company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, was rolled out on Wednesday in the national capital, benefitting 500 women drivers. These drivers will also get 1 per cent subsidy on interest on vehicle financing from a leading state-run lender, Omega Seiki Mobility said. The company said it has collaborated with Delhi-based not-for-profit organisation Nari Shakti. "Our partnership with Naari Shakti is more than just a CSR initiative. It's a step toward social transformation. By enabling women to take the driver's seat, literally and metaphorically, we're not just offering them a vehicle, we're offering a path to independence, dignity, and opportunity," said Uday Narang, Founder and Chairman of Omega Seiki Mobility. In the coming months, the scheme will be ...
An NGO has moved the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025. Association for the Protection of Civil Rights said its plea challenges the constitutionality of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which is to be renamed as the Unified Waqf Management Empowerment, Efficiency, and Development Bill, 2025 (UMEED Bill). "The bill directly violates Articles 14, 25, 26, and 300A of the Constitution, along with the preambular values that constitute the bedrock of our democratic and secular framework," it said in its plea filed through Adeel Ahmed. It said the drastic overhaul proposed by the UMEED Bill is not only unnecessary but also an alarming interference into the religious affairs of the Muslim community, diluting the fundamental purpose of Waqf which is a practice deeply rooted in Quranic references and the Hadith since the time of Prophet Mohammad. "The bill, hastily passed by the Lok Sabha on April 3, 2025 and the Rajya Sabha on April 4,
At a rural village in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, unemployed 19-year-old Nozuko Majola is trying to figure out if she has enough money for the one-hour ride to collect her much-needed HIV medication, usually delivered to her home that can't be easily reached due to rough, untarred roads. Majola is one of millions of patients in South Africa affected by US President Donald Trump's global foreign aid freeze, raising worries about HIV patients defaulting on treatment, infection rates going up and eventually a rise in deaths. In 2024, think tank Human Sciences Research Council released figures showing that Majola's province recorded the second-highest HIV prevalence in the country, at 16 per cent, with at least 1,300 young people estimated to contract the disease every week. KwaZulu-Natal also had the highest number of people living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, about 19,80,000. The country counts more than 7.5 million people infected with the virus that causes AIDS -- mo
In an effort to encourage Indian scientists to come up with innovative ideas for finding solutions to difficult health problems, apex health research body ICMR has launched a new initiative The initiative-- First in the World Challenge -- aims to foster novel, out of the box, futuristic ideas, new knowledge generation, discovery or development of breakthrough health technologies (vaccines, drugs or therapeutics, diagnostics, interventions etc.) which has never been thought, tested or tried in the world till date. "Over the years the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has encouraged researchers within and outside ICMR by providing funding support through various research schemes. To move ahead of the curve, ICMR is looking for innovative, out of the box ideas from researchers across the country," the call for proposals document said. "Inspired by Chandrayan 3 landing on the south pole of the moon, making India the first country to do so, the ICMR is launching a new initiative
The Union Home Ministry has announced that the validity of all FCRA registered NGOs whose renewal application is pending will stand extended till September 30 or till the date of disposal of renewal application. According to a notification, the home ministry also extended the validity of those Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registered NGOs whose five years validity period is expiring during July 1 to September 30 and which have applied or will apply for renewal before expiry of five years validity period, will stand extended upto September 30 or till the date of disposal of renewal application, whichever is earlier. "The validity of registration certificates of such entities whose validity was extended till 30.06.2024 in terms of the public notice dated 28.03.2024 and whose renewal application is pending, will stand extended till 30.09.2024 or till the date of disposal of renewal application, whichever is earlier," the notification said. The home ministry also advised
The Union home ministry on Thursday extended till June 30 the validity of all FCRA registered NGOs whose licences are expiring on March 31, in a relief to those whose renewal applications are still under consideration. The ministry has also given time till June 30 to all NGOs whose five-year validity period is expiring between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024, so that they can apply for renewal before the expiry of their validity. According to the law, all NGOs receiving foreign contributions have to be registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act. In a notification, the home ministry said the central government, in the public interest, has decided to extend the validity of FCRA registration certificates of the FCRA registered entities whose validity was extended till March 31, 2024, in terms of the public notice dated September 25, 2023, and whose renewal application is pending. The validity is now extended till June 30, 2024, or till the date of disposal of the rene
India tops the charts in terms of trust in businesses and NGOs, but it is fourth in terms of trust in media and fifth for the government, an annual trust barometer showed on Monday. The Edelman Trust Barometer 2024, released here ahead of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, put Saudi Arabia on the top for trust shown by their people in the government and China for trust in media. In terms of trust shown in one's employer, Indonesia emerged at the top followed by India at the second place. The 24th annual survey, which covered over 32,000 respondents across 28 countries, showed developing countries having a lead over developed ones in terms of overall trust perception of their respective populations. On the overall index, prepared on the basis of average per cent trust in NGOs, business, government and media, India moved to second place from fourth in 2023, while China retained its top spot. The UK replaced South Korea as the least trusted nation. The survey also showed less t
The Supreme Court has imposed a stay on an office memorandum issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change allowing ex post facto environmental clearance which permits projects to carry out operations without getting environmental clearances. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta issued a notice to the Ministry of the Environment and Forests (MoEF) on the plea filed by NGO Vanashakti. "Issue notice returnable in four weeks. Until further orders there shall be stay of the office memorandum dated January 20, 2022," the bench said. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Vanashakti, submitted that environmental impact assessment mandates prior approval before the commencement of any activity and allowing ex post facto environmental clearance was anathema to the Environment Protection Act. He argued that the Environment Impact Assessment notification of 2006 stipulates prior environment clearance for all projects and the problem arose with an
More than Rs 55,000 crore in foreign contributions were received by over 13,500 FCRA registered NGOs in the country in three financial years 2019-22, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in order to accept foreign contributions, all associations or NGOs have to obtain registration or prior permission under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA, 2010). "A total of 13,520 associations or NGOs have received a total of Rs 55741.51 crore foreign contribution in last three financial years i.e. 2019-2020 to 2021-2022," he said in a written reply. Rai said a total of 1,615 applications for registration under FCRA were received in the last two years i.e. 2021 and 2022. Out of these, 722 applications have been granted and 225 applications have been rejected as on December 14, 2023. The refusal of these applications was due to not fulfilling the eligibility criteria in accordance with the provisions of the FCRA, 2010 and rules