India’s Supreme Court will hear a petition on Wednesday, two days after it described the detention of journalist Mohammad Zubair by police as a “vicious cycle”.
Police in northern Uttar Pradesh state will be barred from taking action against Zubair’s old tweets that were allegedly “hurting religious sentiments”.
What seems to be happening is, as he gets bail in one case, he is remanded in another. This vicious cycle is continuing
Justice DY Chandrachud
Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, was arrested by Delhi police over a 2018 tweet, purportedly a screenshot of a scene from 1983 Bollywood classic Kissi Se Na Kehna, in June.
But that followed a string of criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh, the state led by Hindu monk-turned-politician Yogi Adityanath.
On Monday, the senior court, while hearing an urgent plea against the police complaints, barred the state police from taking any action against him in connection to five criminal cases until July 20.
Zubair has already received bail in a sixth case in the state.
Expressing concern over the “vicious cycle” of arrests, the bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and AS Bopanna granted him bail for two days.
"Contents of all FIRs seem to be similar,” Justice Chandrachud said during the hearing, referring to the initial police inquiry.
“What seems to be happening is, as he gets bail in one case, he is remanded in another. This vicious cycle is continuing.”
Zubair is facing separate cases in the districts of Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Muzaffarnagar and Ghaziabad and two in Hathras for satirical comments about television news anchors, allegedly hurting religious sentiment of the Hindu community and posting alleged inflammatory content about deities.
Zubair was first arrested on the basis of a complaint from an anonymous Twitter user for hurting religious sentiment after tweeting an image that showed a hotel named "Hanuman Hotel”— a common practice in India for many to name their businesses after the Hindu monkey god.
The hotel was previously called “Honeymoon Hotel" – with several letters in Hindi painted to make the change.
The image accompanied Zubair’s comments: "Before 2014: Honeymoon Hotel, After 2014: Hanuman Hotel", a reference to the rise in Hindu fanaticism since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2014.
Zubair's arrest came weeks after he flagged a TV debate video clip that contained derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed made by Nupur Sharma, a BJP spokeswoman. The incident drew widespread attention and sparked a diplomatic row.
Ms Sharma, who is also facing several police cases over charges of hurting religious sentiment, has accused Zubair of endangering her life following his tweet.
Many of her supporters demanded Zubair's arrest before police in Delhi filed a complaint on its own over his 2018 tweet.
Ms Sharma has also approached the Supreme Court, reporting nine cases in several states and the capital Delhi, referring to “death and rape threats”.
The court had on July 1 rejected her petition and asked her to “apologise to the nation” for setting the “country on fire'' with her “loose tongue”.
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
Manifest cargo
Excess luggage in the hold
Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
