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CTV News
16-07-2025
- CTV News
B.C. mother ordered to pay over $4K for son's dirt bike thefts, tribunal finds
A mother has been ordered to fork out for her child's wrongdoing after a B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal determined her to be responsible for her son's involvement in the theft and subsequent damage of three dirt bikes. A decision on the dispute posted July 10 outlines how three Honda dirt bikes belonging to the applicant, referred to as Mr. S, were 'intentionally taken and damaged' in September 2023. The bikes were later found at the home of the mother of one minor, referred to as B, and the home of his friend, EW, after the two had taken them in the night and removed their parts, the decision read. In B.C., a minor is defined as anyone under the age of 19. The tribunal member was tasked with determining whether B or his mother was financially responsible for the damage caused after the mother, named Ms. R, argued she had no financial responsibility for her child's actions. Tribunal member Alissa Reynolds referred to The Parental Liability Act, particularly section 3, which says that if a child intentionally takes, damages, or destroys another person's property their parent is liable for the loss of or damage to the property. Reynolds said Ms. R had a possible defence, however, if she could prove that she both 'exercised reasonable supervision' over her son at the time of the incident, and 'made reasonable efforts to prevent or discourage B's conduct.' Ultimately the defence collapsed after Reynolds noted how B had been 'behaving inappropriately' for several months before the bikes were taken, and that Ms. R hadn't been surprised by the latest actions of her son. Reynolds said Ms. R was unable to provide evidence 'about her house rules, whether B has a curfew, or steps she takes to ensure he is home during the night,' which implied she had not been carrying out a reasonable level of supervision when her son and his friend stole the bikes around 2 or 3 a.m. that morning. The mother also 'did not give any evidence of steps that she took to improve her parenting skills before this incident,' the decision read. Based on those factors, Reynolds found that Ms. R had not established she was reasonably supervising her son on the night of the incident, or 'that she made reasonable efforts to prevent or discourage' his conduct. 'I find that Ms. R is liable for B's actions in damaging the dirt bikes,' she said Ms. R and her son were ordered to pay a total of $4,106.63, in damages within 30 days of the decision being made.
New York Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Calling BS: Trump blasts Putin for killing ‘7,000 a Week'
President Trump calls BS on the Russian President for fighting instead of looking for a peaceful solution to the war with Ukraine.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Delhi's clean air fight needs more than a blanket ban on old vehicles
Starting July 1, 2025, refuelling of old vehicles (15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel models) has been banned in Delhi to implement the mandate from the Commission for Air Quality Management. However, in the face of public fury, the Delhi govt has put this programme on hold, citing 'operational and infrastructural challenges'. While the fate of 62 lakh overage vehicles remains uncertain, questions have emerged around the purpose and the method of enforcing such measures for clean air. Why is it necessary to phase out old vehicles — especially old private vehicles? And is a sweeping age-based ban the only answer? Why aging fleets are a concern There is a reasonably strong case for replacing older vehicles with clean and near-zero emissions vehicles. The older vintages were designed under significantly weaker emission norms and emit far more pollution than those complying with the current Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) emissions standards. For instance, a BS III diesel car — over a decade old in Delhi — emits up to 11 times more particulate matter (PM) than a BS VI vehicle. A very old heavy-duty diesel truck meeting BS I norms can spew 36 times more PM than one meeting BS VI norms. Wear and tear only worsen these emissions. This is not fully captured by the current Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification system which relies on idle engine emissions. This method fails to measure pollutants under varied real-world conditions such as acceleration or variable speed of driving. Evidence also shows that a small fraction of vehicles is responsible for a disproportionate share of emissions. For instance, a national estimate by the International Council on Clean Transportation shows that pre-2003 vehicles constituted less than 20% of total vehicles but accounted for nearly half of all vehicular particulate emissions and a third of nitrogen oxide emissions in 2011. The accumulating old fleet can thus lock in enormous pollution. A rigorous emissions monitoring system should target such vehicles. That said, even newer vehicles can become high emitters if poorly maintained or malfunctioning. These too must be identified and addressed. There are also material benefits to retiring End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs). A joint report by the International Energy Agency and NITI Aayog found that recycling ELVs and recovering critical materials can reduce raw material costs by up to 40%. However, India's current recovery rate stands at 70–75%, well below the global benchmark of 85–95%. Moving beyond age-based bans 122270629 While the clean-air benefits of fleet renewal are clear, a standalone and a blanket age-based ban is not a scalable and sustainable strategy. A more effective strategy would combine vehicle age with other indicators such as fitness, maintenance, and emissions performance. This can be complemented by targeted age-based bans as needed. The 2021 scrappage policy by the ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH) defines ELVs as those without valid registration or deemed unfit through Automated Testing Stations (ATS). While all commercial vehicles have been mandated to undergo fitness tests only in the ATS nation-wide, the deadline has been extended. But Delhi can lead by enforcing ATS testing for commercial vehicles. However, stricter ELV criteria and better emissions tracking are also needed for private vehicles. More advanced on-road monitoring, like remote sensing, is needed to go beyond the PUC programme. Emission monitoring machines placed by the roadside can efficiently identify the worst polluters. Central rules need to be notified immediately to implement this. The scrappage policy can start with the worst polluters — like old diesel trucks and commercial vehicles — and gradually include other ELVs. To make this work, financial incentives will be required. The MoRTH policy allows for tax concessions, which states like Delhi have begun using. These can be strengthened with manufacturer buyback schemes and linked to cleaner or electric vehicle purchases to maximise emission gains. It is, however, clear that if fitness testing, emissions performance, selective bans with financial incentives are to serve as viable alternatives to blanket age-based bans, then emissions monitoring must be both advanced and stringent to identify ELVs effectively. Smart on-road monitoring and disclosure mechanisms must be part of the solution. Currently, it is evident from the VAHAN database of MoRTH that, as of July 2025, out of 8.7 lakh vehicles tested in the ATS nationally, only 304 vehicles have been officially declared as ELVs. Finally, the public outcry over age-based bans also reflects a deeper issue: the lack of adequate mass transport options. Delhi needs massive augmentation of public transport and mobility systems, along with vehicle restraint measures like parking management area plans with increased parking pricing, to restrain personal vehicle usage. Roychowdhury is executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment
New Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Why India's tailpipe pollution regime needs urgent reform
The Commission for Air Quality Management recently directed that all end-of-life vehicles (ELV) will not be given fuel in Delhi starting July 1, 2025. While the move reflects an intent to curb vehicular pollution to address the Delhi-NCR's chronic air quality crisis, it distracts from the deeper malaise: the failure to strictly enforce emission compliance on all vehicles on the road, not just the old ones. The air quality discourse appears to have increasingly turned punitive over the years. From banning older vehicles to restricting fuel access for 'over-aged' vehicles, Delhi appears to be shifting all its environmental responsibility onto vehicle owners. Using vehicle age as a proxy for pollution, it overlooks the complex relationship between fuel, engine maintenance, and usage. A closer look into the systemic architecture such as unrenewed emission verification norms, regulatory gaps in testing frameworks, and poor enforcement of fuel efficiency standards reveals a troubling reality: India's policy focus is targeting the tailpipe without reforming the pipeline. Age vs. Emissions: A Scientific Disjunct India's air pollution control framework, influenced by European emission regulations and early 2000s Supreme Court rulings, has evolved into the Bharat Standards (BS). Judicial decisions force diesel vehicles off the roads after 10 years and petrol after 15, regardless of compliance with the set emission standards. This approach that prioritises age over actual emissions creates a disjunct: a well-maintained BS-IV vehicle running on petrol or diesel and regularly passing pollution tests must be scrapped, while newer, but poorly maintained vehicles can continue to operate. Originally a thumb rule to compensate for limited available enforcement facilities, this blanket age-based criterion needs replacement by more granular, real-time metrics using emission data, owing to the changes in the air pollution index in Delhi-NCR. While in 2000s, studies attributed vehicular contributions to PM2.5 emissions at around 25 per cent, today, other denser sources such as construction dust, industrial emissions, and seasonal fires also contribute significantly to Delhi's pollution.
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Business Standard
22-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Business Standard CEO Poll: Wars, trade frictions test biz confidence
75% of CEOs are "cautiously optimistic" about the future BS Reporters Mumbai/New Delhi/Kolkata/Bangalore/Chennai Listen to This Article Nearly 75 per cent of Indian CEOs say that the global uncertainty — driven by escalating tensions between Israel and Iran and the uncertain trade tariff environment — is 'somewhat impacting' their businesses. However, the remaining respondents do not foresee any significant disruptions, according to a nationwide dipstick survey of the CEOs conducted last week. Despite the geopolitical tensions, 83.33 per cent of the 12 CEOs surveyed by Business Standard affirmed that they are not altering their greenfield investment plans, even after US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday raised the stakes in the region.
