Weekly News Wrap: From Sridevi to Rising GDP
Here’s a quick roundup of all that made news this week.
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Script by Anthony Rozario & Malavika Balasubramanian
Page by Darab Mansoor Ali
While the news of Bollywood veteran Sridevi's untimely death dominated news feeds this week, there were some things that did not get enough media attention. Take a look:
1) Over 600 Civilians Bombed in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta
An estimated 600 innocent civilians died from bombings, shellings and alleged chemical weapon use in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta this week in one of the most devastating campaigns of the Syrian war. Since 24 February, Syria’s army and its allies have subjected the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta near Damascus to one of the heaviest bombardments of the seven-year war, killing hundreds.
Read the full story on The Quint.
2) Students Stranded in Ceasefire Violation in J&K’s Rajouri District
Over 20 students in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district were caught in heavy shelling across the LoC when the Pakistan army on Tuesday, 27 February, violated ceasefire and resorted to shelling on forward posts and civilian areas along the Line of in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
Read the full story on The Quint.
3) Kanchi Seer Jayendra Saraswati Passes Away at 82
4) Girls Attacked with Semen-Filled Balloons in Delhi
After all this, we were optimistic that Holi festivities will wash all the bad new away but then news of hooliganism in the name of Holi began to make the rounds. College-goers at Delhi’s LSR College were in for a shock when they were attacked with what they alleged were semen-filled balloons. The incident sparked a protest, with college girls taking to the streets to protest harassment.
Read the full story on The Quint.
5) Karti Chidambaram Arrested
In the political sphere, Karti Chidambaram, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son was arrested at the Chennai airport by the CBI, as soon as he landed from London. Karti was arrested in connection with the case registered by the CBI on 15 May 2017, in relation to the approvals granted by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to a company called INX Media.
Read the full story on The Quint.
6) First Woman IAF Pilot to Fly Solo
However, it is not all bad news. A female Indian Air Force combat pilot, Avani Chaturvedi became the first IAF woman combat pilot to fly solo. Only selected countries like Britain, the United States, Israel, and Pakistan, have allowed women in the role of fighter pilots, and Avani’s feat will serve to inspire several other women to sign up.
Read the full story on The Quint.
7) India’s GDP Rises to 7.2% in October-December Quarter
In yet another piece of good news, India's GDP rose to 7.2 percent in the October-December quarter although at a slower pace than expected, as it continued to recover from the twin disruptions of demonetisation and a nationwide goods and services tax (GST).
Read the full story on The Quint.
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