1. In Adityanath’s Gorakhpur, at Least 30 Children Die in a Span of 48 Hours
At least 30 children lost their lives due to encephalitis in last 48 hours at Gorakhpur’s BRD Hospital.
Total 30 deaths in last 48 hours. Supply of liquid oxygen was disrupted yesterday due to pending payment. Requested suppliers not to disrupt supply.District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s Lok Sabha constituency of Gorakhpur has seen at least 114 deaths due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) this year alone. AES is an umbrella classification under which comes the diseases Japanese Encephalitis (JE), water-borne encephalitis and scrub typhus, among others.
Source: The Indian Express
2. India Deploys More Troops Along China Border, ‘Caution Level’ Raised
In a strategically key move, India has poured in more troops along the entire stretch of its border with China in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the face of heightened rhetoric by Beijing over the Doklam standoff, senior government officials said on Friday.
The “caution level” among the troops has also been raised, the officials said.
The decision to increase the deployment along the nearly 1,400-km Sino-India border from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh was taken after carrying out a detailed analysis of the situation and considering China’s aggressive posturing against India on Doklam, the officials said.
Source: Hindustan Times
3. Pahlaj Nihalani’s Tenure Cut, Prasoon Joshi New Censor Chief
The Centre on Friday issued marching orders to controversy-prone Central Board of Film Certification chairman Pahlaj Nihalani and replaced him with lyricist and adman Prasoon Joshi for a three-year term.
CBFC member Ashoke Pandit, among the loudest critics of Nihalani, has also been dropped from the board with immediate effect.
The decision follows the assessment in the government that Nihalani was attracting unwarranted controversy over decisions relating to cuts in films and the board had become a source of harassment for filmmakers.
Source: The Times of India
4. Economic Survey 2 Flags Risks to Growth, Backs Rate Cuts
The second part of the economic survey for 2016-17, tabled in Parliament on Friday, flagged lurking risks to growth while asserting that there is scope for slashing interest rates to enable the economy to achieve its full potential.
“Optimism about the medium term and gathering anxiety about near-term deflationary impulses simultaneously reign over the economy,” said the survey, authored by chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian.
The factors fuelling optimism include implementation of GST, the decision to privatise Air India and measures to tackle the stress on bank finances as well as companies.
Source: The Times of India
5. Guarded Bonding: Delhi and Bhutan Tiptoe on Doklam
The foreign ministers of India and Bhutan met in Kathmandu on Friday amid New Delhi's standoff with Beijing over territory both China and Bhutan claim, but avoided presenting a joint front on the spat that is testing India's most trusted partnership.
The meeting between Sushma Swaraj and Damcho Dorji on the margins of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) talks was their first since the standoff began 54 days ago.
Foreign secretary S Jaishankar too met his Bhutanese opposite number at Kathmandu, the venue of the talks. Officials confirmed that the face-off between Indian and Chinese troops on the disputed Doklam plateau was a central theme at both meetings.
Source: The Telegraph
6. JD(U) Rift: Nitish Kumar Virtually Rules Out Reconciliation
Showing no signs of reconciliation with rebel leader Sharad Yadav, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday said that the veteran JD(U) leader was free to take any decision as the decision to join forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party was taken after receiving the entire party’s nod.
He (Yadav) is free to take his decision. As far as the party is concerned, it has already taken its decision.Nitish Kumar, Bihar chief minster
“The decision was not mine alone and it was taken with the consent of the party. If he keeps a different opinion, then he is free to do so,” Kumar told mediapersons following his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source: The Indian Express
7. 16 Opposition Leaders Meet to Evolve ‘Alternative Narrative’ to Counter BJP
Leaders of 16 Opposition parties, led by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, met in New Delhi on Friday to deliberate on evolving an “alternative narrative” to counter the BJP. However, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) skipped the meeting. It was attended by dissident JD(U) MP Ali Anwar Ansari, who is opposed to his party’s alliance with the BJP in Bihar.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee attended the meeting, aside from leaders of Left parties.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the opposition parties have to build an alternative narrative to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP, whose political power has reached a historic high in the last three years after the party won a series of assembly polls.
Source: The Indian Express
8. Buxar DM Told Family He Would Commit Suicide, But Delhi Cops Could Not Trace Him
Buxar District Magistrate Mukesh Pandey, who allegedly committed suicide in Ghaziabad on Thursday by lying on rails tracks, had informed his family of his suicidal intentions hours ago.
But that could not save him from his tragic end.
Delhi Police swung into action after receiving a missing complaint from Pandey’s sister-in-law at 7pm, but they could not track down the official. Pandey left from Leela Palace Hotel in Chanakyapuri at around 4pm for District Centre in Janakpuri and later took a metro train. While the police were still looking for him in Delhi, his body was found on railway tracks in Ghaziabad.
Source: Hindustan Times
9. Donald Trump Says US Locked and Loaded to Hit North Korea
The United States is “locked and loaded” to initiate military action against North Korea if it acted unwisely, American President Donald Trump warned on Friday, while hoping the country’s dictator Kim Jong Un will avoid the path of confrontation as the two countries hurtled towards a nuclear showdown.
“Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!” Trump tweeted on Friday morning after Pyongyang responded to his earlier message promising to rain unprecedented “fire and fury” on North Korea by calling his threat “utter nonsense” and in turn warned that it will demonstrate its nuclear prowess by firing four missiles around the US territory of Guam.
Source: The Times of India
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