1. Gurugram Schoolboy's Death: Conductor Arrested
School should be the safest place for a child besides home. But on Friday morning, a seven-year-old boy was brutally murdered minutes after he had entered his class and then gone to the washroom.
The alleged killer, 42-year-old school bus conductor Ashok Kumar, slashed the boy with a knife from a bus toolkit he had brought in to wash. Kumar told the police he was stimulating himself inside the washroom when the boy walked in. So vicious was the knife attack that it split open the left side of the boy's face from the ear to the throat. Little Pradhyumn Thakur, who was happily looking forward to a classmate's birthday celebration when he left home, died in hospital.
Source: Times of India
2. New Dawn in Sino-Indian Ties Came After 2 am Meeting
Late in the evening on August 27, Indian ambassador to China Vijay Gokhale was told the Chinese were keen to know how soon they could meet him.
Gokhale conveyed that he was in Hong Kong and could reach only past midnight even if he booked himself on the first Beijing-bound flight. He was urged to reach the Chinese capital as fast as he could, in a first clear indication that the quiet and dogged attempt to defuse the Doklam imbroglio may have borne fruit.
It was 2 in the morning when he sat down with Chinese foreign ministry officials to discuss details of the Doklam disengagement.
Source: Times of India
Also read: China Unhappy With Indian Army Chief’s “Two-Front War” Remark
3. Panama Probe: First Prosecutions Are Taken to Court for Off-Shore Tax Evasion
A year and a half into its probe, the Income Tax Department has launched its first set of prosecutions in the Panama Papers investigations. The probe began days after The Indian Express , along with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, published the Panama Papers. Until date, 424 Indians named in the data on offshore entities set up by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca have been under the scanner.
Top officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) told The Indian Express that they have now taken a major step forward and have launched prosecution in five cases in different courts in the country. Officials said that these are cases where the IT Department was simultaneously conducting proceedings for tax violations but against whom sufficient evidence has been received from among 13 foreign jurisdictions. This confirms the existence of the off-shore entity and of holdings and bank accounts held by the company or Trust.
Source: The Indian Express
Also read: Nawaz Sharif, Kin Slapped With 4 Corruption Cases Over Panamagate
4. No-Fly List: Govt Cracks Down on Unruly Passengers, Minimum 2-Yr Ban for Assault
Being unruly on a flight can earn passengers a three-month ban, which can stretch up to a lifetime if someone jeopardises the safety of an aircraft, according to new aviation rules that came into force on Friday.
The rules are part of the government’s rollout of a national no-fly list to crack down on people who misbehave during air travel, an issue that gained attention earlier this year after a member of parliament beat up an elderly Air India staffer.
“We can never compromise on safety and security. The No-Fly ban will be in addition to any statutory legal action that can be taken against the offender under existing laws. Goes without saying, but since many have asked, the No-fly list provisions are applicable to every passenger. No exemptions,” civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. Dera Donated 14 Bodies to up Medical College Without Death Certificates
With the spotlight on Dera Sacha Sauda following the arrest of its chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, yet another revelation has emerged.
A Union health ministry note has mentioned as many as 14 bodies being sent from the Dera headquarters in Sirsa to GCRG Institute of Medical Sciences, a private medical college here, "without requisite permission and death certificates".
The note, a copy of which is with TOI, was written on 19 August and sent to the UP government.
Source: Times of India
Also read: Dera Search Op Live: Hard Disks, OB Van, Demonetised Notes Seized
6. Gauri Lankesh Murder: Karnataka Govt Announces Rs 10 Lakh Award, Non-Committal on CBI Probe
The Karnataka government on Friday announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information helping crack the murder of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, who was shot dead outside her home in Bengaluru three days ago.
The government, however, was non-committal on handing over the probe into the killing, which sparked outrage and nationwide protests, to the Central Bureau of Investigation, as demanded by Lankesh’s brother.
“I have known the family since the days of P Lankesh, I will speak to them and come to a decision,” chief minister Siddaramaiah said to a question if the case would be handed over to the CBI.
P Lankesh was the father of Gauri and a well-known Kannada writer, poet and journalist.
Source: Hindustan Times
Also read: Gauri Lankesh Murder: Rs 10 Lakh Reward to Anyone Providing Clues
7. 13-Year-Old Delivers Premature Baby After SC Grants Abortion Permission
A 13-year-old gave birth to a boy at the State-run JJ Hospital on Friday, days after the Supreme Court allowed her to ‘terminate’ the pregnancy in the 32nd week. The delivery was via C-section, and the infant was immediately shifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, doctors said. They added the child, weighing 1.8 kg, was born prematurely with underdeveloped organs.
As per the court’s order, the girl was taken into surgery around 1.30 p.m. “The delivery went well without complications. The baby will do fine with good NICU care for a few weeks,” gynaecologist Dr Ashok Anand, who assisted the delivery, said.
He said at the time of discharge, the girl’s family will be the first to be asked to take him home. If they refuse, he will be put up for adoption. Already, hospital authorities said, five people have called expressing their desire to adopt the child.
Source: The Hindu
8. Bali Action Puts India on Other Side of the Rohingya Debate
India’s decision to reject a joint statement by the World Parliamentary Forum in Indonesia, that included references to human rights in Myanmar in its ‘Bali declaration’, was a major show of support for the Suu Kyi government just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ended his bilateral visit there. The move, however, has put India on the other side of the Rohingya refugee debate from Myanmar’s other neighbours and countries in the region.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were all among countries that joined the Bali declaration at Nusa Dua on Thursday, that India disassociated from, according to Indonesian officials.
Source: The Hindu
9. Pakistan Not Given Full Credit for Efforts to Battle Terrorism: China
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi came out in defence of Pakistan within four days of agreeing to a joint declaration under the aegis of BRICS to condemn two Pakistan based terrorist groups.
Pakistan has not been given "full credit" for its efforts to battle terrorism by "some countries", Wang said while referring to US President Donald Trump's criticism of Islamabad for sheltering terror groups. He made the statement in a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who came rushing soon after the BRICS declaration.
China's decision to join India and other countries to condemn Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, the two Pakistan based terror groups, led some to believe that Beijing was reviewing its approach towards Islamabad. Wang made a serious effort to reassure Pakistan about his government's continued support, which rushed its foreign minister to Beijing.
Source: Times of India
Also read: China Lauds Pakistan for “Doing Its Best” Against Terrorism
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