1. AIADMK Merger Hits Sasikala Roadblock, Stalls Formal Announcement by EPS-OPS Factions
Tamil Nadu’s ruling and rebel AIADMK factions reached an understanding on Friday but the formal announcement of a merger was scuttled by last-mile hiccups.
Chief minister Edappadi Palanisami and his predecessor O Panneerselvam, popularly known as OPS, were to announce the unification at party supremo J Jayalalithaa’s memorial on Marina beach.
But sources said the event was delayed as the rebels want the ruling faction to formally sack VK Sasikala, the jailed AIADMK general secretary and long-time aide of Jayalalithaa.
The AIADMK split after Sasikala took over the reins of the party in February, removed Panneerselvam from the chief minister’s post, handpicked Palanisami as his replacement, and appointed nephew TTV Dinakaran as her deputy before going to jail for corruption.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. Government Confirms 'Incident' Took Place Between Indian and Chinese Troops in Ladakh
India on Friday confirmed that an "incident" had taken place between the Indian and Chinese troops near Pangong Lake in Ladakh and also reiterated that it will continue to engage with Beijing to find a mutually acceptable solution to the Doklam standoff.
MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said when questioned by reporters about the reported scuffle that involved stone-throwing and fisticuffs:
Today, I can confirm that there was an incident at Pangong Tso on 15 August. Such incidents do not contribute to peace and tranquility at the border and are not in the interest of either side.
Source: The Times of India
3. Twin Attacks in Spain: Police Say Suspects Were Planning Bigger Attack
Suspects in Spain’s deadly twin terror attacks were preparing an even bigger assault that was foiled as events unfolded, police said Friday as the death toll rose to 14 with over 100 injured.
Officers also said the driver of the white van which mowed down tourists in the packed centre of Barcelona Thursday evening may have been among suspects killed in the hours since the mayhem started.
Police said they killed five “suspected terrorists” during the night and arrested three others as Spain reeled from the double tragedy in Barcelona and in Cambrils, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) south.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Swine Flu Spurts in Delhi: 1,066 Cases Last Month
Swine flu has surged sharply in the capital with 1,066 cases being confirmed in the last one month, which is more than four times the number reported during the rest of this year.
The total number of cases till 13 August this year stands at 1,307, more than six times the corresponding period of 2016.
Nationally, 18,855 cases of the H1N1 influenza have been reported this year, claiming 929 lives.
But despite the spurt in cases in the capital, the num ber of deaths has not risen significantly. Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain said in the assembly last week:
Only four deaths have been reported: two from Delhi and two patients from outside have died.
Source: The Times of India
5. Vacant Posts, Hygiene Lacking: Central Team on Gorakhpur Hospital
Eight of 12 senior resident posts lie vacant, only three of 31 nurses are trained to handle newborns, poor parents are forced to buy disposables and consumables, and the most basic infection control norms like washing hands and use of disinfectants are not being followed.
These are among the findings of a three-member technical team that was sent by the Centre to the Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College and Hospital in Gorakhpur for onsite assessment of the mortality situation at the tertiary care hospital following the uproar over the death of 71 children there between 7 and 17 August.
Source: The Indian Express
6. Vishal Sikka Resigns as Infosys CEO After Tussle With Narayana Murthy
Vishal Sikka resigned as Infosys CEO on Friday, citing a stream of “unrelenting” and “increasingly personal attacks” in recent months, a surprise move that sent the IT major’s shares plummeting more than 12 percent.
B Pravin Rao, Infosys’ chief operating officer, was named interim chief executive.
Rao will report to Sikka, who will take the executive vice chairman role until a permanent CEO takes charge, which should be no later than end-March 2018, Infosys said in a statement.
Though Sikka, 50, did not name anybody in a parting letter to Infosys employees, the board said company founder NR Narayana Murthy’s “continuous assault and misguided campaign” was main reason behind the exit.
Source: Hindustan Times
7. After Cows Starve to Death in His Gaushala, BJP Leader Blames Own Govt
The main gate of Shagun Gaushala, in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district, has the lotus emblazoned on it. Inside, amid the stench of death, hundreds of cows stand, weak and hungry, their ribs showing. Then, there are the carcasses of those that died over the week. Some are rotting in the fields and many in the rows of trenches dug to dispose of the remains being torn apart by stray dogs.
At the centre of it all is the man in charge of the gaushala in Rajpur village — Harish Verma, BJP’s vice president in the nagar panchayat of Jamul, 30 km away. On Friday, he was arrested by police on charges of “breach of trust and negligence”.
Rajpur residents and state officials blame Verma for the deaths of the cows over the last week. But the BJP leader claims his party’s own government let him down by not releasing annual grants for maintaining such gaushalas in a state where cow slaughter is banned.
Source: The Indian Express
8. RBI to Issue New Rs 50 Notes Shortly
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said it will shortly issue bank notes of denomination Rs 50 in Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, with motif of "Hampi with Chariot" on the reverse.
"The new denomination has motif of Hampi with chariot on the reverse, depicting the country's cultural heritage. The base colour of the note is fluorescent blue," the RBI said in a notification today.
Source: The Times of India
9. How a Bihar NGO Siphoned off Crores in Govt Funds Under Govt Nose – With Some Help
Over 10 years and across two governments, of JD(U)-BJP and the RJD-JDU, one Bhagalpur NGO allegedly siphoned off an estimated Rs 700 crore of public funds.
Nine FIRs and 12 arrests later, the Bihar government ordered a CBI probe on Thursday.
An investigation by The Indian Express, of police records, bank statements and interviews with key officials reveals how the little-known NGO, ‘Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited’, providing vocational training to women and selling pickles, allegedly pilfered funds from Bhagalpur district administration’s various accounts for at least half a dozen welfare schemes.
All with the alleged connivance of government officials, bank employees and, of course, Srijan’s own staff.
Source: The Indian Express
More From The Quint:
Public Service Announcement: Dear Women, Please Shut Up!
EPS Announces Jayalalithaa Memorial: But Is It Legal?
Donald Trump Fires Steve Bannon, His Closest White House Aide
Nitish vs Sharad: Rival JD(U) Camps to Meet Amid Rumours of Split
Woman Who Was Flashed Tells Media to Get Context & Facts Straight!
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)