1. UP ATS Operation: One Terrorist Killed as Lucknow Encounter Comes to an End
One terrorist was killed as anti-terror operation in Lucknow’s outskirts ended after almost 12 hours of security operation in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The terrorist has been linked with the Bhopal-Ujjain train blast and is said to be responsible for injuring at least 10 people – three are in critical condition – in the IED blast near Jabdi station in Shajapur district of Madhya Pradesh early on Tuesday.
Additional Director General of Police Daljit Chaudhary also said that earlier reports of two terrorists being holed up inside a building were false.
(Source: The Indian Express)
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2. Ujjain Train Blast Marks First ISIS Attack in India; 10 Injured
In the first-ever strike in India by the ISIS, a module radicalised by the deadly terrorist organisation triggered a low-intensity blast in a train in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, injuring 10 passengers.
The morning blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train at Jabri railway station, the first instance of a terror strike by an ISIS module in India, spurred the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Police to launch coordinated operations in the two states.
Eight members of the group were arrested, while UP's anti-terror squad was engaged in an operation in Lucknow to capture its leader Saifulllah.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. On Note Ban, Voters Swayed More by Spin Than Argument: Akhilesh Yadav
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav addressed his last rally at Ambedkarnagar, where the death of a candidate stretched the election campaign by an extra day.
Akhilesh’s has been some effort – 221 rallies across the state, 65 jan sabhas, including those addressed jointly with alliance partner Rahul Gandhi, and four roadshows.
Asked if the BJP may have beaten its rival parties in packaging demonetisation for the people, he says: “Hamne bahut samjhaya, par gareeb sapnon mein chala jaata hai, bada sapna sabko achcha lagta hai (we tried to explain the effects of demonetisation, but the poor lapse into dreams, people like grandiose dreams)… Log samjhaane se nahin, behkaane se vote de dete hain (Voters get swayed more by spin than by argument).”
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. DU Professor GN Saibaba Convicted for Maoist Links, Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
A district court in Gadchiroli on Tuesday sentenced wheelchair-bound Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and four others to life imprisonment under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the IPC for aiding and abetting Naxal activities.
A sixth convict was handed 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Delivering the judgement in a packed court, Principal District and Sessions Judge SS Shinde said, “Merely because Saibaba is 90 per cent disabled is no ground to show him leniency… he is physically handicapped but he is mentally fit, a thinktank and a high-profile leader of banned organisations.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. Aussies Lose Test – And Some DRS Face
A bitter row has erupted over the use of the Direct Review System in the Bengaluru Test, with Indian skipper Virat Kohli alleging that the Australians had sought assistance from their dressing room on more than one occasion while using the DRS, in violation of the ICC rules.
Matters came to a head on Tuesday when captain Steven Smith was witnessed taking help from the dressing room after being adjudged Lbw off Umesh Yadav before the hosts scripted a come-from-behind 75-run win to level the four-Test series 1-1.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. US Moves to Ease H-1B Spouses From Jobs
The Trump administration is moving quickly to drain the American economy and its workforce of immigrant labour and foreign workers, not just those who are illegal but also those who have won permission to work legally.
It has now come to light that the new administration’s department of justice (DOJ) has filed a brief in the Washington DC court of appeals seeking a 60-day freeze in a case involving employment authorisation for H-4 visa-holders, who are primarily dependent spouses of H-1B visa-holder.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. ‘Red Card’ For Cricket Players: Football-Style Rule Soon in Game, Confirms MCC
In what is a major change in how cricket, the traditional gentleman’s game, is played, on field umpires will have the authority, like their football counterparts, to send off players who have committed serious breaches of behaviour. This will be part of the new laws of cricket that will come into effect from 1 October, confirmed Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The new laws are based on the recommendations of the MCC Cricket Committee which had a meeting in Mumbai last December.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
8. Ragging Redefined: Engineering Students Can be Expelled For Mocking Caste, Gender or Religion
Engineering students can be expelled for mocking the caste, ethnicity or sexual orientation of college mates, as the The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has expanded the definition of ragging ahead of the new academic session.
Ragging is rampant in colleges like these where freshers are often humiliated by senior students and even abused physically. There have been instances where students have died or ended their lives unable to bear the pressure.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. India Asks Sri Lanka to Probe Killing of Tamil Nadu Fisherman
Even as the Indian government pressed Sri Lanka for a thorough probe into the killing of an Indian fishermen, Sri Lanka said an initial probe had ruled out its navy's involvement in the incident. India had taken up the issue with Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The 22-year-old Indian fisherman was shot dead on Monday while he was fishing in a mechanised boat a short distance off Katchatheevu islet. Local fishermen alleged that he was killed by the Sri Lankan navy while another was injured.
(Source: The Times of India)
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