1. Mob Tries To Attack Manipur CM's Ancestral House, Security Forces Foil Attack
The strife-torn Manipur state remained tense on Thursday as mobs tried to attack the ancestral house of Chief Minister N Biren Singh at Heingang locality in Imphal.
Singh was, however, not present in the house at the time of the attempted attack. He lives at his official residence at the centre of Imphal, which is well-guarded.
Tensions are also high in the state over the outrage and protests over the deaths of two youths who had been missing since July. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the case.
In a related development, more than 20 MLAs have camped in Delhi and have urged the Union government to take actions behind the abduction and killing of the two youths. In the wake of the circulation of photos of their corpses and increased violent protests, the Manipur government on Tuesday banned the mobile internet services in the state for five days.
In the wake of continued tensions, counterterrorism expert police officer Rakesh Balwal has been recalled to Manipur from Jammu and Kashmir where he is currently serving as a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He was involved in uncovering the conspiracy behind the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack.
2. EAM Jaishankar Meets US Secretary Of State Antony Blinken
Amid the ongoing diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the United States on Thursday.
Jaishankar is on a visit to the United States where he has held several meetings with US officials and officials from other countries on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Jaishankar and Blinken discussed a full range of issues, including key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency, and the creation of India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and its potential to generate transparent, sustainable, and high-standard infrastructure investments, according to US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.
The meeting comes amid statements from top US officials urging India to cooperate with Canada in the investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has claimed that there were "credible allegations of a potential link" between the Indian government and the death of Nijjar. India has forcefully rejected the allegation. The claim and the subsequent exchange of diplomatic blows between the two countries has driven the bilateral relations to a new height.
Following the allegations that Trudeau made in the Canadian parliament, his government expelled a senior Indian diplomat posted in Canada and outed him publicly as an Indian intelligence official. In a tit for tat response, India also expelled a Canadian diplomat posted in India, who has since been identified as a Canadian intelligence agency official. Further, India suspended visa services for Canadian nationals and ordered the downsizing of the Canadian missions in India.
It has also emerged that the United States government had shared some intelligence related to the matter with Canada, but that the 'core' intelligence involving the purported interceptions of communications between Indian officials were collected by Canadians themselves.
3. Rajasthan Govt Issues New Guidelines Regarding Suicides In Kota
The Government of Rajasthan has released guidelines with the intention to curb the rising suicides among students in Kota, according to a report in Hindustan Times.
Earlier, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had also formed a committee to look into the issue.
Some of the issues in the guidelines are: Alphabetical sections for students instead of rank-based sections, monitoring centres in coaching hubs of Kota and Sikar, a government portal to collage coaching centres-related data, mandatory pre-admission screening tests, training to look for behavioural changes and stress-signs, etc.
4. From 6 In 2021 To 543 in 2022, Exponential Rise In Measles Cases In Delhi: Report
The declining trend in the previous years reversed in 2022 as 543 measles cases were reported in Delhi against six, five, and 25 in 2021, 2020, and 2019, according to a report published in The Indian Express.
The report says that increased surveillance in 2022 and reduced focus on the measles in the previous two years because of all energies being devoted to containing and managing the Covid-19 pandemic have been among the reasons for the surge.
Last year, Maharashtra and particularly Mumbai had also reported a measles surge where too the reduced vaccination because of focus being diverted to the Covid-19 pandemic was highlighted as one of the reasons. We have an explainer from that time.
5. Karnataka Bandh Today Over Cauvery Water Dispute
A statewide bandh is being organised today in Karnataka over the ongoing Cauvery water dispute with Tamil Nadu.
All schools and colleges have been closed in Karnataka for Friday and protests are set to be staged across the state.
Prohibitiory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) have also been enforced in Karnataka's Mandya district.
The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal-Secular (JD(S) have extended their support to the bandh.
