Naxals Attack a Railway Station in Doikallu Odisha and 5 Other Updates

1. Naxals Attack a Railway Station in Doikallu Odisha

Over 30 Naxals attacked Doikallu railway station in Odisha’s Rayagada district early on Friday morning. Although, the Naxals caused two explosions, no casualties have been reported so far. They fled the scene with two stolen sets of walkie-talkies. The ultras also left posters on the railway station walls, protesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming Odisha visit on 15th April. Posters left by CPI (Maoists) also protested against the appointment of non-Odia senior police officers, administrative officers, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) jawans.

2. Former South Korean Prez Park Geun-Hye Arrested

The ousted South Korean President, Park Geun-Hye, was arrested and taken into custody over the corruption scandal that led to her dismissal. She is accused of allowing her close friend, Choi Soon-sil, to interfere in national administration and extort money from companies, in return for political favours. Earlier, the Seoul Central District Court issued a warrant to detain Ms Park for investigation on charges of bribery, coercion, abuse of authority, and leaking government secrets. The former President might be held for up to 20 days before being formally charged and if found guilty, she could face more than 10 years of prison time.

3. PCB To Take Legal Action Against BCCI

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Shaharyar Khan said on Thursday that the board is planning to take a legal action against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for refusing to play a scheduled India vs Pakistan bilateral series. According to a Memorandum Of Understanding signed between the PCB and BCCI, the two countries are scheduled to play six series between the year 2015 and 2023 after a clearance from the Indian Government. Earlier in 2016, Shashank Manohar, the then BCCI chairman wanted to host Pakistan but the plan couldn’t materialize due to fraught relations between the two nations and the subsequent terror attacks on Indian soil.

4. Meat Shops Reopen In Gurgaon

Meat shops in Gurgaon reopened in several parts of Gurgaon on Thursday amidst protection offered by police to them. On Wednesday evening, meat shop owners went to Gurgaon City police station to demand protection, fearing a backlash from the party workers from Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Hindu Kranti Dal, who on forced them to down their shutters during Navratri, on Tuesday.

5. Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill Without Rajya Sabha’s Amendments

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Finance Bill without the proposed amendments recommended by the Rajya Sabha, a day before. The bill was passed in the Upper House after the opposition members agreed, proposing five amendments to the legislation, on Wednesday. However, the Lok Sabha rejected the proposed changes as the bill was tabled as a Money Bill by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and it does not need approval from the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling BJP is in minority.

6. Market Opens in Red, Rupee Rallies

BSE’s Benchmark Sensex dropped by 72.53 points as the April derivatives series started on a negative note due to mixed trend in the global market. The 30-share barometer traded at 29,574.89 during Friday’s early trade. NSE’s Nifty was also down by 9.35 points but remained above the 9100-mark at 9,164.40. Indian Rupee, on the other hand, strengthened by 12 paise against the US Dollar due to increased selling of the American currency and continued foreign inflows. The green currency was valued at Rs 64.80 during the early trade on Friday.