Sasikala Faction Forms Committee to Conduct Talks on Merger With OPS Faction and 5 Other Updates

1. Sasikala Faction Forms Committee to Conduct Talks on Merger With OPS Faction

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader O. Panneerselvam said the Sasikala faction of the party has formed a committee for conducting talks on a merger, on Tuesday. This comes a day after state Finance Minister D. Jayakumar hinted a possible merger between the two factions. Jayakumar said all 123 AIADMK lawmakers and party cadres are on the same page and have discussed the possibilities of retaining the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol, which the Election Commission froze last month. However, both factions reportedly have agreed upon the ouster of TTV Dinakaran. This development came after AIADMK general secretary TTV Dinakaran was booked by Delhi Police on charges of bribing the Election Commission officials to re-claim the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol.

2. Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari Receives Ceremonial Reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari received ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan, on Tuesday. President Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi were there to welcome her. Vice President M. Hamid Ansari, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will call on the visiting dignitary after Bidya Devi’s meeting with Narendra Modi and the President of India. This is the fourth visit, in the last six months, between the Heads of State or Heads of Government of the two countries.

3. Indian Soldier Killed In Poonch District Of Jammu and Kashmir

An Indian Army soldier was reported dead during the ceasefire violation by Pakistani Forces on Monday in Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir. The gunbattle started at around 8 am in the morning and retaliation continued till late evening. The soldier was killed in Mendhar sector along the LoC in a sniper fire. Dozens of cattle were also reported dead after the indiscriminate shelling and firing. In another tragic incident, one Army jawan died in an accidental firing from his own rifle in Mendhar area of Poonch.

4. Use Plastic Bullets For Crowd Control, Says MHA

After a high-level meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) instructed Indian security forces to use non-penetrative plastic bullets during crowd control in Kashmir to reduce collateral damage and during counter-insurgency operations as well. However, Pellet guns will continue to be used as a last resort for crowd control. So far, Indian security forces were using PAVA shells (chilli-based ammunition) and pellet guns as the last option in the non-lethal category, before the use of assault rifles to control mobs. 3G and 4G services were also snapped in the Valley on Monday and the government discussed the options of blocking the internet in the Kashmir valley to stop the circulation of videos and social media messages asking locals to gather at encounter sites.

5. IPL 2017 Match 18 DD vs KKR: Riders Take Home a 4-Wicket Win

Manish Pandey (69*) and Yusuf Pathan (59) played superb knocks and guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a four-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi on Monday. Opting to bat first, Daredevils gave a target of 168/7 in 20 overs which KKR achieved for the loss of six wickets with still a ball to spare. With this win, KKR has conquered the numero uno position in the IPL 2017 tally, dislodging Mumbai Indians with the help of a better run-rate.

6. Rupee Gains Against US Dollar During Early Trade

Indian Rupee gained 3 paise against the US Dollar as exporters and banks stepped up for fresh selling. The Green currency was valued at Rs 64.49 during the early trade on Tuesday. BSE’s Benchmark Sensex, on the other hand, rose by 168.39 points, or 0.57 percent, to trade at 29,582.05 during the morning session.