Your news briefing on Monday morningWest Bengal, Centre face off again
The tension between the West Bengal government and the Centre has escalated on the ground in West Bengal where TMC and BJP have been at loggerheads. That the Home Ministry, now headed by Amit Shah, has stepped in, calling it “a failure of the law enforcement machinery”, has not gone down well in Kolkata. A new battle is likely.
Kathua rape-and-murder case verdict likely today
The verdict in the rape-and-murder case of an eight-year-old nomadic girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua is likely to be delivered by a special court in Pathankot today. Charges of rape and murder were framed against seven of the eight accused in the case. The trial against an accused juvenile is yet to begin.
Pakistan faces FATF blacklist: Key goals unmet, call for action against Jaish, LeT
The Joint Group of Asia Pacific Group has found Pakistan’s key action plans against terror groups breeding on its soil as unsatisfactory. The report asks Pakistan to do more until September when the FATF Action Plan is concluded for a final assessment, Sushant Singh reports.
Woman at centre of UP video row has guards… to stop her from running away
The woman at the centre of a video row that has led to the arrest of a freelance journalist and two others in Uttar Pradesh, has been placed under the vigilance of policemen. While the woman feels it is for her security, her mother says the guards have been helpful in “stopping her from running off to Lucknow.” The woman has been ‘mentally unwell’, her mother says.
The three arrests for a tweet and a video are an attack on free speech — they need a strong rebuff. The UP police are doing what is, disturbingly, becoming frequent, evident in the shameful string of arrests of men and women across the country for posting or even forwarding material critical of those in power. An FIR is lodged, a quick arrest made — and the stain spreads. Hopefully, the courts, which have had a tradition of upholding free speech against the excesses of the state, will step in and show UP police their rightful place.
Explained: Government wish list for schools
The draft for a new National Education Policy is public, open for feedback, suggestions and discussion. What does it prescribe for schools, from enhancing learning to restructuring curriculum and Board exam format? Ritika Chopra explains.
World Cup 2019: Champions get a masterclass
It was surprising to see Australia err on strategy. Anyone could have a bad day but to almost plod along within the contours of a tactic that was never going to work against India was a bit strange. Our match report on India’s comfortable 36-run win over holders Australia.
And Finally…
Gobindpura is one of 144 villages in Punjab that have agreed to end the system of caste-based cremation grounds and were given Rs 3 lakh as MPLAD grant for renovation. The old cremation ground set aside for Dalits was closed and converted into a park.
