Over 128 killed, 40 injured after suicide bomber attacks election rally in Pakistan
Over 128 people were killed and 40 were injured after a suicide bomber hit a campaign event in southwestern Pakistan. Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Siraj Raisani was also killed in the attack. He was the candidate of the party and the second electoral candidate to be killed in a week. The Pakistan General Elections 2018 is scheduled to be held on July 25. This is the second election-related attack on Friday amid tensions over ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's return. Senior police official Qaim Lashari told news agency Reuters that the bomber attacked a campaign meeting where Raisani was due to speak.
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Bank, insurance firm unions threaten nationwide stir over govt policies
Unions representing banks and insurance companies have formed a coordination committee, threatening to hold demonstrations and strikes starting tomorrow if their demands are not met. A clutch of bank and insurance employees’ unions have come together to form a coordination committee to fight for the cause of the banking and insurance sectors. This committee — Coordination Committee of Bank, Insurance and Finance Sector Unions (CCBIFU) — will hold dharnas in all State Capitals on July 14, its Chairman, C H Venkatachalam, told the media. The unions are protesting against bank privatization, GIC disinvestment, FDI in banks and insurance and the FRDI Bill. They want recruitments in banks, LIC and GIC, and the end to outsourcing and contractual jobs.
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Multiplexes cannot prohibit outside food articles: Maharashtra govt
Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ravindra Chavan on Friday announced that the state government has clarified that there is no restriction on taking food articles from outside multiplexes and consuming them in the multiplexes. He was speaking in the Monsoon session of Maharashtra Assembly. The state government said that strict action would be taken against any such multiplexes who prohibit people from bringing in foodstuff from outside. Chavan also said that post 1st August, theatre & multiplex owners will have to sell food items at MRP. The Bombay High Court last month had demanded to know why the Maharashtra government could not regulate the prices of the food and beverages sold inside multiplexes. Immediately after the announcement Shares of India's largest multiplex, PVR Ltd, dived nearly 10 percent, down over 13 percent.
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More militants will be created if you break PDP: Mehbooba warns Delhi
Former J&K CM and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday morning warned the BJP against attempts to break up her party and said that it will only create a new wave of militancy. "If Delhi tries to dismiss the voting rights of people as in 1987 and if it tries to create divisions, then I believe that just like a Salahuddin and a Yasin Malik were born in 1987’’, Mufti said. Her remark comes weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of its alliance with the PDP in Jammu-Kashmir forcing a governor's rule in the state. At least four party MLAs and an MLC have spoken out against Mufti’s leadership and accused her of nepotism while ruling the party.
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India invites Donald Trump as Chief guest for Republic Day: Reports
India has sent an invitation to the President of United States, Donald Trump to be the Chief Guest at the 2019 Republic Day Parade as reported by a leading English daily. The Narendra Modi government had sent out an invite to the US President in April and is waiting for an official response. The daily has also reported that the US is yet to respond to the invitation. However, it suggested that Trump administration is reportedly considering the invite favorably. Differences over trade tariffs, India's relation with Iran and the country's proposed defense deal with Russia have left many wondering if India even figures in Trump’s priority list like it certainly did in Obama’s, the report wondered. The Narendra Modi government hosted Trump's predecessor Barack Obama at the Republic Day celebrations in 2015.
100 kids fall sick in Bihar, 50 in MP after eating Mid-day meal
Nearly 100 students have fallen sick due to food poisoning at a government-run residential school in Bihar's Lakhisarai district on Thursday night. Students of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya complained of uneasiness soon after consuming dinner at their hostel and were shifted to the nearby government hospital for treatment. Parents who reached the school after receiving information about their wards have alleged poor quality food is being served at the school. Following the complaints, District Magistrate S.K Choudhary has assured that there would be a probe into the incident. In a similar case, 50 students for Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh fell ill after eating mid-day meal in another government school. All the children were admitted to a hospital. Samples of food were sent to the forensic laboratory. The Madhya Pradesh government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
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IHH Healthcare wins race for Fortis, to invest Rs 4,000 crore
After months of searching for an investor, Fortis Healthcare on Friday said its board has unanimously accepted Malaysia’s IHH Healthcare Berhad’s offer to invest Rs 4,000 crore at Rs 170 a share. The bid offers around a 20% premium to the Fortis’ market price as on Thursday. IHH will make a mandatory offer for Fortis’ public shareholders for 26% of the outstanding shares post-issuance. 5 companies had offered bids to invest in the company, but 3 backed out leaving Manipal and IHH as the only 2 options for Fortis. IHH said that it expects the bid to be completed in the fourth quarter of the financial year, according to Reuters.
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