Pakistan detains Lakhvi for three more months
A day after the Pakistan anti-terrorism court let Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi out on bail, the government detained him under the Maintenance of Public Order rules for three more months on Friday. Lakhvi is alleged to be the main orchestrator of the November 26 attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Hours after Lakhvi’s release, #PakWithIndiaNoToLakhviBail started to trend on Twitter as Pakistanis and Indians on the social media teamed up to condemn the decision. The Pakistani government has also decided to challenge his bail in a higher court.
Jaitley introduces GST bill in Parliament
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday introduced the bill in Parliament that would implement the Goods and Services Tax, according to him the “biggest tax reform since 1947”. The bill proposes to include petroleum and other local taxes in the GST while providing a five-year compensation for any possible revenue loss arising from its implementation. A GST Council has been instituted to decide when to levy the petroleum tax. Until then, both the Centre and the states will continue to impose their extant taxes.
Home Ministry issues updated security guidelines for schools
In the wake of the horrific attack on the Peshawar army public school, the Indian Union Home Ministry issued new Standard Operating Procedures for schools in the country on Friday. These include concrete boundary walls with at least three gates, round-the-clock guards, CCTV cameras, proper illumination at night and staying up to date with numbers of the police control room and local police stations. The circular includes guidelines on what to do in the event of a terror attack.
Final phase of polling in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir
The fifth phase of polling in the assembly elections in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir is set to begin on Saturday. Security has been intensified in areas of Jammu and Kashmir where militants stepped up attacks in the Arnia border belt on November 27. The Bharatiya Janata Party, once a fringe party in both states, is set to make big gains this time round. In Jharkhand, its incumbent Chief Minister Hemant Soren is among 208 candidates from 81 assembly seats that go to the polls in the fifth phase.
Anti-Ebola drugs from India shortlisted for clinical trials
Two anti-Ebola drugs developed by scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Karnataka have been shortlisted for clinical trials among a total of 20 in the United Kingdom. The virus’s latest outbreak in West Africa has infected some 19,000 people, with more than 7,300 fatalities. The viral disease is hard to cure. The drugs developed by the JNCASR team will undergo in-vitro tests in mid-January 2015, which will take up to four months. Then, clinical trials followed by talks with pharmaceutical companies will commence.
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A day after the Pakistan anti-terrorism court let Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi out on bail, the government detained him under the Maintenance of Public Order rules for three more months on Friday. Lakhvi is alleged to be the main orchestrator of the November 26 attacks in Mumbai in 2008. Hours after Lakhvi’s release, #PakWithIndiaNoToLakhviBail started to trend on Twitter as Pakistanis and Indians on the social media teamed up to condemn the decision. The Pakistani government has also decided to challenge his bail in a higher court.
Jaitley introduces GST bill in Parliament
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday introduced the bill in Parliament that would implement the Goods and Services Tax, according to him the “biggest tax reform since 1947”. The bill proposes to include petroleum and other local taxes in the GST while providing a five-year compensation for any possible revenue loss arising from its implementation. A GST Council has been instituted to decide when to levy the petroleum tax. Until then, both the Centre and the states will continue to impose their extant taxes.
Home Ministry issues updated security guidelines for schools
In the wake of the horrific attack on the Peshawar army public school, the Indian Union Home Ministry issued new Standard Operating Procedures for schools in the country on Friday. These include concrete boundary walls with at least three gates, round-the-clock guards, CCTV cameras, proper illumination at night and staying up to date with numbers of the police control room and local police stations. The circular includes guidelines on what to do in the event of a terror attack.
Final phase of polling in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir
The fifth phase of polling in the assembly elections in Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir is set to begin on Saturday. Security has been intensified in areas of Jammu and Kashmir where militants stepped up attacks in the Arnia border belt on November 27. The Bharatiya Janata Party, once a fringe party in both states, is set to make big gains this time round. In Jharkhand, its incumbent Chief Minister Hemant Soren is among 208 candidates from 81 assembly seats that go to the polls in the fifth phase.
Anti-Ebola drugs from India shortlisted for clinical trials
Two anti-Ebola drugs developed by scientists from the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Karnataka have been shortlisted for clinical trials among a total of 20 in the United Kingdom. The virus’s latest outbreak in West Africa has infected some 19,000 people, with more than 7,300 fatalities. The viral disease is hard to cure. The drugs developed by the JNCASR team will undergo in-vitro tests in mid-January 2015, which will take up to four months. Then, clinical trials followed by talks with pharmaceutical companies will commence.
