- Some 300 Indians are in a hostage-like situation in the Myawady region of Myanmar. An SOS sent by a victim to the Central and Tamil Nadu government has revealed that they are being subjected to work more than 15 hours a day and indulge in cybercrime.
- Passing a resolution in the West Bengal assembly against the “Excesses of Central Investigating Agencies,” CM Mamata Banerjee blamed “BJP leaders” for it. However, she said she doesn’t believe PM Modi is behind this.
- Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar has reiterated India’s stand that food security and farmers’ rights are non-negotiable. The minister said that at the 9th session of the governing body of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in Delhi.
- Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan lashed out at Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, calling the latter an anti-communist propagandist. He also urged the Governor not to go down to the level of opposition parties in the state.
- The Tamil Nadu Forest department successfully tranquilized and captured a male gaur that lost its way and was roaming around the outskirts of Coimbatore city. The gaur was then released inside a forest near Anaikatti.
- Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi has lauded the process of internal elections within the party. Meanwhile, MP Sashi Tharoor has hinted that he would file a nomination for the Party president post.
- The Authority of Advance Rulings (AAP ) in Telengana has held that Ayurvedic cosmetics would attract an 18 percent GST, as they cannot be classified as medicaments.
- Taliban has freed the last held American hostage, Mark Frerichs, a navy veteran in a prisoner swap to get Bashir Noorzai, an Afghan tribal leader in US detention since 2005, released.
- China has criticized the UK government for allowing Taiwan to sign in the condolence book of Queen Elizabeth II, saying it does not change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China.
- Russia’s space agency announced that Soviet Cosmonaut, Valery Polyakov, noted for his longest single space stay record of 437 days, has died at age 80.
Image: Indian Express