Morning Digest: Madhya Pradesh govt. on the verge of collapse, COVID-19 cases surge in India, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP vice president Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrives at his residence in Bhopal on Tuesday, March 10, 2020.

As 22 Congress MLAs quit, Kamal Nath govt. on the verge of collapse

As many as 22  Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh resigned   from the Assembly on Tuesday, plunging the government into a crisis. As soon as Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia resigned from the primary membership of the party early in the morning  after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi , 13 MLAs and six Ministers owing allegiance to him, sent-in their resignations to the Governor via email, Raj Bhavan sources confirmed.

Political vacuum in Congress after Scindia’s exit

The festering resentment of being spurned for the post of Chief Minister and the State Congress chief, coupled with the Lok Sabha election upset,  nudged Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia , the second-most popular leader after in Madhya Pradesh during Assembly election campaigning in 2018, to abandon the party.

Coronavirus | UK health minister tests positive for COVID-19

British MP Nadine Dorries, a minister in the health department, has tested 

positive for coronavirus , she said in a statement on Tuesday. Health officials are now trying to trace where she contracted the virus and who she has been in contact with, she added.

Coronavirus | COVID-19 cases surge in country

Fourteen more people have tested positive for 

COVID-19   — eight in  Kerala  and three each in  Karnataka  and  Maharashtra , State authorities said on Tuesday, as the total cases in the country went up to 61. Of the eight positive cases in Kerala, six belong to the COVID-19 cluster that originated in Pathanamthitta district, all of which are linked to the family that arrived from Italy on February 29.

Tight fight for Gujarat Rajya Sabha seats

With elections to four  Rajya Sabha seats  underway in Gujarat, political activity in the State is set to intensify as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears determined to retain the three seats despite being short of numbers on its side. Out of the four seats, currently, the BJP holds three, while one is with the Opposition Congress. The arithmetic suggests both the BJP and the Congress can get two seats each in the absence of voting, based on the number of legislators on both sides.

BCCI

Despite various  State governments raising concerns  about the  COVID-19  threat to the Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) 13th edition, scheduled to start on March 29, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to adopt a “wait and watch” approach before taking a final call on the money-spinning T20 tourney.

No spike in arrest of infiltrators along Bangladesh border

There has been no unusual increase in apprehension of  illegal infiltrators  along the  Bangladesh border  in 2019 compared to the trend observed in the past six years, government data in Parliament show.

Former Pakistan Minister Kasuri recalls plan for Sir Creek pact

From the  rise of nationalism  and India’s place in the emerging world to the need to combat climate change, several subjects were discussed at the third edition of WION’s global summit held on March 5 in Dubai.

Ranji Trophy final | Ton-up Vasavada consolidates Saurashtra

Arpit Vasavada, Saurashtra’s rescuer  in the semifinal against Gujarat, played the role of a consolidator against Bengal to strengthen the host’s position in the Ranji Trophy final at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Tuesday.

US, Canadian jets intercept Russian reconnaissance aircraft

Two Russian military reconnaissance aircraft were intercepted and escorted for hours near Alaska by U.S. and Canadian air force jets, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said.

UN Security Council endorses US-Taliban deal

The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a United States’ resolution on the  recent deal between the U.S. and the Afghan Taliban , a rare endorsement of an agreement with a militant group.