Daily Bulletin: SC to take up pleas on Muzaffarpur encephalitis cases; MK Stalin to lead DMK protest over water crisis in Chennai; day's top stories

Supreme Court to take up Muzaffarpur encephalitis cases

The Supreme Court on Monday will hear a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to urgently constitute a team of medical experts for the treatment of the children suffering from suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

Encephalitis, or brain fever, has claimed the lives of over 150 children in the state, so far.

Encephalitis mayhem in Bihar. AFP

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A vacation bench of Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Surya Kant, on Wednesday, had agreed to hear the plea after the petitioner's counsel sought an urgent listing of the matter.

The plea also sought a direction to the Centre to ensure that all necessary medical equipment and other support are provided for the effective treatment of the children suffering from the disease.

The petition filed by advocate Manohar Pratap claimed that he was deeply pained and saddened by the deaths of more than 126 children (now over 150), mostly in the age group of one to 10 years, in the past week.

DMK chief MK Stalin to protest on Tamil Nadu water crisis today

DMK president MK Stalin on Saturday announced that his party will lead a protest on Monday against the Tamil Nadu government, demanding a solution to the city's water problem. The party urged its leaders and workers to participate in the protest in large numbers.

As the water crisis deepens in the state, the DMK-AIADMK war over it has also intensified. Stalin is likely to lead the protest in Chepauk in Chennai around 10 am.

On Saturday, senior AIADMK leader and Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar took part in a 'yagna' at a Shiva temple in Chennai and planted saplings in the premises of the shrine. He told reporters that performing yagnas was "an expression of faith", hoping that god will answer their prayers for rain.

Moreover, DMK leader and former city mayor Ma Subramanian, who led an agitation in Chennai on Saturday, hit out at the AIADMK, saying executing plans with rationale alone could help address the situation. "Conducting such rituals have no utility," he told PTI.

Parliament likely to take up Bihar encephalitis deaths, Tamil Nadu water crisis

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Manoj Jha has given a calling attention notice in Rajya Sabha on the deaths in Muzaffarpur due to encephalitis. Over 150 children have died in the state due to the disease, so far, with Bihar struggling to control the epidemic.

Meanwhile, the DMK has given a notice in Lok Sabha on the water crisis in Tamil Nadu. The Upper House is also likely to debate on the motion of thanks to the president's address from 2 pm. A time frame of 12 hours has been allotted for the discussion.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh has also given a notice in Rajya Sabha on the increasing crime rate in Delhi. This comes after nine murders were reported in the city within 24 hours, leading to a blame game between the AAP and the Centre over the deteriorating law and order situation in Delhi.

Amendment to NIA Act, stock taking before Budget on agenda of Union Cabinet, CCEA meetings 

Just days ahead of the announcement of the Union Budget, a meeting of the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) is scheduled to be conducted at the Parliament Annexe New Building on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the meeting.

The meeting comes after Modi met economists and top industry experts on Saturday. The interactive session of the prime minister happened with over 40 economists and experts on key issues of macro-economy, employment, agriculture, water resources, exports, education and health.

The Union Cabinet is also likely to take a call on amending the NIA Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government wants the law to give more teeth to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) so the agency may be allowed to investigate terrorist acts against Indians and Indian interests abroad. The amendment bill may be introduced in Parliament during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

The Union Cabinet is also likely to take a call on introducing a fresh bill in Parliament to extend the facility of proxy voting to overseas Indians.

The DNA Technology Regulation Bill, which seeks to control the use of DNA technology for establishing the identity of a person, may come up before the Union Cabinet on Monday.

The CCEA meeting is scheduled in the run-up to the Union Budget on 5 July.

US-Iran tensions: Donald Trump likely to announce more economic sanctions on Iran on Monday

US president Donald Trump indicated that his government was taking a diplomatic path to put pressure on Tehran by moving to impose new sanctions.

Trump wrote on Twitter from Camp David on Saturday: "We are putting major additional sanctions on Iran on Monday. I look forward to the day that sanctions come off Iran, and they become a productive and prosperous nation again."

Earlier, he said military action was "always on the table", but he added that he was open to quickly reaching a deal with Iran, which he said would bolster the country's flagging economy.

Jaypee Infratech homebuyers seek govt intervention

Homebuyers of Jaypee Infratech, on Sunday, urged the government to direct IDBI Bank to vote in favour of state-run NBCC's bid for the acquisition of the debt-ridden firm and prevent it from going through the liquidation process.

Hundreds of Jaypee homebuyers held a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Sunday. They are planning to submit a petition to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in this regard.

In their petition to Sitharaman, the homebuyers have appealed to the government to direct IDBI Bank and NBCC to resolve their differences on the resolution plan and IDBI Bank to vote for NBCC's resolution plan.

Bitcoin value rises above $10,000

Perhaps the most popular cryptocurrency, Bitcoin is finally recovering from a sharp fall in value and is currently trading at $10,000. The coin is at its highest valuation in over a year, and analysts believe that Facebook's recent introduction of its own cryptocurrency, Libra, may be the reason for this jump.

Bitcoin was at its peak when it was trading at $20,000 in November 2017, after which it came crashing down.

Afghanistan search for first win in World Cup, Bangladesh aim to keep hopes alive

To keep their semi-final hopes alive, Bangladesh will have to win all their remaining matches in the tournament. The Mashrafe Mortaza-led side will first have to deal with a spirited Afghan side, who will be high on confidence after their feisty performance against the World No 2 Indian team a couple of days ago.

Afghanistan will also be searching for their first win in World Cup 2019 when they meet Bangladesh on Monday in Southampton.