Morning Brief: Terror Attack In Pampore; Humanitarian Crisis In Haiti; Telangana To Have 21 New Districts

Good Morning, Swarajya Readers! Here's What You Need To Know Today.

Terror Attack In Pampore

A group of terrorists, who took refuge inside a government institute, engaged security forces in a day-long gun battle, in Pampore town, 15 km south of Srinagar on Monday. The building belongs to the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) and was the target of a similar terrorist attack in February this year.

According to officials, the militants might have entered the building from a rear side after crossing river Jhelum by a boat. Reports suggest that two jawans were injured during the fierce gun battle.

Telangana To Have 21 New Districts

Telangana is set to cross another milestone today (11 October) as it carves out 21 new districts from the existing 10 districts in the state. With these, the total number of districts will go up to 31.

The government said that reorganisation of districts will help take administration to people. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao will formally inaugurate Siddipet district, being carved out of existing Medak district.

Humanitarian Crisis In Haiti

The Caribbean nation of Haiti was hit on 4 October by a category four storm, Matthew, with packing winds of 145 miles. According to Haiti’s Civil Protection Service, the death toll from the hurricane has risen to 1,000. More than 300,000 people have left home and are living in shelters across the country.

The hurricane has plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis. Almost a week after hurricane, aid officials are still struggling to simply reach and assess the hardest-hit corners of the country. The United Nations has launched a $120 million flash appeal to cover the needs in Haiti for the next three months.

Oil Hits One-Year High

Oil prices jumped as much as 3 per cent on Monday, with Brent hitting a one-year high after Russia said it was ready to join OPEC in curbing crude output. The OPEC decided to cap oil production in member countries during its annual meet in Algeria and also called for similar commitments from other non-OPEC producers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier indicated that an output freeze or even a production cut are likely the only right decisions to maintain energy sector stability.

Government Plans Container Trains

Worried over falling exports and losing competitiveness, the government is now planning to introduce heavy container trains for export and import cargo that follow a timetable. This comes as part of a larger strategy to address gaps in the entire supply chain system.

The commerce department has begun consultations with the authorities at the country's largest container port and customs to incentives trucks that complete all formalities in advance.

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We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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