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CPN-UML and Janata Samajbadi Party have agreed to forge an electoral alliance in the upcoming federal and parliamentary elections. In an agreement signed between UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and JSP Chairman Upendra Yadav on Friday, the duo had agreed to forge an electoral alliance on two seats in Province 1, 14 seats in Madhesh Province and one seat in Lumbini Province. The JSP has decided to forge an electoral alliance in Morang-5, Sunsari-1, Saptari-1, 2 and 4, Siraha-2 and 4, Dhanusha-1, Mahottari-3 and 4, Sarlahi-1 and 4, Rautahat-2, Bara-2, Parsa-1 and 2 and Rupandehi-4. Likewise, the UML and JSP have agreed to forge electoral alliance on four seats in Province-1, 32 seats in Madhesh Province, five seats in Lumbini and one seat in Sudurpaschim Province.

CPN-UML leader Bal Krishna Dhungel passed away on Saturday. He was found dead at his residence in Kadaghari in Kathmandu this morning. UML leader Nani Babu Budhathoki said that Dhungel died after he fell in the toilet. Dhungel was alone in the house as other members of the family had gone to Bardibas. According to SSP Bharat Bohara of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, a team of the Metropolitan Police Cricle, Baneshwor has reached the incident site. Dhungel of Okhaldhunga, who was previously in the CPN (Maoist Centre), was also a member of the first Constituent Assembly member. He was found guilty in the murder case of Ujjan Shrestha during the armed conflict.  

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has been admitted to the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) on Saturday. She was admitted to the hospital at 11 am today after showing symptoms of dengue. Ram Bikram Adhikari, Information Officer at the TUTH, said that President Bhandari has been admitted to bed 601 of Annex 2. Dr Niraj Bam involved in her treatment said that President Bhandari had symptoms of dengue. “She was admitted to the hospital following symptoms of headache, fever and vomiting for the past three to four days,” Dr Bam said.    

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan is likely to be arrested in foreign funding case, ARY citing sources reported on Friday.  The report comes soon after the other PTI leaders including Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi were arrested the same day. The media outlet said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah ordered concerned authorities to lodge a case against Imran Khan.  Dawn newspaper citing sources reported that the federal government has prepared a plan under which the police have been given a go ahead to put Imran Khan under house arrest at his Banigala residence after the announcement of the much-hyped long march.  Notably, PTI leader Saifullah Niazi was also taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Cybercrime wing on Friday, on charges of running an 'unauthorized' website, which was being used for illegal fundraising, ARY news reported. "After Shehbaz Sharif's press conference yesterday and the subsequent arrests of Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi, it is clear that the government is panicking and is scared after the announcement of 'Azadi March'," PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain tweeted.  Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Rana Sanaullah gave reasons for the detention and noted that the PTI leaders were not appearing before the FIA in the party's prohibited funding case.  Meanwhile, Imran Khan directed party workers to get ready for the 'Haqeeqi Azadi March' in Islamabad. After the announcement, the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government had decided to call out the army and deploy troops in the capital city if PTI chief Imran Khan gave a call for the march. The ousted Prime minister claimed that there is only one way for Pakistan to come out of the prevailing situation and that is to ensure fresh general elections in the country.  While addressing a mega rally last month in Punjab's Rahimyar Khan district, Khan said he would give the final call for anti-government protests when the time was ripe, asserting that it would come when he is assured that he can "take three wickets in one ball". (ANI)

Two personnel of the Armed Police Force (APF) died in a motorcycle accident in Deukhuri of Dang. They were of Jwalamai Gana No. 29 of the Bhaluwang-based camp.  Lahanu Chaudhary of Lamhi Municipality-1 and Sulesh Chaudhary of Rapti Rural Municipality-6 are among those who died. Superintendent of Armed Police Vinod KC informed that Lahanu died at the scene of the accident and while Sulesh was being taken to Kohalpur for treatment. He informed that both the deceased were engaged in rescue work at different places in Deukhuri due to continuous rain and met with an accident while returning to their camp after completing their duty. It is said that further investigation is being conducted on the incident.

CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal is going to leave Chitwan-3 in the Nov 20 election. The office bearer meeting of the Maoist has decided to make him a candidate from Gorkha-2. He chose the area where Baburam Bhattarai was fighting earlier. Bhattarai announced that he will not be a candidate this time just a few days ago. Dahal won the 2017 House of Representatives election from Chitwan-3.

During the Dashain period, 28 people including 4 children lost their lives in various road accidents in Madhes Province. Superintendent of Police Suman Kumar Timsina informed that 313 people were injured in 162 vehicle accidents between October 1 to 6. 15 men, 9 women and 4 children died in the bus accident that took place from Saturday to Thursday. Among the injured are 280 men, 53 women and 52 children.

Indian authorities have launched an investigation into four Indian-made cough syrups that the World Health Organization (WHO) said were linked to the death of 66 children in The Gambia. Samples of all the drugs in question have been taken and sent for testing to the Regional Drugs Testing Lab in Chandigarh by India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), and the results are expected to guide the further course of action. "As per the tentative results received by WHO, out of the 23 samples of the products under reference which were tested, 4 samples have been found to contain Diethylene Glycol/Ethylene Glycol," said a statement issued by the Indian Health Ministry on Thursday. It has also been informed by WHO that the certificate of analysis will be made available to WHO in the near future, and WHO will share with the Indian regulator which is yet to be done. "The exact one to one causal relation of death has not yet been provided by WHO to CDSCO," the statement added. Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans when consumed and can prove fatal. Its effects include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, inability to pass urine, headache, altered mental state, and acute kidney injury which may lead to death. The Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited had manufactured and exported the four syrups, namely Promethazine Oral Solution BP, Kofexnalin Baby Cough Syrup, MaKoff Baby Cough Syrup and MaGrip n Cold Syrup, to The Gambia. The Times of India quoted a senior official of Maiden Pharmaceuticals as saying on Friday that the company did not know how it all happened. "We are still getting the information," the official said. None of these four drugs of Maiden Pharmaceuticals is sold domestically in India. Meanwhile, leading pediatricians in India are quite critical of the incident. A leading pediatrician at the government-run Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in Delhi said that the syrups are not actually required in treatment for children up to three years. "As per the set standards, these particular four syrups which were exported from India to Gambia are actually not required for treatment of respiratory related ailments among infants up to three years. They were perhaps administered to the kids in a fit of medical activism," said the pediatrician. Ritabrata Kundu, a child health specialist at Kolkata-based Institute of Child Health, said the involved syrups contained contaminated substances, adding, "The act on the part of the pharma company is highly condemnable. It is wrong usage of drugs, which are not used in syrups sold in India." Neelam Mohan, a leading pediatrician based in Gurugram, a city adjacent to New Delhi, is of the view that syrups meant for children must be used very cautiously. "I can't really comment on why these deaths have occurred till the investigations get completed. But there is definitely a concern on usage of substances like Diethylene Glycol and Ethylene Glycol in making those cough syrups, as mentioned by WHO," Mohan said. Mohan added that it was high time the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) created guidelines for public use of such products meant for children. (Xinhua)