Breaking News, July 25

Arpita Mukherjee and Parth Chatterjee are to be kept in ED custody till August 3rd. 

The rupee rose by 12 paise to close at 79.78 against the US dollar on Monday due to a weak dollar in overseas markets and an improved appetite for riskier assets. Stronger regional currencies also supported the rupee sentiment ahead of the US Fed policy decision on Wednesday. Weak domestic equities and FII outflows, however, capped sharp gains.

Two elephants died due to electrocution on coming in contact with a live electricity wire at Nellihudikeri in Kodagu district, forest officials said. The incident is said to have taken place during the early hours on Monday.

Soon after demitting office as India's President, Ram Nath Kovind on Monday moved to his new residence at Janpath road and was greeted by a host of dignitaries, including Union ministers and BJP chief J P Nadda.

State-owned Canara Bank reported a 72 percent rise in its standalone profit after tax at Rs 2,022 crore in the April-June quarter of FY23, helped by healthy credit growth and interest income. In the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal, its standalone Profit After Tax ((PAT) stood at Rs 1,177 crore.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi is expected to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Tuesday for her second round of questioning in the money laundering case linked to the National Herald newspaper.

State-owned Canara Bank reported a 72 percent rise in its standalone profit after tax at Rs 2,022 crore in the April-June quarter of FY23, helped by healthy credit growth and interest income. In the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal, its standalone Profit After Tax ((PAT) stood at Rs 1,177 crore.

A scooterist was killed and ten others, including nine school students, were injured when their van collided with a two-wheeler and overturned in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Monday, police said.

A 17-year old girl student fell to the ground from the first floor of her college on Monday and sustained severe injuries, police said. The girl, a first year student of B.Pharm was found lying on the ground by a staffer of the private college situated at Vikravandi on the Chennai-Tiruchirappalli national highway, they said.

A video showing a man offering namaz allegedly at a shopping complex here surfaced on social media, prompting police to launch an investigation. Earlier, a similar incident at recently inaugurated Lulu Mall in Lucknow had sparked a major controversy, forcing police to make arrests for offering prayers in an "unauthorized manner".

As many as eight policemen were injured during a raid at a bar in Hauz Khas village when the said bar's owner and nine of his employees allegedly attacked them with rods, sticks and pipes, officials said Monday.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday resumed hearing of a key case related to the election of the chief minister of Punjab as the country’s coalition government urged the apex court to constitute a full bench to hear petitions pertaining to it.

With COVID-19 cases on the rise again, a fresh advisory was issued on Monday putting emphasis on the five-point strategy of testing, surveillance, treatment, vaccination and compliance of Covid-appropriate behaviour to stop the spread. The guidelines were issued by Director of the National Health Mission R Rajesh Kumar, who asked district administrations to ensure their strict compliance, including social distancing, wearing of masks and sanitization of hands. Vaccination coverage should be increased as per the central government guidelines, the advisory said. Adequate availability of oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, oxygen beds, ventilators, ICU beds and essential medicines should be ensured at all health units for treatment of COVID-19 patients, it said, adding that oxygen generation plants at the health units must be operational.

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned on Monday for about 45 minutes as opposition parties, including the Congress and TMC, held vociferous protests in the House seeking a discussion on rising prices of essential commodities. As the House met at 2 pm, opposition parties insisted on suspension of scheduled business and taking up of discussion on inflation. However, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said the House would take up calling attention motion on the situation arising out of rising case of post-Covid complications. The opposition members trooped into the well raising slogans, forcing the deputy chairman to adjourn the proceedings till 3 PM.

Upendra Kushwaha, a top leader of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), on Monday squarely blamed ally BJP for the perception gaining ground that all was not well in the NDA in the state. The JD(U) parliamentary board chief also slammed state BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal for having recently claimed that Bihar was fast becoming a hub of anti-national terror activities. “There are no major issues between the two parties. But utterances of BJP leaders often give rise to a wrong impression. They should refrain from making intemperate statements,” Kushwaha said, replying to queries from journalists about JD(U)-BJP ties. Asked about the comments made by Jaiswal last week, in the backdrop of the busting of a PFI terror module in the state, the JD(U) leader sarcastically remarked that “from the way he speaks it seems he is privy to more facts than the administration. If it is so, he should share the same with officials lest he may stand accused of concealing sensitive information”. “Let us be very clear that the busting of the module is not a cause for great alarm. Such modules have been busted in many other states in the past. The administrative machinery is handling the issue competently,” he asserted.

Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat, which was stormed by a sea of anti-government protesters in early July, resumed operation from Monday, 100 days after the building's entry gate was blocked, officials said. The building’s entry gate has been blocked by the protesters since April 9. On July 9, the protesters stormed the building and occupied it. In the early hours of Friday last, police and security forces conducted a raid and took back control of the building from the protesters on the order of the crisis-hit island nation's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The presidential secretariat which was occupied by the protesters from July 9 till Friday last is re-opened and the staff reported to work on Monday, officials said.

Former president Ram Nath Kovind on Monday moved to his new residence at Janpath road, the bungalow once occupied by former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. Kovind drove down to his new home from Rashtrapati Bhavan after Droupadi Murmu took over as the President of India. Paswan had lived in 12 Janpath for three decades before his death in 2020. Following an eviction notice, his son Chirag Paswan had vacated the house in April. The bungalow was readied for Kovind as his post-retirement home. Paswan, one of the country's most prominent Dalit leaders, died at the age of 74 in October 2020. He had been a minister in central governments headed by parties of contrasting ideologies, ranging from the Janata Dal to the Congress and the BJP, since 1989.

Top Congress leaders would meet here on Monday to evolve the party's strategy ahead of Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper. The Congress president is scheduled to appear before the ED on Tuesday for the second round of questioning.  She was earlier questioned for a few hours on Thursday last and Congress leaders had staged a protest across the country. Party MPs had also courted arrest in Delhi against her questioning.  Congress general secretaries and in-charges of states, besides party MPs in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are slated to attend the meeting at the party headquarters this evening. The ED probe relates to alleged financial irregularities in the Congress-promoted Young Indian Private Limited, which owns the National Herald newspaper. 

Assam reported 113 new COVID-19 cases, which pushed the tally to 7,34,861, according to a bulletin by the National Health Mission (NHM). One more death pushed the toll to 6,667, the bulletin on Monday said. At least 1,347 patients have died due to other reasons since April, 2020. Cachar reported 36 fresh cases, followed by 18 in Kamrup Metro, 10 in Dima Hasao, eight in Dibrugarh and six in Biswanath. The positivity rate marginally decreased to 10.29 per cent as against the previous day's 10.77 per cent. The recovery rate stood at 98.16 per cent. Assam currently has 5,527 active cases, down from previous day’s 6107.

In a major haul, Kerala police on Monday seized over 3,500 litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), which was being smuggled from Mahe in a milk van and arrested two persons. Police seized 3,582 litres of liquor which was banned from selling outside Mahe, an enclave in the Union Territory of Puducherry, and arrested Thiruvananthapuram-native Krishna Prakash (23) and Kollam resident Saji (51). The duo were apprehended early Monday morning by a special squad from Kodungallur and Vadanappally police. "We were inspecting suspicious vehicles based on a tip-off. We found IMFL of various brands worth around Rs 50 lakh. It seems like the duo were planning to sell this in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam regions," police said. Police suspect the duo were planning to sell the illegal liquor during the Onam season. 

Indian passengers arriving in Pakistan through air or land routes, including via the Kartarpur Corridor, will undergo telescopic monitoring at all entry points due to the rising coronavirus cases in India, a media report said on Monday. According to the Union Health Ministry data on Monday, India's tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,39,05,621 after the country reported 16,866 new coronavirus infections in a day. The daily positivity rate crossed 7 per cent again after a gap of 168 days. A total of 41 new fatalities have been reported, the data updated on Monday stated. The Directorate of Health Sciences in Pakistan issued a circular on the instructions of Health Minister Qadir Patel. Allama Iqbal International Airport (AIIP) has made foolproof arrangements for monitoring Indian passengers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described Droupadi Murmu taking over as India's new President as a "watershed moment" for the country, especially the poor, marginalised and downtrodden. The entire nation watched with pride as she took oath, Modi said, wishing her the best for a fruitful tenure. Chief Justice of India N V Ramana administered her the oath as the 15th President of India. Murmu has become India's first tribal President. Soon after taking oath, she said her election to the top constitutional post proves that the poor can not only dream in India but also fulfil it.

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Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta has tested positive for COVID-19 and has mild symptoms. A statement issued by the Solicitor General's office said he tested Covid positive on Sunday night and is isolating. "Since I had mild symptoms from Saturday, I had isolated myself from Saturday only," Mehta said in the statement. Referring to the swearing in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu, he said,"I am feeling sorry for myself that I won't be able to personally witness the historic oath". The Solicitor General would virtually appear in two-three small matters in the apex court on Monday and thereafter would take leave for few days.

Shares of ICICI Bank gained over 2 per cent in morning trade on Monday after the company reported a 55.04 per cent jump in its June quarter consolidated net profit. The stock rose 2.23 per cent to Rs 817.85 on the BSE. At the NSE, it went higher by 2.21 per cent to Rs 817.80 apiece. "ICICI Bank's results are the best in the banking segment. The stellar Q1 numbers, increasing credit growth and improving asset quality augur well for ICICI Bank stock," said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services. ICICI Bank on Saturday reported a 55.04 per cent jump in its June quarter consolidated net profit to Rs 7,384.53 crore, helped by a sharp reduction in provisions and the core interest income continuing to be strong.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday greeted President Droupadi Murmu saying the nation would benefit from her services and congratulated Ram Nath Kovind for successfully completing his term. Congratulating Murmu for taking over as the 15th President, Stalin in his message said: "I am sure that the nation would stand to benefit from your services as the President of this great country and I wish you all the very best." Her election conveys and strengthens the nation's trust in democracy and in the principle of inclusiveness, he said.

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said her election to the top constitutional post proves that in India, the poor can not only dream but also fulfil those aspirations. In her address after Chief Justice of India NV Ramana administered to her the oath as the 15th President of India, Murmu thanked all MPs and MLAs for electing her. I have been elected during an important time when the country is marking 75 years of Independence, she noted. "Reaching this office is not my personal achievement but that of all the poor people in the country," Murmu said. "My election is proof of the fact that in India, the poor can dream and also fulfil those dreams," she said. It is the power of India's democracy that a girl born in a poor tribal home could reach the topmost constitutional post, Murmu added. In her speech, the President stressed on speeding up efforts to meet the expectations that the freedom fighters had from the citizens of independent India. 

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force has arrested Vishnu Mishra, son of jailed former MLA Vijay Mishra, from Pune on charges of gang-rape and cheating, a senior police official said. He was absconding since August 2020. Bhadohi Superintendent of Police Anil Kumar said a reward of Rs 25,000 was announced on Vishnu earlier but it was later raised to Rs 1 lakh. According to police, four-time former MLA Vijay Mishra was arrested in 2020 from Madhya Pradesh after his relative Krishna Mohan Tiwari accused him of property grabbing, cheating and threatening to kill him. He is currently lodged in Agra jail, while his wife Ram Lalli Mishra has taken bail from the high court. Vishnu was absconding since August 2020. The police had issued a look-out circular against him in September 2020, officials said.

The Rajya Sabha likely to discuss and pass the 'Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022' on Monday. The bill was introduced last week by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also move a motion to elect two Members from amongst the House to be on the Committee on Official Language in an existing vacancy and another that will arise on August 1 due to the retirement of Subhash Chandra from the Rajya Sabha. Union Minister General (retd) V.K. Singh is to make statement regarding status of implementation of recommendations contained in the reports of the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on the Action Taken by the Government on the recommendations/observations contained in it on Demands for Grants (2020-21) pertaining to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The rupee appreciated 9 paise to 79.81 against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, supported by the fall in crude oil prices. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 79.86 against the American dollar. In initial trade, the local currency witnessed a high of 79.81 and a low of 79.87 against the US dollar. In the previous session, the rupee had closed at 79.90 against the American currency. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, fell 0.10 per cent to 106.62. Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.54 per cent to USD 102.62 per barrel.

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President-elect Droupadi Murmu paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat ahead of taking oath of office of the highest constitutional post of the country on Monday. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the central hall of Parliament at 10.15 a.m. where Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana will administer the oath of office to Murmu. The oath taking will be followed by a 21-gun salute. Before the ceremony, the outgoing President and the President-elect will arrive in Parliament in a ceremonial procession.

Nobel laureate Amartya Sen will not receive the ‘Bangabibhusan’, the highest civilian award conferred by the West Bengal government, during an event scheduled to be held on Monday, his family said. Sen is understood to have told state government officials in the first week of July when approached, that he will not be in India when the presentation ceremony takes place. It is scheduled to be held in Kolkata during the day. “He is presently in Europe,” a family member told PTI. Asked if the decision had anything to do with the appeal by CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty to the prospective recipients, including Sen, to not receive the award from the TMC government, a key minister of which was arrested for alleged involvement in a school jobs scam, she said the octogenarian had intimated the organisers before any such developments took place that he will be unavailable.

Uzbekistan is set to host a two-day international conference on Afghanistan on Monday which will be attended by representatives of 20 countries, including India, Iran and Pakistan, according to media reports. On Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul confirmed the departure of a delegation headed by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to attend the conference in Tashkent which will feature discussions on the current situation in Afghanistan, reports TOLO News. Monday's conference comes in continuation of the 2018 Tashkent Conference which was held under the theme "Security, Economic Growth, and Regional Connectivity of Afghanistan", Khaama Press quoted the Ministry as saying. "The main goal of the event is to develop a set of measures and proposals for the approaches of the world community to promote stability, security, post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan and its integration into regional cooperation processes in the interests of the multinational Afghan people and the whole world," TOLO News quoted a statement issued by the Uzbek Foreign Ministry as saying.

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At least seven people have been injured after gunfire erupted Sunday at a Los Angeles park where a car show was being held. The LA Police Department said the shooting occurred around 3:50 pm at Peck Park in LA's San Pedro neighbourhood. The LAPD tweeted it wasn't an active shooter situation but provided no more information. The LA Fire Department said the incident occurred at or near the car show and that at least three people suffered gunshot wounds and two of them were in critical condition. Seven people overall were injured and taken to hospitals, according to the fire department. Peck Park is about 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles. 

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which recovered huge cash and valuables from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, close aide of West Bengal Commerce & Industries Minister, Partha Chatterjee, had to take the help of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) regional office in Kolkata to ferry the cash and valuables to the agency's office at CGO complex at Salt Lake in Kolkata. Late on Saturday evening, after ED officials finished the counting and evaluating the estimated value of the cash and valuables, a truck from RBI's regional office in Kolkata arrived at the posh Diamond City complex at Tollygunge in South Kolkata, which housed the flat of Mukherjee. ED officials confirmed that the truck was carrying 20 steel trunks meant for carrying the valuables seized from Mukherjee's residence. Later, 15 trunks that were loaded with the cash and valuables and the remaining five empty trunks were brought to the ED office at CGO complex.

Pope Francis began a historic visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Church's efforts to reconcile with Native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma. Francis kissed the hand of a residential school survivor as he was greeted at the Edmonton, Alberta, airport by Indigenous representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, an Inuk who is Canada's first Indigenous governor general. The gesture set the tone of what Francis has said is a “penitential pilgrimage” to atone for the role of Catholic missionaries in the forced assimilation of generations of Native children- a visit that has stirred mixed emotions across Canada as survivors and their families cope with the trauma of their losses and receive a long-sought papal apology.

A boat carrying Haitian migrants apparently capsized off the Bahamas early Sunday, and Bahamian security forces recovered the bodies of 17 people and rescued 25 others, authorities said. It wasn't clear if there were any people missing after the boat sank about seven miles from New Providence. Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said in a statement that the dead included 15 women, one man and an infant. He said the people rescued were taken for observation by health workers. Davis said investigators had determined that a twin-engine speed boat left the Bahamas about 1 a.m. carrying as many as 60 people, apparently bound for Miami.

It's not exactly flowing with milk and honey- just ask the area's struggling black bears- but Promised Land offered respite Sunday for city folks in the Northeast trying to escape a nearly weeklong hot spell that only threatened to intensify. Those with the resources fled to pools, beaches and higher elevations like Promised Land State Park, at 1,800 feet (550 meters) in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains and a drive of about 2 1/2 hours from New York City and Philadelphia.

Senior Samajwadi Party MLA, Mohd Azam Khan has requested the Uttar Pradesh government to "reinstate his 'Z' category security", citing "threats" since he faces several cases. Expressing security concerns, Azam Khan said, "I had 'Z' category security earlier. It was withdrawn by the present state government. Even a senior police officer recommended it. 'Y' category security is being offered to me at present, but it looks similar to the security cover provided to every MLA. I want my earlier security to be reinstated as I face many threats due to all the cases filed against me."

Tamil Nadu on Sunday inoculated 18.08 people against COVID-19 in the 32nd mega vaccination exercise in the state, the health department said. A total of 1,41,985 people received the first dose, 5,49,164 the second dose, while 11,17,451 people received the precautionary booster dose, an official release said. Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ma Subramanian, along with senior government officials, inspected the vaccination camps in Chennai.

A boat carrying Haitian migrants apparently capsized off the Bahamas early Sunday, and Bahamian security forces recovered the bodies of 17 people and rescued 25 others, authorities said. It wasn't clear if there were any people missing after the boat sank about seven miles from New Providence. Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said in a statement that the dead included 15 women, one man and an infant. He said the people rescued were taken for observation by health workers. Davis said investigators had determined that a twin-engine speed boat left the Bahamas about 1 a.m. carrying as many as 60 people, apparently bound for Miami.

Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday said it attached BSP MP from Ghazipur Afzal Ansari’s properties under the Gangster Act. "Immovable properties made through illegal means and belonging to Afzal Ansari, son of Subhanullah Ansari, worth Rs 14.90 crore have been attached under the Gangster Act," the police said in a statement.