Latest News: ‘Can Become CM in a Minute’, Says Hema Malini
Catch all the latest news and updates of the day here.
advertisement
Catch all the news updates here.
Suicide Attack in Kabul Targets Security Convoy
A Taliban suicide bomber attacked a convoy of the Afghan national intelligence agency in Kabul early on 26 July, Thursday, causing an unknown number of casualties, officials told Reuters.
The attack, which was claimed by the Taliban, occurred at around 5 am (0030 GMT) when a car bomber targeted the convoy in the west of the city, Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said.
(Source: Reuters)
Sensex at All-Time High, Breaches 37,000 Mark
The Nifty 50 index rose to record high of 11,172 and the S&P BSE Sensex surpassed 37,000-mark for the first time.
Three Missing as Vehicle Falls into River in Uttarakhand
Three people have been reported missing, while five others sustained injuries after a vehicle fell into Kalpganga river in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on 26 July, Thursday. The injured have been shifted to a hospital in Gopeshwar.
Muzaffarpur Shelter Case: NHRC Issues Notice To Bihar Government
The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to Bihar government over reported sexual exploitation of girls inside a shelter home in Muzaffarpur, reported PTI.
Earlier, the Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the matter.
The shelter home came under scanner after a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in June revealed that the girls living there were being subjected to sexual assault.
Dozens Evacuated as Fire Rages London's West Hampstead Flat
A huge fire broke out in a five-storey residential building in London’s West Hampstead in the early hours of 16 July, Thursday, forcing rescuers to evacuate dozens of people, and it took nearly four hours to douse the blaze, the London Fire Brigade told Reuters.
Explosion Near US Embassy in China's Beijing
A bomb exploded outside the US embassy in Beijing on Thursday, 26 July wounding the lone assailant, the embassy said in a statement, but police described the weapon merely as a "firework device".
The explosion occurred on the street outside southeast corner of the embassy compound, the embassy said. Beijing police said the suspect, a 26-year-old man from China's Inner Mongolia region, had injured his hand and been taken to hospital.
(Source: Reuters)
Defence Minister Pays Tribute to Soldiers at Amar Jawan Jyoti
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman paid tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti on Kargil Vijay Diwas.
Nearly 250 Dead In Attacks on South Syria
The death toll in coordinated Islamic State group suicide bombings and shootings in southern Syria rose to nearly 250 overnight, more than half of them civilians, a monitor said on 26 July, Thursday.
Yesterday's attacks hit Sweida, a Druze-majority province mostly held by the government which had remained relatively insulated from the country's seven-year civil war.
(Source: PTI)
West Bengal Assembly Passes Bill to Change State's Name
The West Bengal Assembly has passed bill to change the state’s name from West Bengal to ‘Bangla,’ reported ANI. The resolution passed in West Bengal Assembly will now go to the Home Ministry and if Home Ministry gives a green signal then only, the name will be changed to 'Bangla'.
Encounter Between Security Forces and Terrorists in Handwara, One Killed
One terrorist was gunned down on Thursday, 26 July in an encounter between security forces and terrorists in Kupwara's Handwara, reported ANI.
China Defence Minister to Visit India
Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe has accepted an invitation to visit India and plans to do so by the end of this year, China said on Thursday, 26 July, as a rapprochement between the two giant neighbours gathers pace.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed in April to open a new chapter in ties, just months after a dispute over a stretch of their high-altitude Himalayan border rekindled fears of war.
(Source: Reuters)
Gauri Lankesh Case: SIT Produces Accused Before Court
The Special Investigation Team probing the murder of Gauri Lankesh arrested another accused named Suresh in Bengaluru on Wednesday and produced him before a court on Thursday, 26 July, reported ANI.
Sunanda Pushkar Death Case: Shashi Tharoor Granted Exemption from Personal Appearance
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was granted exemption from personal appearance for Thursday, 26 July by a Delhi court in a case relating to his wife Sunanda Pushkar's death almost four years ago in a luxury hotel, reported PTI.
The court granted the relief to Tharoor, who was granted bail earlier this month after he had appeared before it as an accused, on an application moved by his advocate.
Centre Orders CBI Probe in Cambridge Analytica Data Breach
While addressing the Rajya Sabha, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the government has ordered a probe into the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal, reported ANI.
The company has been involved in alleged breach of Facebook user data, seeking information about its clients in India.
Supreme Court Stays Arrest of Two Accused in Kerala Church Case
The Supreme Court has asked the Kerala government to furnish a status report by 6 August in the case of rape and molestation against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Church in Kerala, reported ANI.
The court has also stayed the arrest of the two accused - Father Jaise K George and Father Sony Varghese till 6 August.
Govt Extends Due Date for Filing Income Tax Returns till 31 August
The Finance Ministry has announced the extension of the income tax return filing deadline by a month to 31 August.
"Upon consideration of the matter, the Central Board of Direct Taxes extends the ‘Due Date’ for filing of Income Tax Returns from 31 July, 2018 to 31 August, 2018 in respect of the said categories of taxpayers”, the Finance Ministry said in a tweet.
China Quietly Resumes Its Activities in Doklam Area: US Official
China has quietly resumed its activities in the Doklam area and neither Bhutan nor India has sought to dissuade it, a top US official has said while comparing Beijing's actions in the Himalayan region with its manoeuvres in the disputed South China Sea.
"I would assess that India is vigorously defending its northern borders and this is a subject of concern to India," Alice G Wells, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia told lawmakers during a Congressional hearing while responding to a question on China's increased road building activities along the Indian border.
(Source: PTI)
Internet Services Suspended in Navi Mumbai
Internet services were suspended on Thursday, 26 July, as a precautionary measure in Navi Mumbai, where an uneasy calm prevailed a day after violence during the Maratha quota stir.
The services, which were suspended on Thursday, to prevent rumour-mongering on social media and online platforms, will be restored on Friday, police said.
Around 20 policemen, including eight officers, were injured in stone-pelting by protesters in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday during the bandh called by Maratha organisations to demand of quota for the community in government jobs and education.
(Source: PTI)
Congress to Organise 'Morcha' in Mumbai Against Rafale Deal of BJP
On 30 July, the Congress would take out a ‘morcha’ in Mumbai to protest against the non-disclosure of the purchase price of the Rafale jets.
The forthcoming march is part of similar protests the Congress is planning to organise across the country, senior party leaders said on Thursday, 26 July.
The Congress has been demanding that the government disclose the purchase price of each Rafale jet during the ongoing session of Parliament.
(Source: PTI)
M Karunanidhi Undergoes Treatment for Age-Related Ailments
DMK President M Karunanidhi is undergoing treatment at his residence due to age-related ailments, reported ANI.
He is reportedly being treated by the doctors of Kauvery Hospital for fever due to a urinary tract infection.
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam along with other state ministers met the DMK President at his residence in Chennai.
Can't Really Conceive How a Film Can Be Banned: CJI Dipak Misra
Commenting on the Padmaavat controversy, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra said, “Many states issued directions banning the screening of Padmaavat. I can't really conceive how a film can be banned. If this court upheld the right of the producer to show Bandit Queen, Padmaavat was nothing. It's a poem presented in celluloid”.
(Source: ANI)
Trump Faces Deadline to Reunite Families Separated at El Paso Border
The Trump administration faced a court-imposed deadline on Thursday, 26 July to reunite thousands of children and parents who were forcibly separated at the US-Mexico border, an enormous logistical task brought on by its "zero tolerance" policy on illegal entry.
Authorities have identified 2,551 children 5 and older who may be covered by the order to be reunited with their parents by the court-imposed deadline. That effort was expected to fall short, partly because hundreds of parents may have already been deported without their children.
(Source: PTI)
Rahul Gandhi Should Get Married, Only Then He Can Hug Us: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey
Taking a jibe at Rahul Gandhi, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey said the party leaders may be divorced by their wives if they embrace the Congress president as "Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet".
Dubey further said BJP MPs can hug Gandhi only when the Congress president gets married.
This comes a day after Gandhi said BJP MPs step back on seeing him as they fear he might hug them.
(Source: PTI)
Omar Abdullah to Meet West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on 27 July
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will meet National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Friday, 27 July, amid speculations over the formation of a grand alliance of Opposition parties against the BJP in the next Lok Sabha election.
The meeting is scheduled to take place at the Bengal administration headquarters.
The TMC supremo, who has been a critic of the Narendra Modi government and its policies, has recently given the call for uniting all Opposition parties to oust the BJP government.
(Source: PTI)
I Can Become CM in a Minute, But Not Interested: Hema Malini
Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini has said she can become the chief minister anytime but would rather be free to pursue other interests.
“I am not too keen,” the BJP MP from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh told reporters on Wednesday, 25 July in Rajasthan's Banswara city.
“If I want to I can become that in a minute, but I don't like to be tied up. My freedom of movement will end,” she said when asked if she would become the chief minister if she got the chance.
(Source: PTI)
US Sikh-American Attorney Targeted over His Turban
America's first Sikh-American Attorney General Gurbir Grewal has been racially targeted by two radio hosts who repeatedly called him the "turban man" on air, drawing severe criticism from politicians and netizens over their "xenophobic and racist" comments.
Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, who host the "Dennis and Judi Show" on the radio show NJ 101.5FM, were talking about Grewal's decision to suspend marjiuana prosecutions in New Jersey when they began calling him the "turban man".
(Source: PTI)
PM Modi Meets Xi Jinping and Putin on Sidelines of BRICS Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa's Johannesburg.
Speaking about his meeting with Putin, Modi said: