Law panel to examine simultaneous elections
The issue of holding simultaneous Parliamentary and Assembly elections has been referred to the Law Commission for a practicable roadmap and a framework to be worked out, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. Between 2014 and 2022, there were as many as 50 State Legislative Assembly elections.
Supreme Court grants Azam Khan regular bail, sets aside High Court’s conditions
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed 73-year-old Samajwadi Party leader Mohammed Azam Khan regular bail in a land grabbing case while criticising a tendency in High Courts to make “completely unrelated” remarks against accused persons and imposing “extreme conditions” on them for bail.
Two children in U.S. diagnosed with monkeypox, officials say
Two children have been diagnosed with monkeypox in the U.S., health officials said Friday. The children were described as being in good health and receiving treatment. How they caught the disease is being investigated, but officials think it was through household transmission. Other details weren't immediately disclosed.
West Indies vs India first ODI | India pull off last ball win over West Indies
Shikhar Dhawan made a well crafted 97 while Shubmam Gill made a classy 64 in his ODI comeback before India held their nerves to pull off a three-run win over the West Indies in the series opener. Openers Dhawan (97 off 99 balls) and Gill (64 off 53) shared an 119-run stand before the West Indies fought back to restrict India to 308 for seven.
ED searches residences of 2 Bengal Ministers, officials
A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Friday conducted searches at several places, including the residences of West Bengal Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee and Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikary, in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment carried out by State School Education Department.
Din in Rajya Sabha over private member bills on Places of Worship Act, Uniform Civil Code
Opposition members protested the introduction of a private member’s Bill on the repeal of The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 in Rajya Sabha on Friday. The Bill moved by BJP member Harnath Singh Yadav could not be introduced as the member was absent.
Disability should not be a ground to deny boarding, DGCA tells airlines
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has amended its rules on carrying disabled persons and explicitly stated that disability should not be a ground for an airline to deny boarding to a passenger. The revised norms follow outrage over IndiGo refusing a teen with special needs permission to board a flight from Ranchi to Hyderabad in May.
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal on Friday informed the Rajya Sabha that the government was ready for a discussion on the price rise issue. The first week of the monsoon session of Parliament that began on July 18 has witnessed continued disruption and adjournments, recording almost no business, as Opposition members in both Houses have demanded discussion on price rise, Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Agnipath scheme.
68th National Film Awards | Soorarai Pottru wins Best Film award
Tamil movie “Soorarai Pottru” bagged national awards for the Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Background Score and the Best Screenplay at the 68th National Film Awards-2020 announced on Friday. “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior” won the awards in the Best Actor, which went to Ajay Devgn, and for the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment categories. Devgn shared the Best Actor award with Suriya, who got the recognition for “Soorarai Pottru”, which has been directed by Sudha Kongara.
No plan to extend deadline for filing I-T returns, says Revenue Secretary
The government is not considering extending the last date for filing income tax returns as it expects most returns to come in by the due date of July 31, a top official said on July 22, 2022. Last fiscal (2020-21), about 5.89 crore ITRs (Income Tax Returns) were filed by the extended due date of December 31, 2021.
PM Modi urges people to hoist tricolour at home between August 13-15
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took to Twitter to ask Indians to hoist or display the national flag at their homes from August 13 to August 15 as a part of the Har Ghar Tiranga initiative of the government. This movement will deepen our connect with the national flag, he said.
Domestic air travellers dropped 8% in June
Domestic airlines ferried 8.3% fewer passengers in June as compared with the previous month as the summer travel season drew to a close. The month of June saw a total of 105 lakh passenger trips in June compared with 114 lakh in May.
Ukraine, Russia sign U.N. deal to export grain on Black Sea
Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements Friday with Turkey and the United Nations clearing the way for exporting millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain — as well as Russian grain and fertilizer — ending a wartime standoff that had threatened food security around the globe.
RBI to iron out volatile, bumpy movements to ensure rupee finds its level: Das
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das stressed on Friday that while the central bank was committed to ensuring that the rupee finds its level in line with its fundamentals and does not target any particular level for the rupee, it would intervene decisively to iron out any volatile or bumpy movements in the currency’s exchange rate.
CBSE announces Class X and XII results; Girls outperform boys
The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) declared results for classes X and XII on Friday which saw a pass percentage of 94.40% and 92.71%. Girls outshone boys in both the classes – they had a pass percentage of 95.21% versus 93.08% for boys in Class X, while in Class XII they recorded a pass percentage of 94.54% and boys recorded 91.25%.
North Korea warns of security instability over U.S.-South Korea drills
North Korea has warned that the U. S. and South Korea will face “unprecedented” security challenges if they don’t stop their hostile military pressure campaign against the North, including joint military drills. The latest warning came as Washington and Seoul prepare to expand their upcoming summertime training following the North’s provocative run of missile tests this year.
Neeraj Chopra flies to the final with his opening throw
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra needed just one throw to qualify for the javelin throw final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Thursday, a day when three Indians made it to the main round. There was double joy for India with Rohit Yadav pulling off a big surprise to finish sixth (11 th overall) and also progress to the 12-man final. This is the first time India will have two javelin throwers in the final at the Worlds.
