Today’s News (29th July 2021, Thursday)

Today’s News (29th July 2021, Thursday)

                                                                                                                                                               --by Annadatha Venkata Murali Manohar

Tokyo Olympics

PV Sindhu beats Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt, enters quarterfinals

Archer Pravin Jadhav exits after losing to world no. 1 Ellison

Bad decisions, worst match, says Sjoerd Marijne after 3rd straight loss

Boxer Pooja Rani enters quarters, archer Deepika Kumari in third round

Wrestlers Ravi and Deepak leave for Tokyo sans 2nd dose

Headlines

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's Next Bet: Budget Airline (seat up to 180 passengers) Akasa Air and the team’ with $35MN investment, 70 Planes

Antony Blinken meets Dalai Lama’s representative in New Delhi

Taliban taking over Afghanistan will make it a ‘pariah state’, warns US secretary of state

Successful democracies include ‘thriving’ civil societies: Blinken

‘Beijing acting more repressively at home and more aggressively abroad’: Antony Blinken

As Indo-US Ties fortify, Blinken's pointed message to China while it cosies up to Taliban; Uighurs, Border Safety on Agenda as China & Taliban Meet

Speaker mulls suspension of 13 Congress, TMC MPs identified as ‘repeat offenders’ for tearing papers

Parliament monsoon session: Did govt use Pegasus weapon against its own people, Rahul on Pegasus report

After CPI MP, now LJD member moves motion in RS to annual new digital media rules

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have been witnessing protests from the opposition since the start of the monsoon session on July 19. Opposition parties which have been pressing for a discussion and probe into allegations of surveillance through Pegasus spyware, have decided to strongly raise the issue in Parliament on Wednesday.

Opposition insists on Pegasus debate, BJP decries ‘manufactured matters’

Mamata Banerjee meets Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi

Kerala assembly ruckus: Setback for Vijayan govt, SC says LDF MLAs must face prosecution

Cloudbursts, flash floods in Himachal, J&K kill 22; IMD issues alert for north India; Met Dept warns of rising water levels of Rivers in South Bengal Districts; Maharashtra flood: 213 dead, eight missing as 103 villages in Raigad face landslide risk

Government extends Covid guidelines till Aug 31; Saudi announces three-year travel ban for citizens visiting ‘red list’ countries, including India

In a dramatic turn of events, the ministry of home affairs on Tuesday appointed Rakesh Asthana, a 1984-batch IPS officer, as the new police commissioner of Delhi, four days before he was due to retire from service. Asthana was serving as the chief of Border Security Force; the ITBP chief, S S Deswal, has been given additional charge of BSF until a regular appointment is made. Asthana took charge on Wednesday.

No quorum as MPs spar at IT panel meet, secretaries skip it

To seep up justice, Supreme Court fixes strict time limits for arguments

Centre gets Assam, Mizoram to agree on ‘natural’ border force

Days after border clash with Mizoram, Assam Govt decides to create 5 new police battalions

Amid CM’s peace appeal, Mizoram demands central order to lift blockade by Assam

I was on Assam side, we could not have fired first: Mizoram SP Vanlalfaka Ralte

Supreme Court adopts UK view to loosen privileges and immunity of MPs, MLAs

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: Quad not on Military Lines, US vaccines to India depend on Regulatory, Legal Processes; US vaccines to India hinge on Legal Process

IAF formally inducts Rafale Aircraft into 101 Squadron of Eastern Air Command; In Sep 2020, Rafale aircraft were inducted into the 17 "Golden Arrows" Squadron

UP woman dies in Lucknow Govt Hospital after doctors leave piece of cloth in stomach during C-section

The Slow Wheels of Justice in India: Supreme Court, High Courts short of 454 judges; in the lower judiciary against sanctioned strength of 24,368 judges, there are 5,132 vacancies to date

Financial & Business News

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala sees years of double-digit India stock gains

Dr Reddy’s tanks 10% on news of US legal action

Airtel discontinues Rs. 49 prepaid recharge, raise entry-level pricing

Tech Mahindra CEO’s pay down 33% in last fiscal

Four funds with $7 billion in Adani have history of wrong bets

India’s plastic exports have risen by 60% in last one year: Plexconcil

Hyundai enters Gurugram with Rs. 2,000 crore

Covid impact: Retail loans impairment rises as borrowers delay payments

RBI imposes Rs 5 crore penalty on Axis Bank for contravention of certain provisions of directions issued by the RBI, including on cybersecurity framework

Deposit Insurance of Rs 5 Lakh: Customers to get money in 90 days if Bank under moratorium

Indian startups are on a CXO hiring spree

Sensex sheds 135 pts, Nifty holds 15,700; bank stocks tumble, Airtel rallies 5%, DRL down 3%

PFRDA sets floor for pension funds to invest in IPOs

Indian solar companies jittery as curbs on Chinese modules end this week

14 midcaps where fund managers upped stakes by over 100 bps in Q1

Nestle India Q2 results: Net profit rises 11% YoY to Rs 539 crore, misses estimates; sales grow 14%

Ola expands ESOPs pool to Rs 3,000 crore ahead of IPO

CBI conducts raids at 15 locations in coal mining scam

Your phone bill is likely to go up by as much as 30% in the next six months as Airtel, Vodafone Idea are tweaking their tariff offers to improve ARPU

Ashok Leyland to transfer complete electric vehicles business to new arm Switch Mobility including UK-subsidiary Optare

Ford reaches to half dozen rival carmakers to reboot India operations; feasibility study to be done in 2 months; independent operation may turn into a niche play with just CKD operation sans partner

Govt: SpiceJet borrowed Rs 127.51Cr, Go First Rs 25.65Cr under ECLGS scheme; AAI conducted pre-feasibility study in June for Greenfield airport in Puri

Corona Updates

New Covid-19 variants take shape in bodies of patients, finds study

WHO says Coronavirus deaths up 21% in last week, cases could exceed 200 million in two weeks

Kerala now accounts for 50% of all new Covid cases; "compliance with mass gatherings guidelines needs to be enforced strictly; Positivity rate as high as 10.5% may need strict curbs; reports over 22,000 new Covid cases, 131 deaths; MHA asks states to take steps to ensure no rise in ‘R’ factor of coronavirus

ICMR Serosurvey: 2/3rd population in 11 states found to have developed Covid anti-bodies; Kerala has least (44.4%) Covid anti-bodies, Madhya Pradesh has most (79%)

HC pulls up Uttarkhand govt for Covid rule violations at Tourist Spots, extends stay on Chardham Yatra

Study: AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine associated with a small risk of rare blood clots after the first dose, and no extra risk after the 2nd dose

The Saudi Ministry of Health confirms the possibility of those recovering from the Corona virus receiving two doses of the vaccine

The Tunisian President orders the creation of an operating room to manage the Corona virus, which includes the Corona virus, which includes representatives of a number of ministers

World: 196,647,297; Active 14,336,265 (7.31%); Recovery 178,078,247 (90.56%); Vaccinated 3.97BN

India: 31,526,622; Active 409,805 (1.30%); Recovery 30,694,122 (97.36%); Vaccinated 446.16MN

State News

Telangana HC forms panel to monitor Ramappa conservation

Telangana got least GST compensation in South

Telangana: TRS Warangal West MLA Vinay Bhaskar, 17 others convicted in train stopping case

AIMIM gearing for the big fight in UP; while the party could not make an impact in the recently concluded West Bengal elections, the efforts of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to extend its footprint across India is receiving good response, especially in UP, party leaders claimed

175 mucor cases in 4 months at Ganga Ram Hospital

Additional district judge killed in road accident in Jharkhand

Maharashtra Rains: The flood in Sangli couldn’t stop a couple from getting married on July 26. Boat ride for bride Sonali and groom Rohit, in Sangli's flooded waters

Reopen schools, say academics, doctors, lawyers and parents; Sisodia seeks view of parents, teachers on school reopening

Delhi: 62-year-old shot at point-blank range while sleeping in Palam

Raj Kundra pornography case: Raj’s lawyer moves Session’s Court for bail plea

Gehana Vasisth along with 4 producers of Raj Kundra's company booked in fresh case

Raj Kundra wanted app to earn Rs. 34 crore by 2023

Raj Kundra earned Rs. 1.17 crore in five months last through his porn app

Shilpa Shetty Kundra yet to be given clean chit in husband Raj Kundra's pornography case: Mumbai Police Crime Branch

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal asks Delhiites to suggest names for Padma awards

In deep waters, Rani Khera is wary of dipping its feet in DDA’s land pool

Tweet from outgoing Delhi police commissioner Balaji Srivastava triggers strict traffic check

Flooding makes Delhi-Gurugram travel a nightmare

Avian flu: Passive survey to be held in Chakkarpur

Gurugram: Pranab Gupta, an executive held hostage in cab, robbed of Rs. 80,000 after he was offered a lift from Ambience Mall

Hindu woman storms nikah, walks away with the groom

A 27-year-old man was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh area, police said on Wednesday. The accused was identified as Salim Ahmed, a resident of Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh, they said.

JP Nadda addresses meeting of BJP MPs from UP

18 migrants dead as truck collides with stranded bus in UP; Three dead, another critical as car crashes into cluster bus in Delhi’s Dwarka

Delhi: Rain to continue until end of month; orange alert for today

Hyderabad: Transfer certificate remarks leave parents in a spot

Hyderabad: Stolen property worth Rs 1.5 cr recovered from criminals in 176 cases returned to victims

Kuwait News

The Director-General of the WHO leaves the State of Kuwait after a visit aimed at strengthening cooperation

The Kuwaiti Cabinet holds an extra-ordinary meeting

His Highness Amir receives the Director-General of the World Health Organisation, and His Highness affirms the continuation of close cooperation with the organisation for the benefit of humanity and complement the humanitarian role of the State of Kuwait

Issuance of a decree terminating the work of Decree No. 258 of 2017 appointing the Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs

Representative of His Highness the Emir of the country praises the brotherly relations between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in all fields

Kuwaiti (Olympic) member: We continue to provide comfort for the players participating in the Olympics

The First Deputy of the UAE Federal National Council praises the results of his visit to Kuwait

Kuwait Interior Minister discusses with the US ambassador to the country issues of common interest

Kuwait Municipality: The video clip circulating regarding the level of general hygiene in the Jleepb Al-Shuyoukh area is old and it was dealt with at the time, and they are keen to confront abuses

The Kuwait Government assigns the ministers to work on speeding up the implementation of development projects and prioritizing projects whose establishments is self-financed and generate returns to the state

Minister of the Interior: A comprehensive strategy to develop and modernize the facilities and buildings of the security establishment to provde the appropriate functional environment

The Kuwait Health Spokesman: 941 new Covid-cases, 1,365 recovered and 5 deaths recorded

International News

Blood clot cases not higher after AstraZeneca second dose: Study

US Capitol attack hearing: ‘Kill him,’ racial slurs and more

White House considering vaccine mandate for federal workers

Israel defence minister to share initial findings on NSO with France

Officials: 2 dead, 4 injured after Texas chemical plant leak

Ashraf Ghani says no military solution to Afghan issue, government ready to talk with Taliban

Taliban delegation visiting China for talks with officials

Afghanistan: World doing business with Taliban, why shouldn’t India?

Bhutan fully vaccinates 90% of eligible adults within a week

South Korea sets another new high for daily Covid-19 cases

At least 8 killed in 22-car pileup in Utah during sandstorm

Covid-19: New Zealand suspends quarantine-free travel with Australia

With virus surge, US to keep travel restrictions for now

Sandstorm in Western Chinese city of Dunhuang rises 100m high

Tropical storm makes landfall in northern Japan, spares Olympics

Hong Kong’s civil society ‘withers’ under national security purge

Sydney lockdown extended by four weeks as Delta surge worsens

‘Wounded soul’: Beirut blast haunts scarred survivors*

Myanmar junta seeks international cooperation over Covid-19 crisis

Blinken dials Nepal’s new PM Deuba; discusses bilateral ties, Covid-19 situation & climate change

Russia ready to help Tajikistan amid Afghan conflict

US moves to shield secrets in Saudi spy case in Canada

Cloudburst in Islamabad causes flooding

Iran supreme leader criticizes west as nuclear talks stalled

Turkey detains 200 Afghan migrants en route to Italy

Tunisian President relieves state TV director of his duties after banning journalists from participating in a talk show

The Tunisian President intends to launch a reconciliation with 460 businessmen accused of looting public money

Continuing fires raging in the Akkar region in northern Lebanon have killed a 15-year-old boy as he tried to put out the fire, and injured more than 23 people

Dutch archaeologists unearthed a Roman canal and road near ancient military camps that were this week listed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites

Indonesia's Mount Sinabung Erupts, lasted about 12 minutes; No Evacuation Orders issued

Two Chinese nationals shot by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle in Karachi days after IED attack on bus carrying engineers

Panama scandal: Pak PM names 'common friend' who offered Rs 1,000Cr bribe to withdraw the Panama Papers case against the then PM Nawaz Sharif

US: Indian-American physician Dr Manisha Juthani nominated as Public Health Commissioner of Connecticut

Brutal killing of a popular Afghan comedian Nazar Mohammad, popularly known as Khasha Zwan has sent shock waves around the world; Taliban denies killing him

Sports News

ICC T20 Rankings: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul maintain Top 10 Positions, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal move up