Kerala rain | Sabarimala visit banned; Heavy rains expected
The Kerala government has banned devotees from ascending the hills to the Sabarimala shrine from 3 p.m. today. In a tweet, the government has asked the pilgrims who are already in Sabarimala to come down and move to safer places by 6 p. m. Heavy rainfall is expected at Sabarimala and Pampa in coming hours.
Court extends Sanjay Raut’s ED’s custody till August 8
ED’s counsel Hiten Venegavkar informed the court that Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut has been evasive in his replies and his custody is needed to investigate details of bank accounts of unrelated people to whom money was transferred from his wife’s account.
CJI Ramana names Justice U.U. Lalit as successor
Chief Justice Ramana personally handed over a copy of his letter of recommendation dated August 3 to Justice Lalit when they met for tea in the Supreme Court in the morning before court.
Parliament Monsoon Session | Rajya Sabha passes Bill to amend Family Courts Act
Rajya Sabha has passed the Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by voice vote amid massive protests by the Opposition in the House. Last month, Lok Sabha passed the bill to grant statutory cover to already established family courts in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland and retrospectively validate actions taken by them. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid continued protests by the Opposition.
Jharkhand MLAs’ cash seizure | West Bengal CID teams ‘detained’ in Delhi, Guwahati
A senior officer of the Criminal Investigation Department of West Bengal alleged its officers were detained by Delhi Police on August 3 when they were conducting a raid at a property belonging to an accused, a “close associate” of the three arrested legislators, in the national capital.
Not afraid of Narendra Modi, will not be intimidated: Rahul Gandhi on action in National Herald case
“We will not be intimated and we are not scared of Narendra Modi. Let them do what they want to do. It won’t make any difference. My work is to protect the nation, its democratic values and maintain its harmony. I will continue to do so. They can do what they want,” Rahul Gandhi said, a day after the Enforcement Directorate sealed ‘Young Indian’.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said 71,411 cases as on August 2 were pending before the top court, which included over 56,000 civil matters and over 15,000 criminal matters. He said of the total 71,411 pending cases in the apex court, 10,491 were pending for more than ten years. Over 42,000 cases were pending for less than five years and 18,134 between five and 10 years.
The ECI, represented by senior advocate Arvind Datar, argued that disqualification proceedings under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) of the Constitution did not affect the poll body’s power to decide rival claims over a party. The court however asked the ECI to give a reasonable adjournment when the case came up for hearing before it on August 8. The Thackeray loyalists had earlier moved the Supreme Court against the ECI proceedings.
Navy’s all-women crew completes maritime reconnaissance, surveillance mission in North Arabian Sea
INAS 314 is a frontline Naval Air Squadron based at Porbandar in Gujarat and operates the state-of-the-art Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The squadron is commanded by Cdr. S. K. Goyal, a Qualified Navigation Instructor. The women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run up to this historical sortie.
Allahabad High Court rejects journalist Kappan’s bail plea
The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court rejected the bail application of journalist Siddique Kappan who was booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act in Hathras conspiracy case. A single bench of Justice Krishan Pahal passed the rejection order. Prior to this, the bench had reserved its order on August 2 after conclusion of arguments by the counsels of the accused and the state.
Taiwan cancels flights as China holds military drills amid Pelosi visit
Taiwan canceled airline flights as China fired missiles near the self-ruled island in retaliation for a top American lawmaker’s visit, adding to the risk of disruptions in the flow of Taiwanese-made processor chips needed by global telecom and auto industries.
Bank of England raises rates by most since 1995 even as long recession looms
Reeling from a surge in energy prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 for a half percentage point rise in Bank Rate to 1.75%—its highest level since late 2008—from 1.25%.
Wildfires in Europe burn second-biggest area on record
Wildfires have burned 6,00,731 hectares in EU countries this year so far, according to data from the European Union’s Joint Research Centre. That ranks as the second-highest total for any year since 2006, when records began. In 2017, 9,87,844 hectares were burned.
Taliban ‘not aware’ Ayman al-Zawahiri was in Kabul
“The government and the leadership wasn’t aware of what is being claimed, nor any trace there,” Suhail Shaheen, the designated Taliban representative to the United Nations, who is based in Doha, said in a statement.
Markets halt 6-day rally; end marginally lower
In choppy trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex ended 51.73 points or 0.09% lower at 58,298.80. During the day, it hit a low of 57,577.05 and a high of 58,712.66. The broader NSE Nifty dipped 6.15 points or 0.04% to finish at 17,382.
Rupee falls 17 paise to close at 79.32 against U.S. dollar
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local currency opened at 79.21 and finally ended at 79.32, down 17 paise over its previous close.
Commonwealth Games 2022 | P.V. Sindhu sails into women’s singles pre-quarters
Ace Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu sailed into the pre-quarterfinals of the women’s singles event with a comfortable straight game win over Maldives’ Fathimath Nabaaha Abdul Razzaq at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday. It was always going to be a tough task for Fathimath against the two-time Olympic medallist, who pocketed the Round of 32 match 21-4 21-11 in just 21 minutes.
IOC to take a decision in 2023 on cricket’s inclusion in 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games
Cricket is currently being featured in the ongoing Commonwealth Games with the women’s T20 format being played among eight nations, albeit only the women’s teams are participating in it. However, for a sporting event to be featured at the Olympic Games, it must be for both men and women.
