Presidential election results | NDA’s Droupadi Murmu leads after two rounds of counting
After two rounds of counting of votes in the presidential election, NDA’s candidate Droupadi Murmu received 4,83,299 votes and Opposition’s Yashwant Sinha got 1,89,876. Of total votes counted so far, Ms. Murmu got 71.79% votes. The ballot paper of first 10 States in alphabetical order were counted in the second round and 1,138 valid votes, with a total value of 1,49,575, were counted. Ms. Murmu got 809 votes valued at 1,05,299 and Mr. Sinha got 329 votes valued at 44,276.
ED questions Sonia Gandhi for two hours, summons her again on July 25
The questioning of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who is recovering from COVID-19, by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper, lasted for about two hours and the session ended on her request, officials said. The ED has summoned her for a second round of questioning on July 25, officials also said. The day was a show of strength for the party with street protests and leaders courting arrest across the country.
Trinamool Congress to abstain from Vice-President election
“There is no question of supporting the NDA candidate, especially Jagdeep Dhankhar. But after today’s meeting with party lawmakers, it has been decided that we will abstain from the vice presidential election,” Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said.
The top court also refused to entertain two writ petitions that sought its permission to worship the ‘Shivling’, which is claimed to be found in the Gyanvapi mosque premises during a court-ordered survey and carbon dating of the ‘Shivling’ to ascertain its age.
Delhi L-G VK Saxena has returned the proposal regarding the foreign visit of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal while noting that the conference will be covering different aspects of urban governance, which are addressed by diverse bodies like the MCD, DDA and NDMC apart from the city government, sources said.
Justice Ajit Borthakur granted bail to Barshashree Buragohain, who is currently housed in the Golaghat Central Jail, after the state’s lawyer refrained from opposing her application. The judge directed that she be released on bail against one surety of ₹25,000.
Landslides lead to closure of J&K highway; Amarnath pilgrims stranded
Nearly 1,000 vehicles, including a convoy carrying Amarnath pilgrims, are stranded at different points of the highway, they said. The 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, was blocked by shooting stones, landslides at four places in Ramban district.
Karnataka, Telangana, Haryana bag top three ranks among major States in Niti’s innovation index
Niti Aayog’s India Innovation index 2021 examines innovation capacities and ecosystems at the sub-national level. The index, released by Niti Aayog’s vice-chairman Suman Bery in the presence of Chief Executive Officer Parameswaran Iyer on July 21, has been developed on the lines of the Global Innovation Index. Karnataka topped the index for the third year in a row. The first and second editions of India Innovation Index were launched in October 2019 and January 2021, respectively.
Parliament Monsoon Session | Day 4 session adjourns without much progress
The Lok Sabha functioned even as majority of the Opposition members walked out. While the Congress MPs did over Enforcement Directorate summons to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, others like DMK, Left and NCP walked out over price rise and GST. The TMC MPs were not present in the Lower House. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period after Opposition members created uproar over issues of price rise and Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on daily essentials.
Anurag Thakur questions Opposition for raising GST issue in Rajya Sabha and not in GST Council
“They [representatives of non-BJP State governments] go to GST Council meeting and do not voice their concerns, but come here to protest and show placards,” Information and Broadcast Minister Anurag Thakur said while replying to supplementary queries on whether the government is taking action against false propaganda carried on social media as well as by some elected representatives.
Ranil Wickremesinghe to pick Dinesh Gunawardena as Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in President of Sri Lanka on Thursday, is expected to appoint long-time Rajapaksa loyalist and senior politician Dinesh Gunawardena as Prime Minister, a source close to the President’s office said. Further, Mr. Wickremesinghe will continue with the last-appointed Cabinet until Opposition parties are “ready to cooperate” in an all-party government, the source said, requesting anonymity.
Singapore says Gotabaya Rajapaksa granted short-term visit pass
Singapore has granted a 14-day short-term visit pass to former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa as he entered the country on a “private visit” on July 14, according to immigration authorities in Singapore. In a statement released in response to media queries about Mr. Rajapaksa’s visit to Singapore, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said that he was granted a short-term visit pass (STVP) on arrival.
Italian PM Mario Draghi resigns after government implodes
Italian Premier Mario Draghi tendered his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella during a morning meeting at the Quirinale Palace. Mr. Mattarella’s office said the President had “taken note” of the resignation and asked Mr. Draghi to remain as a caretaker Premier.
EU likely to bolster Apple probe with new evidence, no new charges
The European Commission last year told the iPhone maker that its App Store rules, which require developers to use its own in-app payment system and also prevent them from informing users of other purchasing options, distorts competition in the music streaming market.
Markets recover after initial drop; Sensex climbs 284 points
The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 284.42 points or 0.51% to settle at 55,681.95. During the day, it jumped 340.96 points or 0.61% to 55,738.49. The broader NSE Nifty went higher by 84.40 points or 0.51% to 16,605.25.
Rupee falls 1 paisa to all-time low of 80.06 in early trade
Forex traders said the rupee is hovering around 80 level as the overall gains in crude prices in the last few days, wherein Brent has risen above $106 per barrel mark, is putting pressure on the local unit. Moreover, rising current account deficit and trade deficit also weighed on investor sentiments.
BJP leader and former Union Minister Jayant Sinha-chaired Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has been looking into various aspects of competition in the marketplace, especially with respect to technology majors.
Asian Development Bank pares India growth hopes to 7.2% for 2022-23
In a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook report, the Bank on July 21 also moderated its growth hopes for 2023-24 to 7.8% from 8% and raised its inflation projection for that year to 5.8%, just a tad below India’s 6% upper tolerance threshold for price rise, from 5% earlier.
Bracewell hat-trick seals New Zealand T20 win over Ireland
New Zealand posted 179-4 and bowled out Ireland for 91 to secure its fifth straight win over the hosts. The visitors beat Ireland by 31 runs on Monday after a 3-0 series win in the one-day internationals at Malahide.
Should Ronaldo leave Manchester United?
Publicly, Ronaldo has not yet returned to preseason training with the English club because of what has been described as “personal reasons.” The expectation, recently hired United manager Erik ten Hag repeats on an almost-daily basis, is that Ronaldo will be back before the Premier League begins and be a key member of the squad.
