Top news: Sensex tanks over 750 points amid economic growth concerns

Karnataka: Congress condemns ED’s questioning of DK Shivakumar, calls it ‘vendetta of worst kind’

The Enforcement Directorate questioned senior Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar for the fourth day on Tuesday in connection with an alleged money laundering case. The investigating agency summoned Shivakumar on last Friday after the Karnataka High Court had rejected his plea challenging the notice sent to him.

‘Take photos, why shoot a video?’: Mirzapur DM after journalist booked for story on mid-day meals

Mirzapur’s district magistrate on Tuesday said the journalist, who had shot a video that showed schoolkids eating chapathi with salt for their mid-day meals, should have just taken photos and written a story. District Magistrate Anurag Patel’s comments came three days after Pawan Jaiswal was charged with criminal conspiracy for shooting the video.

Bihar: 11-year-old boy found dead with wire around neck in school toilet

An 11-year-old child of a private school in Bihar was found dead with a wire around his neck. The Class 5 student’s body was discovered on Monday in a teachers’ bathroom of the school, situated in Kaimur district. The police registered a case against the director of the institute, the principal and five teachers.

Kashmir Press Club accuses authorities of using ‘pressure tactics’ on journalists

Three Kashmiri journalists have been asked to vacate the government accommodations as soon as possible, the Kashmir Press Club said in a statement on Monday. The three journalists are Aijaz Hussain who works for Associated Press, Fayaz Bukhari of Reuters and Nazir Masoodi from NDTV.

Assam: Doctors on 24-hour strike to protest against death of colleague at tea estate

Doctors in Assam on Tuesday went on a 24-hour strike to protest against the assault on a doctor of a tea estate by a mob of around 250 to 300 people last week. Deben Dutta was beaten to death by workers on Saturday in Jorhat district.

IDBI Bank to be infused with more than Rs 9,000 crore, says Centre

The Centre on Tuesday agreed to infuse IDBI Bank with more than Rs 9,000 crore in order to increase its capital base, PTI reported. The bank’s shares jumped 10.84% after the announcement and were up 5.78% by the end of the day. This announcement by the government came days after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 10 public sector banks would be merged into four entities, and they would be given Rs 70,000 crore so that their robust balance sheets can be used to boost credit and push growth.

Assam’s neighbouring states on the lookout for people excluded from NRC entering their areas

A number of political outfits in states neighbouring Assam
have stepped up patrolling to ensure “doubtful citizens” excluded from the National Register of Citizens do not enter their regions.

Pune: American woman allegedly attacks, abuses doctor after asking her if she is Muslim

The Pune Police registered a case of non-cognisable offence against an American woman for allegedly attacking a doctor after asking her if she was Muslim.

INX Media case: SC allows P Chidambaram to remain in CBI custody, hearings to resume on September 5

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would take up former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram’s plea challenging his remand to the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation on September 5.

Mithali Raj retires from T20 International cricket, to focus on 2021 ODI World Cup

Indian batting great Mithali Raj announced her retirement from T20 International cricket on Tuesday. “After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 One Day World Cup,” said Raj.

Sensex closes nearly 800 points lower, Nifty suffers setback over fears of economic crisis

The BSE Sensex and NSE Nifty 50 indices slumped on Tuesday, the first trading session since government data released on Friday showed that the country’s economic growth had fallen to an over six-year low of 5% in the April-June quarter. The Sensex closed 769.88 points lower at 36,562 – its biggest one-day fall since October 2018, according to Mint. Nifty50 also dropped 225.35 points to settle at 10,797.

Economic slowdown: Priyanka Gandhi attacks BJP, says ‘telling a lie hundred times’ won’t help

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attacked the Narendra Modi government over the state of the economy, and said that it was now time for the Bharatiya Janata Party to admit that there was a “historic slowdown” and take steps to resolve it.

Uttar Pradesh: Ballia DM apologises for comment against Dalit leaders, says it was childish

The district magistrate of Ballia in Uttar Pradesh apologised on Monday for his remarks about some Dalit leaders who had visited a school after an alleged instance of caste discrimination by students last week. Bhawani Singh Khangarot, an Indian Administrative Service officer, had referred to the “white kurtas, expensive shoes and watches” while speaking to reporters on Thursday.

Indian Air Force inducts eight US made Apache attack helicopters at Pathankot airbase

The Indian Air Force on Tuesday inducted eight United States-made Apache AH-64E attack helicopters at the Pathankot airbase. This will reportedly give a major boost to India’s combat capabilities. AH-64E helicopters are made by Boeing Co. The helicopters have been customised to suit the future requirements of Indian Air Force and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain.

Chhattisgarh: Former CM Ajit Jogi’s son arrested for allegedly lying in election affidavit

The Chhattisgarh Police on Tuesday arrested former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi’s son from his home for allegations of cheating and furnishing false details in his affidavit in the 2013 Assembly elections. Amit Jogi, 42, was arrested from his home in Bilaspur. Sameera Paikra, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate who lost against him in the 2013 election for Marwahi seat, had filed a case against him.

Ayodhya case: SC issues notice to two men for threatening Muslim party’s lawyer Rajeev Dhavan

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a notice to two persons for allegedly threatening advocate Rajeev Dhavan for representing the Sunni Wakf Board in the Ayodhya land dispute case, PTI reported.

Madhya Pradesh minister accuses Digvijaya Singh of trying to destabilise Kamal Nath government

Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Umang Singhar has written to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, accusing party colleague and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh of attempting to establish himself as a power centre in the state and destabilise the Kamal Nath government, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

Medha Patkar ends fast on ninth day after talks with Madhya Pradesh government representative

Social activist Medha Patkar ended her fast on the ninth day on Monday night after receiving assurances from the Madhya Pradesh government about steps being taken to meet her demands, PTI reported. Patkar’s health had deteriorated by the eighth day of her indefinite hunger strike to demand rehabilitation of thousands of people displaced by floods in areas around the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

ISRO says Chandrayaan-2’s moon lander ‘Vikram’ successfully undergoes first de-orbit manoeuvre

The Indian Space Research Organisation said the first de-orbiting manoeuvre for spacecraft Chandrayaan-2’s moon lander Vikram was successfully performed on Tuesday morning.

RSS affiliate urges PM Modi to reconsider award from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

A senior leader of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, which is a political and cultural organisation affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to accept an award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was responding to an announcement by Minister of State for Prime Minister’s office Jitendra Singh that Modi would be given an award by the foundation for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan during his visit to the United States this month.

‘Economy is doing fine, Manmohan Singh was used as a puppet’: BJP lashes out at former PM

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday lashed out at Congress leader and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying India could not achieve desired growth when he was heading the government as “some used him as a puppet to promote corruption and nepotism”. “What kind of injustice it did to the Indian economy, we all know,” said party spokesman Sambit Patra.

Four killed in fire at ONGC plant in Navi Mumbai

Four people were killed and three injured in a fire at a plant of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday morning, police said. The fire has been doused, the company said.

J&K: Restrictions eased in over 90% areas, services restored in 76 phone exchanges, says Centre

Prohibitory orders are no more in place during the day in 93% of Jammu and Kashmir, the state administration claimed on Monday. Daytime restrictions have also been removed from 92 out of 111 police station areas in the Kashmir Valley, the government said.

Germany: Beef curry dropped from Kerala food menu at Indian fest after some raise objections

A Germany-based Malayali cultural group has claimed that it was asked by the Consulate General of India in Frankfurt to remove beef curry from its menu at a food festival after objections were raised by some.

Patna High Court quashes order in which its judge made claims about corruption in judiciary

The Patna High Court on Monday quashed one of its orders that had made observations on alleged corruption in the judiciary last week. However, Justice Rakesh Kumar, who was taken off all cases a day after he passed the order, was reassigned cases from Monday.

Unnao rape case: Delhi court suggests part of hearings to be conducted in camera at AIIMS

A Delhi court on Monday suggested conducting part of the hearing in the 2017 Unnao rape case in camera at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the national Capital. District Judge Dharmesh Sharma asked the counsel of the accused if the statement of the rape complainant, admitted to the hospital, could be recorded. The court will pass an order in the matter on Tuesday.

‘We will never ever start a war,’ says Pakistan PM Imran Khan amid tension over Jammu and Kashmir

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that Islamabad would never begin a war with India amid heightened tensions between the two countries ever since New Delhi revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. The prime minister reiterated his stand that a war between the two nuclear-armed countries would have no winners.