Boris Johnson digs in despite calls to quit
Boris Johnson on Wednesday refused to quit as Britain’s prime minister, despite calls from senior ministerial colleagues to go after dozens of resignations from his scandal-hit government. A Cabinet delegation had awaited his return to Downing Street from a lengthy grilling by a parliamentary committee to tell him his time was up. It was said to include hard-line Interior Minister Priti Patel and Nadhim Zahawi, who has barely been 24 hours in his new job of Finance Minister.
Afghan soil won’t be used to launch attacks, says Taliban leader
Taliban supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada said on Wednesday that Afghan soil will not be used to launch attacks against other countries, and he asked the international community to not interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs.
P.T. Usha, Ilaiyaraaja, Veerendra Heggade, Vijayendra Prasad nominated to Rajya Sabha
Olympic Sprinter P.T. Usha, music composer Ilaiyaraaja, philanthropist Veerendra Heggade of the Dharmasthala temple, and screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad, who wrote the blockbusters Bahubali and RRR, have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha in the category of eminent persons nominated by the President of India.
Controversy over TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s remarks on Goddess Kali rages on
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, while participating in a conclave arranged by a media house in Kolkata had pointed out a “version of the Goddess” to which her party immediately reacted by not only distancing itself from the remark but also condemning it. “Kali to me is meat-eating… Alcohol accepting Goddess. To me, that is a version of Kali,” Ms. Moitra had said.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, R.C.P. Singh quit as Ministers as Rajya Sabha term ends
Union Ministers R.C.P. Singh of the Janata Dal (U) and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi of the BJP resigned on Wednesday, a day before the completion of their Rajya Sabha term. Both Mr. Singh and Mr. Naqvi have not been renominated by their respective parties, but they were technically entitled to continue for another six months without being an MP.
RSS farmer body Bharatiya Kisan Sangh slams Centre’s farm policies
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh’s (RSS) farmers’ group, criticised the Centre’s export and import policies. The BKS urged the government to frame long-term export and import policies that are in the interests of farmers.
Seven feared dead as heavy rains lash Himachal Pradesh
Over 25 employees working at the Malana power project in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district were also rescued from a building that was damaged by flash floods. At Manikaran in the district, at least four people have been feared washed away and the bridge across the Parvati River was damaged in flash floods triggered by a cloud burst. Besides, three people are also feared drowned in separate parts of Kullu district amid heavy rains.
Gap between 2nd COVID-19 jab and precaution dose reduced to six months
The Health Ministry in its communication to States said that in view of the evolving scientific evidence and global practices, the Standing Technical Sub Committee (STSC) of NTAGI has recommended to revise the duration between 2nd dose and precaution dose from the existing 9 months or 39 weeks to 6 months or 26 weeks.
Rahul Gandhi video case: SC to hear TV anchor Rohit Ranjan’s appeal on Thursday
Television anchor Rohit Ranjan made an urgent mention in the Supreme Court seeking protection in connection with multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) lodged against him. Mr. Ranjan has been facing fire for the telecast of an allegedly doctored video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The court agreed to hear the case on Thursday, but took exception, minutes later, to the fact that the application had not yet been filed in the Supreme Court.
Ajmer dargah worker arrested for call to behead Nupur Sharma
Salman Chishti had recorded his announcement before the gruesome murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur on June 28, but the video was circulated later, when it was reported to the police. He was on the run since the police registered a case against him earlier this week.
Meta sues certain firms for allegedly scraping data of over 3,50,000 Instagram users
Meta Platforms Inc. said on Tuesday that it filed separate actions in federal court against a company and an individual for scraping data from its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. The company called Octopus is a U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese national high-tech enterprise that offers scraping services, and the individual Ekrem Ateş used automated Instagram accounts to scrape data from the profiles of over 3,50,000 users, according to the tech giant.
Kyrgios enters Wimbledon semis after overpowering Garin
Nick Kyrgios reached the first Grand Slam semi-final of his chequered career with a comfortable 6-4 6-3 7-6(5) victory over Chile’s Cristian Garin at Wimbledon on Wednesday. The unseeded 27-year-old lost the opening nine points on Court One but ultimately had too much firepower for Mr. Garin who had hoped to become Chile’s first Wimbledon semi-finalist.
Hampered Nadal gets past Fritz at Wimbledon; Kyrgios next
Wincing from abdominal pain, unable to ply his customary relentless style of tennis, Rafael Nadal thought he might need to stop playing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals against Taylor Fritz. With much of the crowd roaring and standing after Mr. Nadal’s best strokes, he twice erased one-set deficits against the 11th-seeded Fritz and emerged with 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4) victory Wednesday to reach his eighth semifinal at the All-England Club.
