Highlights: 12-hour Odisha bandh today over student's suicide

Highlights: Catch all the news developments here

Multiple Opposition parties have called for a 12-hour Odisha bandh on Thursday, July 17, days after the death of a college student after self-immolation over alleged inaction after alleged sexual harassment by a professor.    On Thursday morning, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at 14 locations associated with Jalaluddin Shah, also known as Chhangur Baba, and his associates. Of the sites raided, 12 were located in Utaraula, Uttar Pradesh, and two in Mumbai.

  The Trump administration has withdrawn federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project, raising further doubts about the state’s long-delayed plan to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles via a bullet train. The U.S. Department of Transportation confirmed the cancellation of $4 billion in funding just weeks after first indicating the move. Federal funds have covered less than a quarter of the project’s overall cost, with the remainder financed by the state through a voter-approved bond and revenue from the cap-and-trade programme. President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have both criticised the initiative, labelling it a "train to nowhere."

 

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday declared that beginning August 1, each household in Bihar will receive up to 125 units of electricity free of charge. He also announced that, over the next three years, solar power plants will be set up on rooftops or in nearby public areas to benefit consumers, with implementation based on consent from all domestic users. A day earlier, the Chief Minister had instructed the Education Department to promptly evaluate vacancies for teaching positions in government schools.

2:23 PM

Russia's Medvedev suggests preventative strikes against the West may be needed

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that the West was practically waging a full-scale war against Russia so Moscow should respond in full, and if necessary launch preventative strikes, state TASS news agency reported. "We need to act accordingly. Respond in full. And if necessary, launch preventative strikes," Medvedev was quoted as saying by TASS.

1:58 PM

Next Indian astronaut will travel in indigenously built spacecraft: Jitendra Singh

Shubhanshu Shukla's successful space odyssey has provided expertise for India's future voyages and the next Indian astronaut will travel in an indigenously built spacecraft, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said. Singh stated that  Shukla's three-week stay at the International Space Station as part of the Axiom-4 mission has given India valuable insights and experience in handling space missions as it prepares for its own Gaganyaan project.

1:53 PM

NHRC notices to railways, TN govt, DGP over train-school van collision at level crossing

The NHRC on Thursday said it has issued notices to the Railway Board, the Tamil Nadu government and the state's police chief over the death of three school students after their van collided with a passenger train in Cuddalore district. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has taken "suo motu cognisance of media reports that the passenger train collided with a school van at a level crossing in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, killing three children and injuring several others on 8th July".

1:48 PM

No fundamental right of Indians to adopt US citizen child of relative: HC

An Indian does not have the fundamental right to adopt a child of American nationality even from among relatives when the child is neither "in need of care and protection" nor in "conflict with law", the Bombay High Court has said. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale on Wednesday refused an Indian couple's plea to adopt their relative's son, who is a US citizen by birth.

1:45 PM

ED raids in Rs 100-cr 'cheating' case against promoters of Bengaluru bank

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday raided multiple locations in and around Bengaluru as part of a money laundering probe linked to an alleged fraud of Rs 100 crore with more than 15,000 depositors by the promoters of a local bank, officials sources said. The probe pertains to Shushruti Souhardha Bank, Shruthi Souharda Bank and Shree Lakshmi Souharda Bank and their promoters, including N Srinivas Murthy and his family members.

12:50 PM

EC caught red-handed stealing votes: Rahul slams poll body's Bihar SIR

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed that the Election Commission has been caught "red handed" stealing votes in the name of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, and asked whether the poll body has completely become BJP's 'Election chori branch'. Gandhi shared a post by Ajit Anjum, whose YouTube channel is running a series on special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. "Election Commission in Bihar has been caught red handed stealing votes in the name of 'SIR'. Work - just theft but name is 'SIR' and FIR will be lodged against the one who exposes it!" Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.

 

12:29 PM

One killed, several injured in clash between evicted people, security forces in Assam's Goalpara

12:22 PM

77-year-old doctor held for pouring paint on Karunanidhi's statue in Tamil Nadu's Salem

A 77-year-old ENT doctor was arrested for pouring black paint on the statue of late chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi , police said on Thursday. Police claim that the doctor poured the black paint on the 16-feet high bronze statue of the former president of the DMK in front of Anna park on July 15, owing to mental stress due to family issues.

11:54 AM

Cong asks CLP leader Wadettiwar to explain passage of security bill sans protest

The Maharashtra Congress has sought an explanation from the party's legislature body on the passage of the special public security bill in the state assembly last week without any protest from the grand old party. State party chief Harshwardhan Sapkal wrote a letter to Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday to explain how the bill was allowed to be passed without the Congress registering its opposition.

11:31 AM

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva sworn in as Chief Justice of MP High Court

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva took oath as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday. Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel administered the oath of office to him at a function in the Raj Bhawan here. Justice Sachdeva, who was the acting chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court since May this year, has been appointed as the 29th CJ of the MP HC.

11:22 AM

How could school run without class rooms, asks Delhi HC

How can a school run without classrooms and only with facilities of boundary wall, toilet block and drinking water space alone, wondered the Delhi High Court. The court's observation came after being informed that authorities concerned have granted permission to repair and renovate certain facilities, except the class rooms, in an MCD-run primary school in Khirki Village, which shares a wall with the Tomb of Yusuf Qattal, a Sufi saint.

11:08 AM

Trump says he's 'highly unlikely' to fire Fed's Powell after floating that idea in private

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was “highly unlikely” to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a public statement made less than 24 hours after suggesting in a private meeting that he was leaning in favour of dismissing the head of the nation's central bank.

Trump confirmed that in a White House meeting Tuesday night with about a dozen House Republicans he had discussed the “concept” of dismissing Powell, long a target because of his refusal to lower interest rates as Trump wants.

10:59 AM

Two held at Pune airport for bringing exotic wildlife species from Bangkok

Two passengers have been arrested at the Pune International Airport for allegedly trying to smuggle exotic wildlife species into the country from Bangkok, officials said on Wednesday. Acting on specific intelligence, Pune Customs officers intercepted Zaheerabbas Aynal Mandal and Bhavesh Rameshbhai Solanki after they landed in the city on an Air India Express Flight on Monday.

10:01 AM

20 states sue FEMA for cancelling grant programme that guards against natural disasters

Twenty Democratic-led states have filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, challenging the elimination of a long-running grant programme that helps communities guard against damage from natural disasters.