News highlights: RBI Guv Das rated 'A+' for 2nd consecutive yr in central banker report cards

Latest news updates: Catch all the news developments from around the world here

11:06 PM

Jio, Airtel drive telecom subscriber base growth to 1.20 bn in June

New customer additions by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel pushed the Indian telecom subscriber base past 1.205 billion in June, according to a Trai report released. The wireless subscriber base grew marginally to over 1.17 bn and wireline connections in the country increased to 35.1 million in June from 1.16 billion and 34.7 million, respectively, in May, as per data released in Trai's subscriber report for June.

10:23 PM

Nine more cases filed against Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh

At least nine more complaints were filed on Tuesday against deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her aides, taking the number of cases against her to 31, including 26 on charges of murder, four on charges of crimes against humanity and genocide and one for abduction.

Supreme Court lawyer Gazi MH Tamim filed a complaint with Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal on behalf of Mufti Harun Ijahar Chowdhury, joint secretary general (education and law) of Hefajat-e-Islam, The Daily Star newspaper reported.

9:37 PM

BEML signs agreement with Indian Navy

Bengaluru headquartered BEML, India's leading defence and heavy engineering PSU, on Tuesday signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding with the Directorate of Marine Engineering, Indian Navy. The agreement was signed at the Naval Headquarters in Delhi, with Ajit Kumar Srivastav, Director of Defence at BEML, and Rear Admiral K Srinivas, ACOM (D&R) of the Indian Navy.

8:37 PM

Recovered from dengue, doing well: Jual Oram

Union Tribals Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Tuesday said he has recovered from dengue and is doing well. The minister, however, is currently under observation, he said. "Recovered from dengue and currently under observation. Please disregard any misinformation I'm doing well," a post on the minister's official X handle read.

8:24 PM

UP court orders arrest of AAP MP Sanjay Singh

A Sultanpur court took strong objection to Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh skipping the hearing in a two-decade-old case and ordered police to arrest and produce him on August 28. On August 13, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Singh, SP leader Anoop Sanda, and four others, with the hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The accused however did not appear before the court.

8:06 PM

RBI Guv Das rated 'A+' for 2nd consecutive yr in central banker report cards

7:42 PM

Trainer aircraft goes missing after take off from Jamshedpur, search on

A two-seater trainer aircraft went missing after it took off from an aerodrome in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district on Tuesday, following which a massive search was started to locate it, officials said. The aircraft took off from the Sonari aerodrome in Jamshedpur around 11 am, they said.

7:38 PM

Fadnavis on alleged sexual assault with a girl child at a school in Badlapur

"...Badlapur unfortunate incident will be speedily investigated and the case will be processed in the fast track court and it has been decided to appoint senior lawyer Ujwal Nikam as a special public prosecutor."

7:24 PM

Sexual abuse case: Police lathi-charge protesters at Badlapur railway station

Police lathi-charged protesters at Badlapur railway station near Mumbai on Tuesday evening to break up the day-long rail roko agitation against the alleged sexual abuse of two girls at a kindergarten. Police used force to disperse hundreds of protesters at around 6 PM, hours after they hurled stones at the railway station while rejecting pleas of the state government and senior police officers to call off the agitation, which affected the services of local trains and forced diversion of some outstation trains, an official said.

7:23 PM

SC questions West Bengal police over Kolkata rape incident

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned West Bengal police over various issues, including delay in filing the First Information Report, delay in handing over the body to family and alleged failure to protect women, doctors, during a mob attack at RG Kar Medical College. The court has also asked the medical professionals to return to their duties. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud also comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra questioned West Bengal police about the delay in lodging FIR in the RG Kar incident.

7:06 PM

SC dismisses plea to declare caste system unconstitutional

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking directions to declare the caste system unconstitutional. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said no case for interference was made out. "The Constitution as originally drafted refers to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes," the bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said.

 

6:53 PM

Current reservoir storage levels surpass 10-yr average by 14%: CWC

The Central Water Commission (CWC) has reported a significant improvement in the live storage levels of India's reservoirs this year, with the current storage exceeding the ten-year average by 14 per cent. According to the latest Reservoir Storage Bulletin, the live storage available in 150 major reservoirs across the country is 124.016 billion cubic metres (BCM), which is 69 per cent of the total live storage capacity of these reservoirs. This marks a substantial increase from the corresponding period last year, when the storage was 111.85 BCM.

5:56 PM

UPSC cancels advertisement for lateral entry recruitment to bureaucracy

The Union Public Service Commission cancelled advertisement for lateral entry recruitment to bureaucracy following a request from the Centre. UPSC had on August 17 issued a notification for recruiting 45 joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries through lateral entry -- referred to as appointment of specialists in government departments.

5:24 PM

BNP Secretary-General Alamgir asks India to extradite Sheikh Hasina to face trial

Bangladesh Nationalist Party's Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday asked India to extradite deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina to face trial as he accused her of plotting to thwart the country's revolution. Hasina, 76, resigned and fled to India on August 5 following massive protests by students and others against her government over a controversial quota system in government jobs.

5:09 PM

Indian companies to spend $45-50 bn in capex over 1-2 yrs: Moody's

Moody's Ratings said rated Indian firms will spend $45-50 billion annually over the next 1-2 years towards capex as companies boost capacity, with Reliance Industries alone accounting for 30 per cent of the spendings. Investments to increase vertical integration and achieve net zero targets will also keep spending high, Moody's Ratings said in a report on corporates in India and Indonesia.

4:49 PM

BJP MP hits out at Cong for targeting Guv for granting sanction for CM's prosecution

BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya on Tuesday hit out at Congress leaders for allegedly targeting Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot for granting sanction for prosecution of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on corruption charges. Siroya alleged Congress to be made up of dynasts and elites who don't value anything or anybody except their self interest.

4:37 PM

EC issues notification for Phase 1 of Assembly Polls in Jammu and Kashmir

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued notification for the 1st phase of the three-phased assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir in which 24 segments will go to polls on September 18. The nomination process for the candidates has started.

4:30 PM

3 Bangladeshi infiltrators arrested in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills

Three Bangladesh nationals, including a woman, were arrested in Meghalaya's West Garo Hills district on the charge of illegally entering India, officials said on Tuesday. Alongside, three accomplices helping in the infiltration have also been taken into custody. 

4:21 PM

Jairam Ramesh takes jibe at ministers over lateral entry as govt decides to cancel it

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday took a jibe at some ministers, saying those who were blaming former prime minister Manmohan Singh over the lateral entry issue have suddenly been "derailed" and forced to hail PM after the Centre decided to cancel the latest lateral entry recruitment.

4:10 PM

Spanish woman believed to be the oldest person in the world dies at 117

Maria Branyas, an American-born Spaniard who is considered as the world's oldest person at 117 years old, has died, her family said on a post at X. Branyas was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907, before her family returned to Spain when she was young. At the time of her death she was living in a nursing home in Catalan town of Olot.

4:06 PM

Kerala govt ought to be ashamed over inaction on Justice Hema Report, says Tharoor

Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday came down heavily against the Kerala government for not acting on the Justice Hema Committee report, which he claims to be a "smoking gun" that everyone ignored. The long-suppressed Justice Hema Committee report exposed pervasive sexual exploitation and rights violations against women in Malayalam film industry.

3:51 PM

NCPCR to probe Thane sexual-assault case; questions delay in lodging FIR

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) will dispatch a team to Thane in Maharashtra following the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl in a school in the district. The apex child rights body has also questioned the delay in the registration of an FIR in the matter. The incident has sparked outrage, particularly due to a reported delay by the local police in lodging the First Information Report (FIR). NCPCR Chairperson said that he would personally monitor the investigation over a distress post on social media. 

3:38 PM

Kolkata doc murder: Delhi's RML Hospital ends strike; docs welcome SC intervention

RML Hospital on Tuesday called off its nine-day strike it had been observing in protest against the alleged rape-murder of a Kolkata medic. The RML RDA said it called off the strike after the Centre's acceptance of all demands put forward by their peers from across India.

3:30 PM

Trinamool leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy to delete post, state not to take action, lawyers tell HC

Lawyers for TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, whose social media post seeking interrogation of Kolkata police commissioner by the CBI in the Kar medical college and hospital alleged rape and murder case, and the state on Tuesday told the Calcutta High court that they have reached a settlement on the issue. Roy has agreed to delete the X-handle message in which he sought custodial interrogation of the police commissioner and ex-principal of the medical college, while the state's counsel said they will not take any action against him in connection with the issue.

3:26 PM

West Bengal govt seeks SC stay on HC verdict striking down OBC status of various groups

The West Bengal government on Tuesday sought an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court of its appeal against the Calcutta High Court verdict striking down the OBC status of several castes, mostly Muslim groups, in the state for granting them reservation in public sector jobs and admissions in state-run educational institutions. The top court said it will hear the pleas on the issue on August 27.

3:24 PM

Chirag Paswan hails Central govt for seeking cancellation of lateral entry

Union minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday asserted that the Modi government at the Centre has reaffirmed its "commitment towards SCs, STs and OBCs" by asking the UPSC to withdraw the advertisement for "lateral entry" into the bureaucracy.

3:09 PM

CM Kejriwal's judicial custody extended till Aug 27 in excise policy case lodged by CBI

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday extended Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody in the excise policy case till Aug 27, according to news agency ANI.

 

3:06 PM

Cong leader Rahul Gandhi meets family of Dalit man killed in Raebareli

Congress leader says Rahul Gandhi says will pursue matter until justice is done. 

3:00 PM

AAP MP Sanjay Singh fails to appear in UP court in 2001 protest case

Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Tuesday failed to appear in an MP/MLA court here in connection with a 23-year-old case against him. Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, was scheduled to appear along with Samajwadi Party leader Anup Sanda, who also did not turn up. On August 13, a non-bailable warrant was issued against Singh, Sanda, and four others, with the hearing scheduled for August 20.

2:34 PM

Centre's lateral entry U-turn due to criticism by LoP in LS, RS, says Congress

The Congress on Tuesday claimed that the Centre's move to withdraw the latest advertisement for lateral entry in bureaucracy was due to the criticism by the Leaders of the Opposition in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha especially Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge alongside others.