Police fire tear gas shells to disperse students protesting over a controversial quota system for government job applicants, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Haryana suspends Internet, bulk SMS for 24 hours in Nuh ahead of Braj Mandal Yatra
The Haryana government on July 21 ordered suspension of mobile Internet and the bulk SMS services in Nuh district for 24 hours ahead of the Braj Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra that was marred by violence last year. The Internet service in the district will remain suspended from 6 p.m. on July 21 (Sunday) to 6 p.m. on July 22 (Monday), according to an order by Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Anurag Rastogi. “… there is an apprehension of causing tension, annoyance, agitation, damage of public and private property and disturbance of public peace and tranquility in the district Nuh..,” read the order that came at the feedback of Additional DGP-CID, Haryana and a Deputy Commissioner.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court scraps most job quotas that triggered deadly protests
Bangladesh’s top court on July 21 pared back contentious civil service hiring rules but failed to mollify university student leaders, whose demonstrations against the scheme sparked nationwide clashes that have killed 151 people. What began as a protest against politicised admission quotas for sought-after government jobs snowballed this week into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
BSF on ‘high alert’ in view of widespread violence in Bangladesh, 379 students arrive in Tripura
The Border Security Force (BSF) has said that it is closely monitoring the situation in Bangladesh where over a hundred people have reportedly died during anti-government protests against job quotas. In a statement issued on July 20, the Tripura Frontier of BSF announced that its troops are on “high alert” due to the ongoing violence across the border. The statement also mentioned the safe return of 36 Indian students who were stranded at the Brahmanbaria Medical College in Bangladesh. It further stated that a total of 379 students, including some from Nepal, arrived in Tripura through the Integrated Check Posts on July 20.
Mamata Banerjee offers shelter to Bangladeshis amid escalating violence
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on July 21 said that in the wake of the escalating violence in Bangladesh, she would keep the doors of her State open for people in distress from the neighbouring country and offer them shelter. Ms. Banerjee referred to the United Nations Resolution on refugees as justification for her stand over the possible humanitarian crisis that may emerge on account of the severe law and order breakdown that has gripped Bangladesh over the past few days.
Monsoon session 2024: JD(U), RJD, YSRCP, BJD demand special category status for Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha at all-party meet
Ahead of the Parliament session, leaders of the JD(U), RJD, YSRCP and BJD have demanded that the Centre special category status for Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively at the all-party meet, which was attended by several Union Ministers and Opposition MPs. JD(U)‘s Sanjay Jha told The Hindu, “We demand special category status [for Bihar], we have been raising this issue for a very long time. And if there is any technical problem in this, then give us special package.”
Landslide kills three along Kedarnath yatra route
Three people died and others got injured following a landslide on the Kedarnath Dham trekking route in Uttarakhand’s Rudraprayag district on July 21, officials said. Rudraprayag District Disaster Management Officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said the accident happened at around 7:30 a.m. near Chirbasa area on the Gaurikund-Kedarnath trekking route when debris and heavy stones started falling down from the hill. The relief and rescue team reached the spot as soon as they got information about the incident, he said.
Nipah death again in Kerala, 14-year-old boy under treatment dies at Kozhikode MCH
A 14-year-old boy from Chembrassery near Pandikkad in Malappuram district died of Nipah infection at the Government Medical College Hospital here on July 21 morning. Health Minister Veena George told the media at Malappuram that the boy had a massive cardiac arrest by around 11 a.m. Though the doctors tried to revive him, their efforts failed and he died around 11.30 a.m., she said. Ms. George said that three of his close relatives were under surveillance at the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, and four other acquaintances were at the Government Medical College Hospital, Manjeri, Malappuram. One of them is on intensive care unit support. “It is a matter of relief that none of those in the high-risk contact category has Nipah symptoms. There is no need to panic,” she said.
At TMC’s Martrys Day rally, Mamata slams NDA allies for sacrificing ministerial berths, claims Centre won’t last long
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on July 21 asserted that the BJP-led government at the Centre would not “last long and would collapse soon”, claiming it was formed through “intimidation and threats”. Addressing the mega ‘Martyrs’ Day’ rally of the TMC, Ms. Banerjee, without naming anyone, also criticised the BJP’s allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre for “sacrificing” ministerial positions allegedly for financial gain. The TMC leader praised Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who was present at the event, for his party’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Ujjain shop owners told to display names, contact numbers: not targeting Muslims, says Mayor
The BJP-ruled Ujjain Municipal Corporation has directed shop owners to display their names and mobile numbers outside their establishments in the ancient city, a directive coming on the heels of a similar order by the BJP government in UP for eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route. Violators will have to pay a ₹2,000 fine for the first offence and ₹5,000 if they defy this order for the second time, Ujjain Mayor Mukesh Tatwal said on July 20.
Court extends police custody of Puja Khedkar’s mother till July 22
A court in Maharashtra’s Pune district on July 20 extended the police custody of Manorama Khedkar in a case concerning alleged criminal intimidation tied to a land dispute till July 22. Manorama Khedkar is the mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar. Ms. Manorama Khedkar was apprehended on July 18 from a lodge, where she was hiding, at Hirkaniwadi village near Mahad in Raigad district.
14 Indians lured into cybercrime operations in Cambodia rescued
Fourteen Indians, who were lured into cybercrime operations in Cambodia, were rescued by law enforcement authorities of that country following leads provided by the Indian Embassy in Phnom Penh. The Indian Embassy said on July 20 that it has facilitated the rescue and repatriation of over 650 Indian citizens who had fallen victim to these job scams.
Kanwar Yatra order: Owners ask staff to quit; small vendors, dhabas fear hit in earnings
For the past seven years, Brijesh Pal, a daily wager, worked at a roadside dhaba in the Khatauli area of Muzaffarnagar during the two months of Shravan to help his Muslim owner manage the heavy footfall of customers, mainly the Kanwariyas. He would get ₹400-600 and at least two meals every day for the job. However, this year his employer Mohammad Arsalan asked him to look for other jobs as he cannot afford to hire extra staff, expecting that his earnings will take a hit due to the Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) Government’s Orders to owners of hotels, restaurants, food carts and eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the names of their owners at their outlets.
Israel says it intercepts missile fired from Yemen, Houthis say they targeted Eilat
Israeli air defences intercepted a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen on July 21, the military said, and Yemen’s Houthi movement said it had targeted the Israeli Red Sea city of Eilat with multiple missiles. The Israeli military said its Arrow 3 missile defence system had shot down the projectile before it crossed into Israeli territory. Before the interception, air raid sirens had sounded in Eilat, sending residents running for shelter.
‘Nobody mentioned it’: Trump says he received no warnings before assassination attempt
Donald Trump said on July 20 nobody warned him of a problem in the lead-up to the former president’s rally in Pennsylvania last week when a would-be assassin shot him in the ear. “Nobody mentioned it, nobody said there was a problem. I would’ve waited for 15, they could’ve said let’s wait for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 5 minutes, something. Nobody said,” Mr. Trump told Fox News in an interview. “I think that was a mistake,” he added. “How did somebody get on that roof? And why wasn’t he reported?”
IT outage: Microsoft deploys hundreds of engineers, experts to restore services
U.S. software giant Microsoft has deployed hundreds of engineers and experts with its customers to restore their services after an outage caused by its cyber security partner CrowdStrike, the company said in a blog. According to Microsoft, 8.5 million devices across the world were impacted by the outage caused by an update from CrowdStrike on July 18. “Deploying hundreds of Microsoft engineers and experts to work directly with customers to restore services,” Microsoft said in a blog post on July 20.
Harmanpreet, Richa Ghosh guide India to 78-run win over UAE in Women’s Asia Cup
Contrasting fifties from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh were complemented nicely by the bowlers as India notched up a massive 78-run win over UAE in their second match of the ongoing women’s Asia Cup T20 tournament here on July 21. Invited to bat, Kaur played the anchor’s role to perfection with a 47-ball 66, while Ghosh produced late charge with an unbeaten 29-ball-64 to power defending champions India to 201 for five, their first-ever 200-plus score in T20Is. The bowlers, led by Deepti Sharma (2/23), then produced a clinical show to limit UAE to 123 for 7 as India put one foot in the semifinals.