Morning Digest | Hooch kills 18 people in Gujarat; Sri Lanka to restrict fuel imports for next 12 months and more

Gujarat Hooch tragedy | Death toll rises to 18, with dozens still critical

Eighteen people have died after allegedly consuming spurious liquor in Gujarat, where the manufacture, sale and consumption of liquor is prohibited by the State. 

Polish man arrested for illegally sailing in from Sri Lanka

Coastal security agencies have arrested a Polish national who illegally entered Tamil Nadu by boat. Separately, central intelligence agencies have issued an alert on the possible intrusion of a few Chinese nationals into India by taking the sea route.

Poor and downtrodden see their reflection in me, says Murmu

Beginning her speech with the traditional tribal greeting of  ‘Johar’ to ending it with a poem by famous Odia saint Bhim Bhoi, President Droupadi Murmu’s address liberally invoked India’s tribal legacy.

Northern Ireland’s David Trimble, Nobel Peace Prize winner, dies at 77

Former Northern Irish first minister David Trimble, a pro-British leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for his role as a key architect in ending three decades of bloodshed in the region, has died aged 77, his family said on July 25, 2022.

Sri Lanka to restrict fuel imports for next 12 months

Sri Lanka will restrict fuel imports for the next 12 months because of a severe shortage of foreign exchange, its energy minister said on July 25, as the island nation’s new government seeks to find a way out of a crippling economic crisis.

India strongly condemns killing of tourists in Iraqi Kurdistan

India on Monday “strongly” condemned the killing of nine civilians, including children, in the Dohuk Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan bordering Turkey. The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement described the July 20 incident, which Baghdad blamed on Turkish forces, as a “clear violation” of Iraq’s sovereignty.

Ram Nath Kovind moves to new home at 12 Janpath as his tenure as president ends

Soon after demitting office as India’s President, Ram Nath Kovind on Monday moved to his new residence at Janpath road and was greeted by a host of dignitaries, including Union Ministers and BJP chief J.P. Nadda. President Droupadi Murmu, who took oath earlier in the day, accompanied her predecessor as part of the convention to his new home which was occupied by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan for over three decades till his death.

Mamata denies any knowledge of the SSC recruitment scam

Two days after the arrest of the State’s Industries and Commerce Minister Partha Chatterjee in the School Service Commission recruitment scam, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on July 25 broke her silence and said that there had been attempts to malign her.

Partha Chatterjee’s health stable, asked to get discharged from AIIMS Bhubaneswar

West Bengal Commerce and Industries Department Minister Partha Chatterjee, who is embroiled in an alleged School Service Commission (SSC) job scam, was asked to get discharged as his condition was stable, said AIIMS Bhubaneswar on July 25.

Eight killed as double-decker buses collide on Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh

Eight people were killed and 16 injured when a Delhi-bound bus rammed into a parked bus on Purvanchal Expressway here on Monday, police said.

Taiwan holds drills amid Pelosi visit concern, China tension

Taiwan’s capital staged air raid drills on Monday and its military mobilised for routine defence exercises, coinciding with concerns over a forceful Chinese response to a possible visit to the island by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Boxer Lovlina complains of ‘mental harassment’

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist boxer Lovlina Borgohain has said that she is experiencing ‘mental harassment’ as her preparation for the Commonwealth Games has been hampered due to the absence of her personal coach Sandhya Gurung in the Games Village in Birmingham.

Cannot direct govts. to frame law on forced religious conversion: Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court on Monday declined to direct the Centre and Delhi government to frame a law to stop forced religious conversions, saying the government was free to make such enactment even without a judicial recommendation.

‘Centre wants to throttle Opposition’s voice’: Congress on MP suspension

The Congress described the suspension of its four MPs for the rest of the Monsoon session for disrupting proceedings in Lok Sabha as a “blot on democracy” on July 25, alleging the government was trying to “intimidate” the party but it would not be cowed down.

Parliament proceedings | Road transport and highways sector has maximum number of delayed projects: Govt.

Road transport and highways sector has the maximum number of delayed projects at 301 followed by railways segment at 127 and petroleum sector at 91, the government said on July 25.