Top stories on 13th July in a capsule
Nifty, Sensex reach new records of 32,000 for 1st time
Breaking its own record for the fourth day in a row, the Indian Indexes touched a new high on Thursday as the Sensex crossed 32,000 points gaining 100 points in the last 33 sessions, and the Nifty neared 9,900 points. The Sensex and the Nifty have surged more than 20 percent so far this year, the best in Asia, riding on the $14 billion of purchases by foreign and domestic funds. An interest cut by the RBI can trigger the Nifty to reach 10,600 points soon, media reports and analysts predicted.
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NGT imposes Rs 50,000 fine for dumping waste in Ganga
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday declared a fine of Rs 50,000 for dumping waste within 500 meters of the River Ganga between Haridwar and Unnao. The tribunal also declared the area within 100 meters of the river as a no-development zonE and observed that even after spending more than 7,000 crores within the river’s stretch, there have been no improvements. Earlier, a total of 13 industries along the river were fined in April and told to shut down. The most polluted stretch in the river is between Haridwar and Kanpur and The Green Tribunal is hearing this 32-year old case since the Supreme Court forwarded it to them.
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Sushma calls all-party meet to discuss India-China border tussle
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has called for an all-party meeting on Friday to discuss issues surrounding the India-China border in Sikkim. The meeting is likely to be held at Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s residence and would be attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and several ministers. This meeting comes ahead of the monsoon session of the Parliament which begins next week. China has accused Indian troops of trespassing in Sikkim's Doklam sector and has warned of ‘serious consequences’ if India doesn’t withdraw its troops from Doklam.
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India rejects China's willingness to play constructive role in Kashmir
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Gen Shuang on Thursday said that India-Pakistan issue over Kashmir has gained international attention and that the country is willing to play a ‘constructive role’ in the matter. "India and Pakistan are important south-Indian countries," Shuang told reporters.The MEA has snubbed the Chinese argument and termed Kashmir issue as a bilateral one. The Chinese statement assumes significance amidst the ongoing rift between the two countries over Doklam. The Chinese run Global times on Tuesday had said that a ‘third’ country could enter Kashmir at Pakistan’s request'. India, however, maintained that there is no scope for a third party mediation.
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Main accused behind Dy SP lynching killed in Budgaum encounter
Sajad Ahmed Gilkar, man responsible for the lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP), Mohammad Ayub Pandith at Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, on 23 June, was amongst the three militants killed in the Budgaum encounter in Jammu and Kashmir, media reports quoting police sources said. “An AK-56 assault rifle, a self-loading rifle, a pistol and seven magazines were recovered from the scene of the shootout,” M Dinakaran, Deputy Inspector General was quoted in the reports. Gilkar had recently joined the Hizbul Mujahideen group and these militants were all involved in the recent stone pelting incidents in South and Central Kashmir.
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Sasikala paid 2 crore to jail officials for VIP treatment
A female police officer at Bengaluru Central Prison (BCP) had claimed in her internal report that the interim secretary of AIADMK VK Sasikala, currently serving a four-year jail sentence for corruption, has been enjoying benefits of a special kitchen and relaxed visiting hours. The allegations were made by D Roopa, an assistant to the prison in-charge. Roopa has also speculated that, Ms Sasikala might have paid a bribe to the tune of 2 crores for these benefits. However, jailer Rao has denied the allegations on Sasikala and said Abdul Karim Telgi, who is also kept in the same jail over a multi-crore fraud, had reportedly kept 4 inmates under him to massage his feet and that it has been recorded in the books and will be withdrawn soon.
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Democrat leaders files first impeachment against Trump
A first article of impeachment was filed against the United States President Donald Trump, for obstructing investigations into Russia’s involvement in US Elections 2016, media reports said. Democrat Brad Sherman in his complaint mentioned the firing of former FBI Director, James Comey and said that "the first step on a very long road.” However Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokesperson said the petition was "utterly and completely ridiculous" and termed it as "a political game at its worst." The impeachment notice comes a day after Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he met a Russian lawyer in the hope of procuring details regarding Hillary Clinton during the 2016 US campaign.
