Goan women are ‘decent and delicate’ while those from outside are ‘fast’, claims NCP MLA

Nationalist Congress Party MLA and former Goa Chief Minister Churchill Alemao on Thursday told the Assembly that women from outside the state were “fast” and might be comfortable working late hours, while Goan women were soft, “decent and delicate”. He made the remark during a discussion on Factories (Goa Amendment) Bill, 2019.

BJP leader in Odisha Assembly says Muslim women ‘dominate red-light areas of Mumbai, Kolkata’

A Bharatiya Janata Party leader in the Odisha Assembly on Thursday said that “Muslim women dominate red-light areas of Mumbai and Kolkata”. BC Sethi, who is the saffron party’s deputy leader in the Assembly, justified his statement saying that he was quoting “survey reports”.

Assam government releases confidential district-wise numbers of people excluded from draft NRC

The Assam government on Thursday released the district-wise break-up of the 40.07 lakh people who had failed to make it to the final draft of the National Register of Citizens. The state government submitted these hitherto confidential numbers in the Assembly as part of its response to a query during Zero Hour.

Police to issue notice to customer who cancelled Zomato order over delivery person’s religion

The Madhya Pradesh Police have decided on Thursday to send a notice to a customer who had complained to food delivery company Zomato about being assigned a Muslim delivery executive for his food order in the “holy month” of Shravan.

Former Maldives vice president arrested in Tamil Nadu for trying to enter India illegally: Report

Former Vice President of Maldives Ahmed Adeeb was arrested in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district on Thursday for allegedly entering the country illegally, Maldives Independent reported. According to ANI, he was held by the Thoothukudi Port Authority. Adeeb was allegedly posing as a member of a tug boat called Virgo 9.

Sensex plunges over 450 points, Nifty down 138 points amid heavy selling of stocks

Indian stock markets on Thursday plunged amid heavy selling of stocks in metal, banking and tech sectors. The BSE Sensex dived 462.80 points, closing at 37,018.32 while Nifty also took a tumble, going below the 11,000-mark and closing at 10,980.00, down by 138 points.

Activists protesting against RTI Amendment Bill released after being detained at Rashtrapati Bhavan

A group of activists who went to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to submit petitions against the Right Information Act Amendment Bill to the President were detained briefly by the Delhi Police on Thursday afternoon. They were released later.

India is evaluating Pakistan’s proposal on consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav, says MEA

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said it had received a proposal from Pakistan about consular access to former Navy officer Kulbhushan Jadhav, who is on death row in the country on espionage and terrorism charges. Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the proposal was being evaluated in light of the International Court of Justice’s July 17 judgement, and added it would be in touch with Pakistani authorities.

Unnao rape: Three police personnel suspended for not protecting complainant on day of car crash

Three police personnel who were part of a team of nine tasked to protect the Unnao rape complainant were suspended on Thursday on charges of dereliction of duty, PTI reported. On Sunday, the 19-year-old complainant was critically injured when her car was hit by a truck in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli district. She and her lawyer are in serious condition, while two of her aunts died in the collision.

Delhi: With eye on elections, Kejriwal announces residents will get free electricity up to 200 units

Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced electricity usage up to 200 units would be free in the national Capital from this month. The chief minister said the launch of the “Free Lifeline Electricity” scheme was a “historic decision”, and added this would help the common man. The state will go to the polls early next year.

Unnao rape case: BJP expels accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, says report

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday expelled rape-accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, reports said. However, there has been no official confirmation so far. Sengar was arrested on April 13, 2018, after a teenager accused him of raping her in June 2017, when she visited his home to ask for a job. The complainant had accused the police of not taking any action when she approached them after the alleged incident.

Jharkhand: Three-year-old girl allegedly raped, beheaded by man weeks after he’s released from jail

Two men allegedly raped and beheaded a three-year-old girl in the city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand on July 26, PTI reported on Wednesday. The men had kidnapped the child from a platform at Tatanagar railway station last week.

Parliament: Ruckus in Lok Sabha as Opposition accuses Centre of introducing bills arbitrarily

Opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha on Thursday created a commotion, claiming that the government had introduced bills without giving them prior information. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy claimed the government was not giving the Opposition sufficient time to research key bills. “This House cannot function on the government’s whims and fancies,” Roy said. Another TMC MP reportedly said the Opposition was questioning the government’s “whimsical and arbitrary exercise” of power.

Aircel-Maxis case: P Chidambaram, his son granted interim protection from arrest till August 9

A Delhi court on Thursday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to Congress leader P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram in the Aircel-Maxis case till August 9, PTI reported. The two had earlier been granted protection from arrest till August 1.

Unnao rape: Supreme Court transfers five cases linked to complainant from UP to Delhi

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the transfer of five cases related to the Unnao rape complainant to a competent court in Delhi, Bar and Bench reported. The trial court will hear the cases on a daily basis and complete proceedings within 45 days. The court asked the counsel representing the complainant’s family to take their opinion on shifting her to a hospital in Delhi.

‘Hemant Karkare may be a martyr but his torture of Pragya Thakur must be pointed out’: RSS leader

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leader Indresh Kumar on Wednesday said that while one may respect the sacrifice of police official Hemant Karkare, the alleged torture he inflicted on Malegaon blasts accused Pragya Thakur must also be pointed out. Karkare was the chief of the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad when he was killed during the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.

Vadodara: Heavy rain leads to waterlogging, NDRF deployed to evacuate residents

The National Disaster Response Force was deployed to evacuate residents in Vadodara on Wednesday night after the city was hit by heavy rain followed by flash floods. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani urged residents near the banks of the Vishwamitri river to move to safer places for the night.

After VG Siddhartha’s death, Cafe Coffee Day says it will probe unknown past financial transactions

The Cafe Coffee Day Board on Wednesday said it will investigate any past financial transactions that were carried out without the senior management’s knowledge. The statement came the day VG Siddhartha Hegde, the chairperson and managing director of Coffee Day Enterprises, was found dead.

Monsoon: July gets above-normal rainfall, season’s deficit reduces to 9%

Monsoon deficiency this season came down to 9% by the end of July after the country received above-normal rainfall during the month. Officials from the India Meteorological Department said they expected this deficit to further reduce as good rainfall is likely over the next two weeks. July received 29.8 cm of rainfall as against the normal 28.5 cm, IMD Director General Mrityunjay Mohapatra said.

Kerala to impose flood cess for two years from Thursday

The Kerala government will levy 1% flood cess on goods and services transacted within the state from Thursday. More than 483 people were killed, several lakhs were displaced and property worth more than Rs 30,000 crore damaged in one of the state’s worst-ever floods last year. The proceeds from the cess will be used to fund post-flood rebuilding projects.

480 Bangladeshis deported between January 2016 and April 2018: Delhi Police tell Supreme Court

The Delhi Police on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that 489 Bangladeshis have been detained and 480 out of them have been deported from January 1, 2016 to April 30, 2018. However, no Rohingya immigrants were detained or deported during this period. The Delhi Police was responding to a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay.

‘How will you ensure justice?’: Class 11 student questions UP police on Unnao rape case, car crash

A Class 11 student in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday asked the police if they can ensure justice if she raised he voice and protested. The girl asked the police about the car crash involving a woman who had accused MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of rape in 2017.

India’s core industries grew 0.2% in June, slowest in over four years, shows government data

India’s eight core industries grew at their slowest rate in over four years in June, rising 0.2% as compared to the same month last year, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed on Wednesday. The core industries had expanded 7.8% in June 2018. The growth in May was 4.3%, while the cumulative growth for April-June was 3.5%.

Unnao rape: CJI asks SC authorities why he was not shown the letter sent to him by complainant

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday expressed displeasure over not being shown a letter that the Unnao rape complainant reportedly wrote to him two weeks before she was in a car accident. In her letter, the woman had told Gogoi of a threat to her life, reports said. The court will take up the letter on Thursday.