Daily wrap: Azam apologises; Indian detainees on hunger strike in US

Azam Khan apologises for remarks against BJP MP Rama Devi

Samajwadi Party member Azam Khan on Monday (July 29) apologised in the Lok Sabha for his remarks against BJP member Rama Devi. As soon as Lok Sabha met after the weekend break, Speaker Om Birla allowed Khan to speak in the House. “I have been an MLA for nine times, a minister several times, a Rajya Sabha member too. I was a parliamentary Affairs Minister too. I know legislative procedures,” he said. “However, if my words hurt anyone, I hereby apologise,” he said.

Indian men on hunger strike at Texas detention centre, forced to hydrate

Three Indian men seeking asylum in the US have been forced to receive intravenous drips at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in El Paso, Texas on Sunday (July 28) as their hunger strike entered the twentieth day, their attorney said. The men went on a hunger strike at the ICE detention centre on July 9, demanding they be released while they appeal their deportation orders.

Yediyurappa wins trust vote; Speaker resigns

The three-day old BJP government in Karnataka headed by BS Yediyurappa on Monday (July 29) proved its majority in the truncated state Assembly winning the confidence motion by a voice vote in a smooth affair. Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar announced his resignation soon after Yediyurappa won the trust vote in a process lasting less than an hour after the House met.

Sweet victory for Odisha, state’s version of rasagola gets GI tag

In a sweet victory for Odisha, the GI Registry of India on Monday (July 29) conferred the GI tag to Odisha for its version of Rasagola, the syrupy sweetmeat made of cottage cheese. The Registrar of Geographical Indications, Chennai, has issued a certificate registering the sweetmeat as ‘Odisha Rasagola’ under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

PM Narendra Modi to feature in Discovery’s Man Vs Wild

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will feature in a special episode of Discovery’s ‘Man Vs Wild’, which will highlight “issues related to environmental change.” According to a statement from the channel, the special episode, featuring survivalist and adventurer Bear Grylls and shot in India’s Jim Corbett National Park, will be a “frank and freewheeling journey” which will throw light on wildlife conservation.

At 2977, India’s tiger population doubles in four years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (July 29) released the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 and said the country has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for tigers in the world. The tiger population in the country has grown from 1,400 in 2014 to 2,977 in 2019, according to the report.

Also Read: From near extinction to healthy rate of growth, the tale of Indian tiger’s survival

BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh charged in Unnao rape victim’s accident

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar was among the 10 people named in an FIR registered on Monday in connection with a road accident in which the Unnao rape survivor and her lawyer were critically injured and her two aunts killed, police said. The FIR, in which 15-20 unnamed people were also mentioned, was registered at the Gurubuxganj police station in Raebareli.

Also Read: Truck rams into car carrying Unnao rape survivor, family; 2 killed

In fresh stand-off with V-C, JNU teachers have students by their side

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is in the news again and like most incidents on the campus, this too is about a standoff. However, this time it is between teachers and the vice-chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar. In the latest tiff, the vice-chancellor has issued charge sheet to 48 teachers for a taking out a protest demanding his ouster last year over his alleged failures. This time, however, the students union have joined hands with the teachers to take on the Andhra Pradesh-born karate expert and former professor of electrical engineering at IIT, Delhi.