Daily wrap: Flood affects 14 lakh in Assam; Serena loses Wimbledon finals
Flood cripples life in Assam, 14 lakh affected in 25 districts; 7 dead
The flood situation in Assam continued to deteriorate on Saturday (July 13) with one more person losing his life, taking the toll to seven, as over 14 lakh people were affected by the deluge across 25 districts of the state. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called Union Home Minister Amit Shah and briefed him about the latest flood situation in the state. Sonowal said that 24×7 flood control rooms have been activated across the districts and that he is monitoring the situation personally.
India set for 2nd mission to moon: Here’s all you need to know about it
India’s second lunar mission – Chandrayaan-2 – is scheduled to be launched during the wee hours of Monday (July 15) from Sriharikota. Chandrayaan-2 will be launched onboard the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-III at 2:51 AM. The cost of GSLV MK III is ₹375 crore. The landing on the moon near the South Pole, an uncharted territory so far, would be on September 6 or 7, Sivan told reporters in Bengaluru, as the Indian space agency is all set to embark on its most complex mission.
Romania’s Simona Halep stuns Serena Williams to win Wimbledon
Bringing the Wimbledon women’s singles final to a dramatic end, Simona Halep defeated the seven-time champion Serena Williams by 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday (July 13). This is Halep’s second Grand Slam title after winning at Roland Garros last year. She also became the first Romanian to win the title.
Pardeep Singh wins gold in Commonwealth Championship
Pardeep Singh created a new Commonwealth record in the clean and jerk category on the way to a gold medal as Indian weightlifters continued their impressive run on the last day of the Commonwealth Championships, here on Saturday (July 13). Pardeep, who is competing in the 109kg category, smashed the record in the clean and jerk event by lifting 202 kgs. His earlier successful attempt of 148kg took his total to 350kgs.
K’taka: Congress reaches out to rebel MLAs, Yeddyurappa wants trust vote
As Congress-JD(S) coalition leaders in Karnataka reached out to rebel MLAs, urging them to withdraw their resignations, state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa demanded that the no-confidence motion against the Kumaraswamy government be brought in the Assembly on Monday (July 15). “We will wait until Monday. Why delay it (no-confidence motion)?” Yeddyurappa told reporters on Saturday (July 13).
Teach in mother tongue too, Venkaiah Naidu tells schools
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday (July 13) suggested making the mother tongue the medium of instruction in schools, at least at the primary level. “Our languages must unite us in the cause for inclusive and sustainable development and must not end up as tools to divide us,” he said. Naidu said that there should be no imposition of any language, nor should there be any opposition to any language.
It’s official: Internet, social media restricted for govt staff at work
Sixty-four days after the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) came to power for its second term, the Union Home Ministry under Amit Shah has for the first time formalised its policy on social media and Internet norms for government employees. In a 24-page note accessed by The Federal, the ministry has cautioned employees against accessing social media on official devices. It has also directed officials not to carry out classified work on computers connected to the Internet.
Lanka PM to appear before Parliamentary Committee probing Easter attacks
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he would appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the Easter Sunday attacks that claimed 258 lives and would provide all available information, according to a media report. The prime minister made the remarks after his government on Thursday defeated the no-confidence motion that accused it of failing to prevent the Easter Sunday bombings despite receiving intelligence inputs from India. The motion, moved by the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, was defeated by a vote of 119-92 after two days of debate.
Amarnath Yatra suspended due to separatist-sponsored strike in Kashmir
Pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath was suspended for Saturday as a precautionary measure in view of a separatists-sponsored strike in the Kashmir valley on Martyrs Day, officials said. As many as 12 batches of pilgrims have so far left for the twin base camps of Pahalgam and Baltal in Kashmir valley from Jammu since the beginning of the pilgrimage on June 30. “Amarnath yatra has been suspended from Jammu as a precautionary measure in wake of the strike called by separatists in Kashmir valley Saturday,” an official said.
In Bengal, BJP faces ‘ghar wapsi’ crisis as new recruits jump ship
In a haste to weaken the Trinamool Congress by ‘indiscriminately’ poaching its members, an overzealous BJP has now been left red-faced after many defectors flocked back to the TMC. What’s more, the saffron party old guards are now asking the top leadership to revise its recruitment policy. At least 23 councillors of two municipalities, who had defected to the BJP a little more than a month ago, have returned to the TMC fold in the past seven days.
