Top News Headlines of the hour

top news

Published : Jul 16, 2021, 8:52 AM IST

Updated : Jul 16, 2021, 2:08 PM IST

14:01 July 16

1. Centre opposes UP's Kanwar Yatra in Supreme Court

The Centre on Friday filed an affidavit in Supreme Court saying that govts must not permit movement of Kanwariyas in bringing 'Ganga Jal' from Haridwar in view of the Covid19 threat. However, considering religious sentiments, state govts must develop a system to make 'Ganga Jal' available via tankers at identified/designated locations for devotees, so that they can perform 'abhishek' at their nearest Shiv temples.

2. Pulitzer awardee Indian photojournalist killed in Afghanistan

Danish Siddiqui, a Reuters photojournalist and a Pulitzer awardee who was covering the fight between Afghan soldiers and Taliban in Kandahar, was killed during clashes in Spin Boldak district in the Afghan city, sources confirmed on Friday.

3. Sidhu meets Sonia Gandhi as PCC chief post awaits him

Rebel Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been vocal against his former colleague and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, met with party president Sonia Gandhi at her residence here on Friday. He was accompanied by Harish Rawat, the party's general secretary in-charge of Punjab.

4. NSG radar picked up drone around Jammu air base: Intelligence sources

The drone that was seen operating around the Jammu Air Base on Tuesday night was picked up by the radars of the anti-drone system deployed by the National Security Guard (NSG) there.

5. PM Modi urges CMs of six states with high COVID positivity rate to strengthen health infra

Interacting with the Chief Ministers of six states with a high COVID-19 positivity rate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Centre recently announced a Rs 23,000 crore emergency response package to combat coronavirus and advised these states to utilise funds from the package to strengthen health infrastructure.

11:41 July 16

1. National Award-winning actor Surekha Sikri passes away at 75

Veteran actor Surekha Sikri died on Friday morning at the age of 75 following a cardiac arrest, her agent said. In a statement shared with the media, the agent said the actor had been suffering from complications arising from a second brain stroke.

2. Sidhu meets Sonia Gandhi as PCC chief post awaits him

Amid speculations that Navjot Singh Sidhu will be named the Chief of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC), the Congress leader, who has been vocal against his former colleague and Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, arrived at party chief Sonia Gandhi's residence in New Delhi on Friday morning.

3. Four suspected drones spotted at different locations in Samba and Jammu

A day after a drone was spotted in Jammu in the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, four suspected drones were spotted at different locations in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba and Jammu. Further details are awaited.

4. Maha gives RT-PCR test report exemption to travellers having 15-day gap from 2nd COVID-19 dose

The Maharashtra government has exempted those people who have got both the doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from carrying a negative RT-PCR test report for entering the state, although there has to be a gap of at least 15 days between the second dose and the date of arrival.

5. Over 60 killed, hundreds missing as floods hit Europe

Over 60 people have died and hundreds are missing in western German states after heavy rains and violent storms in several parts of Europe. The media reported quoting German authorities that after confirming dozens of deaths, they were unable to account for at least 1,300 people.

5. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu departs for Tokyo 2020 from USA

Ace Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu has departed for Tokyo 2020, which is scheduled to begin from July 23, after completing her final bit of preparation here at St. Louis, United States of America.

09:58 July 16

1. India records 38,949 fresh COVID-19 cases, 542 deaths in 24 hrs

India reported 38,949 fresh COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the data updated by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry at 8 am on Friday showed. The COVID-19 death toll has climbed to 4,12,531 with 542 fresh fatalities.

2. Mamata's allegations on leak of post-poll violence report baseless: NHRC member

A day after the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of "disrespecting the court" and pursuing "political interests of the BJP" by leaking its report on alleged post-poll violence to the media, a member of the Commission's Fact-Finding Committee and National Commission for Minorities vice-chairman, Atif Rasheed, termed the allegations baseless and said that she will have to answer on what basis she made such serious allegations.

3. India reiterates its support to Libya for lasting peace

India's Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla reiterated India’s commitment in supporting Libya and its citizens in their endeavor to bring about lasting peace in the country and offered India’s support for providing capacity building and training assistance in mutually identified areas, while participating in high level meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

4. Beijing steps in to probe Pak bus blast case after death of 9 Chinese nationals

Day after, nine Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion in a bus in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province, China has decided to step in to assist its ally to probe the matter. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Thursday announced that the country is set to send a cross-department work group to assist Pakistan on the case.

5. Italy's Euro 2020 win may add 12 billion euros to 2021 GDP

Italy's victory in the UEFA Euro 2020 football championship final on Sunday is likely to add 0.7 percent to the country’s projected gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year, local economists have said.

08:42 July 16

1. MP tragedy: 3 dead, several injured as villagers fall into well

Three people died and several others were injured while they tried to rescue a boy who accidentally fell into a well. The villagers at Ganj Basoda area in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district suffered the mishap as the walls of the well caved in because of their weight during their frantic bid to rescue the boy. The boy is yet to be found.

2. Two militants killed in J&K's Srinagar

Two unidentified militants were killed during an encounter between security personnel and terrorists at Alamdar Colony of Srinagar's Danmar area. The encounter had begun in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar in the early hours of Friday.

3. 9 fishermen killed, 1 missing as trawler capsizes in Bay of Bengal

Bodies of nine fishermen from West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district were found on Thursday morning inside the trawler that capsized in the Bay of Bengal, officials said. One person is still missing and a search is on to find him, they said.

4. Meity withdraws compliance letter sent to Apple over iMessage

The IT ministry is learnt to have withdrawn a letter sent to iPhone maker Apple seeking compliance of iMessage platform with the new IT rules, according to a source. Apple has explained to the ministry that iMessage is a feature in its mobile device like every phone has for sending out messages and not an app which can be downloaded by any user.

5. Eye on China, Biden and Germany's Merkel agree to stand up for human rights, democratic values

US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the importance of standing up for democratic values and human rights in the context of China. This was spelled out during a meeting between Biden and Merkel at White House.