DH Evening Brief | Punjab Cong leader's arrest, spat in Bengal are I.N.D.I.A's woes; Police deployment in southern districts ahead of K'taka bandh

Here are the top stories for the evening.

Punjab Cong leader's arrest, verbal spat in Bengal: I.N.D.I.A's latest headaches

Opposition leaders at a press conference in Bengaluru on July 18, where the Opposition parties named their new alliance I.N.D.I.A.

The arrest of Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in a 2015 drugs case by the AAP government in Punjab and the continuing war of words between the Congress and ruling Trinamool Congress in Bengal have unravelled the tensions within the I.N.D.I.A constituents.

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Karnataka Bandh: More police deployment in southern districts, Section 144 imposed in Bengaluru

Policeman during Bengaluru Bandh.

Karnataka’s Director General and Inspector General of Police (DG-IGP) Alok Mohan on Thursday said that the police deployment would be more in the South Karnataka districts on Friday, given the state-wide bandh called by some outfits and that adequate precautionary arrangements were made.

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Lok Sabha Speaker refers complaints on Danish Ali-Ramesh Bidhuri matter to Privileges Committee

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has referred MPs' complaints on the issue involving BJP member Ramesh Bidhuri's use of objectionable words against BSP's Danish Ali to the Privileges Committee, sources said on Thursday.

While Ali and several other opposition MPs, including Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and DMK's Kanimozhi, demanded action against Bidhuri, several BJP parliamentarians like Nishikant Dubey said the BSP member 'incited' the South Delhi MP when he was speaking in the House and urged the Speaker to look into this aspect as well.

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ED summons Abhishek Banerjee on October 3, same day TMC is slated to hold protests in Delhi

TMC's Abhishek Banerjee.

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday summoned Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee for questioning on October 3.

Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been summoned in a money-laundering case.

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Women’s reservation bill a ‘jumla’ by BJP: Kharge in Chhattisgarh

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.

The women’s reservation bill is a “jumla” (empty promise) as the BJP thinks people vote for it and forget the promises made by the party after some time, said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday. The bill won't be implemented till 2034, he claimed.

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Modi govt crushed dreams of India's youth leading to rising suicides: Cong

Jairam Ramesh.

The Congress on Thursday targeted the Narendra Modi government over the issue of unemployment alleging that it has crushed the hopes and dreams of India's youth, leading to rising suicides among them.

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Autorickshaw driver detained, five being questioned in Ujjain minor rape survivor case

Representative image of police.

Police have taken into a custody an autorickshaw driver in connection with the rape of a girl, who was found bleeding on a street in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain city, and five others are also being questioned in the case, a senior official said on Thursday.

The police have also found some blood stains on the passenger seat of the autorickshaw of the detained man, he said.

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M S Swaminathan, architect of India's Green Revolution, passes away

M S Swaminathan.

Eminent agricultural scientist M S Swaminathan, regarded as the chief architect of India’s Green Revolution, passed away here on Thursday. He was 98.

Swaminathan, who breathed his last at 11.15 am, is survived by three daughters Soumya Swaminathan, Madhura Swaminathan and Nitya Rao. His wife Mina Swaminathan pre deceased him.

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'Father of China’s lunar exploration program' claims India's Moon landing was nowhere near the South Pole

People witnessing the Chandrayaan-3 landing.

The rivalry between Asia’s two biggest countries has extended into outer space.

After India’s landing of its Chandrayaan-3 rover on the moon last month — becoming the first country to put a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and breaking China’s record for the southernmost lunar landing – a top Chinese scientist has said claims about the accomplishment are overstated.

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Karnataka Bandh puts the brakes on weekend travel plans

A deserted MG road, during the 'Bengaluru Bandh' protest called by Various farmer and pro-Kannada organisations against the release of Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu from KRS dam in Karnataka, in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

The Karnataka Bandh call for Friday has spoiled the travel plans of many, with tour operators already flooded with requests to shuffle schedules.

While most of the hotels and tour packages were fully booked from September 28 to October 2 owing to the long weekend, tour operators told DH that they are now receiving calls to either cancel or postpone the travel.


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Barcelona charged with bribery in 'Negreira case'

FC Barcelona logo.

Spanish football club FC Barcelona has been charged with bribery in the 'Negreira case' by the court investigating the matter. Judge Joaquín Aguirre argued that the 7.5 million euros paid to the ex-Vice President of the Technical Committee of Referees, José María Enríquez Negreira, over a period of 18 years, may constitute a crime, Spanish radio station Cope reported.

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'Harry Potter' star Michael Gambon who played Dumbledore dead at 82

Actor Michael Gambon.

Michael Gambon, who played Professor Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” films and was hailed by Arthur Miller and others as one of the greatest British actors, has died. He was 82.

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