Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passes away aged 66
Senior BJP leader and former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley passed away at the age of 66 at Delhi’s AIIMS on Saturday. Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS earlier this month after he complained of breathing problems, palpitations and restlessness. Jaitley had undergone kidney transplant last year and had opted out of PM Modi’s new Cabinet over health issues.
He was a political giant, I have lost a valued friend: PM on Jaitley
Condoling the demise of ex-Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Arun Jaitley Ji was a political giant, towering intellectual and legal luminary. He was an articulate leader who made a lasting contribution to India.” Adding that he has “lost a valued friend”, PM Modi wrote, “His insight on issues and nuanced understanding of matters had very few parallels.”
Fire breaks out at Sreesanth’s house; wife and children rescued
A fire broke out at cricketer S Sreesanth’s house in Kochi on Saturday. An entire room was reportedly destroyed in the fire which occurred at around 2 am. Sreesanth’s wife and children, who were present in the house at the time of the incident, were rescued. Firefighting units were rushed to the spot and doused the fire.
Very sick: Saina Nehwal criticises umpiring after World C’ships exit
World number eight Saina Nehwal took to Twitter to criticise the umpiring during her World Championships pre-quarterfinal loss to Denmark’s Mia Blichfeldt. Calling the umpiring “very sick”, Nehwal wrote, “Still can’t believe 2 match points which the umpire overruled in the second game.” “When will our sport get better?” tweeted Nehwal’s husband Parupalli Kashyap.
Was criticised for saying PM Modi must be praised: Tharoor
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has backed party colleague Jairam Ramesh for saying PM Narendra Modi shouldn’t be demonised all the time. Tharoor claimed he’s been arguing for six years that PM Modi should be praised when he does the right thing, adding, “I welcome others in Opposition coming around to a view for which I was excoriated at the time.”
Chidambaram’s arrest is the revenge taken by time: Shiv Sena
Following the arrest of former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, the Shiv Sena on Friday criticised him for “invoking the principles of liberty” while addressing the media from Congress headquarters. The Sena asked, “What kind of liberty is he talking about?” It added, “Congress is losing its voice and it will become mute soon… This is the revenge taken by time.”
AAP to contest upcoming Maharashtra Assembly polls
After opting out of 2019 Lok Sabha race in Maharashtra, AAP has now decided to contest the upcoming state Assembly polls. “The party is looking to contest on around 100 seats of the 288 Assembly constituencies in the state. Most of these constituencies will be from the urban areas, including Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and others,” a party leader stated.
Rahul boards flight to Srinagar despite govt request to not visit
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi boarded a flight to Srinagar on Saturday despite J&K government’s request to not visit as it would be “putting other people to inconvenience”. “Senior leaders should understand…top priority would be given to maintaining peace, order & preventing loss of human lives,” the J&K government had said, adding that they would be violating restrictions.
Startups registered with DPIIT exempted from ‘angel tax’
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said startups registered with Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) will be exempt from so-called ‘angel tax’, an anti-evasion provision in the Income Tax Act. Startups that received equity infusion in excess of “fair valuation” were required to pay angel tax on the “premium” paid by investors.
BJP will miss his presence: Rajnath condoles Jaitley’s demise
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the demise of former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, saying, “The BJP will miss Arunji’s presence.” “Jaitleyji will always be remembered for pulling the economy out of the gloom and putting it back on the right track,” he added. He was a proficient lawyer by profession and an efficient politician by passion, Singh further said.
5 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh, 2 police personnel injured
Five Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, said the police. Two DRG Chhattisgarh police personnel sustained bullet wounds during the encounter and security forces are trying to evacuate them from the spot. Meanwhile, the police added that more Maoists may have been hit as search operations are still underway.
I’ve learnt not to react immediately to criticism: Kapil Sharma
Comedian Kapil Sharma has said that he has learnt not to react immediately to any criticism that he receives and added, “It is essential to listen and understand the other side.” “When you become popular you have to be more responsible. If people can shower so much love and appreciate, then they can also criticise you badly,” he further said.
Jinson Johnson to train in US to improve timings
India’s Jinson Johnson revealed he will train in the United States to improve his timings and try and seal a Tokyo Games berth. “At the Asian level and Indian level, my timings are okay but at the world level, I want to improve it,” Johnson said. Johnson has to break his own 1,500m national record to qualify for the Olympics.
Sri Lanka confirm limited-overs tour of Pakistan
Pakistan is set to host Sri Lanka for six limited-over international matches starting September, the nations’ cricket boards announced on Friday. This will be Sri Lanka’s second tour of Pakistan since their team bus was attacked by militants in March 2009. Since the 2009 attacks, a majority of international teams have refused to tour Pakistan over security concerns.
Seats for higher education gone up to 1.5 lakh: Kejriwal
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the number of seats for higher education in Delhi has gone up from 1.1 lakh to 1.5 lakh. “2.5 lakh students pass out of Class 12 each year…[W]e need to cater to 1 lakh more students,” Kejriwal added. “We’re planning for world-class skill centres…through which they can directly enter job market,” he said.
Former Andhra Pradesh Speaker’s son accused of stealing 30 laptops
Andhra Pradesh Skill Development Corporation has filed a police complaint against former state Assembly Speaker Kodela Siva Prasada Rao’s son, Siva Rama Krishna for allegedly stealing 30 laptops and a printer from a Rural Skill Development Centre in Sattenpalli. As per an official, earlier Siva had allegedly diverted 30 laptops, printer and solar CPU to his showroom in Guntur.
Sai Praneeth first Indian man in 36 years to secure World C’ships medal
B Sai Praneeth has become the first Indian male shuttler in 36 years to secure a medal in the BWF World Championships. The 27-year-old achieved the feat by reaching the semi-finals after defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie 24-22, 21-14. Prakash Padukone was the first Indian to win a men’s singles World Championships medal, a bronze, in the 1983 edition.
Air India owes around ₹5,000 cr in fuel dues: Oil companies
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) on Friday said Air India owes three state-owned oil firms around ₹5,000 crore in unpaid fuel bills. IOC, Bharat Petroleum Corp Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corp Limited on Thursday stopped jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel supplies to Air India. The supply has been stopped at six airports including Kochi, Pune, Patna, Ranchi, Visakhapatnam and Mohali.
