News Highlights on July 14: India's first Monkeypox case in Kerala

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Loans of over Rs 400 crore were sanctioned by Kapil Wadhwan of DHFL to companies owned by co-accused Sanjay Chhabriaa without following the norms, the CBI has said in its supplementary charge-sheet.

The agency filed the additional charge sheet in the case of cheating against Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and Dewan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan last month.

Joint opposition's presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha said India's economy will not go the Sri Lankan way, but expressed concern about the fast depleting foreign exchange reserves and the sliding value of the rupee against the US dollar.

The former Union finance minister said this during his visit to the Madhya Pradesh capital to meet the Congress MLAs as part of his campaign for the presidential election.

"India will not go the way Sri Lanka is going. Our economy is not based on one or two industries. Sri Lanka's economy was primarily based on tourism, which was hit by COVID-19. Tea market also got affected. That is not the situation with us," he said while addressing a press conference.

"But I want to give you one more figure. Some days ago, our foreign exchange reserve was USD 641 billion. In saving the rupee's downfall, the RBI has spent USD 45 billion...A grim situation is developing. Our huge foreign exchange reserves are depleting very fast," he added. The rupee is sliding down against the USD. It has already touched 79.86 mark against the dollar, Sinha said. The rupee is sliding down against the USD. It has already touched 79.86 mark against the dollar, Sinha said. (PTI)

The Rajasthan Police arrested an Ajmer dargah cleric from Hyderabad for allegedly delivering a provocative speech at the main gate of the shrine last month.

Ajmer Additional Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan said an FIR was registered against Gohar Chishti on June 25 over the speech he delivered on June 17.

Chishti left Rajasthan on June 29 and had been on the run since then, he said.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said he would not support any law if the Centre brings in a two-child norm/policy in the country.

"The mistake China did, India should not. I will not support it (two-child law) at all because it will not be in India's interest.

Owaisi was reacting to a query whether he would support the Central government if it brings a law mandating two-children (for population control). (PTI)

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board has moved the Supreme Court opposing a plea challenging the validity of certain sections of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) contended that the object of the Act is to prevent disturbances of public order, maintain peace and tranquility, and strengthen the basic feature of secularism.

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the six FIRs lodged against him in several districts of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, and also sought interim bail in all the cases.

The CBI has filed a fresh FIR against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi for allegedly cheating a Canara Bank-led consortium to the tune of Rs 55.27 crore.

The agency has also booked Bezel Jewellery and its whole-time directors, including Choksi, Chetna Jhaveri, Dinesh Bhatia and Milind Limaye. The Canara Bank and the Bank of Maharashtra had sanctioned Rs 30 crore and Rs 25 crore respectively as working capital facility under a consortium agreement to Bezel Jewellery. (PTI)

The Union health ministry has rushed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Kerala to collaborate with the state health authorities in instituting public health measures in view of the confirmed case of monkeypox in Kollam district.

The Central team to Kerala comprises of experts drawn from National Center for Disease Control, Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi and senior official from the ministry along with experts from regional office of health & family welfare, Kerala.

The team has been asked to work closely with the state health departments and take a stock of on-ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions.

“Government of India is taking proactive steps by monitoring the situation carefully and coordinating with states in case of any such possibility of outbreak occurs,” said the Centre in a state.

Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak won the most votes in the second round of voting to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister, as one candidate was eliminated.

Sunak came top with 101 votes, followed by junior trade minister and bookmakers' favourite Penny Mordaunt on 83 votes and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on 64 votes. Attorney General Suella Braverman was eliminated with 27 votes.

Lawmaker Tom Tugendhat received 32 votes and Kemi Badenoch received 49 votes. (Reuters)

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa emailed a letter of resignation to the speaker of the country's parliament late on Thursday, a source familiar with the matter said.

It was not immediately clear if the letter, sent shortly after Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore, would be accepted in email form, the source added. (PTI)

AIADMK interim general secretary K Palaniswami on Thursday expelled O Panneerselvam's sons, and 16 other supporters of the ousted leader, from the party.

Raveendranath, the party's Lok Sabha member from Theni constituency and Jeyapradeep, both sons of Panneerselvam and a former Minister, Vellamandi N Natarajan were expelled. (PTI)

Sri Lanka's former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court through their lawyers that they will not leave the crisis-hit country until the Fundamental Rights petition filed against them is heard on Friday, a media report said.

A five-judge bench of Lankan Supreme Court are scheduled to hear on Friday the petition against the two members of the erstwhile powerful Rajapaksa family, the Daily Mirror Lanka website reported. (PTI)