News updates: Vajpayee made pioneering efforts to transform India, says PM

Live news updates: "We remain inspired by Atal Ji's efforts to serve India," Modi said.

3:00 PM

Raju Srivastava still on ventilator, condition 'slowly' getting better

There is a slight improvement in the condition of popular comedian-actor Raju Srivastava, who continues to remain in the ICU on life support, his business manager said Tuesday.

 

Srivastava was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here after he suffered a heart attack on August 10. The 58-year-old stand-up comic underwent an angioplasty the same day.

 

"Raju's condition is slowly getting better. He is responding to the treatment. There is an improvement in his health and he can now move his body parts a bit.

 

2:56 PM

Heathrow Airport extends passenger cap until October-end

London's Heathrow Airport has extended its ongoing flight restrictions and cap on passenger numbers until October 29, amid staff shortages and pressure on services at one of the world's busiest airports.

 

In July, a daily cap on passengers travelling through the airport was set at 100,000 and was due to end on September 11. However, on Monday the airport announced that this would now remain in place until the end of October, hitting a particularly busy half-term school break period for families in the UK.

“After consulting with airlines, a daily limit of 100,000 departing passengers will now apply until October 29,” Heathrow said.

 

2:46 PM

Why should service charges be recovered from consumers as additional levy, HC asks

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday questioned why restaurants should recover service charges from consumers as an “additional” and “separate levy." A bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad remarked that a common man perceives service charge as a government levy and restaurants can increase their food prices to absorb this charge instead of recovering it in the form of an additional charge over and above the total bill.

2:45 PM

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hands over multiple indigenous weapons to Army

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday handed over multiple indigenous arms and ammunition to the Indian Army to further boost the country's defence sector.

This consignment of weapons includes anti-personnel landmine 'Nipun', landing attack craft for operations in Pangong Tso lake, infantry combat vehicles and many other weapon systems.

Lieutenant General Harpal Singh said, "The Union government has taken several policy decisions to help promote indigenisation of the defence sector. These indigenous weapons include mines, weapons of face-to-face combat, infantry combat vehicles."

2:29 PM

Prices of Amul's Gold, Shakti and Taaza milk brands increased by Rs 2 per litre

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets its dairy products under the Amul brand, on Tuesday increased the prices of its Gold, Taaza and Shakti milk brands by Rs 2 per litre.

The new prices will be effective from Wednesday, the GCMMF said in a statement.

"The GCMMF has decided to increase the milk prices by Rs 2 per litre in the markets of Ahmedabad and Saurashtra region in Gujarat, Delhi NCR,West Bengal, Mumbai and all other markets where Amul milk is sold," the Anand-headquartered federation said.

2:28 PM

'Unfortunate, very harsh', say Indian footballers after FIFA suspends AIFF

The world governing body of football, FIFA has suspended the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with "immediate effect due to undue influence from third parties", jeopardising the country's staging of the U-17 Women's World Cup in October.

FIFA's ban means that the Indian National Football Team will not be able to play any international games until the ban is removed.

The Indian teams, men's and women's, cannot play any junior or senior international games during the ban. And the Indian clubs cannot participate in AFC Women Club Championship, AFC Cup and AFC Champions League competitions.

1:51 PM

Heavy rain causes flood-like situation in parts of MP

Heavy and incessant rainfall for the past two days has caused flood-like situation in parts of Madhya Pradesh.

The state administration on Tuesday warned that a flood-like situation can also emerge in some other places, especially near catchment area of Narmada and Tawa and other rivers.

Heavy rainfall continued in several parts of the state, including the capital city Bhopal, for the last two days. The weather department has predicted continue spell of rain for the next two days.

Schools in many districts such as Bhopal, Betul, Raisen, Narmadapuram (Hoshangabad) have been shut.

1:50 PM

As Pakistan turns 75, Shehbaz cites flaws in economic model

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cited three critical structural flaws in the country and said that "no successful country has ever grown this way".

In his latest blog written for The Economist, he added that the nation was widely thought ready to "become the next Asian tiger", reports Geo News.

However, in 2022, Pakistan found itself mired in its latest economic crisis.

1:47 PM

Bihar cabinet expands, 31 ministers inducted

The newly formed cabinet in Bihar expanded on Tuesday when 31 ministers took oath, with the RJD getting a lion's share, and care having been taken to represent all sections of the society, including the minorities.

 

Among the ministers who took oath, 16 were from RJD, 11 from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), two from Congress, one from ex-CM Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) and one Independent.

 

The number of Muslims in the new cabinet is five, up from only one in the previous NDA government that fell last week after the chief minister severed ties with the BJP.

 

1:28 PM

Forcing consumers to pay service charge is unfair: CCPA tells Delhi HC

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) on Tuesday moved an appeal in the Delhi High Court challenging the Single bench order staying the guidelines issued by it restraining levying of service charge on food bills by restaurants and hotels.

The appeal stated, "The Guidelines have been issued for safeguarding the rights and interests of consumers and to protect the consumers from unfair trade practices and violation of consumer rights due to mandatory collection of service charge and adding such charge automatically or by default in the food bill without allowing consumers the choice or discretion to decide whether they want to pay such charge or not."

It is also stated in the appeal that the guidelines were formulated based on complaints received from consumers.

1:23 PM

Lt-Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza seen as frontrunner for next Pak Army chief

It is almost time for the Pakistan government to make what is likely to be one of the toughest calls of its tenure: who to appoint as the next chief of the countrys Army, the media reported.

A senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader hinted in background discussions that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif could initiate discussions on the appointment by the end of August, and pos­s­ibly take a decision by mid-September, Dawn news reported.

In the current cohort, Lt-Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza is senior-most amongst the four candidates belonging to the same batch.

1:09 PM

British workers to face record pay slump against surging inflation

British workers saw their pay lag behind inflation at record levels over the past quarter, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew by 4.7 per cent over the three months to June, dpa news agency reported on Tuesday.

Analysts had predicted that wages would increase by 4.5 per cent.

It comes after CPI inflation hit a new 40-year record of 9.4 per cent in June and is expected to peak at around 11 per cent later this year.

12:41 PM

Vajpayee made pioneering efforts to transform India: PM Modi

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other dignitaries paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his fourth death anniversary on Tuesday.

 

They were joined by several Union ministers and other leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda, at 'Sadaiv Atal', Vajpayee's memorial, here.

 

12:41 PM

Vajpayee made pioneering efforts to transform India: PM Modi

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a host of other dignitaries paid tributes to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his fourth death anniversary on Tuesday.

 

They were joined by several Union ministers and other leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J P Nadda, at 'Sadaiv Atal', Vajpayee's memorial, here.

 

12:38 PM

Bus falls into gorge in J-K, two ITBP personnel killed

A bus fell into a gorge in Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, leaving two Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel dead and 37 others returning from Amarnath Yatra duty injured.

 

A police official said the police bus carrying 37 ITBP personnel and two policemen fell into a gorge between Chandanwari and Pahalgam.