India News Updates: Karnataka Govt Faces Backlash Over Job Quota; Muharram Processions Taken Out Across States

• All Not Well In UP Govt? Deputy CM Maurya Meets BJP Chief Nadda Amid Rumours Of Rift With Yogi

• With Gaza Death Toll Near 39,000, ICJ Ruling On Genocide An Ignored Warning For Israel

• Karnataka: Private Jobs Quota Bill Put On Hold Hours After Approval

• Maharashtra: Shinde Govt Comes Out With ‘Ladka Bhau’ Scheme For Unemployed Youth

• 'Cannot Happen In India': Challenging CBI Arrest, Kejriwal's Lawyer Cites Imran Khan In HC; Order Reserved

Hello, readers! Welcome to Outlook India's live blog, where we bring you all the real-time updates for news from across the world. Here's what's in focus today:

• US elections

• IAS Puja Khedkar row

• Weather news

• NEET controversy updates

• Arvind Kejriwal hearing

• Israel-Hamas war updates

• and more

Just in case you missed it, here are some of the top news that hit the headlines on Tuesday, July 17:

• Puja Khedkar Row: Probationary IAS Officer's Training Put On Hold Amid Controversy

• NEET-UG Row: CBI Arrests 2 More From Bihar And J'khand Over Stealing And Circulating Exam Paper

• Calcutta HC Restrains CM Mamata Banerjee And 3 Others From Making Defamatory Remarks Against Governor

• Mumbai BMW Hit-And-Run: Accused Mihir Shah Sent To 14-Day Judicial Custody

• Gaza War: Several Israeli Airstrikes Kill 60 Palestinians; Another UNRWA School Bombed

• France: PM Gabriel Attal's Resignation Accepted; Still To Work As Head Of Caretaker Govt

• Ukraine Peace Summit: Zelenskky Calls On Putin And Russia To Participate In November Peace Talks

• Who Is JD Vance, Donald Trump's Vice Presidential Pick

US President Joe Biden hit out at Republican opponent Donald Trump, explaining "why his presidency was hell for black Americans".

Biden said, "More children in America die of gunshot wounds than any other reason that is stunning and that is sick and it's sheer cowardice if we do nothing about it. If you want to stand against violence in America, then join me in getting these weapons of war off the streets of America."

"He tried to repeal Obamacare to kick millions, I mean, millions of black Americans off their health insurance. He had $2 trillion tax cut that overwhelmingly benefited the super-wealthy, the biggest corporation, and exploded the federal debt larger than anyone the one president has in one term," Biden added.

Incessant downpour continued to batter Kerala, leaving several parts of the city waterlogged. Visuals from the southern state show people navigating through flooded roads as traffic moved slower than usual amid low visibility from the rains.

The Secret Service has boosted the protection of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump after an Iranian threat, but it appears it is unrelated to Saturday's attack, officials were cited to be saying by The Associated Press.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested Sanjay Bandaya in connection with the Jal Jeevan Mission scam on Tuesday evening. Bandaya is accused of playing the role of middleman in the scam. He is being questioned at the agency's Jaipur office.

Additionally, three other persons have also been arrested by the federal probe agency in this matter.

Another batch of pilgrims going for Amarnath Yatra from Pantha Chowk base camp left the area amid heavy security on Wednesday morning.

A masked and armed man looted lakhs of rupees from a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Vijay Nagar Police Station in Indore.

A man and his two daughters were shot dead by criminals at their residence in Saran's Dhana Dih village on Tuesday night. Police said that his injured wife was sent to a hospital for treatment.

The two accused -- Sudhanshu Kumar and Ankit Kumar -- have been nabbed by the police and the murder weapon has also been recovered.

Prime facie, cops said, the cause of the incident is a love angle between the deceased and accused Sudhanshu.

The tree bodies have been sent for postmortem and further probe is underway, they added.

Days after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, another attack on the former president was allegedly thwarted in Milawaukee. As per reports, a man wearing a ski mask and carrying an AK-47 pistol near the venue of the Republican National Convention 2024 was arrested by police. | READ HERE

Four top leaders of the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have reportedly quit the party in Maharashtra's Pimpri Chinchwad, in what looks like a major blow to the party led by Sharad Pawar's nephew after a poor performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

The four leaders are likely to join the party led by Sharad Pawar later this week, according to an NDTV report.

NCP's Pimpri-Chinchwad unit chief Ajit Gavhane is among those who have tendered their resignations to Ajit Pawar, the report said. The others are Pimpri Chinchwad Students' Wing chief Yash Sane, and former corporators, Rahul Bhosale and Pankaj Bhalekar.

Four devotees, including a woman, on 'padayatra' were fatally knocked down by a speeding van along the Thanjavur-Tiruchi national highway in the district early on Wednesday.

According to police, the victims hailing from Pudukottai district were proceeding to Samayapuram Mariamman temple by road when the accident took place.

The van heading to Tiruchi mowed them down at Valambakudi village, 30 km from here, early this morning.

Delhi High Court will hear today Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's pleas challenging his arrest and seeking bail in the corruption case lodged by the CBI in relation to the excise policy 'scam'.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said in a post on X that a Cabinet meeting held yesterday approved a bill to make it mandatory to hire 100 per cent Kannadigas for "C and D" grade posts in all private industries in the state.

"It is our government's wish that the Kannadigas should avoid being deprived of jobs in the land of Kannada and should be given an opportunity to build a comfortable life in the motherland. We are a pro-Kannada government. Our priority is to look after the welfare of Kannadigas," he said.

A fire broke out at the famous Gulati restaurant on Pandara Road near India Gate in Delhi in the early hours of Wednesday, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) officials said.

No was was injured in the incident, they said.

The fire broke out at 2.48 am in the sitting area of the restaurant and soon spread to the first floor, a DFS official said.

Police said it appears that a short circuit caused the fire.

Muslim believers carry Tazias to cemeteries and bury them there, as they observe #Muharram2024.

Visuals from Lucknow:

Security has been upped across states to avoid any untoward incident during Muharram processions which will be taken out in several cities on Wednesday. Muharram processions known as 'Tazia', are being taken out across the country since Monday to mark the eighth day of mourning of the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson.

J&K's Srinagar observed Muharram on Monday for a second consecutive year, while Bihar's Nawada saw the waving of Palestinian flags, leading to the arrest of three. Traffic advisory was issued for Delhi for July 16 and July 17 in view of expected Muharram processions in parts of the city.

Adequate security measures have been taken in West Bengal as well to avoid any untoward incident during Muharram processions, DGP Rajeev Kumar said on Tuesday. He also urged the people to observe Muharram without causing inconvenience to others.

Security forces and terrorists exchanged fire twice briefly within a span of four hours in a forest area in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, officials said on Wednesday.

Village Defence Guards (VDGs) also opened fire on observing suspicious movement outside their village, while two explosive shells were recovered from Gandoh area, a news agency PTI report cited officials.

The exchange of fire was first reported at Kalaan Bhata at 10.45 pm on Tuesday and then near Panchan Bhata at 2 am during the ongoing anti-terrorist operation in the Desa forest area, where four Army personnel were killed in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.

Delhi residents woke up to a humid morning with the weather department predicting light rain on Wednesday. The humidity level was recorded at 77 per cent at 8.30 am.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 29.8 degrees Celsius, over two notches above the season's normal.

The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 38 degrees Celsius.

An Air India recruitment drive for airport loaders caused a stampede-like situation at Mumbai airport on Tuesday with more than 25,000 applicants turning up to try their luck for the 2,216 vacancies.

Visuals showed the applicants jostling with each other to reach the application counters. According to reports, the applicants had to wait for hours without food and water, and many of them started feeling unwell.

Airport loaders load and unload luggage on aircraft, operating baggage belts and ramp tractors. Each aircraft reportedly needs at least five loaders to handle luggage, cargo and food supplies.

Thailand Police forensic division said on Wednesday that police have found traces of cyanide in the coffees of six people found dead in a central Bangkok luxury hotel.

The bodies were found Tuesday in Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in downtown Bangkok. Upon checking hotel records, there were no other visitors to the room apart from the six that were found, an Associated Press report cited police as saying.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) released the list of all 117 athletes who will represent India in different sports at the Paris Olympics starting July 26. The sports ministry cleared the final contingent that also features 140 support staff and officials, of which 72 have been approved at "cost to the government" to meet the "requirements" of the travelling sportspersons.

The only qualified athlete missing from the list is shot-putter Abha Khatua. The Games will run from July 26 to August 11, according to a news agency PTI report. Khatua, who made the cut through world rankings quota, has been dropped without any explanation after her name was found missing from the World Athletics' list of Olympic participants a few days ago.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya met BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday amid buzz of the former's rift with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

There has long been a buzz about less-than-warm relations between Maurya and Adityanath. In private conversations, a number of BJP leaders from the state, including those who lost in the Lok Sabha polls, have been critical of the chief minister's working style and cited it as one of the reasons for their loss.

Maurya made no comments to media persons as he left the BJP headquarters in Delhi following the meeting. Party sources said Nadda was expected to meet UP BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary too, according to a PTI report.

However, Maurya's meeting with Nadda comes after his "organisation is always bigger than government" remarks at the state party's extended executive meeting on Sunday.

Elaborate security arrangements were made in the seaside town of Puri where around 15 lakh people are expected to congregate on Wednesday evening to witness the sibling deities Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath in 'Suna Besha' or gold attire, officials said.

Around 5,700 police personnel have been deployed in the town, they said.

The three chariots were parked in front of the 'Singhadwar' of the 12th-century shrine where the idols of the deities, decorated with about 208 kg of gold jewellery, would be kept.

Heavy rains prompted the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert in eight districts of Kerala for Wednesday. The heavy monsoon rains have caused landslides, property damage, water logging of roads and flooding of acres of farmland with the Central Water Commission (CWC) issuing a warning about a dangerous rise in levels of various rivers in the southern state.

The IMD sounded orange alerts in Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod districts for the day.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that the state cabinet has approved a bill mandating 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in the private sector for Group C and D posts. The bill also directs the appointment of Kannadigas to 50 per cent of management positions and 75 per cent of non-management positions.

"The Cabinet meeting held yesterday (Monday) approved a bill to make recruitment of 100 per cent Kannadigas mandatory for 'C and D' grade posts in all private industries in the state," Siddaramaiah said in a post on X. The Chief Minister deleted the post amid backlash.

The Congress-led Karnataka government's decision to make 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in private sector Group C and D jobs was questioned by industry leaders, with many highlighting the possible repercussions and unavailability of skilled labour. READ FULL STORY

The Karnataka High Court has granted bail to three accused arrested in connection with the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh.

Justice S Vishwajith Shetty on Tuesday granted bail to Amit Digvekar, HL Suresh and K T Naveen Kumar.

Trio had reportedly sought bail citing delay in the trial.

An 18-month-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Jawahar Nagar area of Telangana's Hyderabad, police said on Wednesday. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also expressed grief over the death of the toddler and directed officials to take steps to prevent recurrence of such an incident.

The incident took place on Tuesday night when the child came out of his house, police said, adding that a dog dragged him to some distance and later some strays bit him resulting in injuries.

The boy was initially rushed to a private hospital and from there referred to a state-run hospital where he died last night, news agency PTI quoted a police official at Jawahar Nagar police station as saying.

Based on a complaint from the boy's parents a case was registered.

Flight services will be shut at the Tezpur airport in Assam in October for one-and-half years for maintenance works, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Tezpur Airport Director G Shiva Kumar said passenger flights will be suspended from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2026.

"This is due to the resurfacing works of the runway along with other projects to improve the facilities at the terminal," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will be adding more than 1,100 e-autos to its existing fleet of electric three-wheelers to further boost last-mile connectivity, a news agency PTI quoted official as saying on Wednesday.

Of the 2,299 e-auto permits -- 1,636 general and 663 women -- allotted to the DMRC by the Transport Department, 1,183 e-autos -- 857 general and 326 women -- have been registered.

These e-autos are operating from around 40 DMRC stations that are equipped with charging points and dedicated parking spaces, officials said.

"Another 1,116 -- 779 general and 337 women -- e-autos are expected to be registered by the end of August," the DMRC official said.

Mumbai's first underground Metro rail corridor, known as Metro Line 3, will start operating from July 24, Bharatiya Janata Party's general secretary Vinod Tawde said on Wednesday.

He gave this information in a post on X.

Mumbai Metro Line 3, also known as Mumbai Metro Aqua Line or Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Line, is a 33.5 km underground route that will connect south Mumbai to the city's western suburbs and is expected to reduce the burden on the suburban locals.

"Mumbai's first underground metro (Aqua Line) is starting from July 24, which will give new impetus to the speed of the city," Tawde said in his post.

A fire broke out at Veg Gulati restaurant in Delhi's Pandara Road market at 2 am on Wednesday. No casualties were reported in the incident.

The fire broke out at 2.48 am in the sitting area of Veg Gulati restaurant and soon spread to the first floor, a DFS official said. Four fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was brought under control within an hour. Some furniture and other articles were gutted in the fire, the official said.

Police said it appears that a short circuit caused the fire. A probe is underway.

An “illegal” structure near controversial trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s family bungalow in Pune has been cleared, days after the civic body issued them a notice to remove it, an official said on Wednesday.

Khedkar’s family might have got the alleged encroachment removed as the deadline set by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is not yet over, the official said.

PMC officials had on July 13 pasted a notice outside the bungalow in the city’s Baner Road area asking the IAS officer’s family to clear an “unauthorised” structure measuring 60 feet in length, 3 feet in width and with a height of 2 feet along a footpath adjoining the property.

(Via PTI)

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved order on the petition filed by Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Prevention of Corruption Act in relation to the alleged excise or liquor policy 'scam'.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that his arrest by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam was an "insurance arrest", with his counsel saying that the AAP supremo was "not a terrorist". READ FULL STORY

Haryana govt announces 10 pc quota for Agniveers in posts of constable, mining guard, forest guard, jail warden and special police officer

Amid backlash over Karnataka government's move to approve 100 per cent quota for Kannadigas in private jobs, state Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, "No investors need to worry. We want investors to come to Karnataka. There are certain sections of the people who are talented and have come from outside the state. We want them to work in Karnataka. Bengaluru's population has grown to 1.4 crores because of the outsiders coming here to work. We just want to give them scope... We are more worried than both the employer and the employee. We will see where we can accommodate Kannadigas..."

Tiranga Yatra taken out in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu as mortal remains of Sepoy Bijendra Singh arrive at his ancestral home. Singh was among the four Indian Army personnel killed in the anti-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda.

Farmers assembled at Shambhu Border to honour farmer-activist Navdeep Singh, who walked out of Ambala Central Jail after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail in a case registered in connection with farmers' February 13 'Delhi Chalo' march.

International Cricket Council (ICC) announces global winners in the ICC Development Awards 2023, with six emerging nations honoured for a range of groundbreaking initiatives and outstanding performances during the last calendar year. Mexico, Oman, Netherlands, UAE, Nepal, and Scotland are the nations to have received the top honours.

In the Pune Prosche accident case, Women and Child Development Commissioner, Dr Prashant Narnaware, said they have submitted their final report to Maharashtra government after due investigation and replies over show cause notices given to members of JJB with recommendations that disciplinary action may be taken against the two members of JJB (appointed by state) for procedural lapses.

The accident involving a Porsche Taycan in Maharashtra's Pune hit national headlines after the driver, a 17-year-old boy, was released on bail despite within hours of knocking down two bikers in the road mishap that took place at Kalyani Nagar area of the city in the early hours of Sunday, May 19, causing the death of those on the two-wheeler.

Muharram procession taken out in Telangana's Old Hyderabad area. Security was upped across states to avoid any untoward incident during Muharram processions which were taken out in several cities on Wednesday. Muharram processions known as 'Tazia', are being taken out across the country since Monday to mark the eighth day of mourning of the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson.

The administration in Latur district of Maharashtra has received 81,225 applications so far under the Maharashtra government's "Mazi Ladki Bahin" scheme which provides eligible women with a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500, officials said on Tuesday.

Of the 81,225 applications, 35,266 have been submitted online, and the process of online registration for 45,959 applications is underway.

District Collector Varsha Thakur-Ghuge asked officials to organise extensive awareness campaigns in rural and urban areas about the changes made to the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, Gram Sevaks, ration shopkeepers, Talathis, agricultural assistants, and motivators (CRPs) from women's self-help groups are being roped in to expedite the processing of applications.

(via PTI)

CRPF's K9 team members engaged in venue security in Paris ahead of the Olympics 2024 being organised there between July 26 and August 11.

China on Wednesday said it has suspended the crucial arms control and non-proliferation talks with the US, accusing Washington of continuing arms sales to Taiwan.

Announcing this, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said the US continued sales of weapons to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.

He said that despite Beijing’s opposition, the US actions had “severely damaged the political atmosphere necessary for continued arms control consultations between the two sides”.

“China has decided to suspend talks with the US on holding a new round of arms control and non-proliferation consultations,” Lin told a media briefing in Beijing.

(PTI Inputs)

Former Odisha CM and the current Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday assigned various departments to his 50 MLAs, who would closely watch their activities & raise issues pertaining to the departments in the state assembly.

The vigilant jawans of the 32 Battalion Border Outpost Haldarpara, under BSF South Bengal Frontier, acting on information from the BSF Intelligence Department, arrested an Indian smuggler with 9 gold bricks and 21 gold biscuits.

The smugglers attempted to smuggle the gold by throwing the consignment over the fence. The seized gold weighs approximately 7.87 kg and is valued at Rs 5.82 crore.

Delhi Police on Wednesday arrested one more accused, who was among the key conspirators in the GTB Hospital firing case, officials said.

According to the officials, the mastermind behind the incident, Faheem, had kept the accused Moin (19) as a backup plan in case the original plan failed.

"Moin visited GTB Hospital many times before the shooting incident and collected details about its entry and exit gates," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Surendra Choudhary said.

He conducted the recce for four continuous days along with associates Ayan, Aman and Shavez, who were inside the hospital at the time of the crime, he said.

A few private schools in the city received a bomb threat via email early on Wednesday, police said and appealed to the public not to panic.

A holiday was declared for two-three schools following an email that was received at around 1.55 am by the schools which come under the Foreshore Estate and Mylapore Police Station limits.

A case has been registered and a probe was on, a police official said.

"Based on the email received we are conducting an inquiry. Efforts are on to identify the sender responsible for issuing the email. A case has been registered," an official told PTI.

In February, a few private schools received similar bomb threat e-mails triggering anxious parents to rush to the schools to pick up their children.

(via PTI)

Private jobs quota bill was put on hold by Karnataka government in Karnataka hours after approval. The government has said it will review the provisions.

Read full report