1. BJP’s youth wing activist’s murder sparks protest in Karnataka: Praveen Nettaru, 32, BJP Yuva Morcha Committee member in Dakshina Karnataka, was hacked to death by three bike-borne armed assailants. The incident led to protests by right-wing groups in the district, also mass resignations by Yuva Morcha members protesting the party’s inability to protect its cadres. Meanwhile, police have arrested two men in their twenties from Bellare in connection with the case.
2. Two people in the NCR region report monkeypox symptoms: A man aged 28 in Ghaziabad and a woman at 47, hailing from Noida, seem to have contracted monkeypox infection. Health officials have asked them to stay isolated and are checking their travel history.
3. BSNL and MTNL to get a fresh lease of support from the government: The center has come up with a lifeline of Rs.1.6 lakh crores to revive BSNL and MTNL. Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said they would also get a 5G upgrade in 18-24 months.
4. DGCA asks SpiceJet to operate only half its flights for eight weeks: Following repeated snags, SpiceJet gets instructions from India’s aviation regulator DGCA to fly only 50 percent of its fleet for the next eight weeks. DGCA said the restrictions are for “continued sustenance of safe and reliable air transport.”
5. SC upholds ED’s powers: The Supreme Court, on Wednesday, called the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the law which vests ED the power to arrest and attach property, “not arbitrary.” The ruling has come amid accusations from the opposition stating that the government is using state agencies to target political adversaries.
6. Cardiac patient gets an electric shock from power bill: A power bill of Rs.3419 crore gave a cardiac patient in Gwalior the shock of his life. The actual bill the Guptas were said to receive was Rs.1300. However, wrongful entry by the power company’s employee created such a huge sensation that Energy minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar had to get involved.
7. ED seizes more money from Bengal minister’s aide: ED has recovered a second stash of Rs.29 crores from Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee’s aide Arpita Mukherjee’s Kolkatta flat on Wednesday. The agency has also seized 5 kg of gold and silver.
8. USAID administrator cites Chinese loans as the reason for SL crisis: US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power has blamed Chinese opaque loan deals with high-interest rates responsible for Sri Lankan economic crisis. Power, who is visiting India, lauded India’s support to the island nation.
9. Scheme to preserve 117 endangered languages in India: In Rajya Sabha, Union minister of State for Education, Subhas Sarkar, said that the government had instituted the ‘Scheme for Protection and Preservation of Endangered Languages in India’ (SPPEL) to preserve 117 endangered Indian languages.
10. Tunisian President Kais Saied bolsters his power through a referendum: Tunisia has chosen a new constitution that takes it back to the Presidential system similar to the one it had under Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. A decade back, he was toppled from power by a popular uprising called ‘Jasmine Revolution.’
Image: PTI