Day 20 of Wangchuk's hunger strike; Centre tightens birth record rules; India's first private rocket set for launch
Activist Sonam Wangchuk continued his indefinite hunger strike for the 20th day on Friday, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. According to a statement from the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), his physician Satish Lamba reported that Wangchuk had lost 350 grams and was experiencing mild dehydration. The protest has drawn growing support from opposition parties.
In a separate development, the Registrar General of India (RGI) has ordered stricter scrutiny of digitised birth and death records amid concerns over fraudulent certificates. The RGI informed states in June that some registrar credentials had been compromised due to sharing of user IDs, passwords, or OTPs with unauthorised persons. On July 6, the RGI asked states to identify registration units that showed unexplained spikes in registrations.
India is set to make history again as Vikram-1, the country's first privately developed orbital-class rocket, prepares for lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on July 18 at 11:30 a.m. This comes 46 years after India successfully launched its first experimental Satellite Launch Vehicle-3 (SLV-3).
Legendary West Indies cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers passed away in Bridgetown on Friday at the age of 89, just 10 days short of his 90th birthday. His son Daniel confirmed the death. Sobers is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in cricket history and a former West Indies captain.
U.S. airstrikes on Iran appeared to have damaged a tower at Iran's Chabahar port on Friday. However, India clarified that the Shahid Beheshti terminal, which it operates at the port, has not suffered any damage.
Addressing queries on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, official spokespersons from the Ministries of External Affairs and Railways confirmed that Japan will provide its next-generation E10 series Shinkansen trains for the project.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called for a political consensus to eliminate paper leaks and overhaul India's examination system, alleging that recurring leaks were undermining the aspirations of millions of students and their families.
In Maharashtra politics, the BJP has conveyed to its Mahayuti allies that only a unified Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is acceptable as an NDA ally. This comes amid speculations that the NCP (SP) may reconsider its support to the Delimitation Bill, potentially leading to wider alliance talks.
A strong earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck the southern Mexican Pacific coast near the Guatemala border on Friday. The quake was felt from Mexico City to El Salvador, but authorities have not reported any severe damage or casualties.
Reserve Bank Governor Sanjay Malhotra warned that the West Asia crisis and the expectation of a weak monsoon present significant risks to economic growth. Despite global uncertainties, India has witnessed over 7% growth in recent quarters.
