Here are the top 5 news updates of July 8, 2021:
Six-time Himachal Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Virbhadra Singh died today at 3.40 am after prolonged illness. He was 87. Singh suffered a heart attack on Monday and was critical since then. He was put on ventilator support on Wednesday after he had breathing problems. The nine-time MLA and five-time MP is survived by wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh. While his wife is a former MP, his son is MLA from Shimla rural. President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and others condoled his demise.
2. Conspiracy to defame me: NCP leader Eknath Khadse on ED probe against him
NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse today alleged that the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) inquiry against him in connection with a Pune land deal case was a conspiracy to defame him. Talking to reporters outside the ED's office in Mumbai, Khadse also claimed that the inquiry against him was started because he quit the BJP. "This is a conspiracy to defame me," he said. "I have earlier appeared for the inquiry five times. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had filed a C-summary report in a Pune Court that there is no truth in the allegations and the case be closed," he said.
3. Law of the land should be abided by everyone, says new IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Twitter
The law of the land should be abided by everyone, said new Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today while commenting on the Centre's stand-off with Twitter. Vaishnaw, who took oath as Union Minister on Wednesday, took charge as the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology as well as the Railway Minister earlier this morning. For the past several months, Twitter has been involved in a stand-off with the Centre over the new amendments in the new Information Technology laws with the micro-blogging platform losing its intermediary status and becoming liable for user-generated content.
4. Japan to impose COVID emergency in Tokyo for duration of Olympics
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government is going to place Tokyo under the fourth state of emergency on July 12, which will last until August 22 and cover the duration of the Olympic Games, in an effort to curb a recent surge in COVID-19 infections, local media reported today. The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 920 new infected cases on Wednesday, reaching a new high since the peak of Japan's fourth wave in mid-May and exceeding the figure from a week earlier for the 18th straight day, reports added. Health experts, including Suga's top COVID-19 adviser, have warned that the Olympics accompanied with the summer holidays and the highly contagious Delta variant, could trigger a surge in infections.
5. Sensex plunges 486 points; Nifty slumps below 15,750
Equity benchmark Sensex slumped 486 points today led by losses in index majors ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries amid a selloff in global markets. The 30-share BSE index ended 485.82 points or 0.92 per cent lower at 52,568.94, while the broader NSE Nifty dropped 151.75 points or 0.96 per cent to 15,727.90. Tata Steel was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by Sun Pharma, ICICI Bank, SBI, Kotak Bank and Dr Reddy's. On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, PowerGrid and NTPC were among the gainers.