India’s parliament on Wednesday authorised a no-confidence vote against Mr Narendra Modi’s government by an alliance of opposition parties, to force the prime minister to address the ethnic clashes in Manipur.
Modi government faces no-confidence vote over clashes
Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party has a clear majority of 301 members in the 542-seat lower house of parliament, so the no-confidence vote is unlikely to impact its stability.
The opposition instead wants to trigger a debate on the violence in Manipur, in which more than 130 people have been killed and 60,000 displaced since it started in May.
Approving the opposition motion, lower house speaker Om Birla said he would soon decide when the debate and vote would take place.
India open to Chinese investment
India is open to Chinese investment despite border clashes, Deputy Minister for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar told the Financial Times in a report published on Wednesday.
“We are open to doing business with any company anywhere as long as they are investing and conducting their business lawfully and are in compliance with the Indian laws,” said Mr Chandrasekhar, adding that India was “open to all investment, including Chinese”.
New Delhi ramped up scrutiny of Chinese businesses after a 2020 border clash, banning more than 300 Chinese apps, including TikTok. Since then, India has intensified scrutiny of investments by Chinese firms.
Cops file case against screeching mic during Kerala CM’s speech
The Kerala police have registered a case after a microphone produced a hissing noise during a speech by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.
The News Minute reported that the incident occurred during a condolence meeting organised by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee for late chief minister Oommen Chandy and lasted for 16 seconds after which Mr Vijayan resumed his speech.
The sound system’s operator Renjith told AsianetNews that he was questioned. “The howling sound is a common occurrence. I have not seen such a case being registered in my 17 years of work.”
Air India likely to replace iconic Maharajah mascot
Air India is likely to replace the Maharajah mascot as the airline undergoes a revamp, according to the Economic Times.
Design consultancy firm FutureBrand has been hired to revamp Air India’s branding strategy, and it is introducing the airline’s new livery of red, white and purple.
Foxconn unit in talks for $265m components plant in Tamil Nadu
A Foxconn subsidiary is in talks with the Tamil Nadu government to invest up to US$200 million ($265 million) to build a new plant for electronic components in the state, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Foxconn Industrial Internet CEO Brand Cheng and other company representatives last week met Tamil Nadu officials including Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to discuss investments in the state.
The company has shared a plan with state officials to initially invest US$180 million to US$200 million in the facility. Foxconn is the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer.
DiCaprio lauds Indian man for discovering new fish in bucket
An Indian man who discovered a rare new species of fish almost three years ago has found renewed fame after Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio praised him online.
Abraham A, a former paramilitary soldier from Alappuzha district in Kerala, found the fish called Pathala Eel Loach in 2020.
He said the discovery was made by chance. He was taking a bath when he spotted “a red thread in the bucket”. Intrigued, he scooped it out to take a closer look and saw it move. He took it to researchers at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, who identified the new species.
Death sentence for man who raped, killed 4-year-old girl
A special court in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, has sentenced to death a 35-year-old man for the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl.
“Such a crime is not only a violation of law, human and social relations, but also destroys the social structure. The person committing such a crime deserves maximum punishment,” the court said in its order on Wednesday.
Police officer Shlok Kumar said Mohammed Faheem had lured the girl to his house in the Jahagirabad area of Bulandshahr in April, raped her and strangled her to death.
Drone survey finds ‘missing’ $16m of properties in Lucknow
A drone survey in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow has found properties worth Rs100 crore ($16 million) which were not recorded with the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).
It identified a total of 2,440 properties, comprising 1,936 residences and 504 commercial plots. The investigations also found two commercial properties spanning 20,000 sq ft under illegal occupation.
LDA vice-chairman Indramani Tripathi has instructed officials of the engineering and planning sections to conduct a thorough investigation.
Man shot dead for objecting to loud music
A 45-year-old man was shot dead on Wednesday after he objected to vulgar songs being played loudly by some mining workers at a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur.
Three people suffered injuries in the incident while a few vehicles were torched.
According to the police, trouble began in Rudrapur Majwa village when a local, Raj Kishore, 45, objected to the songs.
An argument ensued and a few hours later, six mining workers, along with their contractor Sunil Yadav, reached Mr Kishore’s house and shot him dead.
Big-ticket India-Pakistan match could be rescheduled
The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is considering moving the most high-profile match of the World Cup – India v Pakistan in Ahmedabad – from Oct 15 to Oct 14.
The reason for the change, according to ESPNcricinfo, is that Oct 15 is also the first day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri, and the local police had told the BCCI that it would find it difficult to take care of security on the day.
Women’s cricket team captain banned for two matches
India’s women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur was banned for two matches by the game’s apex body on Tuesday for her verbal swipe at umpires and on-field behaviour against Bangladesh.
Kaur was also fined 75 per cent of her match fee by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The all-rounder hit the stumps after being given out on 14 in the one-day international on Saturday – which ended in a rare tie – and later called the umpiring “pathetic”.
She was heard telling her Bangladeshi counterpart Nigar Sultana to invite the umpires on stage after the post-match presentation, forcing the Bangladesh players to opt out of a joint photo session.
