The Hindu Morning Digest, July 29, 2025

The Hindu

5 days ago

Ceasefire had no linkage with U.S. trade: Jaishankar in Parliament
In a clear rebuttal of the repeated assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump that he stopped the recent India-Pakistan conflict, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha that there was no phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Trump during the tense phase with Pakistan after the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam. Mr. Trump has said on multiple occasions that he extracted a ceasefire from India and Pakistan by threatening to cut off trade if they continued fighting.
Yemen revokes Nimisha Priya's death sentence, claims Kanthapuram
The execution of Malayali nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on a death row for the alleged murder of Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mahdi, has been revoked by the Houthi militia in Yemeni capital Sanaa, office of Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar claimed. However, Indian officials handling the case did not confirm the development.
India, Pakistan would still be at war if not for his intervention, Trump repeats ceasefire claim
India and Pakistan would still be warring with each other, if not for his intervention, U.S. President Donald Trump said. The U.S. President made the remarks before beginning talks with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland. The President also claimed, again, repeated his claim that he used trade as leverage to get New Delhi and Islamabad to stop fighting in early May this year, after terrorists opened fire and killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam. New Delhi has consistently denied Mr. Trump's claims that he was instrumental in bringing about the May 10 ceasefire between the two countries.
At least 34 killed in heavy rains and flooding in and near Beijing
Heavy rains and flooding killed 30 people in Beijing, China's capital, the country's state media reported on Tuesday (July 29, 2025), bringing the death toll from the storms in the region to at least 34. State broadcaster CCTV said that 28 people had died in Beijing's hard-hit Miyun district and two others in Yanqing district as of midnight. Both are outlying parts of the sprawling city, far from the downtown.
Why did Justice Varma submit to in-house inquiry if it was contrary to Constitution, Supreme Court asks
The Supreme Court questioned High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's choice to submit to an in-house inquiry procedure into an allegation of 'burnt cash' found at his official residential premises in Delhi, despite finding the procedure to be 'completely contrary to the Constitutional scheme'. The query came after senior advocate Kapil Sibal complained that the action taken by the Supreme Court at the time, including release of sensitive visual and audio materials showing 'burnt currency', 'convicted' Justice Varma in the public eye.
Opposition questions government on security lapses which led to Pahalgam terror attack
Opposition parties, led by the Congress, questioned the Centre over 'security lapses' which had led to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. The parties also attacked the government over the sudden 'ceasefire' declaration and as well as claims made by U.S. President Donald Trump on having brokered it. The Congress's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, who opened the debate from Opposition ranks on the special discussion about 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam', said Home Minister Amit Shah should take responsibility for the security lapses.
Protests over SIR continue; Rajya Sabha fails to function
Rajya Sabha failed to function as the Opposition MPs continued to protest over the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar. This is the sixth consecutive sitting when no significant business could be transacted in the Upper House of Parliament. The Opposition had moved 26 notices under Rule 267 demanding discussion on various issues. Fourteen of these notices were on SIR exercise.
Presidential Reference 'misleading', wants Supreme Court to sit on appeal against its own verdict in T.N. Governor case, says Kerala to Supreme Court
The States of Tamil Nadu and Kerala urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the Presidential Reference seeking clarity on whether judiciary can fix timelines for the President and State Governors to clear State Bills, saying it is a ruse to make the apex court sit in appeal of its own authoritative pronouncement in the Tamil Nadu Governor case. The Constitution, both States said, did not allow the apex court to sit in appeal of its own judgments, nor can the President vest appellate jurisdiction in the court through a Presidential Reference. Tamil Nadu and Kerala termed the Reference as 'misleading' replete with 'suppressed facts'.
West Bengal's 2002 SIR electoral roll appears on CEO site amidst speculations of fresh voter list revision
Amid speculations of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) being conducted for West Bengal's electoral roll, the 2002 voters' list of some districts has been made available online on the website of the State's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO). Reportedly, the last SIR of the voters' list in West Bengal was conducted in 2002. This development assumes significance considering that in Bihar, the last SIR was conducted in 2003 and the electoral roll of that year has been kept as a reference point for the submission of identification documents for the SIR of 2025.
Assam govt prepares for mega eviction drive in Golaghat, to affect 2,000 families
The Assam government is preparing to clear more than 10,000 bigha (over 3,300 acre) of land from alleged encroachments in Golaghat district, which will affect at least 2,000 families, officials said. The eviction drive will begin on Tuesday (July 29, 2025) morning in Rengma Reserve Forest in Uriamghat along the Assam-Nagaland border in Sarupathar sub-division, they said.
IIM Calcutta to allow student out on bail in rape case to attend classes, bars him from hostel
Premanand Mahaveer Toppanavar, the student of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, who was accused of raping a woman on campus, has been allowed to resume classes after receiving bail, the Institute's director-in-charge, Saibal Chattopadhyay, told The Hindu. 'He is attending classes from today. Access to the hostel is barred for the time being,' Mr Chattopadhyay said. He added that the decision was taken in an emergency academic council meeting held on Friday.
NIA submits reports on Jiribam killings, Manipur HC gives one month to file chargesheet
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has submitted two sealed reports to the Manipur High Court on the progress it has made in the Jiribam case in which six women and children of the Meitei community were abducted and later found dead in the Barak River in November last year. Taking it on record, the court told the probe agency to submit a detailed report in terms of the chargesheet within one month.
SIT, along with complainant, inspects spots of alleged burials near Dharmasthala
Officials of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing into the allegations of a series of murders and burials at Dharmasthala, along with the complainant-witness, inspected some spots near Dharmasthala on Monday where the latter has claimed to have buried bodies. According to official sources, the inspection of the spots of burials was part of the process to obtain permission to exhume bodies. After completing the inspection, a report will be submitted to the jurisdictional revenue officer to seek permission to exhume bodies.
Muslim cleric booked for 'objectionable' remarks on Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav
A Muslim cleric has been booked for allegedly making objectionable and inflammatory remarks against Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav during a televised debate, an official said on Monday (July 28, 2025). The FIR against cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi was lodged at the Vibhuti Khand police station on Sunday (July 27, 2025) evening on a complaint by local resident Pravesh Yadav. The remarks in question were allegedly made in response to Dimple Yadav's recent visit to a mosque, where the cleric reportedly commented inappropriately on her attire. The complaint accused Rashidi of making statements that were not only derogatory and misogynistic, but also "highly provocative and aimed at inciting religious disharmony and communal tension," according to the FIR.
Industrial growth pulled down to 10-month low of 1.5% in June
Growth in industrial activity slowed to a 10-month low of 1.5% in June 2025, down from 1.9% in May. This slowdown was driven by the mining sector, which saw its worst performance in 58 months, and also by contractions in the electricity and primary goods sectors. Data on the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, showed the index last witnessed worse growth numbers in August 2024.
Thailand and Cambodia agree to 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire, Malaysian PM says
Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an 'immediate and unconditional' ceasefire from midnight to resolve deadly border clashes, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. Mr. Anwar, who chaired the talks as head of the ASEAN regional bloc, said both sides have reached a common understanding to take steps to return to normalcy. Earlier, ceasefire talks have started between Thailand and Cambodian leaders in Malaysia in an urgent effort to resolve deadly border clashes that entered a fifth day despite mounting international calls for peace.
Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of report over dog bites leading to rabies
The Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan termed the news item published today in an English daily's Delhi edition as "very disturbing and alarming". It said every day, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and the aged were falling prey to the dreadful disease.
FIDE Women's World Cup: Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman champion, becomes Grandmaster
Divya Deshmukh is the World Cup winner. She is also India's latest Grandmaster, only the fourth Indian woman to get that most coveted of titles in chess. The 19-year-old from Nagpur recorded the greatest moment of her young career when she beat fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers of the World Cup final at Batumi, Georgia. Both games in the classical format had been drawn, leading to the shootout in speed chess.