Top news of the day: Progress cannot come without giving voice to Global South, says PM Modi in Ghana; Government to initiate removal motion against Justice Yashwant Varma
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (July 3, 2025) addressed the Parliament of Ghana and dedicated the prestigious 'Officer of the Order of the Star of Ghana' conferred on him to the enduring friendship and shared values between the two countries. 'The tribute paid by Prime Minister reflects India's deep respect for Ghana's rich history and reaffirms the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries,' a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs said.
Government to initiate removal motion against Justice Yashwant Varma
The government will begin the process of collecting signatures for a motion to remove Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma soon, as most of the prominent political parties have accepted, in principle, to support the motion. The Government is set to begin the process of collecting signatures for a motion seeking the removal of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, with several major political parties having expressed their willingness, in principle, to support the initiative.
AAP severs ties with Congress, to contest Gujarat elections independently
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (July 3, 2025) declared that his party has ended its association with the Congress, accusing the latter of indirectly assisting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat. Mr. Kejriwal, addressing the media in Ahmedabad, said the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc was conceived exclusively for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and no longer binds AAP to the Congress.
Dalai Lama alone holds authority to decide reincarnation, says Rijiju
The Government of India has made its position unequivocal on the question of the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, asserting that only the current Dalai Lama and the conventions established by him can determine his successor. Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, himself a practising Buddhist, made the remarks on Wednesday (July 2, 2025), which are being interpreted as a pointed rebuttal of China's claims on the matter.
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain
Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, 28, died in a fiery car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain with his brother, Spanish state-owned TV station said on Thursday (July 3, 2025), citing local firefighters. The regional fire department of Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead.
Japan urges evacuation of small island as 1,000 quakes hit region
Japanese authorities urged the 89 residents of a small southern island to evacuate after a strong earthquake on Thursday (July 3, 2025), the latest of more than 1,000 recent jolts to hit the area. Residents were urged to evacuate to 'a school playground in Akuseki Island', a municipal official told AFP.
India's concerns shared with U.S. Senator over proposed 500% tariff on Russian oil buyers: Jaishankar
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar suggested that India has shared its concerns with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham over his bill proposing a 500% tariff on nations buying oil from Russia. 'I think our concerns and our interests in energy security have been made conversant to him,' Dr. Jaishankar said while replying to a media query in Washington D.C. on Wednesday (July 2, 2025).
Denmark backs Ukraine's EU membership quest
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen vowed Thursday (July 3, 2025) to back Ukraine in its quest to join the European Union, as Denmark officially launched its six-month presidency of the world's biggest trading bloc. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Ms. Frederiksen and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the western city of Aarhus, where Denmark is marking the start of its eighth EU presidency since joining in 1973.
Space talk: Mysuru school students to interact with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on July 4
Mysuru's Excel Public School (EPS) students will participate in a live interaction with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (VU2TNI), currently stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Space AX-4 mission. The event, scheduled for Friday (July 4) at 3:47 pm IST, will take place through the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) initiative in coordination with the U.R. Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru.
Aamir Khan to be chief guest at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025
The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has announced that superstar Aamir Khan will be the chief guest for the 16th edition of the film gala. The festival, which is scheduled from August 14 to 24, will include a special retrospective to celebrate Aamir's extraordinary contribution to Indian cinema.
Sambhal temple-mosque row: Court to hear plea for ban on namaz at disputed site on July 21
A Chandausi court in Sambhal district on Thursday (July 3, 2025) set July 21 to hear a plea seeking ban on offering of namaz at the disputed Shahi Jama Masjid, which is claimed to be Harihar Temple. The petition sought the ban on offering of Islamic prayers citing its 'disputed status'. Civil Judge (Senior Division) Aditya Singh took on record the plea filed by one Simran Gupta.
Sivaganga custodial death: T.N. SHRC directs its investigation wing to probe case
The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Thursday (July 3, 2025) directed its investigation wing to probe the custodial death of B. Ajith Kumar, involving personnel — five of whom have been arrested — of the Thirupuvanam police station in Sivaganga district.
ENG vs IND 2nd Test | Shubman Gill's strategy and body language traits of world-class player: Trott
India captain Shubman Gill's clearly thought-out strategy and body language on the opening day of the second Test against England are traits of a world-class player with a bright future, says former cricketer Jonathan Trott.
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Time of India
13 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill': What it does - Medicaid cuts, green funds rollback, reshapes tax system
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Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
National Herald case: Documented evidence exhibiting money laundering, says ED to Court
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Business Standard
30 minutes ago
- Business Standard
House passes Trump's big tax bill, sends it to President's desk for signing
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Jeffries began the speech at 4:53 a.m. EDT and finished at 1:37 p.m. EDT, 8 hours, 44 minutes later, a record, as he argued against what he called Trump's 'big ugly bill.' 'We're better than this,' Jeffries said, who used a leader's prerogative for unlimited debate and read letter after letter from Americans writing about their reliance of the health care programs. 'I never thought that I'd be on the House floor saying that this is a crime scene," Jeffries said. 'It's a crime scene, going after the health, and the safety, and the well-being of the American people." And as Democrats, he said, "We want no part of it.' Hauling the package through the Congress has been difficult from the start. Republicans have struggled mightily with the bill nearly every step of the way quarreling in the House and Senate, and often succeeding only by the narrowest of margins: just one vote. The Senate passed the package days earlier with Vice President JD Vance breaking the tie vote. The slim majority in the House left Republicans little room for defections. Political costs of saying no Despite their discomfort with various aspects of the sprawling package, in some ways it became too big to fail — in part because Republicans found it difficult to buck Trump. As Wednesday's stalled floor action dragged overnight Trump railed against the delays. 'What are the Republicans waiting for???" the president said in a midnight post. "What are you trying to prove???' Johnson relied heavily on White House Cabinet secretaries, lawyers and others to satisfy sceptical GOP holdouts. Moderate Republicans worried about the severity of cuts while conservatives pressed for steeper reductions. Lawmakers said they were being told the administration could provide executive actions, projects or other provisions in their districts back home. The alternative was clear. Republicans who staked out opposition to the bill, including Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, were being warned by Trump's well-funded political operation. Tillis soon after announced he would not seek reelection. Rollback of past presidential agendas In many ways, the package is a repudiation of the agendas of the last two Democratic presidents, a chiseling away at the Medicaid expansion from Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, and a pullback of Joe Biden's climate change strategies in the Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats have described the bill in dire terms, warning that cuts to Medicaid, which some 80 million Americans rely on, would result in lives lost. Food stamps that help feed more than 40 million people would "rip food from the mouths of hungry children, hungry veterans and hungry seniors,' Jeffries said. Republicans say the tax breaks will prevent a tax hike on households and grow the economy. They maintain they are trying to rightsize the safety net programs for the population they were initially designed to serve, mainly pregnant women, the disabled and children, and root out what they describe as waste, fraud and abuse. The Tax Policy Centre, which provides nonpartisan analysis of tax and budget policy, projected the bill would result next year in a $150 tax break for the lowest quintile of Americans, a $1,750 tax cut for the middle quintile and a $10,950 tax cut for the top quintile. That's compared with what they would face if the 2017 tax cuts expired.
