Today's Big Stories
Triple Talaq, Article 370 feature in PM Narendra Modi’s sixth Independence Day speech
On the 73rd Indian Independence Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered a speech in which he once again highlighted that the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was a "dream" waiting to be fulfilled. In his sixth Independence speech as the Prime Minister, Modi said, "The new system in place is for the direct benefit of the people on the ground."
He also spoke about the Parliament's recent move to ban the practice of Triple Talaq saying that it was an evil that had to be weeded out.
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All six accused in Pehlu Khan lynching case acquitted by Alwar Court; Rajasthan to challenge verdict
A court in Rajasthan's Alwar on Wednesday acquitted all six accused in the Pehlu Khan lynching case. The verdict was pronounced by the court of the Additional District Judge in Alwar. A lawyer representing the accused said the witnesses produced by the prosecution failed to identify them. He also claimed that the video that purportedly showed the lynching was not sent to a forensic lab by the prosecution. Hours after the judgement was pronounced Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the state government will appeal against the verdict.
In Other News
Homeward ‘bound’: Amid the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir, former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal was detained from Delhi airport and sent back to Srinagar, where he was taken into 'preventive custody'. Faesal was scheduled to fly to Istanbul on a Turkish Airlines flight on Wednesday.
Caution for I-day: Restrictions will continue in some places of Kashmir for sometime as arrangements are being made to celebrate Independence Day. The main Independence Day function will be held at SK Stadium here with Governor Satya Pal Malik hoisting the national flag even as the communications blockade continues in the state.
Scathing attack: US President Donald Trump has said that India and China are no longer "developing nations" and were "taking advantage" of the tag from the WTO, even as he asserted that he will not let it happen anymore. Trump has been a vocal critic of India for levying "tremendously high".
Formidable win: Grappler Deepak Punia on Wednesday became India's first junior World Champion in 18 years after he claimed a gold medal at the junior worlds with a win over Russia's Alik Shebzukhov at Tallinn, Estonia. The score was tied 2-2 at the end of the 86kg men's freestyle bout but the Indian was declared champion because he had scored the last point.
On Our Specials
Kashmir dispatch: The communication gag in the Valley has hit not just civilians but also the security forces deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. Local policemen guarding roads and streets in the Valley are as cut off from their families and as anxious as any other person. In Srinagar, Aakash Hassan finds anxious locals numbered in lakhs who wait at the few booths with the single hope of hearing their loved ones' voices.
Well under the speed limit: India’s famed automobile sector has been hit by a severe slowdown for many months now and its unprecedented sales decline has ceased to surprise. The latest numbers have instead begun raising severe concerns. Sindhu Bhattacharya writes that these dispatch numbers do not reflect actual sales to customers, but merely track how many vehicles moved out of factory gates to dealerships.
On Reel
A Tesla owner made the news for implanting the RFID chip from Model 3’s keycard into her forearm. Here's a look.
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