13th May News in Nutshell: Important stories of the day
Important stories of the day
National News
Malegaon blast case: NIA drops MCOCA charges against Sadhvi Pragya
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has dropped Sadhvi Pragya Thakur's name from its chargesheet in the 2008 Malegaon blast case filed in a Mumbai court today. Read more
Supreme Court upholds constitutional validity of criminal defamation law
The Supreme Court today upheld the constitutional validity of the criminal defamation law in the country, saying it was not in conflict with the freedom of speech. Read more
With 53 Rajya Sabha members retiring today, BJP to gain in upper house, Congress the biggest loser
53 Rajya Sabha members are retiring today. Out of these 53 members, 16 are from Congress while 14 are from BJP. Read more
Release funds for MNREGA, pay damages to farmers: SC to Centre
The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to release all the outstanding and necessary funds for MNREGA scheme to the States and directed it to pay compensation for delayed wages to the farmers in drought- affected areas. Read more
Passage of GST Bill in your tenure would have been ideal farewell: PM Modi tells retiring RS lawmakers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed his gratitude to 53 lawmakers retiring from the Rajya Sabha between June and July this year for working under two different governments – the United Progressive Alliance led by Congress till 2014 and the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP. However, his farewell speech to the retiring MPs also had a pinch of salt. Read more
HC puts on hold JNU’s disciplinary action against Kanhaiya and other students
In a major relief to Kanhaiya Kumar and other students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the High Court today put on hold the disciplinary actions that were to be taken against them by the varsity. Read more
International News
‘Pakistan’s double game growing worse, time to put the squeeze on $33 bn aid’
Emphasizing that Pakistan was largely responsible for the continuing war in Afghanistan, a leading American daily today castigated Pakistan for its “double game”, terming it a “duplicitous and dangerous” partner for the US. Read more
People's Liberation Army of China to be most modern military by 2020: Report
China aims to complete the reform of its 2.3-million-strong army and have the most modern armed forces capable of 'informationised warfare' by 2020, laying a solid foundation for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to become a world-class force, according to the new five-year military development plan. Read more
World’s oldest person dies in New York at age 116
Robert Young, a senior consultant for the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, said Jones died on May 12 night at a public housing facility for seniors in Brooklyn where she had lived for more than three decades. He said she had been ill for the past 10 days. Read more
Business News
Top 10 of the world's best luxury retail destinations, no Indian city makes the cut
Asia Pacific has emerged as the favourite region for luxury retailers with four Chinese cities on the list. Read more
Digital India: New Intel India initiative to infuse technology in education
In an effort to contribute further to the "Digital India" initiative, chip-making giant Intel India on Friday launched an initiative to strengthen the use of technology in the country's education ecosystem. Read more
Mark Zuckerberg to meet influential conservative leaders
Facing flak for allegedly suppressing right-leaning stories on Facebook platforms, its founder Mark Zuckerberg said he would meet influential conservative leaders to explain them how the social networking website stays "as open as possible". Read more
Entertainment News
Cool or creepy? Someone just send 8,000 roses to this Emraan Hashmi heroine
Celebrities have no dearth of admirers ever. With what people see on screen, they make a perception and go beyond boundaries to get one glance of their favorite stars. Read more
2002 Hit and Run Case: Salman Khan in trouble again; victim approaches SC against his acquittal
Superstar Salman Khan, who got acquitted in 2002 Hit and Run Case on December 10, last year, might again have to face legal trouble. Read more
Kapil Sharma’s show fails to impress audience in second week; sees dramatic fall in TRP rating
It started with a bang but saw a new low within a week. We are referring to the much talked about comedy show – ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’. You all know how post his fallout with the channel Colors, comedian turned actor Kapil Sharma moved on with Sony to make a new show. Read more
Sports News
Dravid receives Rs 2.61 crore to coach U-19 and India A, Gavaskar gets 89.75 lakh for commentary
BCCI has paid Rs 1.30 crore, the second installment of Rahul Dravid's Rs 2.61 crore fee for coaching the national Under-19 and 'A' team, the cricket body has revealed in a financial statement. Read more
Not qualified to be BCCI president: Sourav Ganguly
Former India captain and incumbent Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly said on Friday that he does not meet the qualification criteria required for the Indian cricket board's top job. Read more
Mike Powell announces comeback at 52
Confident of beating the best of today even at 52, world record-holding long jumper Mike Powell has announced that he would try to qualify for this year's Olympic Games. Read more