The country has experienced decline in rainfall in July and almost all regions except the north-west have started registering negative precipitation.According to the India Meteorological Department, from June 1 until July 8, the country has registered an overall deficit rainfall of four per cent. Although June recorded 16 per cent more rainfall than its normal limit, the country's weather agency has predicted 8 and 10 per cent less rainfall for July and August.

AAP MLA Manoj Kumar detained by Delhi police
AAP's Kondli MLA Manoj Kumar was today arrested by Delhi police in an over a month old case of  alleged land grabbing. Kumar was called to New Ashok Nagar Police station in East Delhi for questioning in the case. Vinod Kumar, who claims to be Manoj's business partner, had given Rs six lakh to him to purchase a plot in November 2012 but he did not repay the amount.

Sensex closes 114 points down, Nifty fails to hold 8,350
After remaining in a thin range for most of the session, the S&P BSE Sensex eventually settled 114.06 points lower as investors turned cautious ahead of the kickstart of the earnings season. The 30-pack index shed 0.41 per cent to settle at 27,573.66. Nifty fell 34.50 points, or 0.41 per cent, to close at 8,328.55.

Rajnath to meet president Mukherjee, may discuss MP governor's issue
Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be calling on president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday evening, a meeting that comes against the backdrop of mounting demands for the removal of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav in the wake of Vyapam scam.The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notice to the Governor, the Centre and the state governor on the demand for his removal without commenting on demands that he should demit office.

SC issues notice to police officials for implicating Isro scientist
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea of former ISRO scientist S Nambinarayanan seeking criminal prosecution of police officials who had falsely implicated him in Isro spy case. A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra issued notice on his petition and sought response from the police officials in eight weeks.

Good news on ‘One Rank One Pension’ soon: Manohar Parrikar
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday said there will be “good news” soon on the issue of One Rank One Pension, a long-standing demand of ex-servicemen who have been holding protests across the nation. “It’s an inter-departmental issue. As far as the defence ministry is concerned, our work is almost over. This is taking time but I can say that there will be a good news soon,” he said.
 
Oral cholera vaccine shows promise, finds study
Shanchol, an oral vaccine made by India’s Shantha Biotechnics Ltd, an arm of the French pharma firm Sanofi SA, has reduced cases of cholera by nearly 40% in a trial in Bangladeshi slums, according to a study published in The Lancet on Wednesday.

Gajendra Chauhan Not Qualified Enough, Says Anupam Kher
Actor Anupam Kher, who is husband of BJP MP Kiron Kher, today said Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) needs a "much qualified" person at the helm of affairs and also supported the idea of turning the government institute into an autonomous body. Gajendra Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhisthira on TV epic "Mahabharata", took over as the chairman of the Pune-based institute's governing council last month. His appointment was heavily criticised by current and former students of the institute. "I certainly do not think Gajendra ji is qualified as a producer, director or actor," 60-year old actor said.

London commuters try to cope with subway strike, traffic causes gridlock
Commuters in London  struggled to cope with the effects of a 24-hour strike that has shut the city’s subway system on Thursday. There were long lines for buses and many walked or cycled to work during the morning rush hour. Vehicle traffic was far heavier than usual, causing gridlock in parts of the capital. Drivers and station staff have walked out in a disagreement over wages and schedule.

Car sales grow slowest in 8 months: Siam
Car sales in India, the world’s second-fastest growing automobile market, grew 1.53% to 162,677 units, the slowest in the last eight months. Sales of total passenger vehicles, which includes sales of utility vehicles, vans and cars, declined 0.54% to 217,000 units, according to data provided by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam).

GM recalls over 196,000 Hummers to fix fan controls that can overheat
General Motors is recalling more than 196,000 Hummer SUVs worldwide because the ventilation fan motor controls can overheat and start a fire.The recallcovers the 2006 to 2010 Hummer H3 and the 2009 and 2010 H3T. GM says the recall covers about 165,000 Hummers in the US.

UGC warns universities against ‘outsourcing’ MPhil, PhD services
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all universities to ensure that research supervisors for MPhil and PhD students are allocated from regular faculty members and the services are not outsourced.“It has come to the notice of the UGC that some universities are hiring the services of the supervisors who do not happen to be regular teachers of those universities or their affiliated PG colleges or institutes for awarding MPhil and PhD degrees.” “This practice is in violation of the UGC (minimum standards and procedure for awarding MPhil/PhD) Regulations, 2009,” UGC secretary Jaspal Sandhu said in a communication to vice chancellors.