National News
Ex-JD(U) MLA says popularity of Nitish Kumar dipped due to liquor ban
Shyam Bahadur Singh, a former three-time Janata Dal (United) MLA, has claimed that the popularity of Nitish Kumar, the Bihar Chief Minister and his party Chief, has declined due to liquor ban in the state.
He said that if Nitish Kumar fails to provide relaxation in liquor ban then he would support Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Tejashwi Yadav in future.
Singh came to limelight following his announcement to conduct a drunkard convention in Siwan’s Gandhi Maidan on Tuesday.
“If Nitish Kumar will amend the existing Liquor Prohibition law, then I will support him. If he denies it, I will make an effort for Tejashwi Yadav to make him the Chief Minister in future. The popularity of Nitish Kumar plummeted due to his liquor ban decision. Yesterday, he shut liquor and tomorrow women (kal inhone daru band kar diya or kal ye ‘mehraru’ (women) band kar denge),” the JD(U) MLA added.
“The popularity of Nitish Kumar has been declining and it was proven in the 2020 Assembly election when JD(U) seat tally reduced from 69 to 43. JD(U) had won 69 seats in the 2015 Assembly election,” he said.
“We serve drinks (liquor) according to the choice of common people. We will arrange every brand of liquor from beer to country-made and Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) which is popularly known as “Laal pani” or “English” in Bihar, he said.
Though, he has not given the exact date but he added that the convention will be held after the winter.
“The idea is to find the number of people who are in favour of liquor to be allowed in the state and those who are in favour of liquor ban,” Singh said.
While pleading to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with folded hands, the JD(U) MLA appealed to him to give some relaxation in the law.
“The availability of liquor is everywhere in the state. Liquor is not banned here. Nitish Kumar should allow beer and IMFL to be made available easily. For poor people, the state government should also allow country-made liquor. Poor people cannot afford English (IMFL) liquor,” he said.
Asked by the media if the Chief Minister was firm on his decision and will continue the liquor ban, Singh said, “Nitish Kumar is not above the judiciary. All judges drink liquor. If Nitish Kumar does not listen to my suggestion, I will settle the matter in the next Assembly election,” he added.
Following the move of the former JD(U) MLA, RJD Spokesperson Mritunjay Tiwari slammed Nitish Kumar.
“This is the real outcome of your so-called ‘Samaj Sudhar Abhiyan’ (Social Reform Campaign). Your party legislator is going to organise a drunkard convention in the state. What kind of Samaj Sudhar Abhiyan had you organised in various districts? First you (Nitish Kumar) should do reforms in your own party and then think of social reforms. The real truth of the liquor ban was explained by your own party leader. He is confirming that there is no liquor ban in the state.”
Another RJD leader Bantu Singh said, “Your (JD-U) leader is going to announce a drunkard convention in Gandhi Maidan and your (Nitish) government has served notices to the houses of poor people in Nalanda and are forcing them to vacate it. You are completely exposed now. Why are you not taking action against Shyam Bahadur Singh, who is openly challenging your liquor ban decision.”
Business
Piyush Goyal to lead business delegation to Spain, Belgium and Finland to deepen trade, investment ties

New Delhi, July 12: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will lead a high-level Indian business delegation on a five-day visit to Spain, Belgium and Finland from July 13 to 17, as India seeks to deepen its economic engagement with Europe through enhanced cooperation in trade, investment, technology, innovation and sustainability, it was announced on Sunday.
The delegation will include leading Indian companies from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, digital technologies, gems and jewellery, food processing, healthcare and design. The visit is aimed at expanding business-to-business partnerships and exploring new opportunities for collaboration with European industries, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.
The visit will begin in Spain on July 13, where Goyal will participate in a business roundtable jointly organised by the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, CEOE and ICEX Spain Trade & Investment. The discussions are expected to focus on sectors including automotive, renewable energy, railways, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, food processing and tourism.
The meeting will bring together industry leaders from both countries at a time when India and Spain are celebrating the Spain-India Dual Year 2026, marking 70 years of diplomatic relations. Several Spanish companies, including Iberdrola, Acciona, CAF, Talgo, Gestamp and Indra, have already established a strong presence in India, while Indian technology and engineering firms such as TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Tech Mahindra and Larsen & Toubro are expanding their operations in Spain to support digital transformation and Industry 4.0 initiatives.
In Belgium, where the delegation will travel on July 14 and 15, the minister will visit the Port of Antwerp to study Europe’s leading logistics hub and gain insights into multimodal connectivity, green logistics and resilient supply chains.
During the Belgium visit, Goyal will hold CEO-level meetings with senior executives of Thales Group and Silox Group.
The minister will also participate in the India-EU Business Roundtable and the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Plenary, where discussions will cover foreign direct investment, trade facilitation, sustainable technologies and resilient supply chains.
The final leg of the tour will take the delegation to Finland on July 16 and 17. Goyal will participate in the India-Finland Business Roundtable, engaging with Finnish companies across digitalisation, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and the circular economy.
Crime
Speeding Ferrari crashes into apartment building in Hyderabad Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad, July 12: A speeding Ferrari car crashed into the gate of an apartment building in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills area in the early hours of Sunday. There were no casualties, said officials.
The incident occurred on Road Number 5 in the upscale Jubilee Hills under the Film Nagar Police Station limits.
The occupants abandoned the heavily damaged Ferrari Roma, said to be worth more than Rs 3.50 crore, and fled before police arrived at the scene.
The gate of Fort View Apartments was completely damaged in the collision. The front portion of the luxury car was badly mangled.
The man driving the vehicle escaped after the accident. Police suspect that the person at the wheel was under the influence of alcohol and driving the vehicle at a high speed and in a rash manner.
Police registered a case and launched an investigation into the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. Police were examining the CCTV footage to ascertain if there were other persons in the vehicle.
Police shifted the damaged Ferrari to the police station with the help of a towing vehicle.
This is the second such incident in Jubilee Hills in less than a week. An SUV had crashed into Tollywood actor Dharma’s residence on the night of July 9.
A man who was under the influence of alcohol had rammed the SUV into the residence of Dharma on Road Number 10. The compound wall of the actor’s house was damaged in the incident.
The accused was identified as Karthik Kumar, who drove the SUV in a rash and negligent manner before losing control and ramming into Dharma’s house. Luckily, there were no casualties.
The actor alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and arrested the accused. A breathalyser test confirmed that the accused was drunk while driving the SUV.
Police registered a criminal case against Kartik Kumar and launched further investigation.
National News
4.5 magnitude earthquake in Bay of Bengal triggers tremors in Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam, July 12: A 4.5 magnitude earthquake in the Bay of Bengal triggered tremors in parts of Visakhapatnam and adjoining districts of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.
Some areas in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam were jolted by the tremors around 5.05 a.m.
The tremors were felt in Gajuwaka, Mangalapalem, Sagar Nagar, Pedda Waltair, Arilova, MVP colony, Appughar and other areas.
According to the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), a mild earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale occurred in the Bay of Bengal early on Sunday, and mild tremors were felt in several parts of Visakhapatnam city.
National Center for Sesimology said the earthquake occurred at 5:05:46 a.m. IST at a depth of 10 km, with its epicentre located about 225 km off the Kakinada coast in the Bay of Bengal. The epicentre was located at latitude 16.805 degrees N and longitude 84.381 degrees E.
No casualties, property damage or any other loss have been reported due to the earthquake.
There are reports of tremors being felt in parts of Anakapalli, Vizianagaram, Kakinada and Konaseema districts.
Experts described it as a shallow earthquake. They said there was no need for people to be worried as the tremors were mild due to structural adjustments. They pointed out that the region is considered tectonically stable.
In November last year, Visakhapatnam and Alluri Sitharamaraju districts were jolted by a mild earthquake.
An earthquake of magnitude 3.7 had struck the Alluri district in north coastal Andhra on November 4, 2015. The tremors triggered panic among residents in some areas. People ran out of their houses on hearing a loud sound. However, there were no casualties or any other damage. According to the National Center of Seismology, the epicentre of the earthquake was at G. Madugula in Alluri Sitharamaraju district at a depth of 10 km. The epicentre was 110 km from the port city of Visakhapatnam.
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