Times of India

The Bill, which has been circulated among Members of Parliament, is expected to be introduced in the Lok Sabha shortly by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

In a recent bypoll, the BJP claimed victory in the Manjalpur seat of Vadodara, Gujarat, with candidate Satish Patel triumphing over Congress's Bhikhabhai Rabari by a notable, though diminished, margin compared to past assembly election results. This election followed the passing of BJP MLA Yogesh Patel, highlighting a need for the party to reassess its strategies given the reduced lead in votes.

Arshdeep, who is a regular in India's white-ball teams, was part of the Test squad during the 2025 tour of England but did not make his Test debut because of injury and team combination issues.

India will construct over one thousand affordable housing units in Seychelles. This project addresses the island nation's housing shortage and strengthens bilateral cooperation. The first phase of this development is scheduled for completion by the year 2029. India's National Buildings Construction Corporation will manage the entire project's planning and implementation. This initiative is part of a larger economic package and development partnership between the two nations.

August brings numerous bank holidays across India, affecting branch operations. Banks will close on specific dates due to regional festivals and national observances. Customers should verify local branch availability before planning visits. Digital banking services will remain accessible throughout these holiday periods. Plan branch-specific transactions in advance to avoid any inconvenience.

A simple observation about food waste at Louisiana State University led former student Will Grand to start Giving Greek, a student-run organisation that has donated more than 10,000 meals to a Baton Rouge homeless shelter. Grand was recently recognised by US Senator Bill Cassidy, who praised his initiative for inspiring community service and helping people in need

Australian middle-distance runner Natasha Ward has died at 21, NSW Athletics and the Sutherland District Athletics Club confirmed in a joint statement on Thursday, July 30. Ward competed across the 400m, 800m and 1500m, racing at the 2024 Australian Championships against Morgan Mitchell and Claudia Hollingsworth, and had recently won bronze at the UniSport Nationals while studying at Macquarie University.

Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Satish Patel won the Manjalpur by-election. He defeated Congress nominee Bhikhabhai Rabari by over 30,000 votes. The by-election was held after the death of senior BJP MLA Yogesh Patel. This victory increases the BJP's strength in the Gujarat Assembly to 162 members. The Congress party now holds twelve seats in the assembly.

Manu Bhaker, who won two medals at the Paris Olympics, shared a long message on X on Sunday. She did not mention any particular incident but spoke about the increasing use of abusive language in everyday conversations. Manu created history at the Paris Olympics 2024 by becoming the first Indian athlete in the post-Independence era to win two medals at a single Olympic Games.

Two Congress MLAs resigned from the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Monday. They were unhappy over their exclusion from the state cabinet expansion. Supporters of one MLA protested, alleging unfair treatment by the party. Twenty ministers are set to take their oath later today. These resignations intensify discontent within the ruling party.

In a significant development, the West Bengal STF is delving into a terror recruitment ring that is tied to Pakistan and is targeting youth via online channels. Allegedly, Hamim Mondal exploited social media and gaming sites to scout and assign roles to recruits. For instance, Arpita Sarkar met Mondal on Instagram, while Aditya Singh linked up through an online game.

USA cricketer Bodugum Akhilesh Reddy has been banned from all cricket for eight years after an ICC tribunal found him guilty of three Anti-Corruption Code breaches linked to the 2025 Abu Dhabi T10. He was found to have attempted match-fixing, encouraged a teammate to participate, and deleted evidence during the investigation. His ban is effective from November 21, 2025.

Unusual whale and seabird sightings in the Southern Ocean suggest changing ocean conditions. Marine heat waves are affecting waters around Australia and Antarctica. These warming events disrupt food webs and push marine life off course. Limited monitoring hinders understanding of these significant ecosystem shifts. Better long-term data is urgently needed to track these accelerating changes.

Vijay's latest venture, Jana Nayagan, is proving to be a box office success following its release, having crossed the impressive Rs 200 crore threshold over its second weekend in theaters. However, the film has recently seen a decrease in daily earnings as it began its second week. Current estimates reveal that the total collections in India have reached Rs 206.38 crore, marking a slight slowdown in momentum.