<p>The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday (July 21) went for an aggressive benchmark deposit rate hike. This is a first since 2011 and has brought an end to the era of negative interest rates in the eurozone. The half point hike is bigger than expected. It has come amid soaring inflation and looming energy crisis in the wake of conflict in Ukraine.</p>

<p>The ECB said its new "assessment of inflation risks" justified taking "a larger first step on its policy rate normalisation path than signalled at its previous meeting" in June when policymakers shared their intent to raise rates by a more modest 25 basis points or a quarter of a percentage point.</p>

<p>In June, inflation in the eurozone hit 8.6 per cent. This was the highest ever level and it was well above ECB's target of two per cent.</p>

<p>The ECB also unveiled the first details of a new crisis tool to fight bond market stress in parts of the eurozone.</p>

<p>The instrument is a response to recent increases in the borrowing costs for governments in more highly indebted, usually southern eurozone members, such as Italy.</p>

<p>Dubbed the "Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI)", the targeted bond-buying scheme "can be activated to counter unwarranted, disorderly market dynamics that pose a serious threat to the transmission of monetary policy across the euro area," the ECB said in a statement.</p>

<p>The rate hike has lifted ECB's deposit facility from negative to zero.</p>

<p>The rate on its main refinancing operations climbs to 0.50 percent and on its marginal lending facility to 0.75 percent.</p>

<p>With prices taking off, the euro weak against the dollar and other central banks racing ahead with bigger hikes, the ECB was under pressure to think about making a bigger move at the meeting on Thursday.</p>

<p>Future rate hikes "will be appropriate", the ECB said, as it looks to catch up with the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England which both&nbsp;<br />
started raising rates earlier and more aggressively.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday (July 21) went for an aggressive benchmark deposit rate hike. This is a first since 2011 and has brought an end to the era of negative interest rates in the eurozone.

The European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday (July 21) went for an aggressive benchmark deposit rate hike. This is a first since 2011 and has brought an end to the era of negative interest rates in the eurozone. The half point hike is bigger than expected. It has come amid soaring inflation and looming energy crisis in the wake of conflict in Ukraine. The ECB said its new "assessment of inflation risks" justified taking "a larger first step on its policy rate normalisation path than signalled at its previous meeting" in June when policymakers shared their intent to raise rates by a more modest 25 basis points or a quarter of a percentage point. In June, inflation in the eurozone hit 8.6 per cent. This was the highest ever level and it was well above ECB's target of two per cent. The ECB also unveiled the first details of a new crisis tool to fight bond market stress in parts of the eurozone. The instrument is a response to recent increases in the borrowing costs for governments in more highly indebted, usually southern eurozone members, such as Italy. Dubbed the "Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI)", the targeted bond-buying scheme "can be activated to counter unwarranted, disorderly market dynamics that pose a serious threat to the transmission of monetary policy across the euro area," the ECB said in a statement. The rate hike has lifted ECB's deposit facility from negative to zero. The rate on its main refinancing operations climbs to 0.50 percent and on its marginal lending facility to 0.75 percent. With prices taking off, the euro weak against the dollar and other central banks racing ahead with bigger hikes, the ECB was under pressure to think about making a bigger move at the meeting on Thursday. Future rate hikes "will be appropriate", the ECB said, as it looks to catch up with the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England which both started raising rates earlier and more aggressively. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

ECB goes for aggressive rate hike for first time since 2011

<p>UK chapter of Greenpeace, the environmental activism group has held colonialism responsible for environment emergency. The group has also said that systemic racism has also been a cause why people of colour have and continue to face worst of detriorating environment. The report says that people of colour, despite having contributed the least to emission of Greenhouse gases are now “disproportionately losing their lives and livelihoods” by millions.</p>

<p>Colonialism “established a model through which the air and lands of the global south have been … used as places to dump waste the global north does not want,” says the report.</p>

<p>A similar argument is quite often raised by developing countries around the world on global forums. These countries contend that developed nations have released greenhouse gases in almost unfettered way in past centuries to get where they are now and when developing nations seek to ensure their own development, there is increased pressure on them to limit emissions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The report by Greenpeace sheds light on inequalities even within the developed nations. It says that in UK, almost half of all waste-burning incinerators are located in neighbourhoods populated mainly by people of colour. Even in London, the report says that black people are more likely to breathe air with illegal level of pollutants.&nbsp;</p>


UK chapter of Greenpeace, the environmental activism group has held colonialism responsible for environment emergency. The group has also said that systemic racism has also been a cause why people of colour have and continue to face worst of detriorating environment.

UK chapter of Greenpeace, the environmental activism group has held colonialism responsible for environment emergency. The group has also said that systemic racism has also been a cause why people of colour have and continue to face worst of detriorating environment. The report says that people of colour, despite having contributed the least to emission of Greenhouse gases are now “disproportionately losing their lives and livelihoods” by millions. Colonialism “established a model through which the air and lands of the global south have been … used as places to dump waste the global north does not want,” says the report. A similar argument is quite often raised by developing countries around the world on global forums. These countries contend that developed nations have released greenhouse gases in almost unfettered way in past centuries to get where they are now and when developing nations seek to ensure their own development, there is increased pressure on them to limit emissions. The report by Greenpeace sheds light on inequalities even within the developed nations. It says that in UK, almost half of all waste-burning incinerators are located in neighbourhoods populated mainly by people of colour. Even in London, the report says that black people are more likely to breathe air with illegal level of pollutants.

Environment emergency is legacy of colonialism: Greenpeace UK

<p>Pluto used to be the most distant planet in our Solar System. Used to be because its status as a planet has been revoked. But that doesn't mean Pluto ceases to amaze us. Image of the frozen landscape was, in not too distant past, just a smidge. But as NASA's New Horizons zoomed past Pluto in 2015, we have got more insight of the icy world. NASA has been sharing Pluto's pics all this while. These pics have been liked by thousands and have helped generate interest in Pluto.</p>

<p>NASA has shared another photo and this has bowled everyone over as usual. In this picture, Pluto is replete in resplendent colours and for a&nbsp;space body it does look rather unique.</p>

<p>NASA has shared the image on Instagram.</p>

<p>"Where does the rainbow end? Pluto isn't really a psychedelic riot of colors - this translated color image was created by New Horizons scientists to highlight the many subtle color differences between the planet's distinct regions," NASA said in the post.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/dragons-eye-scientist-creates-image-of-galaxy-using-james-webb-space-telescope-499216">'Dragon's eye': Scientist creates image of galaxy using James Webb Space Telescope</a></strong></p>

<p>"Pluto has a complex, varied surface with jumbled mountains reminiscent of Europa, networks of carved-out valleys, old, heavily cratered terrain sitting right next to new, smooth icy plains, and even what might be wind-blown dunes," it added.</p>

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<p>The post had gone crazy viral with nearly one million likes.</p>


Pluto used to be the most distant planet in our Solar System. Used to be because its status as a planet has been revoked. But that doesn't mean Pluto ceases to amaze us.

Pluto used to be the most distant planet in our Solar System. Used to be because its status as a planet has been revoked. But that doesn't mean Pluto ceases to amaze us. Image of the frozen landscape was, in not too distant past, just a smidge. But as NASA's New Horizons zoomed past Pluto in 2015, we have got more insight of the icy world. NASA has been sharing Pluto's pics all this while. These pics have been liked by thousands and have helped generate interest in Pluto. NASA has shared another photo and this has bowled everyone over as usual. In this picture, Pluto is replete in resplendent colours and for a space body it does look rather unique. NASA has shared the image on Instagram. "Where does the rainbow end? Pluto isn't really a psychedelic riot of colors - this translated color image was created by New Horizons scientists to highlight the many subtle color differences between the planet's distinct regions," NASA said in the post. Also Read | 'Dragon's eye': Scientist creates image of galaxy using James Webb Space Telescope "Pluto has a complex, varied surface with jumbled mountains reminiscent of Europa, networks of carved-out valleys, old, heavily cratered terrain sitting right next to new, smooth icy plains, and even what might be wind-blown dunes," it added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA (@nasa) × The post had gone crazy viral with nearly one million likes.

NASA posts colourful pic of Pluto, wows netizens

<p>The European Commission on Wednesday urged the EU countries to cut demand for natural gas by 15 per cent over coming months. This step is being recommended to secure winter stocks and fight Russian "blackmail". EU commissioners have announced an emergency plan and has urged member states to give Brussels powers to impose compulsory energy rationing in case Russia cuts Europe's gas.</p>

<p>Last year Russia provided 40 per cent of Europe's total consumption of natural gas. However, in the wake of Ukraine conflict and EU imposing sanctions on Russia, it is widely expected that Russia would significantly reduce gas supply as a retaliatory measure. It has already started to do so.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Any further disruption to supply would also push consumer prices higher and raise the risk of a deep recession.</p>

<p>"Russia is blackmailing us," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Russia is using energy as a weapon and therefore, in any event, whether it's a partial major cut off of Russian gas or total cut off... Europe needs to be ready."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Europe is eagerly watching whether Russia will resume gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Thursday when scheduled maintenance is due to be completed.</p>

<p>German pipeline manager Gascade said it expected Russian gas deliveries to resume at 40 percent of capacity, the level of supplies before maintenance work.</p>

<p>On Wednesday evening, the president of Germany's Federal Network Agency Klaus Mueller estimated on Twitter that the delivery on Thursday might only be "around 30 percent" of the capacity, after updating the data.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><em>You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form"><strong>here</strong></a>.</em></p>

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The European Commission on Wednesday urged the EU countries to cut demand for natural gas by 15 per cent over coming months. This step is being recommended to secure winter stocks and fight Russian "blackmail".

The European Commission on Wednesday urged the EU countries to cut demand for natural gas by 15 per cent over coming months. This step is being recommended to secure winter stocks and fight Russian "blackmail". EU commissioners have announced an emergency plan and has urged member states to give Brussels powers to impose compulsory energy rationing in case Russia cuts Europe's gas. Last year Russia provided 40 per cent of Europe's total consumption of natural gas. However, in the wake of Ukraine conflict and EU imposing sanctions on Russia, it is widely expected that Russia would significantly reduce gas supply as a retaliatory measure. It has already started to do so. Any further disruption to supply would also push consumer prices higher and raise the risk of a deep recession. "Russia is blackmailing us," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters. "Russia is using energy as a weapon and therefore, in any event, whether it's a partial major cut off of Russian gas or total cut off... Europe needs to be ready." Europe is eagerly watching whether Russia will resume gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Thursday when scheduled maintenance is due to be completed. German pipeline manager Gascade said it expected Russian gas deliveries to resume at 40 percent of capacity, the level of supplies before maintenance work. On Wednesday evening, the president of Germany's Federal Network Agency Klaus Mueller estimated on Twitter that the delivery on Thursday might only be "around 30 percent" of the capacity, after updating the data. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

EU asks countries to cut gas use to tackle Russian 'blackmail'

<p>A GoAir&nbsp;flight had to be diverted after its windshield cracked mid-air due to bad weather on Wednesday (July 20). It was a Delhi-Guwahati flight. The flight landed safely after the diversion. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said 30 such incidents take place daily.</p>

<p>"On average, about 30 incidents do take place, including go-around, missed approaches, diversion, medical emergencies, weather, technical and bird hits," the top DGCA official told news agency ANI.</p>

<p>"Most of them have no safety implications. On the contrary, they are a sine qua non of a robust safety management system," he added.</p>

<p>This was third incident of technical malfunction that involve GoAir&nbsp;planes in last two days.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, a Delhi-bound GoAir aircraft was rejected take-off from Leh due to a dog on the runway.</p>

<p>In separate incidents, two GoAir&nbsp;flights were diverted due to engine snags on Tuesday. DGCA said that the cases were being investigated and the aircraft grounded. They will take off only when they get clearance from the authority.</p>

<p>One of these flights was VT-WGA flight from Mumbai to Leh. It was diverted to Delhi due to engine no. 2 fault. Another flight was Go Air A320 aircraft VT-WJG &nbsp;from Srinagar to Delhi was taken back to Srinagar due to Engine no. 2 EGT over limit.</p>

<p>The DGCA mentioned that there have been reports of increased engineering-related occurrences in scheduled airlines in recent times. In order to ensure that airlines are adhering to the laid down standards, DGCA has conducted several spot checks in the recent past.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><em>You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form"><strong>here</strong></a>.</em></p>

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A GoAir flight had to be diverted after its windshield cracked mid-air due to bad weather on Wednesday (July 20). It was a Delhi-Guwahati flight. The flight landed safely after the diversion.

A GoAir flight had to be diverted after its windshield cracked mid-air due to bad weather on Wednesday (July 20). It was a Delhi-Guwahati flight. The flight landed safely after the diversion. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said 30 such incidents take place daily. "On average, about 30 incidents do take place, including go-around, missed approaches, diversion, medical emergencies, weather, technical and bird hits," the top DGCA official told news agency ANI. "Most of them have no safety implications. On the contrary, they are a sine qua non of a robust safety management system," he added. This was third incident of technical malfunction that involve GoAir planes in last two days. On Tuesday, a Delhi-bound GoAir aircraft was rejected take-off from Leh due to a dog on the runway. In separate incidents, two GoAir flights were diverted due to engine snags on Tuesday. DGCA said that the cases were being investigated and the aircraft grounded. They will take off only when they get clearance from the authority. One of these flights was VT-WGA flight from Mumbai to Leh. It was diverted to Delhi due to engine no. 2 fault. Another flight was Go Air A320 aircraft VT-WJG from Srinagar to Delhi was taken back to Srinagar due to Engine no. 2 EGT over limit. The DGCA mentioned that there have been reports of increased engineering-related occurrences in scheduled airlines in recent times. In order to ensure that airlines are adhering to the laid down standards, DGCA has conducted several spot checks in the recent past. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

GoAir flight diverted after windshield cracks mid-air

<p>Italy held its breath Wednesday as the country's fractious parties furiously debated whether to support popular Prime Minister Mario Draghi at a crucial confidence vote to end a political crisis that could send Italians to snap elections.</p>

<p>Now was not the time for uncertainty within the eurozone's third largest economy, amid a myriad of domestic and geopolitical challenges, from a struggling economy to the Ukraine war, Draghi earlier told the Senate.</p>

<p>"We now need staunch support for the government's programme," he said, calling on parliamentarians for "courage, selflessness, credibility".</p>

<p>"Are you ready? ... You don't owe this answer to me, but to all Italians", he added.</p>

<p>In the stern speech by a usually softly-spoken Draghi, the former leader of the European Central Bank, who offered his resignation last week, said he was prepared to stay -- but on one condition: if the wildly disparate parties pledge anew to a common agenda.</p>

<p>The crisis was sparked by the refusal by the Five Star Movement, a coalition member, to opt out of a confidence vote last week.</p>

<p>Draghi moved immediately to step down, but was persuaded by Italy's president to reach out to parties first.</p>

<p><strong>'Carrot and stick'</strong></p>

<p>Polls suggest most Italians want Draghi, 74, to stay at the helm until the scheduled general election in May next year. His departure could force the president to dissolve parliament and call elections for September or October.</p>

<p>"Draghi did not compromise. He was very tough," Francesco Galietti, Policy Sonar analyst, told AFP.</p>

<p>"The entire speech was stick and carrot – though much more stick than carrot".</p>

<p>There is much at stake: a government collapse could worsen social ills in a period of rampant inflation, delay the budget, threaten EU post-pandemic recovery funds and send jittery markets into a tailspin.</p>

<p>Draghi noted Wednesday that as an unelected leader he needs the broadest consensus possible to tackle Italy's most pressing issues: from a cost of living crisis and recession worries, to the rollout of key reforms and the Ukraine war.</p>

<p>For a long time, he said, his coalition was able "to put aside divisions and come together... for rapid and effective action, for the good of all citizens".</p>

<p>But that had dropped by the wayside as the parties began focusing more on their grassroot supporters ahead of next year's ballot.</p>

<p><strong>'Scolded'</strong></p>

<p>Parties on the centre-left immediately said they would support Draghi at the vote later Wednesday.</p>

<p>The two right-wing parties in the coalition, ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's anti-immigration League, said they would only remain in Draghi's government if it did not include the Five Star.</p>

<p>Draghi "scolded his coalition partners for infighting and point-scoring" over the past few months and laid out a government line that "contains measures that either the League or the Five Star Movement firmly oppose," Teneo consultancy's Wolfango Piccoli said in a note.</p>

<p>"By not making any new concessions to either party, Draghi did not make it easy for the League and the Five Star".</p>

<p>As the parties fiercely debated in the Senate, it was not clear which way the Five Star would vote.</p>

<p>The populist party may split at the vote, with Forza Italia and the League potentially agreeing to work with the breakaway element.</p>

<p>Once the largest party in parliament, the Five Star Movement has already seen scores of defections as it hews to its radical, anti-establishment side in a bid to reverse plummeting support in the polls.</p>

<p><strong>'Pull ourselves together'</strong></p>

<p>Two-thirds of Italians believe Draghi should stay, according to a Euromedia poll published Tuesday. Nearly 2,000 mayors have signed a petition calling for him to remain PM.</p>

<p>Anxious investors are also watching closely. The spread -- the difference between 10-year Italian and German treasury bonds -- got a boost during Draghi's speech, only to widen to 218.4 as parties squabbled.</p>

<p>Wednesday's vote comes a day before the European Central Bank unveils a tool to correct stress in bond markets for indebted eurozone members.</p>

<p>The tool is meant for countries like Italy -- but as Enrico Letta, head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) said Tuesday, "if we don't pull ourselves together, it will be harder to ask others to save us".</p>

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Italy held its breath Wednesday as the country's fractious parties furiously debated whether to support popular Prime Minister Mario Draghi at a crucial confidence vote to end a political crisis that could send Italians to snap elections.

Italy held its breath Wednesday as the country's fractious parties furiously debated whether to support popular Prime Minister Mario Draghi at a crucial confidence vote to end a political crisis that could send Italians to snap elections. Now was not the time for uncertainty within the eurozone's third largest economy, amid a myriad of domestic and geopolitical challenges, from a struggling economy to the Ukraine war, Draghi earlier told the Senate. "We now need staunch support for the government's programme," he said, calling on parliamentarians for "courage, selflessness, credibility". "Are you ready? ... You don't owe this answer to me, but to all Italians", he added. In the stern speech by a usually softly-spoken Draghi, the former leader of the European Central Bank, who offered his resignation last week, said he was prepared to stay -- but on one condition: if the wildly disparate parties pledge anew to a common agenda. The crisis was sparked by the refusal by the Five Star Movement, a coalition member, to opt out of a confidence vote last week. Draghi moved immediately to step down, but was persuaded by Italy's president to reach out to parties first. 'Carrot and stick' Polls suggest most Italians want Draghi, 74, to stay at the helm until the scheduled general election in May next year. His departure could force the president to dissolve parliament and call elections for September or October. "Draghi did not compromise. He was very tough," Francesco Galietti, Policy Sonar analyst, told AFP. "The entire speech was stick and carrot – though much more stick than carrot". There is much at stake: a government collapse could worsen social ills in a period of rampant inflation, delay the budget, threaten EU post-pandemic recovery funds and send jittery markets into a tailspin. Draghi noted Wednesday that as an unelected leader he needs the broadest consensus possible to tackle Italy's most pressing issues: from a cost of living crisis and recession worries, to the rollout of key reforms and the Ukraine war. For a long time, he said, his coalition was able "to put aside divisions and come together... for rapid and effective action, for the good of all citizens". But that had dropped by the wayside as the parties began focusing more on their grassroot supporters ahead of next year's ballot. 'Scolded' Parties on the centre-left immediately said they would support Draghi at the vote later Wednesday. The two right-wing parties in the coalition, ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's anti-immigration League, said they would only remain in Draghi's government if it did not include the Five Star. Draghi "scolded his coalition partners for infighting and point-scoring" over the past few months and laid out a government line that "contains measures that either the League or the Five Star Movement firmly oppose," Teneo consultancy's Wolfango Piccoli said in a note. "By not making any new concessions to either party, Draghi did not make it easy for the League and the Five Star". As the parties fiercely debated in the Senate, it was not clear which way the Five Star would vote. The populist party may split at the vote, with Forza Italia and the League potentially agreeing to work with the breakaway element. Once the largest party in parliament, the Five Star Movement has already seen scores of defections as it hews to its radical, anti-establishment side in a bid to reverse plummeting support in the polls. 'Pull ourselves together' Two-thirds of Italians believe Draghi should stay, according to a Euromedia poll published Tuesday. Nearly 2,000 mayors have signed a petition calling for him to remain PM. Anxious investors are also watching closely. The spread -- the difference between 10-year Italian and German treasury bonds -- got a boost during Draghi's speech, only to widen to 218.4 as parties squabbled. Wednesday's vote comes a day before the European Central Bank unveils a tool to correct stress in bond markets for indebted eurozone members. The tool is meant for countries like Italy -- but as Enrico Letta, head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) said Tuesday, "if we don't pull ourselves together, it will be harder to ask others to save us". You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Italy fate in parties' hands after Draghi asks: 'in or out?'

<p>The ruling BJP and opposition Congress won two mayor's seats each in Madhya Pradesh while an independent candidate won another post on Wednesday, officials said. Elections for these posts had been held in the second phase, on July 13. Overall, of 16 mayoral posts in the state, the BJP has won nine and Congress five seats.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One seat went to AAP and another to Independent. In Rewa municipal corporation, Ajay Mishra Baba of Congress won the mayoral election by 10,301 votes, defeating BJP candidate Prabodh Vyas. Congress won the mayor's seat in Rewa for the first time since a direct election for the post was introduced in 1999.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Morena, Sharada Solanki of Congress won the mayoral election by 14,631 votes, defeating the BJP's Meena Mukesh Jatav. Morena municipal corporation is part of the Morena Lok Sabha seat, represented by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. In Dewas, the BJP's Geeta Agrawal won the mayoral election by defeating Vinodini Vyas of Congress by 45,889 votes. The BJP's Prahlad Patel won in Ratlam municipal corporation too by defeating Mayank Singh Jat of Congress by 8,591 votes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In Katni municipal corporation, independent candidate Priti Sanjeev Suri defeated her nearest rival and BJP candidate Jyoti Dixit by 5,287 votes. Katni is part of the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat, the constituency of state BJP chief V D Sharma. Polling was held in five municipal corporations, 40 nagar palikas and 169 nagar parishads across 43 districts in the second phase.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The elections were held on party lines. In the first phase of mayoral elections in 11 cities, for which counting was held on Sunday, the BJP had won seven seats while the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had won three and one mayoral posts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP won the mayoral elections in Bhopal, Indore, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Satna, Sagar, Ujjain, Dewas and Ratlam. The Congress won in Jabalpur, Gwalior, Chhindwara, Rewa and Morena. In the previous mayoral polls in 2014-2015, the BJP had won in all 16 municipal bodies. Urban civic body elections for 413 municipalities, including 16 municipal corporations, 99 municipal councils and 298 Nagar Parishads were held in two phases in Madhya Pradesh ?- July 6 and July 13.</p>

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The ruling BJP and opposition Congress won two mayor's seats each in Madhya Pradesh while an independent candidate won another post on Wednesday, officials said.

The ruling BJP and opposition Congress won two mayor's seats each in Madhya Pradesh while an independent candidate won another post on Wednesday, officials said. Elections for these posts had been held in the second phase, on July 13. Overall, of 16 mayoral posts in the state, the BJP has won nine and Congress five seats. One seat went to AAP and another to Independent. In Rewa municipal corporation, Ajay Mishra Baba of Congress won the mayoral election by 10,301 votes, defeating BJP candidate Prabodh Vyas. Congress won the mayor's seat in Rewa for the first time since a direct election for the post was introduced in 1999. In Morena, Sharada Solanki of Congress won the mayoral election by 14,631 votes, defeating the BJP's Meena Mukesh Jatav. Morena municipal corporation is part of the Morena Lok Sabha seat, represented by Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. In Dewas, the BJP's Geeta Agrawal won the mayoral election by defeating Vinodini Vyas of Congress by 45,889 votes. The BJP's Prahlad Patel won in Ratlam municipal corporation too by defeating Mayank Singh Jat of Congress by 8,591 votes. In Katni municipal corporation, independent candidate Priti Sanjeev Suri defeated her nearest rival and BJP candidate Jyoti Dixit by 5,287 votes. Katni is part of the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat, the constituency of state BJP chief V D Sharma. Polling was held in five municipal corporations, 40 nagar palikas and 169 nagar parishads across 43 districts in the second phase. The elections were held on party lines. In the first phase of mayoral elections in 11 cities, for which counting was held on Sunday, the BJP had won seven seats while the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party had won three and one mayoral posts. The BJP won the mayoral elections in Bhopal, Indore, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Satna, Sagar, Ujjain, Dewas and Ratlam. The Congress won in Jabalpur, Gwalior, Chhindwara, Rewa and Morena. In the previous mayoral polls in 2014-2015, the BJP had won in all 16 municipal bodies. Urban civic body elections for 413 municipalities, including 16 municipal corporations, 99 municipal councils and 298 Nagar Parishads were held in two phases in Madhya Pradesh ?- July 6 and July 13. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

MP municipal polls: Congress, BJP win two mayoral posts each in second phase

<p>James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionised the way we 'look' at the Universe. While good ol' Hubble Space Telescope steadfastly sent ever-beautiful images of the Universe for decades, JWST is humanity's most powerful eye in the sky now. The telescope is going to let us peer into corners of the Universe never seem before. It has already started its work.</p>

<p>A scientist has used sets of data captured by JWST and made a brilliant image of a faraway galaxy. The purple swirls of the spiral galaxy are indeed a marvel to behold.</p>

<p>Time for science speak. Gabriel Brammer of University of Copenhagen in Denmark downloaded the datasets captured by JWST. While hubble focussed on capturing images of the cosmos in visible spectrum, JWST primarily captures images in infrared spectrum. Human eyes cannot naturally perceive infrared light.</p>

<p>Brammer took the infrared datasets and 'translated' them into visible light (Red-Green-Blue). He then combined the three images that produced the mesmerising swirl of purple that we can see in the picture. Brammer is not associated with JWST team.</p>

<p>The galaxy captured in the pic is designated NGC 628. It appears purple in the image because of chemical composition of dust clouds in the galaxy.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“If our eyes could see in these mid-infrared wavelengths, the night sky would look a lot more like this picture, which I think would be spectacular, maybe a little terrifying,” says Brammer.</p>

<p>The center of the galaxy appears as if a dragon has its green gaze over us.</p>

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James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionised the way we 'look' at the Universe. While good ol' Hubble Space Telescope steadfastly sent ever-beautiful images of the Universe for decades, JWST is humanity's most powerful eye in the sky now.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revolutionised the way we 'look' at the Universe. While good ol' Hubble Space Telescope steadfastly sent ever-beautiful images of the Universe for decades, JWST is humanity's most powerful eye in the sky now. The telescope is going to let us peer into corners of the Universe never seem before. It has already started its work. A scientist has used sets of data captured by JWST and made a brilliant image of a faraway galaxy. The purple swirls of the spiral galaxy are indeed a marvel to behold. Time for science speak. Gabriel Brammer of University of Copenhagen in Denmark downloaded the datasets captured by JWST. While hubble focussed on capturing images of the cosmos in visible spectrum, JWST primarily captures images in infrared spectrum. Human eyes cannot naturally perceive infrared light. Brammer took the infrared datasets and 'translated' them into visible light (Red-Green-Blue). He then combined the three images that produced the mesmerising swirl of purple that we can see in the picture. Brammer is not associated with JWST team. The galaxy captured in the pic is designated NGC 628. It appears purple in the image because of chemical composition of dust clouds in the galaxy. “If our eyes could see in these mid-infrared wavelengths, the night sky would look a lot more like this picture, which I think would be spectacular, maybe a little terrifying,” says Brammer. The center of the galaxy appears as if a dragon has its green gaze over us. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

'Dragon's eye': Scientist creates image of galaxy using James Webb Space Telescope

<p>Journalist and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been granted interim bail by Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (July 20). The bail has been granted in all FIRs in Uttar Pradesh against him. The FIRs were filed for his alleged derogatory tweets. The court said that it found no reason or justification for deprivation of his liberty. The top Indian court said that "the existence of the power of arrest must be distinguished from the exercise of arrest and the exercise of the power of arrest must be pursued sparingly."</p>

<p>A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and AS Bopanna said that fairness to Zubair would require that the entirety of the investigation into all the FIRs be clubbed together. The court said it should be one and the same investigating authority that would handle all these cases.</p>

<p>It said "the overlap between the allegations in the FIRs, emanating as they do, from the tweets of the petitioner (Zubair) would only go to emphasise the need for a consolidated as opposed to a piecemeal investigation by a diverse set of law enforcement agencies."</p>

<p>"Having found from the record that the petitioner has been subjected to a fairly sustained investigation by the Delhi police, we find no reason or justification for the deprivation of the liberty of the petitioner to persist any further. Consequently, we are of the view that the petitioner shall be released on interim bail in each of the FIRs which form the subject matter of these proceedings under Article 32 of the Constitution", it said.</p>

<p>The court said that Zubair was to released from the jail 'no later than 6 pm' on Wednesday after presentation of the bail bonds.</p>

<p>The bench directed that the SIT which has been constituted by the UP police shall be rendered "redundant and shall be disbanded".</p>

<p>The detailed order was not immediately uploaded on the Supreme Court website but the operative part was.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Journalist and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been granted interim bail by Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (July 20). The bail has been granted in all FIRs in Uttar Pradesh against him.

Journalist and Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been granted interim bail by Supreme Court of India on Wednesday (July 20). The bail has been granted in all FIRs in Uttar Pradesh against him. The FIRs were filed for his alleged derogatory tweets. The court said that it found no reason or justification for deprivation of his liberty. The top Indian court said that "the existence of the power of arrest must be distinguished from the exercise of arrest and the exercise of the power of arrest must be pursued sparingly." A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and AS Bopanna said that fairness to Zubair would require that the entirety of the investigation into all the FIRs be clubbed together. The court said it should be one and the same investigating authority that would handle all these cases. It said "the overlap between the allegations in the FIRs, emanating as they do, from the tweets of the petitioner (Zubair) would only go to emphasise the need for a consolidated as opposed to a piecemeal investigation by a diverse set of law enforcement agencies." "Having found from the record that the petitioner has been subjected to a fairly sustained investigation by the Delhi police, we find no reason or justification for the deprivation of the liberty of the petitioner to persist any further. Consequently, we are of the view that the petitioner shall be released on interim bail in each of the FIRs which form the subject matter of these proceedings under Article 32 of the Constitution", it said. The court said that Zubair was to released from the jail 'no later than 6 pm' on Wednesday after presentation of the bail bonds. The bench directed that the SIT which has been constituted by the UP police shall be rendered "redundant and shall be disbanded". The detailed order was not immediately uploaded on the Supreme Court website but the operative part was. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Journalist Mohammed Zubair granted interim bail by Supreme Court of India

<p>Russia is planning to punish Wikimedia Foundation for what it says violation of Russian laws over Ukraine conflict. Wikimedia Foundation hosts online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Russia's communications watchdog, Roscomnadzor said Wikipedia was still hosting "prohibited materials, including fakes about the course of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine". The watchdog said that search engines would be used to inform users that Wikimedia violated Russian law.</p>

<p>Anton Gorelkin, vice chair of the Russian parliament's committee on information policy, took to Telegram to say that links to Wikipedia would be accompanied by a disclaimer warning users about legal violations by Wikimedia Foundation.</p>

<p>Roskomnadzor said the step taken would remain in place till Wikipedia becomes fully compliant with the Russia law.</p>

<p>The foundation on June 13 appealed a ruling by a Moscow court which fined it 5 million roubles (USD 91,000). The fine was imposed for refusing to remove what the court said wa disinformation on Ukraine conflict, &nbsp;including "The Russian Invasion of Ukraine", "War Crimes during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine", and "Massacre in Bucha".</p>

<p>Wikipedia is an open platform written and edited by volunteers acros 300+ languages.</p>

<p>After Ukraine invasion, much of Russia's independent media has shuttered. Wikipedia became one of the last available sources of fact-checked information on the war available to Russians.</p>

<p>Russia introduced sweeping new laws on sharing information about the conflict in Ukraine shortly after the Kremlin ordered tens of thousands of troops to deploy to the country on February 24.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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Russia is planning to punish Wikimedia Foundation for what it says violation of Russian laws over Ukraine conflict. Wikimedia Foundation hosts online encyclopedia Wikipedia.

Russia is planning to punish Wikimedia Foundation for what it says violation of Russian laws over Ukraine conflict. Wikimedia Foundation hosts online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Russia's communications watchdog, Roscomnadzor said Wikipedia was still hosting "prohibited materials, including fakes about the course of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine". The watchdog said that search engines would be used to inform users that Wikimedia violated Russian law. Anton Gorelkin, vice chair of the Russian parliament's committee on information policy, took to Telegram to say that links to Wikipedia would be accompanied by a disclaimer warning users about legal violations by Wikimedia Foundation. Roskomnadzor said the step taken would remain in place till Wikipedia becomes fully compliant with the Russia law. The foundation on June 13 appealed a ruling by a Moscow court which fined it 5 million roubles (USD 91,000). The fine was imposed for refusing to remove what the court said wa disinformation on Ukraine conflict, including "The Russian Invasion of Ukraine", "War Crimes during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine", and "Massacre in Bucha". Wikipedia is an open platform written and edited by volunteers acros 300+ languages. After Ukraine invasion, much of Russia's independent media has shuttered. Wikipedia became one of the last available sources of fact-checked information on the war available to Russians. Russia introduced sweeping new laws on sharing information about the conflict in Ukraine shortly after the Kremlin ordered tens of thousands of troops to deploy to the country on February 24. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Russia plans to punish Wikipedia for 'fakes' on Ukraine conflict

Sri Lanka may have got an acting President in Ranil Wickremesinghe, but the parliament is yet to elect a president who will serve remainder of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's term at the helm. Sri Lankan lawmakers are to elect the new president in a secret ballot. Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana has already said that the vote to elect new president will take place on Wednesday (July 20). WION brings you LIVE updates of the situation in crisis-hit South Asian nation.

As it happened: Demonstrators burn an effigy of interim Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe

<p>The stage is set for a three way fight to be the next president of Sri Lanka. The country is facing an unprecedented economic crisis that has seen acute shortage of food, fuel, medicines and more. The country does have an acting President in Ranil Wickremesinghe but parliament needs to select a president who will serve remainder of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's term.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The winner will take charge of a bankrupt country that is in talks with the IMF for a bailout as its 22 million people endure severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines.</p>

<p>Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday (July 19), announced that acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe will face former education minister Dullas Alahapperuma and leftist leader Anura Dissanayake in a secret ballot. Alahapperuma enjoys support from the opposition parties in Sri Lanka. Voting to elect the president is due to take place on July 20.</p>

<p><strong>Watch | Sri Lankan Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa withdraws from Presidential election race</strong></p>

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<p>The three were formally nominated by legislators in a session that lasted under 10 minutes at the tightly guarded parliament building.</p>

<p>It was expected that Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa would throw in hat in the fray but he declared on Tuesday morning that he was withdrawing his name from the race.</p>

<p>"For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish, I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President," Premadasa said on Twitter.</p>

<p><strong>Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/sri-lankan-crisis-economy-lessons-india-can-learn-498205">Sri Lankan crisis: Economy lessons India can learn</a></strong></p>

<p>AFP cited political sources to say that Premadasa and Alahapperuma had struck a deal overnight for one to be president and the other prime minister</p>

<p>But Wickremesinghe, 73, a veteran political operator and six times prime minister, has the formal backing of the leadership of the SLPP, which remains the largest party in the 225-member parliament.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

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The stage is set for a three way fight to be the next president of Sri Lanka. The country is facing an unprecedented economic crisis that has seen acute shortage of food, fuel, medicines and more.

The stage is set for a three way fight to be the next president of Sri Lanka. The country is facing an unprecedented economic crisis that has seen acute shortage of food, fuel, medicines and more. The country does have an acting President in Ranil Wickremesinghe but parliament needs to select a president who will serve remainder of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa's term. The winner will take charge of a bankrupt country that is in talks with the IMF for a bailout as its 22 million people endure severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines. Sri Lankan parliament on Tuesday (July 19), announced that acting President Ranil Wickremesinghe will face former education minister Dullas Alahapperuma and leftist leader Anura Dissanayake in a secret ballot. Alahapperuma enjoys support from the opposition parties in Sri Lanka. Voting to elect the president is due to take place on July 20. Watch | Sri Lankan Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa withdraws from Presidential election race × The three were formally nominated by legislators in a session that lasted under 10 minutes at the tightly guarded parliament building. It was expected that Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa would throw in hat in the fray but he declared on Tuesday morning that he was withdrawing his name from the race. "For the greater good of my country that I love and the people I cherish, I hereby withdraw my candidacy for the position of President," Premadasa said on Twitter. Read | Sri Lankan crisis: Economy lessons India can learn AFP cited political sources to say that Premadasa and Alahapperuma had struck a deal overnight for one to be president and the other prime minister But Wickremesinghe, 73, a veteran political operator and six times prime minister, has the formal backing of the leadership of the SLPP, which remains the largest party in the 225-member parliament. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Three-way fight will decide who will be Sri Lanka's next president

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Zee News Rajasthan

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Manas Joshi

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