News brief: Big stories of the day

PM Modi cast his vote at a polling booth in Nishan Higher Secondary School in Ranip, Ahmedabad. Drawing an analogy between voting and Kumbh, Modi said him exercising his franchise is like taking a holy dip in Kumbh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cast his vote in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections and appealed to first-time voters to cast their votes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his mother Heeraben in Ahmedabad before casting his vote. Modi sought his mother's blessings and then reached the polling booth in an open-top jeep.

Sri Lanka on Tuesday imposed a state of emergency hours after the government blamed a local Islamist group for a series of suicide bomb blasts that killed at least 290 people, including dozens of foreigners.

Amazon announced last Thursday that it will shut its China online store by July 18 and will no longer operate a marketplace, nor provide seller services on Amazon.cn.

Chief Executive Elon Musk said Tesla Inc robotaxis with no human drivers would be available in some US markets next year, continuing a habit of bold pronouncements that have excited many investors while often missing deadlines.