News18 Evening Digest: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's First Reaction After Attack & Other Top Stories
We are also covering: Russia To Keep Oil Supplies Flowing To India At 5% Discount Amid Trump Tariffs and other top stories.
In today's evening digest, News18 brings the latest updates on Delhi CM Reka Gupta's attack, Amit Shah Gives PM Modi Example To Defend 'Tainted' Leader Bill, and other top stories
'Can Never Break My Spirit': Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's First Reaction After Attack
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Congress for its opposition to the new bill that would allow for the removal of a Prime Minister or Chief Minister if they are arrested for serious crimes. Shah argued that Congress is against the bill because it wants to stay above the law, run governments while in jail, and maintain its grip on power. Read More
Karisma Kapoor's ex-husband, Sunjay Kapur, a well-known business tycoon and chairman of mobility giant Sona Comstar, died of cardiac arrest in June at just 53. His death has since led to legal wrangles and claims over the family-run empire. But in the middle of boardroom battles and inheritance disputes, his sister, Mandhira Kapur, has revealed how her mother was made to sign legal papers by several people, including Sunjay's wife, Priya Sachdev. Read More
No Cricketer Reached Out To Help Prithvi Shaw, But Opener Wants No 'Sympathy'
Indian batter Prithvi Shaw confirmed that no cricketer, past or present, reached out to him in his difficult time away from the sport. He, however, added that he's not looking for any 'sympathy' either, and doing 'everything alone' has not only stopped bothering him but is also having a positive impact. Read More
view comments
First Published:
August 20, 2025, 19:14 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Loading comments...
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
27 minutes ago
- First Post
US Judge blocks bid to unseal grand jury records as pressure mounts on Trump for Epstein list
District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday that the grand jury records – around 70 pages of testimony – were 'merely a hearsay snippet' compared with the government's 100,000 pages of investigative files Commuters walk past a bus stop near Nine Elms Station as activists put up a poster showing President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein near the US Embassy in London. AP A US judge has denied a Justice Department attempt to release grand jury records from the sex-trafficking case against Jeffrey Epstein, saying the sealed materials are far less significant than the wider trove of government files on the disgraced financier that remain withheld from the public. District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan ruled on Wednesday that the grand jury records – around 70 pages of testimony – were 'merely a hearsay snippet' compared with the government's 100,000 pages of investigative files. He argued that if the administration was serious about transparency, it should release the broader cache of documents rather than seeking an exception to rules protecting the secrecy of grand jury proceedings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump's promise collides with legal barriers The decision adds to the political pressure on Donald Trump, who has faced mounting criticism from his conservative base over his administration's handling of the Epstein files. During his 2024 campaign, Trump pledged to make public all material connected to Epstein and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But in July, the Justice Department announced it would not release any further material, dismissed claims of a hidden client list, and insisted much of the evidence could not be disclosed. The stance infuriated supporters who had expected sweeping disclosures. Following Trump's instruction, Attorney General Pam Bondi had asked the court to approve the release of Epstein's grand jury testimony. The filing revealed that the panel had heard from just one witness – an FBI agent – before handing down Epstein's indictment. Wider legal push stalls across jurisdictions The latest ruling follows similar setbacks for the administration in other courts. Earlier this month, Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan rejected a bid to unseal grand jury materials from the case of Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting underage girls. Engelmayer wrote that the evidence presented to her grand jury was already aired at her trial and contained no indication of others having sexual contact with minors. In July, a Florida judge also refused a request to release grand jury records from Epstein's earlier federal investigations in 2005 and 2007. Those probes culminated in a controversial 2008 plea deal that saw Epstein serve just 13 months in jail on a state prostitution charge. Epstein's legacy and lingering conspiracy theories Epstein, who pleaded not guilty to sex-trafficking charges, died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. His death, officially ruled a suicide by hanging, fuelled conspiracy theories that he was murdered to protect powerful associates. His connections with influential figures across politics, business and royalty have continued to stoke public interest in the case and demands for transparency. With inputs from agencies
The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
With real money gaming ban, govt. breaks off from self-regulation attempts
The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (August 20, 2025), marks a major and sudden departure for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology from its earlier approach of nudging the real money gaming (RMG) industry to self-regulate. The industry, which counts large firms like Dream11, MPL and PokerBaazi, has largely maintained public silence, but has voiced concern in a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah. In 2023, the IT Ministry announced an amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to regulate RMG firms, by getting them to set up a government-registered self-regulatory body. However, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Wednesday the proposals were rife with conflicts of interest. In the meantime, complaints mounted from MPs and social organisations, Mr. Vaishnaw said, about the toll that RMG platforms were exerting on their constituents and families around the country. 'This was across party lines,' Mr. Vaishnaw said. 'In every State we were hearing these complaints.' Similar pan-partisan tensions preceded the decision by the GST Council in 2023, when a 28% tax was slapped on all deposits in RMG platforms at face value, as opposed to on the commission, as was the case earlier. The RMG industry has successfully stalled or fought off State-level bans, thanks to the courts' settled view that games of 'skill,' where a player's experience and smarts can influence the outcome far more than luck, do not constitute gambling. Since States are restricted by the Constitution on regulating games that are not legally recognised as gambling, the Union government holds the cards. And until Wednesday, it appeared that a light-touch regime would prevail. With this Bill, the government seeks to render the skill-chance binary moot, presenting the RMG industry with perhaps its final shot at legitimacy at the courts. If the courts do not side in the government's favour, the state would continue to have yet another policy tool at its disposal: the rumoured so-called sin tax GST rate of 40%, which would further strain the industry's ability to remain an enticing option for people who want to play to win money. 'Litigation is inevitable,' Meghna Bal, founder of the tech policy think tank Esya Centre said, 'as this law fails the test of proportionality under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.' Ms. Bal argued that the 2023 IT Rules amendment was a feasible way to regulate the sector. 'There is no rational connection between the law and the purpose it seeks to serve, as it only opens up the market further for illegal offshore platforms that are driving financial losses.' The Bill also provides explicit clarity to esports firms, which offer competition-based video games, with real life tournaments gaining increasing interest and viewership in India. An 'authority' would be established by the IT Ministry that would register esports firms as well as determine whether a given platform is an 'online money game' or not.
Time of India
42 minutes ago
- Time of India
CM meets Piyush Goyal to talk industrial devpt
Jaipur: Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma Wednesday met Union minister of commerce and industry in New Delhi to discuss the industrial development of Rajasthan. The CM informed the Union Minister about various policies implemented to strengthen the industrial sector in the state and also shared key decisions taken for the comprehensive development of industries. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They also discussed efforts made to increase industrial investment and generate employment in Rajasthan. Sharma informed Goyal about the continuous monitoring process of the Rs 35 lakh crore investment MoUs signed during the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit.
