Daily Bulletin: Triple Talaq Bill to be debated in Rajya Sabha, rains continue to lash Kerala, SBI to release Q1 results; top stories of the day

Triple Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha: The government will make a renewed attempt on Friday to pass the Triple Talaq Bill in Rajya Sabha. According to reports, since it is the last day of the Parliament Monsoon Session, if the opposition does not support in clearing the draft law, the government might bring in an ordinance, or emergency executive order to enact it. The cabinet had on Thursday passed off changes to the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill 2017, to dilute two contentious provisions as the original bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha in 2017 but was stuck in the Rajya Sabha where NDA is in minority. The government hopes that the tweaks cleared by the cabinet would address the Opposition’s concerns and aid in their to support the bill in its new form. The BJP has already ordered all its MPs to be present in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. [caption id=“attachment_4635151” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] Kerala rains kill 26 people: The southwest monsoon has left a devastating trail across Kerala, killing at least 26 people since Thursday. With water levels rising in various dams and reaching to their maximum capacity, shutters of at least 24 reservoirs in Kerala have been opened to drain out the excess water. And in light of the alarming situation, educational institutions in some parts of the state have been ordered to remain shut. Meanwhile, a flood-alert has also been sounded for the Palakkad district. Rahul Gandhi to visit Chhattisgarh: Congress chief Rahul gandhi will visit Chhattisgarh on Friday to inaugrate the new party office in the state. Reportedly, he will also flag off the Jungle Satyagraha campaign of the Adivasi Congress in Chhattisgarh. As assembly elections are due in the state later this year, Rahul also plans to meet various officials, journalists and business traders of the state. CBFC suggests 22 cuts for Vishwaroopam: The CBFC website revealed that Kamal Haasan’s much awaited film Vishwaroopam 2 has been suggested 22 cuts — owing to violent scenes and religious references — and given a U/A certificate. It is reported that advance booking of the Tamil version of the film has been slow due to Karunanidhi’s death, but the buzz around the film is rising. SBI to release Q1 results: The State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest lender, will put out its first-quarter earnings update post noon on Friday. The bank is expected to post a net loss for the quarter ending 30 June, 2018, owing to a jump in provisions, according to a Reuters poll of analysts. India vs England, second Test, Day 2: Incessant rain washed out the entire day one of the second cricket Test between India and England at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Thursday. The remaining four days will see 96 overs each to make up for the lost time. However, there is more rain forecast for this weekend and as such this match could see routine rain breaks. India have not announced their playing XI, but skipper Virat Kohli had said that he was tempted to play a second spinner. That thought might well have changed now, given the weather conditions and forecast ahead. Samsung launches Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Watch: Samsung launched its flagship smartphone called the Galaxy Note 9 along with brand-new S Pen, and the Galaxy Watch at the Galaxy Unpacked event in New York. Two variants of the Note 9 launched include: 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage and 8 GB RAM +512 GB storage. The smartphone and Watch are priced at $999 and $329 onwards. The Note 9 will go on sale starting from 24 August in select markets, which should hopefully also include India. Fortnite to be available to Android users: Popular game ‘Fortnite’ has been an iOS exclusive on smartphones, will be now available on Android as well. Tim Sweeny, CEO of Epic Games announced at Samsung’s Unpacked 2018 event that Fortnite would be available currently on Galaxy Note 9 and the Tab S4, but only for a few days. Meanwhile Note 9 users will get an exclusive Fortnite skin.