Daily Bulletin: Vajpayee on life support, 67 dead in Kerala rains, ex-cricketer Ajit Wadekar passes away; top stories for today

Atal Bihari Vajpayee on life support

India’s former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 93, has been put on life support after his condition worsened, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) said in a late Wednesday night statement. Vajpayee was admitted to AIIMS on 11 June with a kidney infection, urinary tract infection, low urine output and chest congestion. Vajpayee, a diabetic, has only one functional kidney, reports PTI. Vajpayee also suffered a stroke in 2009.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the hospital on Wednesday evening to inquire about Vajpayee’s condition. He reached the hospital around 7.15 pm and spent about 50 minutes there, according to reports. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and other Union ministers such as Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Suresh Prabhu and Harsh Vardhan made a beeline to AIIMS to meet the former prime minister.

Toll in Kerala rains rises to 67

The flood situation in Kerala further worsened with many areas inundated and flight operations suspended till Saturday at Kochi airport, as the toll rose to 67 with rain fury claiming 25 lives on Wednesday. Officials said a red alert has been sounded in all the 14 districts of the state.

The shutters of 35 of the 39 dams in Kerala, including the 123-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam, have been opened for the first time in history, leaving large areas of the state at the risk of floods. The state government also cancelled this year’s Onam celebrations in view of the worst floods in nearly a century in the state.

Ashutosh quits AAP citing ‘personal reasons’

Journalist-turned-politician Ashutosh resigned on Wednesday from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), citing “very very personal” reasons. Ashutosh, who had been with the party since its inception, had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Chandni Chowk but lost to BJP’s Harsh Vardhan.

Announcing his decision on Twitter , he said, “Every journey has an end. My association with AAP which was beautiful/revolutionary has also an end. I have resigned from the party/requested PAC to accept the same.” He said it was “purely for a very, very personal reason”, and thanked the party and his supporters.

FIR against singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya

An FIR has been filed against singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya for allegedly harassing a woman during a telephonic interview. The woman has accused the singer of using abusive language and derogatory remarks while in conversation with her. The FIR has been filed in Amboli police station in Mumbai.

Ajit Wadekar passes away

Former India Test captain Ajit Wadekar passed away late on Wednesday after a prolonged illness. He was 77. Wadekar had led India to trailblazing wins in West Indies and England in 1971. Wadekar played 37 Tests and two ODIs for India and also coached the Indian team, captained by Mohammad Azharuddin.

JioPhone 2 flash sale

Reliance’s JioPhone 2 launched on 5 July will be available for Rs 2,999 in a flash sale at 12 PM on 16 August. The phone sports a 2.4-inch QVGA display with a QWERTY keyboard. The screen of the phone is much bigger than the previous JioPhone. The device packs a 512 MB RAM with 4 GB of internal storage which is expandable upto 128 GB using a microSD card. It supports VoLTE, VoWiFi, dual SIM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and NFC and runs on KaiOS.

Xiaomi Mi A2 sale begins in India

Xiaomi Mi A2 which was launched on 8 August in India will go on sale from 12 PM on 16 August at Rs 16,999 on Amazon India and Mi.com. The Mi A2 is available in one variant—a 4 GB RAM with 64 GB storage. It will be available in four colour variants— gold, lake blue, black, and rose gold. Bearing a slim structure, the Mi A2 boasts a 5.99-inch FHD Plus display. The phone comes powered by Android One Program.