Ministers Heptulla, Siddeshwara resign a week after Modi's cabinet expansion

Reuters

12 July 2016 at 1:21 pm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a news conference during his official welcoming ceremony at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya, July 11, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two central government ministers resigned on Tuesday, a week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his powerful inner circle to improve the efficiency of his administration. President Pranab Mukherjee, on Modi's advice, has accepted the resignations of Najma A. Heptulla, the minister of minority affairs, and G.M. Siddeshwara, the junior minister of heavy industries, the government said in a statement. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, a junior minister in the minority affairs ministry, has been given independent charge of the ministry, while Babul Supriyo, a singer-turned-politician, would take up the junior minister's portfolio in the heavy industries ministry, the statement added. The government did not give a reason for the decision. Modi inducted 19 new ministers into his cabinet last Tuesday to bolster his two-year-old administration but drew criticism that he was backtracking on a promise of lean government. (Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Gareth Jones)

The Telegraph
Wife wars? The real reason the Obamas are not standing up for Biden
When Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States in 2021, much was made of his wife Dr Jill Biden becoming the first First Lady ever to hold a salaried outside job.
Hello!
Elizabeth Hurley flaunts bombshell curves as she twins with close friend in string bikini
Elizabeth Hurley looked sensational when she slipped on a daring bikini alongside her close friend. See photo.
The Independent
Dad pleaded for daughter’s ex-boyfriend not to be freed from jail. Days later, her mutilated body was found in a car
‘If they let him out, he was going to kill her,’ Lauren Johansen’s father said he warned a judge just days before his daughter’s death
The Telegraph
Biden vows to ‘beat Trump in 2020’ and says he’s proud to be a black woman in latest gaffes
Joe Biden vowed to beat Donald Trump “in 2020” as he pledged to stay in the presidential race and fight to save his re-election bid.
Reuters
China anchors 'monster ship' in South China Sea, Philippine coast guard says
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Saturday that China's largest coastguard vessel has anchored in Manila's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea, and is meant to intimidate its smaller Asian neighbour. The China coastguard's 165-meter 'monster ship' entered Manila's 200-nautical mile EEZ on July 2, spokesperson for the PCG Jay Tarriela told a news forum. The PCG warned the Chinese vessel it was in the Philippine's EEZ and asked about their intentions, he said.
The Daily Beast
Conservatives Routed in Worst Election Result for 200 Years
LONDON—The Conservatives, the world’s winningest political party, were booted out of power in dramatic style on Thursday after 14 years of chaotic and divisive rule.The Labour Party had secured a landslide victory, ending an era of Conservative rule over Britain that stretches back to 2010; the year that the iPad and Instagram were launched and Lady Gaga wore that meat dress to the MTV music awards.In that time, the Conservatives have cycled through five leaders, each of them dragging the party
EdgeProp
999-year leasehold detached house in Serangoon Gardens up for auction at $12.2 mil
The 2½-storey leasehold property will be put on auction at Knight Franks’ next auction on July 24 (Credit: Knight Frank Singapore)A 999-year leasehold detached house with a basement along Sandown Place in Serangoon Gardens Estate will be put on the block at Knight Frank’s next auction on July 24 for $12.2 million. The 2½-storey property sits on a land area of about 5,553 sq ft, translating to a land rate of $2,197 psf.An owner’s sale, this will be the first time that the property will be offered
People
Tobey Maguire Spotted with Arm Around Actress Lily Chee at Star-Studded Fourth of July Party
The 'Spider-Man' actor, 49, was seen spending time with actress Lily Chee, 20, at a party on July 4
The Independent
A couple rented an Airbnb from a ‘friendly’ landlord. Then they wound up dismembered in a suitcase
Michael Lee Dudley seemed like a typical Washington homeowner – until three teenagers stumbled across a suitcase of horrors on a beach
The Independent
Voices: Tory downfall: The 9 reasons it has all gone wrong for Rishi Sunak
A series of world events, poor decisions and fatal gaffes conspired to see Rishi Sunak lead the Tories to the worst electoral defeat in his party’s 346-year history
Hello!
Rod Stewart, 79, rocked by divorce news: report
In a surprising turn of events Rod Stewart has received some shocking divorce news. See details.
Evening Standard
All change: When will Rishi Sunak have to move out of Number 10 — and where could he live next?
With the removal vans on standby, the current prime minister has a portfolio of high-end properties to choose from
INSIDER
How Obama mentored the new UK prime minister to help him tell his story
The leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has been mentored by Barack Obama. The relationship is likely to continue if Starmer wins the UK election.
Reuters
BYD's steep EV discounting in Thailand sparks backlash, PM seeks assurances
Thailand's consumer protection agency has received about 70 complaints since initiating a probe into aggressive discounting by BYD dealers that has left some buyers feeling they overpaid for their Chinese electric vehicles. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told BYD Chief Executive Wang Chuanfu, who was in Thailand to mark the opening of its first Southeast Asian factory this week and paid a courtesy call to the premier on Friday, to better manage customer expectations about pricing and ensure local buyers were protected. Wang gave assurances that future pricing would be appropriate and affected customers would receive support, according to a government spokesman.
Associated Press
Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong asks for a lesser sentence in landmark security case
Prominent activist Joshua Wong asked for a lesser sentence in court Friday after he earlier pleaded guilty in Hong Kong's biggest national security case. Wong was one of 47 activists charged in 2021 under a Beijing-imposed national security law with conspiracy to commit subversion for their involvement in an unofficial primary. The activists were accused of attempting to paralyze Hong Kong’s government and topple the city’s leader by aiming to win a legislative majority and using it to block city budgets indiscriminately.
CNN
Marine Le Pen promises French far right will rein in aid to Ukraine, slams soccer star Mbappé
As Ukraine bleeds territory to Russia, support from one of Kyiv’s strongest backers looks set to falter if the far right sweep to power in Sunday’s French parliamentary elections.
Yahoo News UK
Seven moments over 14 years that destroyed the Conservative government
The Tories have lost the 2024 general election with the worst results in the party's history. Here are the key moments that brought them down.
Cosmo
Katy Perry rocked an underboob-baring diamanté bikini for 4th of July
To celebrate the 4th of July pop icon Katy Perry rocked an American flag themed bikini and referenced her hit 'Firework'
Cinema Online
Sophia Albarakbah has a long list of criteria for her future man
The actress wants someone who won't cheat, understanding, close to God, and the list goes on
Futurism
The Head of NASA Is Being Awfully Catty About China's Amazing New Moon Samples
China recently became the first country to ever return samples taken from the far side of the Moon, a historic mission that could have profound implications on our understanding of its evolution and ability to host human life. But thanks to a law called the Wolf Amendment, which was enacted by the US government in […]

Latest stories