News Digest: A sharp, speedy recap of the day\'s headlines

Mumbai: Have you missed any news today? Here are the top national, international headlines of the day.

 

AgustaWestland case: A key witness in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper case, who was declared dead by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) barely 24 hours ago, will appear before the court on Thursday.

Read | ED takes U-turn: 'Dead' key witness in AgustaWestland to appear tomorrow

Zomato buzz: On Tuesday night, a Madhya Pradesh man tweeted about cancelling his order on Zomato as the delivery boy was a “non-Hindu”. Zomato’s response to the customer’s complaint is winning the Internet.

Read | MP man cancels order from ‘non-Hindu’ delivery boy. Check Zomato’s response

Bonalu celebrations: The Deputy Speaker of Telangana Assembly, Padma Rao Goud, stirred a controversy after a video of him stuffing cash into a child’s mouth went viral.

Read |  T'gana Dy Speaker stuffs cash in boy's mouth, faces backlash; see video

Congress to get its chief: The Congress may appoint an interim chief later this week and in an informal discussion with party leaders on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi insisted that the decision on the party chief should be expedited.

Read |  Congress may get interim President by this weekend: report

Vijay Mallya on CCD founder's letter: Fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya on Wednesday cited the disappearance of CCD founder-owner VG Siddhartha to corner the government agencies and banks while asserting that he is devastated with the contents of his letter.

Read |  'Banks can drive anyone to despair': Vijay Mallya tweets on CCD founder's letter

Afghan Blast: At least 28 people were killed in a bomb blast on Herat-Kandahar Highway on Wednesday morning, officials said.

Read | Atleast 28 killed in highway blast: Afghanistan

Taliban strikes again: As many as 56 Taliban terrorists, including seven group commanders, were killed and 30 others sustained injuries in an operation carried out by Afghan forces in the country's northern province of Baghlan on Tuesday.

Read | 56 Taliban terrorists, including 7 group commanders killed in Afghanistan

US-China trade sit-down: Chinese and US trade negotiators started official trade talks in Shanghai Wednesday in a bid to bring an end a year-long trade war, despite a Twitter tirade by President Donald Trump slamming China's commitment to making a deal.

Read | US-China trade talks resume after Trump tweetstorm

Boris Brexit challenge: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday met leaders in Northern Ireland, the key battleground in Brexit and the focus of increasingly tense rhetoric on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Read | Boris Johnson visits Nothern Ireland, heart of Brexit battle

Omar, Mufti on Triple Talaq Bill: National Conference's Omar Abdullah slammed Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti for condemning the contentious Triple Talaq when her own party lawmakers were abstained from voting.

Read | Mufti, Omar trade barbs over passage of Triple Talaq Bill

Rahul Gandhi attacks government: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that the "callous attitude" of the Narendra Modi government in rolling out GST and demonetisation has sent the Indian economy is in tailspin and brought it to the brink of meltdown.

Read | Modi Govt's 'callous attitude' has brought economy to brink of meltdown: Rahul

SAD leader says picture with pro-khalistan member 'forced': Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Manjiner Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said his photo with controversial pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla was a 'forced picture' taken by Chawla's gunman when he was at Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

Read | Watch: SAD leader Sirsa says picture with Pro-Khalistan leader was 'forced'

Karnataka BJP, Congress state units heated fight: The letter which was reportedly written by Café Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha, who was found dead on Wednesday morning after going missing from a bridge in Mengaluru in Karnataka, addressed to various board members of the company and his employees and led to a bitter battle of words on Twitter between the state units of the Congress and BJP

Read | Karnataka BJP, Congress battle it out over Coffee Day Founder's letter

BJP's Ram Madhav hits out at PDP's Mufti: National General Secretary for the Bharatiya Janata Party, Ram Madhav interacted with the media and spoke on various issues, especially on Jammu and Kashmir.

Read | 'Environment of fear for selfish interests': Ram Madhav on J&K politics

Bengaluru best student city in India: According to the sixth edition of the QS Best Student Cities Ranking compiled by global consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds, Bengaluru has been rated as the best student city in India and London the world’s best.

Read | Bengaluru India’s best student city, London world’s best for 2nd time in a row: Study

Binoy Balakrishnan rape case: Binoy Balakrishnan, son of Kerala CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, has been asked by the Bombay High Court to go through a DNA test in a case of rape and cheating filed by a Mumbai woman.

Read | Kerala CPM leader's son to face paternity test in rape case