Morning Digest: New private investment plans decline to 20-year low in Q1; French left set to defeat far right in election upset, and more

The Hindu’s Morning Digest on July 8, 2024, gives a select list of stories to start the day

New private investment plans decline to 20-year low in Q1

In an exceptionally slow start to private capex in this financial year, new investment plans in the country slumped to a 20-year low in the April to June quarter, with just ₹44,300 crore of fresh outlays announced by corporates.

The first quarter of 2023-24 had recorded new investment announcements of nearly ₹7.9 lakh crore, while outlays worth ₹12.35 lakh crore were announced in the preceding January to March 2024 quarter.

French leftists win most seats in elections; far right falls to third

A coalition on the left that came together unexpectedly ahead of France’s snap elections won the most parliamentary seats in the vote, according to polling projections on Sunday. The surprise projections put President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance in second and the far right in third.

With 2 more killed, 6 militants dead in long operation at Kulgam

The death toll of militants, trapped at two encounter sites in south Kashmir’s Kulgam, rose to six on July 7, as the anti-militancy operation continued in the district for the second consecutive day. Two soldiers were also killed in the firefight with the militants. Separately, one soldier was injured in a militant attack at Rajouri.