Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the ‘Empowering Youth, Transforming J&K’ programme, in Srinagar, on June 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Poll preparations on, J&K to shape its future as a State soon, says PM Modi in Srinagar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Srinagar amid tight security, said the day was not far when people will elect a new government and shape Jammu & Kashmir’s future as a State once again. He pledged to “teach a lesson to the enemies of J&K”, while referring to recent terror attacks. The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth more than ₹1,500 crore. He launched Competitiveness Improvement in Agriculture and Allied Sectors Project worth ₹1,800 crore and handed over appointment letters to 200 fresh government recruits.

Arvind Kejriwal granted bail in Delhi Excise policy case

A Delhi court granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy of 2021-22. Vacation judge, Rouse Avenue Court, Niyay Bindu passed the order after hearing Mr. Kejriwal and the ED at length. The bail order was dictated by the judge in an open court on June 20 evening. The detailed court order is awaited. Mr. Kejriwal, earlier this month, had filed two bail applications in the Rouse Avenue Court, one for a seven days bail for treatment which was denied on June 5.

NEET, UGC-NET paper leaks: Government to form panel to improve NTA’s working, says Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the alleged irregularities in the recently held National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), and the cancelled University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) were “an institutional failure of the National Testing Agency”. Mr. Pradhan has said that a reform committee consisting of technocrats, bureaucrats and scientists would be formulated, which would suggest improvements to the NTA’s working.

French journalist forced to leave India as MHA refuses to renew his work permit 

A second French journalist, working in India since 2011, said he had been forced to leave the country after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) denied the renewal of his work permit without providing any reason. Earlier this year, French journalist Vanessa Dougnac, who had been living in India for 22 years, left the country after the MHA sent a notice citing “malicious reportage” and visa violations, asking why her OCI card should not be cancelled.

ECI receives 11 requests for EVM and VVPAT memory verification post results

The Election Commission of India has received 11 requests for memory verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPAT) from the recently concluded Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. These requests essentially mean rematching the votes polled in 5% of the EVMs in each of these constituencies. This is the first time that such requests have been received since the Supreme Court order of April 24 allowing verification on the request of the runners-up in any election.

UGC-NET exam cancelled to safeguard students’ interest, says Education Ministry official

A day after the UGC-NET was cancelled, Education Ministry officials said no complaints were received about the exam but a suo motu action was taken on the basis of inputs available with them to protect students’ interest. Education Ministry Joint Secretary Govind Jaiswal said the details of the inputs cannot be shared as the matter has been referred to the CBI and is currently under investigation

India shuns China’s calls to resume passenger flights after 4 years, officials say

China is pressing India to restart direct passenger flights after a four-year halt, but New Delhi is resisting as a border dispute continues to weigh on ties between the world’s two most populous countries, officials said. India-China relations have been tense since the biggest military confrontation in decades on their disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers in June 2020. Thousands of troops remain mobilised on each side.

IRCTC apologises to Vande Bharat passenger who found cockroach in food

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) apologised to a couple who found a cockroach in their meal while traveling on the Vande Bharat Express from Bhopal to Agra. After an X user Vidit Varshney took to the social media platform about his uncle and aunt finding an insect in their meal on the Vande Bharat Express, IRCTC responded by apologising for the incident and said they are taking it seriously.

Jaishankar reviews India-backed energy, connectivity projects during Colombo visit

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar undertook a day-long visit to Colombo and discussed progress on key energy sector initiatives that India and Sri Lanka have agreed to jointly undertake. Participating in a ceremony with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, he commissioned a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and handed over new homes built with Indian assistance. In his first bilateral visit abroad after being re-appointed to the post in the newly installed coalition government, EAM Jaishankar focused mostly on progress made in the implementation of ongoing India-backed projects across the island nation, sources said

IIT Bombay imposes fine on 8 students for performing play that allegedly mocked Lord Ram

The Indian Institute of India (IIT) Bombay has imposed a fine of up to ₹1.2 lakh on eight students, who performed a play that allegedly mocked Lord Ram and portrayed the ‘Ramayana’ in a bad light, a fellow student said. The students had presented the play named ‘Raahovan’ on March 31 this year, as part of the Performing Arts Festival (PAF).

Kallakurichi hooch tragedy: Madras High Court to hear on June 21 a plea for CBI probe

The Madras High Court on Thursday agreed to hear a public interest litgation petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Kallakurichi hooch tragedy that had so far claimed over 30 lives and left many others hospitalised. The petitioner insisted on a CBI probe since there was serious suspicion of the spurious liquor sale having taken place with the connivance of local politicians belonging to the ruling party and the police personnel.

Sanjay Singh seeks INDIA bloc’s support to get Delhi’s share of water from Haryana

AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh sought the INDIA bloc’s support in the party’s fight to get Delhi’s share of water from Haryana. Mr. Singh said Delhi Water minister Atishi will be starting an indefinite fast from June 21 to get Delhi’s share of water from Haryana, which is ruled by the BJP.

Rain brings some relief to North India, heatwave conditions ease

Heatwave conditions have abated over large parts of North India, the India Meteorological Department said, but this is expected to be short-lived as dry conditions are expected to resurface over the weekend or early next week. “Heat wave conditions have abated from Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, north Rajasthan and many parts of Uttar Pradesh today the 20th June 2024. Scattered to fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall has been observed over Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, north Haryana-Chandigarh and north Uttar Pradesh during past 24 hours (Thursday). Isolated very heavy rainfall has also been observed over Uttarakhand during this period,” the IMD said on Thursday.

68 Indians among over 600 to die due to heat during Haj pilgrimage

A diplomat in Saudi Arabia said that 68 Indian nationals died during the haj pilgrimage this year marked by searing heath, bringing the overall tally to more than 600. “We have confirmed around 68 dead… Some are because of natural causes and we had many old-age pilgrims. And some are due to the weather conditions, that’s what we assume,” the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

T20 World Cup, AFG vs IND: After the Suryakumar show, Bumrah takes over

India had no trouble adapting to conditions in the West Indies. The move from USA to Barbados was seamless, as India crushed Afghanistan by 47 runs in its first Super 8 game on Thursday. Led by Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, India passed the pitch test with flying colours to make a commanding 181 for eight. With ball in hand, Jasprit Bumrah (3/7) and the three spinners put the stranglehold on the Afghans.

Heatwaves push power demand in North India to record high

Amid the longest spell of heatwaves in the past 15 years, the power demand in North India surged to 89 GW (89,000 MW) , the highest ever for a single day. To meet this demand, nearly 25%-30% of power had to be “imported” from outside the region, the Power Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Most of the northern States continue to reel under heatwaves, with Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh reporting a maximum temperature of 47.6 degrees Celsius.

41 airports go into a tizzy after receiving bomb threat by email

As many as 41 airports in the country received an email threat warning of a bomb on their premises and all of them were later found out to be hoax calls. Airport sources said that on Tuesday, 41 airport directors received a bomb threat mail at 12.40 p.m. The mail was received from exhumedyou888@gmail.com stating: “There are explosives hidden in the airport. The bombs will soon explode. You will all die.” All airports constituted Bomb Threat Assessment Committees and declared the threat as “non-specific” or hoax. 

PM to inaugurate Nalanda University; visit will send positive message, says interim VC

On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bihar’s Nalanda University to inaugurate its new campus on Wednesday, the university‘s interim vice-chancellor professor Abhay Kumar Singh termed the occasion “historic”. Mr. Singh said after the Prime Minister’s visit, the university will become more popular at the international level. At present, students from 26 countries are studying here.

Despite rising number of accidents, Kavach work still on the slow track

The accident involving the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express, which claimed 10 lives, has brought to the fore once again the delay in installing Kavach, an indigenously developed automatic train protection (ATP) system, across the country’s rail network. On Monday, a goods train hit the Kanchanjunga Express between Rangapani and Chatterhat in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, derailing four coaches of the passenger train and five wagons of the goods train.

Days after ‘attack’, U.P. cattle transporter dies

Saddam Qureshi, the sole survivor in which three cattle transporters from Uttar Pradesh were allegedly attacked by a mob in Chhattisgarh’s Arang earlier this month, succumbed to his injuries. On June 7, two cattle transporters, Guddu Khan (35) and Chand Miya Khan (23), were found dead under suspicious circumstances after being allegedly chased by a mob.

Railways backs out of human error claim; toll climbs to 10

The death toll from a goods train’s collision with the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express rose to ten on Tuesday, with a six-year child succumbing to injuries at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will begin his inquiry into the cause of the accident on Wednesday, even as the Railways seemed to walk back its initial claim that human error was behind the accident by acknowledging that the automatic signalling system was not working along the route.

Uttar Pradesh tops list of complaints with National Commission for Women

The highest number of complaints received by the National Commission for Women so far this year has been from Uttar Pradesh followed by Delhi and then Maharashtra. Strife-torn Manipur has recorded only three complaints of “crime against women” with the commission. Of the total 12,648 complaints received by the NCW till now in 2024, 6,492 were from Uttar Pradesh. 

When can Rashid take oath as MP, court asks NIA

A Delhi court directed the National Investigation Agency to file its reply on the date Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid, has to take oath as a parliamentarian. The court’s directions came during the hearing of an interim bail plea filed by Mr. Rashid, who won the Baramulla Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir, seeking bail to take oath in the Parliament.

Congress plans strategy meetings for poll-bound States of Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and J&K next week

Buoyed by the Lok Sabha results, the Congress on June 18 announced a series of strategy meetings for Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir where Assembly polls are expected later this year. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi would be meeting leaders from Jharkhand on June 24 to discuss the party’s election preparedness in the State and it will be followed by a meeting with leaders from Maharashtra the next day.

As first Lok Sabha session approaches, BJP tightens coordination among allies

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting of senior Ministers, as well as some National Democratic Alliance allies in New Delhi, to approach the upcoming Parliament session with a degree of coordination between various partners in the government, and to fine tune the President’s address to both Houses of Parliament before it’s placed before the Union Cabinet.

Jaishankar to visit Colombo on June 20

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankarwill arrive in Colombo on June 20, in his official first visit to a neighbouring country since the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s coalition government assumed charge in India earlier this month. Confirming his Indian counterpart’s visit, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told The Hindu on Tuesday that projects that India and Sri Lanka have agreed to jointly implement will be reviewed.

Priyanka’s Lok Sabha electoral bid from Wayanad supercharges UDF and miffs LDF and BJP

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s upcoming electoral bid to supplant her brother, Rahul Gandhi, as the party’s MP from the Wayanad  Lok Sabha constituency has buoyed the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and nettled the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress strategises that Ms. Vadra’s pivot to Kerala would invigorate the Opposition’s future electoral campaigns, potentially broadening its path to victory in the 2025 local body elections and beyond.

In a first, CDS releases its blueprint for warfare in cyberspace

Acknowledging that cyberspace has emerged as a crucial and challenging domain in modern warfare, the Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan released India’s first joint doctrine for cyberspace operations during a meeting of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on Tuesday. The joint doctrine is a keystone publication that will guide commanders of the armed forces in conducting cyberspace operations in today’s complex military operating environment, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Prajwal Revanna remanded into 14 days judicial custody

Former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, accused in three cases of rape, was remanded into judicial custody for 14 days by the Special Court of Magistrate for Criminal Cases against former and present MPs and MLAs. The SIT has taken him into custody in two rape cases till date, even as he has another rape case pending against him.  

PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat to resume from June 30

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ monthly radio broadcast will resume from June 30 and urged people to share their ideas and inputs for it. Prime Minister Modi’s monthly ‘Mann Ki Baat’ broadcast was last aired on February 25 and then took a break for the Lok Sabha polls.

Sikkim: More stranded tourists evacuated from Lachung; schools closed in landslides-hit Mangan

Fifteen more stranded tourists were evacuated from Lachung and adjoining regions of Sikkim’s landslides-hit Mangan district on June 18, officials said. Sixty-four tourists were evacuated from North Sikkim’s Lachung on June 17 and moved to Mangan town, officials said.

Israeli intel warned of Hamas plans before October 7 attack: report

An Israeli intelligence brief prepared weeks before Hamas’s October 7 attack had warned military officials of the Palestinian group’s preparations for an assault, according to Israeli public broadcaster Kan. The Israeli military’s signals intelligence unit drafted the brief in September, less than a month before the Hamas attack that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, Kan reported on Monday.

US sues Adobe over subscription plan disclosures

The U.S. government sued Adobe, accusing the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat of harming consumers by enrolling them in its most lucrative subscription plans without clearly disclosing important terms. The government said Adobe hides important terms in fine print and behind textboxes and hyperlinks, clearly discloses the fees only when subscribers try to cancel, and makes canceling an onerous and complicated process.