Breaking News, June 23 | HIGHLIGHTS

NCP Chief Sharad Pawar will not attend the all-party meeting (due to prior commitments) chaired by Union Minister Amit Shah on the Manipur situation scheduled for June 24. 

Sharad Pawar has designated two of his party leaders to participate in the meet from NCP.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a security review meeting in J&K's Srinagar today; LG Manoj Sinha was also present in the meeting.

J&K: Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses the public during the 'Vitasta' Cultural Festival in Srinagar today.

"Today, Kashmir is moving forward through its art and culture. To the youth of the valley, I would say that those who held stones and weapons in your hands have not done you any good. You should have a book and pen in your hand. Since the removal of Article 370, there has been peace here. New dimensions of development are being created here, including institutes of higher education, industries, and administrative reforms that have been implemented without any opposition. Now, Kashmir has to look ahead. At this time, this festival has great importance..."

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar met former Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai at his residence today.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged-sheeted 13 Pak nationals on Friday for smuggling weapons and contraband drugs from Pakistan through Gujarat to fund terrorist activities in India. The chargesheet was filed today in the NIA Special Court in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Empire State Building in New York lit up in tricolour as PM Modi is on a three-day State visit to the United States

PM Modi will attend the State Department luncheon and Indian community event today.

Except for the Indian National Congress, all other 11 parties, which have representation in the Rajya Sabha, have clearly expressed their stand against the Black Ordinance (Centres's ordinance on Delhi govt) and announced that they would oppose it in the Rajya Sabha: Aam Aadmi Party statement following Opposition parties' meeting in Patna. The Congress, a national party that takes a stand on almost all issues, has yet to make its position on the Black Ordinance public. Congress’ silence raises suspicions about its real intentions," says Aam Aadmi Party.

Worli unit of Anti-narcotics cell Mumbai Police on Thursday apprehended a Nigerian national with Mephedrone drugs worth Rs 11 lakhs. The Nigerian was living in India illegally & he was earlier arrested by Kashimira Police station in 2018 & 2022 for drug trafficking, The accused was procuring drugs from Nalasopara for selling to peddlers in Grant Road & Mumbai's central adjoining areas: Mumbai Police

AIMIM President & MP, Asaduddin Owaisi attacked Opposition meeting, said, "What is the track record of all these political leaders who have assembled there?"

While they (BJP) campaigned in Karnataka, 100 people were killed in Manipur. Even after Amit Shah's visit to Manipur, tension persists there. They don't realise the seriousness of the issue. The public understands that they are doing politics in the name of religion: Rajasthan CM & Congress leader Ashok Gehlot

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran arrived at the Crime Branch office in Kochi, earlier today. He has been called for questioning in connection with a 2021 cheating case involving fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was working to fulfill Syama Prasad Mookerjee's "dream of Akhand Bharat". Addressing a programme on the death anniversary of Mookerjee, Saha claimed that West Bengal which he helped create was turning into "mini Pakistan". "Many people feared bloodshed in Jammu and Kashmir if Article 370 was repealed, but no blood was spilled there after the special status was revoked. PM Modi has been working as a torch-bearer to fulfill Syama Prasad Mookerjee's dream of Akhand Bharat," he said.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the goal of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' or a self-reliant India is not possible without ending socioeconomic disparities in the country. The minister of road transport and highway said more attention needs to be given to the agricultural, rural and tribal sectors, and pointed out that the objective of each government policy must be to double the contribution to GDP of these segments to 25 per cent from the present 12 per cent. In 2020, the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi adopted the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" goal in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. "If socioeconomic disparity does not end then the Atmanirbhar Bharat is not possible," Gadkari said at an event to release a book on RBI Governors here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden discussed all pressing challenges confronting the global community in their talks and exchanged views on how India and the US could cooperate to mitigate, address and deal with terrorism comprehensively, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra has said. Kwatra briefed reporters on the outcomes of the second day of Modi's visit that began here with a grand ceremonial welcome on the South Lawn of the White House. It was followed by bilateral discussions, remarks to the press, an address to the joint session of the US Congress and the state dinner where high-profile invited guests included Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Alphabet chief Sundar Pichai. "Besides the reference in the US Congress to the challenge of terrorism, the prime minister said that even after the two decades of 9/11 and a decade of 26/11, the problem of terrorism remains a pressing challenge for the global community,” Kwatra told reporters in a media briefing on Thursday.

Radharani temple in Barsana has issued an order that bars people wearing half-pants, bermuda shorts, and mini skirts from entering the temple. A poster pasted outside the temple Thursday says the order will come into effect in a week, said Rasbihari Goswami, a temple official. The temple authorities have also proscribed night suits and torn jeans too inside the premises. Some months back, Radha Damodar temple here too had banned the entry of those wearing such clothes. On June 21, the management of Birua Badi temple in Budaun district imposed a dress code for people visiting the temple, banning jeans, t-shirts, night suits, torn jeans and other such dresses inside the temple.

A 16-year-old Dalit girl, an alleged rape victim who was to appear before a magistrate to record her statement, has been found hanging at her house in the Haidergarh area here, police said. According to Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Singh, the incident occurred on June 21 and the investigating officer of the case was suspended for dereliction of duty on Thursday. Superintendent of Police Dinesh Kumar Singh said, "A rape case was lodged at Haidergarh police station on June 17 and the accused was arrested on Thursday."

Four terrorists were killed as security forces foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Machil sector on Friday, police said. The infiltration bid was foiled in Kala Jungle area of Machil sector in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. “In a joint operation, Army and Police have killed four #terrorists in Kala Jungle of Machhal sector in #Kupwara who were trying to infiltrate to our side from POJK,” the Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet. Security forces had foiled an infiltration bid last Friday as well when five terrorists were killed in Jumagund area of Keran sector.

A controversial YouTuber, who had been accused of making allegedly objectionable remarks and creating a traffic block on a busy road in connection with the recent inauguration of a shop, was arrested on Friday morning, police said. He was taken into custody from a house in Kochi early in the morning and his arrest was recorded after taking him to Valanchery in northern Malappuram, where the incident happened some days ago, they said. YouTuber 'Thoppi', who has a large number of followers on social media platforms, was booked on Thursday based on the complaint of a local public activist.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday received a warm welcome from Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar upon arrival in the state capital for a crucial opposition meeting. Gandhi, who is in Bihar for the first time after the state assembly polls of 2020, was accompanied by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal. Kumar, accompanied by JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, drove to the Jayprakash Narayan airport, half-a-kilometer from his residence, to receive the visitors. The airport premises has been, since morning, chock-a-block with Congress workers and supporters, eager to catch a glimpse of Gandhi, the response of whose 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' has infused the cadre with fresh vigour.

The rupee depreciated by 8 paise to 82.05 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, tracking a strong American currency and withdrawal of foreign funds from domestic equities. Negative sentiments in the domestic as well as global equity markets also weighed on the Indian currency. However, crude prices sliding below USD 75 per barrel capped the fall in the local unit, forex traders said At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened weak at 82.05 and traded between 82.07-82.04 against the greenback. The currency later traded at 82.05 against the dollar, registering a fall of 8 paise from its previous close. On Thursday, the rupee settled at 81.97 against the dollar. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was up 0.20 per cent at 102.59.

A 36-year-old driver of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) tried to commit suicide by hanging himself in a parked bus at Jawhar town in Palghar district, officials said on Friday. The incident took place at Jawhar bus depot on Thursday morning, they said. "When the bus was parked at the depot, its driver tried to hang himself inside the vehicle using a rope. But a security guard and other colleagues of the driver noticed it from outside and rushed to him. They took him down and saved his life," an official of the bus depot said. The driver was then rushed to a local hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment, he said. Police said that in their preliminary probe, they have found that he was being subjected to harassment by the local MSRTC staff and despite his complaints, no action was taken.

Ahead of the meeting of Opposition parties in Patna, the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Friday said if democracy has to survive after 2024, then political parties will have to show a big heart in national interest to instil confidence among voters. In an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana', the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and K Chandrasekhar Roa-led Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have national ambitions, but this will help Prime Minister Narendra Modi indirectly and support "dictatorship". Both these parties are in direct contest with the Congress and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in different states. The BRS has been holding rallies in Maharashtra, in a bid to make a foray into the state.

Top leaders of Opposition parties will meet here on Friday to chalk out a roadmap for the formation of an anti-BJP front for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. It is being hosted by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of JD(U) and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav of RJD at the former's Aney Marg residence. Sources said the meeting was being seen as a starting point for the Opposition parties to come together to take on the Narendra Modi-led BJP. Therefore, a basic outline and roadmap for Opposition unity are likely to be deliberated upon with the contentious issue of seat sharing and leadership questions to be avoided for now, they said.

A 13-year old boy, who died due to fever in nearby Kuttippuram, was confirmed to have to succumbed to the H1N1 virus, Health authorities said. The boy, a native of Painkannur near Kuttippuram, had died a few days ago. District Health Officer R Renuka on Thursday confirmed that the death was due to H1N1 virus infection, an official statement said. She also urged the public to be vigilant against all such fevers. Besides H1N1, people should be vigilant against dengue and leptospirosis as well, she said. Two dengue deaths have been reported in the district in recent times, she added.