Breaking News May 22 | HIGHLIGHTS

 Iran's president Monday appointed a new official to take over the post of secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council, replacing the longtime powerful official Ali Shamkhani after becoming implicated in a recent spy scandal.
President Ebrahim Raisi issued a decree replacing Shamkhani who has faced persistent corruption allegations — which he denied — as well as scrutiny because of close ties with a British-Iranian man hanged on spying charges earlier this year in Iran.

Union minister Giriraj Singh on Monday attacked renowned Muslim scholar Maulana Arshad Madani's demand for a ban on the Bajrang Dal in Congress-ruled Karnataka. Singh was responding to a speech by Madani where the principal of Darul Uloom Deoband had defended the Congress party's manifesto "promise" to ban the Bajrang Dal and asserted that it was a step that should have ideally been taken "70 years ago".
The Union minister, known for his controversial statements, reacted by claiming, "all Muslims should have been sent to Pakistan at the time of the Partition itself".

Teachers and students of Jawaharlal Nehru University on Monday staged a protest march in solidarity with wrestlers demanding action against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused by a section of grapplers of sexual harassment.
The students and teachers, who demanded Singh's arrest, were joined by wrestler Sakshi Malik.
The march on the campus was jointly organised by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union (JNUSU) and the Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA).

 A fresh Western Disturbance is very likely to become active over Northwest India, including parts of Rajasthan, during the next 24 to 48 hours, a weather department official said on Monday.
Jaipur Meteorological Center in-charge Radheshyam Sharma said as a result of the disturbance, thunderstorms and rains will be seen in some parts of the state in the next 24 hours.

 Former Mumbai NCB chief Sameer Wankhede, accused in a cruise 'drug bust' bribery case, on Monday submitted a letter to the office of the Mumbai police commissioner seeking protection after claiming he and his wife were receiving death threats for the last few days.

An official said a letter was sent to the police commissionerate in south Mumbai through a representative of Wankhede.

 India's largest telecom operator Reliance Jio added 30.5 lakh mobile subscribers in March, accelerating its momentum of February, while Vodafone Idea lost 12.12 lakh wireless users during the month, according to data released by telecom regulator TRAI.

The government is planning to hold a global tourism investment summit and will soon declare a national tourism policy, Union minister G Kishan Reddy said on Monday.

He also said there is a tremendous scope for promoting spiritual tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.

Reddy was addressing a press conference at SKICC here after the culmination of a side event on 'Film Tourism for Economic and Cultural Preservation' as part of the three-day third Tourism Working Group Meeting of the G20.
Union minister Jitendra Singh and India's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant were also present at the presser.

 Around 400 coins dating back to the Mughal era were found during the construction work at a temple in the Nanauta area here, police said on Monday.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sagar Jain said a few labourers stumbled upon the coins on Sunday night while digging soil for erecting a boundary wall at Sati Dham temple in Hussainpur village here.

After being informed about the discovery, the police reached the spot and took the coins in their custody, he added.

The Muslim side on Monday filed its objection before the Varanasi district court to a petition seeking a direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to survey the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex.

The Supreme Court had on May 19 deferred a scientific survey, including carbon dating, to determine the age of the structure, claimed to be a 'Shivling', found at the complex, saying implications of the Allahabad High Court order on it merits closer scrutiny.

Leaders of South Korea and the European Union agreed on Monday to increase pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine and condemn North Korea's ballistic missile tests. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Seoul after attending the weekend summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations in Hiroshima, Japan.

“We agree to maintain and increase the collective pressure on Russia, particularly through effective implementation of the respective restrictive measures,” they said in a joint statement.
“We are committed to supporting Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction and remain resolved to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The Congress on Monday accused the Narendra Modi government of failing to restore the status quo in Depsang in eastern Ladakh in the last three years and said it would be "unforgivable" to allow the situation to worsen.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean chit" to China on June 19, 2020 has immeasurably weakened India's negotiating position and it is paying a heavy price for it.

Expressing concern over the "very worrisome" situation at the border as highlighted in a news report, he said access to the strategic sector of Depsang has been denied to Indian patrols for more than three years now, with no signs of a return to the status quo.

The City of Parramatta Council in Sydney on Monday elected Indian-origin Councillor Sameer Pandey as its new Lord Mayor. Pandey's election to the post coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrival in Sydney on Monday for a two-day visit at the invitation of his Australian counterpart
Pandey was first elected to the council in 2017 and in 2022, became the City’s first Deputy Lord Mayor from the Indian subcontinent, an official statement said.

 Petrol pumps in Kolkata claim that they have witnessed a 10-fold increase in payments using Rs 2,000 notes from people buying fuel since the RBI announced withdrawal of the high-value currency from circulation, officials said on Monday.

In the case of jewellers, the increase in payment by Rs 2,000 notes is 15-20 per cent compared to the weeks before May 19 when the central bank made the announcement.
"We are getting 10 times higher number of Rs 2,000 currency notes now since the announcement.
We used to get 10-15 notes a day, but now it has risen to 130-140 on average," West Bengal Petroleum Dealers Association president Prasenjit Sen told PTI.

 Youth Congress president Srinivas B V on Monday appeared before the police in Guwahati for questioning in a sexual and mental harassment case filed by now-expelled leader Angkita Dutta.

He reached the Panbazar Women police station at 11 am after landing at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport earlier in the day.

Srinivas was accompanied by his lawyer and Assam Congress leaders, including MLAs Rakibul Hussain and Rekibuddin Ahmed.

The Janata Dal (United) on Monday appointed its seasoned leader K C Tyagi as its chief spokesperson and 'special advisor', months after the omission of his name from the party's list of new office-bearers had raised eyebrows.
In a statement, the JD(U) acknowledged Tyagi's experience in socialist politics and noted his association with former prime minister Charan Singh besides Bihar Chief Minister and its pre-eminent leader Nitish Kumar. The party needs his organisational experience, it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has landed in Sydney for the final leg of his three-nation tour.

 The rupee fell 18 paise to close at 82.85 (provisional) against the US dollar on Monday, weighed down by a strong greenback in the overseas market.
However, a firm trend in domestic equities and sliding crude prices in international markets restricted the rupee's loss, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic unit opened at 82.80 against the dollar, and finally settled at 82.85 (provisional), down 18 paise from its previous close.

Veteran Telugu actor Sarath Babu died at a private hospital here on Monday. He was 71.
Sarath Babu was undergoing treatment at the hospital and the end came in the afternoon following multiple organ failure, sources said.
Sarath Babu, who acted in many films as lead actor, earned fame for his brilliant performance in various other roles.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed to leaders of 14 Pacific Island countries that India is ready to share its capabilities with them "without any hesitation" and announced new development initiatives in sectors such as healthcare, cyberspace and small and medium enterprises.
Modi made the announcements on the new initiatives at the FIPIC (Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation) summit.
In his concluding remarks at the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), Modi said India decided to establish a super-specialty cardiology hospital in Fiji and will assist in setting up dialysis units in all the 14 Pacific island countries.

An 80-year-old man was on Monday arrested for allegedly killing his four-year-old great-grandson in Madhya Pradesh's Indore more than a month ago, police said.
Shobharam Chowdhary was arrested for allegedly strangling to death his great-grandson Shreyansh at their house in Shipra police station area on April 7, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hitika Vasal said.

Nearly 12,000 extreme weather, climate and water-related events over much of the past half-century around the globe have killed more than 2 million people and caused economic damage of $4.3 trillion, the U.N. weather agency said Monday.
The stark recap from the World Meteorological Organization came as it opened its four-yearly congress among member countries, pressing the message that more needs to be done to improve alert systems for extreme weather events by a target date of 2027.

"Nitish Kumar is on a picnic across the country, he is misusing the Bihar government's funds. No one considers him as a PM candidate," said Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary on CM meeting opposition leaders.

Bengaluru: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar take oath as MLAs in the Vidhana Soudha.

NCLAT directs aircraft lessors to approach NCLT for any remedy in Go First insolvency proceedings matter.

Bombay HC extends Sameer Wankhede's interim protection against coercive action in bribery case till June 8.

"I would like to tell Brij Bhushan that not only Vinesh, all the girls who have given the complaint, are ready to undergo the Narco test. It should be done live so that the entire country knows about his cruelty to the daughters of the country," says wrestler Vinesh Phogat.

Mumbai: Maharashtra NCP President Jayant Patil reaches ED office. ED to question Jayant Patil in connection with the alleged IL & FS scam.

Mumbai: "I'm getting threats continuously for the last 4 days. Will share everything with the Police Commissioner...": Sameer Wankhede, Former Zonal Director of Mumbai NCB.

Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar meets former CM Basavaraj Bommai at the State Assembly in Bengaluru.

Bengaluru: Congress workers sprinkle cow urine and perform Pooja at the State Assembly in Bengaluru. They said that they are 'purifying' Vidhana Soudha.

TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee moves SC against his questioning by CBI in school jobs scam case.

Delhi | Jailed AAP leader Satyendar Jain brought to Safdarjung Hospital after he complained of deterioration in health. Details awaited.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers protest in Mumbai over ED summon to party leader Jayant Patil in connection with a case related to IL&FS (Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited).

Assam: Indian Youth Congress president BV Srinivas arrives in Guwahati. He is appearing before the Guwahati Police in connection with the case filed against him by Dr Angkita Dutta, former President of Assam Youth Congress.

Odisha cabinet reshuffle | Bikram Keshari Arukha, Sudam Marndi and Sarada Prashad Nayak take oath as ministers in the state cabinet.

Assam Police seized cough syrup bottles worth Rs 25 lakhs in Goalpara district. 3 persons arrested in connection with the case. 

Security measures have been heightened in Srinagar as the city is all set to host the 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group meeting.

"We are victims of global powerplay... You (PM Modi) are the leader of Global South. We will rally behind your (India) leadership at global forums," said James Marape, PM of Papua New Guinea.

"The impact of the Covid pandemic was most on the countries of the Global South. Challenges related to climate change, natural disasters, hunger, poverty and health were already there, now new problems are arising...I am happy that India stood by its friendly Pacific Island countries in times of difficulty," said PM Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi co-chairs the 3rd India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit with James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a bilateral meeting with James Marape, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases the Tok Pisin translation of the book 'Thirukkural', in Papua New Guinea.