Breaking News, July 12 | Live Updates

As light rain continued to lash parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Met office here on Friday issued a 'yellow warning' predicting heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning at isolated places on July 13, 14, 17 and 18. Ten roads, including four in Shimla and three each in Mandi and Kangra district, are closed following the rain in the past week as per the state emergency operation centre. Dharamshala received 12.6 mm of rains followed by Palampur (6.2 mm), Shimla (3.5 mm), Dalhousie (3 mm), Kangra (2.3 mm), and Chamba and Sarahan (2 mm) each.

The Navi Mumbai police have reported to the Maharashtra government that controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar had allegedly tried to pressure a DCP-rank officer to release a man held in a theft case, an official said on Friday. The incident had occurred on May 18 at Panvel police station wherein Khedkar had allegedly phoned Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare and urged him to release a transporter, Ishwar Uttarwade, arrested in a theft case. Khedkar apparently told the DCP that Uttarwade was innocent and that the charges against him were minor, the official said.

The three-day annual meeting of RSS 'prant pracharaks' began here on Friday to deliberate on organisational expansion, upcoming centenary year celebrations and other issues. Top Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders including its chief Mohan Bhagwat, general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, national executive members and all prant pracharaks are participating in the event, an office-bearer of the organisation said. Currently, there are 73,000 branches operational nationwide, with efforts underway to establish at least one branch in every 'Mandal' (a cluster of 10-15 villages) across the country, all-India publicity head of the RSS, Sunil Ambekar, said during a press conference on July 10.

Radical Sikh preacher and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh's brother Harpreet Singh has been apprehended by Jalandhar police in a drug case, a senior police official said on Friday. Harpreet Singh was nabbed along with another accomplice, identified as Lovepreet Singh alias Luv, by Jalandhar Rural police on Thursday evening, the official said.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday took former Minister B Nagendra into custody, as part of a money-laundering probe linked to the alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited, official sources said. The Congress MLA was taken to the ED office here from his residence for questioning, the sources said. Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Nagendra, who was Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister, tendered his resignation on June 6.

 India's population is projected to peak in the early 2060s at about 1.7 billion and then decline by 12 per cent, but the country will remain the world's most populous throughout the century, the United Nations has said. The World Population Prospects 2024 report, released here on Thursday, said that the world’s population is expected to continue growing over the coming 50-60 years, reaching a peak of around 10.3 billion people in the mid-2080s, up from 8.2 billion in 2024. After peaking, the global population is projected to start declining gradually, falling to 10.2 billion people by the end of the century. India, which surpassed China as the world's most populous nation last year, will continue to hold that position through 2100.

Ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections today, BJP's MLC candidate Pankaja Munde visited and offered prayers at the Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai. The voting will take place between 9 am and 4 pm and the counting of votes will begin an hour later. 12 candidates are in the fray on 11 seats in the state's Council.

Amid high security, another group of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims has departed from the Pantha Chowk Yatra base camp, heading towards the Baltal and Pahalgam routes. The authorities have ensured stringent security measures to safeguard the pilgrims on their sacred journey.

Nineteen brokers/middlemen were caught and sent to jail in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, following a surprise inspection at the regional transport office and tehsil office, a government spokesperson said. "Monitoring of all government offices in every district is being done. The Chief Minister has said that direct action will be taken against middlemen if found in government offices," the spokesperson told news agency IANS.

The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to convene the Monsoon Session of the state legislature in July 2024 or the first week of August 2024. “The monsoon session of the state legislature is likely to be convened sometime in July 2024 or in the first week of August 2024,” said a senior official. Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly’s budget session that began on February 2 was adjourned sine die on February 10. Under Article 174 of the Constitution of India, the state government must convene the Monsoon Session before August 10.

Mumbai experienced a significant downpour this morning, with heavy rainfall sweeping across the city. Visuals from P D'Mello Road showcased the intensity of the rain, as residents woke up to waterlogged streets and disrupted commutes.