Breaking News, July 17 | LIVE UPDATES

A leopard was spotted moving on the sets of a studio at Film City in suburban Goregaon the previous night after which a partially eaten carcass of a dog was discovered that created panic among workers and staff around, a Maharashtra forest department official said on Monday.
After the incident of Sunday night came to light, multiple teams of officials visited the site and evaluated the situation, said Pawan Sharma, founder and president of RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare) who is also an honorary wildlife warden with the state forest department.

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake struck Jammu and Kashmir on Monday but there was no report of any damage, officials said.

Owing to the flood in the national capital, four people drowned here in separate incidents in the last two days, police said on Monday.
Three bodies were recovered on Sunday evening while one body was fished out from the flooded Yamuna on Monday, they added.

 Ahead of the Monsoon Session, Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday slammed the Congress for 'disrupting' House proceedings and asked party leader Shashi Tharoor to “tell his Yuvraj” that Parliament was not the “personal playground of a dynast”.

 A man was arrested for allegedly throwing in a canal his 18-month-old daughter who was rescued by a 'kanwariya', police said on Monday.
Balkar Singh, a resident of Pehowa, allegedly threw his daughter in the canal near Jyotisar on July 12, they said, adding one more accused has been arrested along with him.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for putting Uttar Pradesh in the high growth trajectory.

With a call for unity, top leaders of 26 opposition parties began crucial deliberations on Monday to chalk out their joint programme aimed at defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, who were seated next to each other, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, chief ministers M K Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren and RJD chief Lalu Prasad were among those who attended the dinner meeting where discussions were held to finalise the agenda for the formal talks starting Tuesday morning.

A POCSO court on Monday sentenced three rape-accused to life in jail in a four-year-old case in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district. Special judge of the court Prabhakar Singh also slapped penalty of Rs 10,000 on each of the accused, additional public prosecutor (APP) Md Jabbar Hussain said.

The court had held the trio guilty on Saturday and announced the quantum of punishment on Monday.

The state assembly on Monday passed three bills including the Rajasthan Universities' Teachers (Absorption of Temporary Teachers) (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to allow the regularisation of temporary teachers through a screening process.
Replying to the discussion on the Bill, Minister of State for Higher Education Rajendra Singh Yadav said eligible temporary teachers would be regularised by screening under the provisions of the bill.
The House also passed the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Governance and Social Sciences Bill - 2023 by a voice vote.

 A sessions court here has upheld the order of a Mahila Court to convict a man for stalking, saying it was proved beyond reasonable doubt that despite a clear indication of disinterest by the complainant, the man used to follow her.
The court also observed "the existence of a relationship between a young boy and a young girl in past was not an exception to the offence of stalking" and taking such an argument could not help the appellant's case.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday unveiled plans for a crackdown on "rip-off" degrees being offered by some universities in the country that do not lead to decent job prospects for students.

Taking a dig at the Congress leadership in Himachal Pradesh, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said the state government was hell-bent on doing petty politics over relief funds instead of expressing gratitude.
His remarks come in view of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's claim that the rain-battered state has not received any assistance from the central government.
"It is surprising that people who take the help of the Centre are saying this...," Thakur said, adding that "it is unacceptable".

More mercenaries from Russia's Wagner military contractor rolled into Belarus on Monday, a monitoring group said, continuing their relocation to the ex-Soviet nation following last month's short-lived mutiny.

Belaruski Hajun, a Belarusian activist group that monitors troops movements in Belarus, said that a convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying Russian flags and Wagner insignia entered the country Monday heading toward a field camp that Belarusian authorities had offered to the company.

Leaders of 38 parties have confirmed their participation in a meeting of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to be held in the national capital on Tuesday, BJP president J P Nadda said.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Nadda said NDA's reach and scope have increased over the years.

The Delhi government will ensure that all flood relief camps are kept clean and stocked with medicines and has issued instructions to officials to that end, Development Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said.

"It is the government's duty to provide necessary assistance and support to those affected by the disaster.
Adequate arrangements have been made at these camps to provide accommodation to the affected individuals, including provisions for carpets and mattresses to ensure their comfort," Rai said while visiting a relief camp in Bela Gaon near Rajghat Depot.

In the last 9 years, we have seen the strong leadership of PM Modi which has been appreciated by many. Zero tolerance for corruption has also increased. The PM has also set an example in Covid-19 management, JP Nadda said.

Ahead of the big NDA meeting, BJP chief JP Nadda on Monday said that their 38 partners have confirmed to attend the meet, to be held tomorrow.

Italian health officials intensified heat warnings as southern Europe began a brutally hot week on Monday with temperatures expected to top 40 C — or 104 F — in multiple cities already overburdened by tourists.
The health ministry issued 10 recommendations to protect elderly people, the sick and pets from the heat, urging people to stay indoors during the hottest hours, drink at least 1.5 litres (nearly half a gallon) of water a day and refrain from strenuous exercise at peak daylight times.

 The 18-day monsoon session of the Goa legislative Assembly will begin from Tuesday, with the Opposition gearing up to corner Dr Pramod Sawant-led government on various issues.
As per a circular issued by the state legislature department, the monsoon session will be held from July 18 to August 10, for 18 days excluding Saturdays and Sundays.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren left for Bengaluru on Monday to attend the second meeting of opposition parties.
Senior leaders from 26 opposition parties including the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have been invited for the two-day meeting to start work on a common minimum programme and announce a joint agitational plan to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Manufacturing sentiments in India remained positive during June quarter FY24 notwithstanding global headwinds, according to a Ficci survey released on Monday.
The latest quarterly survey on manufacturing outlook by the industry body observed that after a revival in the Indian economy in FY22, momentum of growth has continued in the subsequent quarters as well.
 

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and NCP MLAs of his faction reach Mumbai's YB Chavan Centre to meet the party's president Sharad Pawar for the second consecutive day. 

"Chandrayaan-3 Mission: The second orbit-raising maneuver (Earth-bound apogee firing) is performed successfully. The spacecraft is now in 41603 km x 226 km orbit. The next firing is planned for tomorrow between 2 and 3 pm IST," said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a tweet on Monday.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said he has spoken with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and was informed that he would participate in the Opposition meeting in Bengaluru on July 18.

Responding to reports that Pawar would skip the Opposition meeting on Monday and take part in it on Tuesday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh rejected such insinuations, saying the official meeting of opposition parties is on Tuesday and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is only hosting a dinner on Monday.

Dara Singh Chauhan, who resigned from Samajwadi Party, joins BJP in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

A person was killed when armed assailants attacked the village defence force of a community at Laimaton Thangbuh village in Kangpokpi district of Manipur, officials said here on Monday.

The incident took place on Sunday morning. Women and children from the village had been moved out to Churachandpur earlier following ethnic clashes on May 3. It was guarded by the village defence force only.

Delhi | Union Home Minister Amit Shah chairs Regional Conference on ‘Drugs Trafficking and National Security’ in New Delhi; over 1,44,000 kilograms of drugs being destroyed in various parts of the country by NCB, in coordination with ANTFs of all states.

In a joint operation, Indian Army officers and Handwara Police recovered two IEDs in Wodhpura area of Handwara in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district. The IEDs weighed approximately 5 and 7 kgs and were concealed in a forest.

Ahead of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature, legislators of the Opposition Congress on Monday shouted slogans against the state government, accusing it of indulging in corruption.

The legislators, led by former minister Yashomati Thakur and Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad, assembled on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan and raised slogans against the government.

From the Shiv Sena (UBT), only Ambadas Danve, who is the leader of opposition in the state Legislative Council, was present during the protest.

On joint Opposition meeting in Bengaluru, JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy says, "Opposition never considered JD(S) a part of them. So, there is no question of JD(S) being a party of any Mahagathbandhan."

On any invitation from NDA, he says, "NDA has not invited our party for any meeting. We will see on that front."

A fire was reported in the battery box of one of the coaches in a Vande Bharat Express at Kurwai Kethora station. The fire brigade reached the site and extinguished the fire, according to Indian Railways.

All passengers are safe. After examination, the train will be dispatched soon, said Indian Railways.

In a big blow to opposition unity, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar has decided to skip the meeting between key opposition parties in Bengaluru that will commence later today. 

The two-day session will kickstart with a dinner meeting to be hosted by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, followed by a formal meeting on Tuesday. Following the rounds of meetings, the parties are expected to announce their further programmes.

Karnataka: Big posters and banners put up on Race Course Road welcoming leaders of various opposition parties for the joint opposition meeting.

Meeting to take place today and tomorrow at Taj West End Hotel in Bengaluru.

Officers have shot and killed a man wanted in four weekend killings near Atlanta during an exchange of gunfire, with a sheriff's deputy and two police officers wounded while trying to take the suspect into custody, authorities said.

Officials said Andre Longmore was shot on Sunday during an intense manhunt for the 40-year-old suspect. The exchange of gunfire came a day after Saturday morning's shootings rocked a bucolic subdivision in Hampton, south of Georgia's main city.

Delhi | Due to the rise in water level of the Yamuna River, waterlogging situation persists in several parts of the national capital.