Breaking News, June 21

People across Odisha on Tuesday celebrated the 8th International Day of Yoga while three Union ministers held special programmes to popularise the ancient Indian physical and mental exercise among the masses.

A court in the Russian capital on Tuesday extended the arrest of a municipal legislator charged with discrediting the country's military after his criticism of Russia's military action in Ukraine. Moscow's Meshchansky District Court ordered Alexei Gorinov to be kept in custody pending his trial. Gorinov, a member of the municipal council of Moscow's Krasnoselsky District, has remained in jail since his arrest in April.

The Delhi government has formulated SOPs for taking action against unregistered vehicles found plying on the city roads, in view of rising instances of automobiles being driven without a valid registration plate, said officials.

A man on Tuesday walked off his wedding after a dispute between his and the bride’s side broke out over who will pay for the brass band, police here said. One Dharmendra had brought his ‘baraat’ from Kampil in Farrukhabad to Mirzapur here, SHO, Mirzapur Police Station, Arvind Kumar Singh told PTI .

Three CRPF personnel were killed in a Maoist attack in Odisha's Nuapada district on Tuesday, police said. The incident happened in Patadhara Reserve Forest in Bheden block when the CRPF personnel were going from one camp to another, they said.

The maximum temperature in Delhi rose marginally on Tuesday but settled within comfortable levels. The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's base station, recorded a maximum temperature of 34.5 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal. It was 32.8 degrees Celsius on Monday and 30.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest so far this month since June 17, 2013.

A police Sub Inspector and a Constable were suspended on Tuesday in Nagaur district allegedly for being engaged in an affair and exchange of nude content online, a senior police officer said. The act between the two came to light when Sub Inspector Gopal Krishna, posted as SHO of Khinvsar Police Station, Complained to the Superintendent of Police (SP) Nagaur on Monday alleging that he was being blackmailed by a police constable.

Russia's security chief on Tuesday said Moscow will respond to Lithuania's decision to bar rail transit of certain goods from Russia to a Russian Baltic Sea exclave, and this response will have “a significant negative impact” on the Lithuanian people, adding to the already high tensions in the region.

Forty new COVID-19 cases were reported in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, taking the infection tally to 2,85,507, an official said. The active cases today stood at 213, he added.

Goa on Tuesday recorded 135 new cases of coronavirus that raised the tally of infections to 2,47,364, an official from the state health department said. At least 104 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the count of recoveries to 2,42,739, while the toll remained steady at 3,833 as no casualties were reported during the day, the official said.

Police on Tuesday attached five residential houses here, which were allegedly used for harbouring terrorists, under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. "Today on 21st June 2022, five residential houses of wilful harbourers of terrorists were attached as per section 2(g) and section 25 of UAP Act," Srinagar police said in a statement.

A special investigation team probing the anti-Sikh riots here in 1984 arrested two more people for mass killings and setting a house ablaze, in which three people were charred to death, said a senior official on Tuesday. The arrests were made from Ghatampur and the number of those held by the SIT so far has reached six.

South Korea successfully launched its first homegrown space rocket on Tuesday, officials said, a triumph that boosted the country's growing space ambitions but also proved it has key technologies to build a space-based surveillance system and bigger missiles amid animosities with rival North Korea.

As many as 3,02,865 candidates have qualified for higher studies as the results of the Plus Two examination, conducted by the Kerala Directorate of Higher Secondary Education in March this year, was announced here on Tuesday.

Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday met M Venkaiah Naidu ahead of a crucial party meeting on the presidential elections, sparking buzz about the ruling combine considering the vice president for the top constitutional post. Singh and Nadda have also been authorised by the party to speak to various parties, including those from the opposition, on the presidential poll.

In view of rains and anticipating protests by Congress workers against the Enforcement Directorate questioning senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, the Delhi Traffic Police on Tuesday said it has placed restrictions on movement of vehicles on several roads in the capital. An official said diversions have been created at key points expecting traffic jams. He said the rains are unlikely to cause much disruption but added protests could hamper the movement of vehicles.

A meeting was underway on Tuesday between Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena top leaders and MLAs, even as state minister Eknath Shinde was camping along with some party legislators in Gujarat. The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA- also comprising the NCP and Congress) suffered a setback on Monday when it lost out of six seats it contested in the Maharashtra Legislative Council polls.

Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and BJP president J P Nadda on Tuesday met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu ahead of a crucial party meeting on the presidential elections, sparking buzz about Naidu being considered by the ruling combine for the top constitutional post. Singh and Nadda have also been authorised by the party to speak to various parties, including those from the opposition, on the presidential poll.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for the fifth day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case. Gandhi, 52, arrived at the ED headquarters on APJ Abdul Kalam Road in central Delhi at 11.15 AM along with his security escort.

A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorist was among three ultras killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tulibal village in Baramulla's Sopore area following information about the presence of terrorists there, a police spokesperson said.

TMC leader Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday said that he will "step aside" from the party to work for the larger national cause of greater Opposition unity. The former Union minister's announcement came amid speculation that his name will be pitched by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the joint opposition candidate for the upcoming presidential elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday had breakfast with the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru at the palace here, where the famous 'Mysore pak' and 'Mysore masala dosa" were part of the menu.

Pilots frequently encounter hazards like bird hits, a short runway and tall trees while operating at the Patna airport, where nearly 200 people on board a Delhi-bound aircraft recently had a close shave, as the plane caught fire soon after take-off, experts said. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has initiated a probe into the incident that took place on June 19 at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport.

Battling a crisis in the Maharashtra government, the Shiv Sena leaders are likely to skip the opposition parties meeting on Tuesday to finalise their joint candidate for the Presidential election.

Ecommerce logistics provider Xpressbees on Tuesday said it has extended its same-day delivery service for D2C (direct-to-consumer) brands to over 1,000 cities and towns, which will help companies in expanding their online presence besides keeping their costs low.

Maharashtra minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has gone incommunicado, a party leader said on Tuesday, a day after the ruling Maha Vikas Agahdi (MVA) suffered a setback in the state Legislative Council polls by losing one out of the six seats it contested. The development could rattle the MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, as some Sena MLAs are believed to be in touch with Shinde.

With the addition of 526 new cases of coronavirus, the infection count in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 7,20,259, an official said on Tuesday. These new cases were reported on Monday, he said.

Police have seized gutka and tobacco products worth Rs 2.68 lakh here in Maharashtra and arrested one person in this connection, an official said on Tuesday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performed Yoga asanas along with hundreds of people at Thyagaraj stadium here on the occasion of International Yoga Day on Tuesday. He appealed people to resolve for practising Yoga and Pranayam every day.

Yoga is India's gift to humantiy and it is a holistic approach to health and well-being, balancing mind, body and soul, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Tuesday, greeting people on the International Yoga Day. He also asked everyone to make Yoga a part of their daily life & experience its benefits.

Yoga brings peace to our universe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, as he led the main event of the International Day of Yoga in the backdrop of the iconic Mysuru Palace on Tuesday. Thousands of people joined the Prime Minister in the mass Yoga demonstration here.

Two gun battles broke out between terrorists and security forces in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Tulibal village in Sopore area of Baramulla district following information about presence of militants there, a police spokesman said.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will not charge any entry fee at the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and other monuments on the occasion of International Day of Yoga on June 21, an official said on Monday. Superintending Archaeologist of ASI (Agra Circle) Rajkumar Patel told PTI, "On the occasion of International Yoga Day, there will be free entry tickets for tourists at Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other ASI-protected monuments in Agra Circle and across India. The entry will be free for the entire day for all tourists, Indians and foreigners.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has invited All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi for a meeting on Monday to discuss the presidential elections. Owaisi has deputed AIMIM's leader Imtiaz Jaleel for the meeting. "NCP chief Sharad Pawar invited Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi for a meeting to discuss the upcoming presidential elections.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a mission to make India a USD 5 trillion economy and Karnataka has resolved to contribute USD 1.25 trillion to the Indian economy to realise his objective. The Chief Minister was speaking at a function at Mysuru Maharaja College Grounds where Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the New Railway Coaching Complex to come up at Naganahalli and develop of Mysuru Railway Station and inaugurated the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing Centre of Excellence.