Breaking News, June 6 | LIVE UPDATES

 A man allegedly bludgeoned his wife and mother-in-law to death with an iron rod over some domestic issue in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, police said.

A Pakistani militant of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was killed in an encounter with security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, while three terrorists managed to escape, police said. Acting on specific inputs about the presence of militants in Panipora forest of the Zaloora area in Sopore, security forces launched a cordon and search operation there, a police official said.

The body of an infant was found on Monday among the plastic waste that was sent to the garbage treatment plant at Ernakulam from hospitals of Kottayam, police said. The police said they have begun investigation into the matter and suspect that the body was found among the waste collected from Kottayam Medical College Hospital.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday called for deepening the engagement between Indian and Qatari parliaments and promoting parliamentary exchanges. Noting that the year 2023 marks 50 years of establishment of full diplomatic relations between India and Qatar, Naidu suggested that the two parliaments also plan an event to celebrate the milestone.

India on Monday successfully carried out a "training launch" of the Agni-4 intermediate-range ballistic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island in Odisha, marking a significant boost to the country's military capabilities. In a brief statement, the defence ministry said the test was carried out at around 7:30 pm.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said his target is to construct 60 kilometers of highway per day. India's national highway construction slowed to 28.64 km a day in 2021-22 due to COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions and a longer-than-usual monsoon in some parts of the country.               

Heatwave conditions are likely to prevail over parts of northwest India till Thursday under the influence of dry and warm westerlies blowing from the direction of Pakistan, weather scientists said on Monday. Banda and Fatehgarh in Uttar Pradesh were the hottest places in the country as they recorded the highest maximum temperatures of 46.8 degrees Celsius and 46.4 degrees Celsius respectively.

One person was killed and another seriously injured when the roof of an under-construction tunnel of NHPC's Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project collapsed and fell on workers in Assam's Dhemaji district on Monday, officials said.

A group of Aam Aadmi Party MLAs called on Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena on Monday, a meeting that comes against the backdrop of the ruling party's mounting accusations of interference by him in the government's work. The AAP had last week accused the LG of meddling in the affairs of the government and not focussing on the areas under his control.

Turkey has relaxed all the conditions for travellers entering the country and is expecting to welcome the highest-ever number of Indian tourists this year, Turkiye Tourism Board said on Monday.

Burglars put cow skulls on solar light poles after stealing solar lights in Gokak town of Karnataka's Belagavi district. The incident came to light on Monday, resulting in public outrage.

The skulls have been dangling on poles since two days and authorities have not taken any action, according to locals.

In a major drug haul, the Special Task Force of Odisha Police seized 2.58 kg of brown sugar worth Rs 2.5 crore and arrested three peddlers here, an officer said on Monday.

Based on specific information, STF personnel raided a place near AIIMS, Bhubaneswar on Sunday and seized the brown sugar from the possession of three drug peddlers. All the three peddlers belonged to Khurda district, police said.

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Monday said it has set up a 20 MWp solar power plant at its Manesar-based manufacturing facility.

The initiative will contribute 28,000 MW per annum, which is equivalent to the energy required for the production of over 67,000 cars annually.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Afghanistan on Monday joined several Muslim nations to condemn the controversial remarks of a BJP leader against Prophet Mohammed, stressing the importance of respecting all religious beliefs.

In a statement, Saudi Arabia's foreign affairs ministry expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the statements made by the BJP spokesperson, saying it insulted Prophet Mohammed.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray has called a meeting of all MLAs of MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) tomorrow. After that, Congress has also called a meeting of CLP for the Rajya Sabha elections - it will be attended by AICC Observer for Rajya Sabha polls Mallikarjun Kharge.

CM Mamata Banerjee to replace Gov Jagdeep Dhankhar as Chancellor of state-aided universities under different departments like Health, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Minority Affairs Dept. This will have to be further passed in the Assembly

The Congress in Uttar Pradesh will not contest the upcoming by-elections to two Lok Sabha seats in the state.

State Congress vice president Yogesh Dixit issued a statement on Monday saying that the party had decided not to contest the Lok Sabha by-elections in view of the recent Assembly polls.

He said that the party was revamping and strengthening itself to meet the challenges of the 2022 general elections.

Zydus Lifesciences on Monday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator to market Famotidine tablets, an antacid, in the American market.

The company has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to market the drug in the strengths of 20mg and 40mg, the company said in a statement.

UK’s embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a vote of confidence in his leadership of the Conservative Party, the chair of the party’s backbench committee announced on Monday, days after more details of the partygate scandal emerged.

Sir Graham Brady, who is in-charge of collating the letters of no-confidence received by the 1922 Committee, said the threshold of 15 per cent of the Tory parliamentary party, or 54 MPs, seeking such a vote has been met and it will place on Monday evening in the House of Commons.

The police have arrested two men and recovered 10 kg cannabis from their possession here, officials said on Monday. The accused have been identified as as Bihar-resident Dharvinder Kumar and Raj Kumar, a native of Chhattisgarh, police said, adding that they were nabbed near the city's Rajeev Nagar area.

The accused are being questioned and some more arrests and recoveries are expected based on their disclosure as police is working to break the drugs supply chain in the city, a police official said.

The Delhi Police has registered an FIR over complaints that former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was receiving threats for her controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed, officials said on Monday.

"Based on the FIR, we have initiated a probe into the matter," a senior police official said.

According to officials, the FIR has been registered under IPC sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 506 (criminal intimidation), 507 (Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) and 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) against unknown people.

"We're taking stock of COVID situation, cases rising, but we'll open schools on June 15 with COVID appropriate measures.Masks not mandatory. New SOPs to be issued to schools.Further decision to be taken in accordance with situation," says Maharashtra School Education Min Varsha Gaikwad

Calcutta High Court allows lawyer Ravishankar Chatterjee to file a PIL demanding CBI enquiry into the death of singer KK

The singer had passed away on May 31 after a live performance in Kolkata, West Bengal

ED has sought time to file replies on the applications of Nawab Malik & Anil Deshmukh. Both have sought permission to be allowed to vote in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra. ED has to file a reply by tomorrow. The next date of hearing is 8th June.

A total of 780 laboratory-confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported or identified since May 13 and as of June 2 from 27 countries across four WHO regions that are not endemic for the monkeypox virus, the World Health Organisation has said.

The UN's health agency said that while epidemiological investigations are ongoing, most reported cases so far have been presented through sexual health or other health services in primary or secondary health care facilities and have involved mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men (MSM).

The BJP on Monday announced Kewal Singh Dhillon as party candidate for the Sangrur Lok Sabha bypolls.

In a statement, BJP national General Secretary Arun Singh said, "The BJP Central Election Committee has approved one name for the Lok Sabha bypolls in Punjab."

The union territory of Puducherry added three new coronavirus cases during the last 24 hours taking the overall tally to 1,65,898, a senior official of the Department of Health said on Monday.

The three cases emerged after the examination of 257 samples, Director of Health G Sriramulu said in a release.

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced that the UK will send its first long-range missiles to Ukraine despite a threat by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the West against the delivery of these weapons to Kiev.

China's National Meteorological Centre on Monday renewed an alert for rainstorms in various parts of the country.

From 2 p.m. Monday to 2 p.m. Tuesday, heavy downpours are expected to lash parts of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Yunnan and Liaoning, and some areas may experience up to 180 mm of rainfall, reports Xinhua news agency.

In a bid to control crime, the prison department of Bihar has shifted 23 hardcore criminals from Patna to the high-security Bhagalpur Central Jail.

The department took the decision following recommendation of Patna SSP Manavjeet Singh Dhillon.

Keeping in view of rising crime incidents in Patna and the adjoining districts, the SSP said that jail operated crimes cannot be ruled out.

He further said that the hardcore gangsters lodged in the Patna Beur Jail are planning the crimes and their execution is being done by gang members.

India's Avinash Sable finished a creditable fifth at the prestigious Diamond League Meet here thereby shattering his own 3000m steeplechase national record for the eighth time.

The 27-year-old army man from a humble family in the Beed district of Maharashtra clocked 8:12.48 in a high-quality field late Sunday night to shave off more than three seconds than his own previous national record of 8:16.21 which he ran at the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram in March.

Mizoram reported four fresh COVID-19 cases on Monday, the lowest single-day spike this year, taking the tally to 2,28,404, a health department official said on Monday. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 700 as no new fatality was reported in the last 24 hours, he said.

An alleged smuggler was shot dead by BSF troops in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district during an encounter at the Indo-Bangla border, officials said. The incident happened on Sunday, when BSF personnel observed the movement of “smugglers” in the area, they said.

Moga Police has detained one Davinder Kala from Fatehabad, Haryana in connection with the matter. He has been called for questioning, but he has not been arrested yet: Gulneet Singh Khurana, SSP Moga (Punjab)

Assam Police have registered 16 cases against Popular Front of India (PFI) and launched a crackdown against other such groups which are active in the state, a top police official has said while referring to PFI's alleged links with a Bangladesh-based terror group.

The police have also registered two more cases against PFI's student wing Campus Front of India (CFI).

Additional Director General of Police (Special Branch) Hiren Nath said charge sheets were filed in 12 cases while the probe is underway for the remaining cases.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has directed the state police to launch a crackdown against illegal massage parlours, after some tourists were allegedly attacked at a salon near here last month.

Sawant on Sunday visited the Calangute police station and the Calangute beach, located near the state capital Panaji, and held a meeting with some police officers.

“I have directed the Goa police to start a crackdown on illegal massage parlours immediately across the state,” the chief minister told reporters.

Henceforth, police inspectors will be held responsible for any illegal parlours operating in their areas of jurisdiction, he said.

Saudi Arabia on Monday joined Qatar, Iran and Kuwait to express its condemnation of the controversial remarks of a BJP leader against Prophet Mohammed and called for "respect for beliefs and religions."

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the statements made by the BJP spokesperson, saying it insulted Prophet Mohammed.

The ministry reiterated its "permanent rejection of prejudice against the symbols of the Islamic religion."

The rupee appreciated 4 paise to 77.62 against the US dollar in opening trade on Monday, supported by a weak American currency in the overseas markets. However, muted domestic equities, elevated crude oil prices and persistent foreign fund outflows restricted the rupee's rise, forex traders said.

At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened slightly strong at 77.65 against the American dollar and gained further momentum to quote 77.62, registering a rise of 4 paise from the last close.

In the previous session, the rupee had settled at 77.66 against the US dollar.

Benchmark indices continued to fall on Monday, with the Sensex declining 227 points in early trade as investors remained cautious amid unabated selling by foreign funds and elevated crude oil prices.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 226.7 points lower at 55,542.53 points. The broader NSE Nifty fell by 67.05 points to 16,517.25 points.

From the Sensex pack, Tech Mahindra, Asian Paints, Wipro, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Bajaj Finserv, Infosys, Tata Steel and Titan were the biggest laggards.

In contrast, M&M and Axis Bank were the gainers.

An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 on the Richter scale hit Afghanistan's Fayzabad on Monday, as per the National Center for Seismology. It occurred 235 kilometres East of Fayzabad city and at a depth of 166 kilometres.

India reports 4,518 fresh cases, 2,779 recoveries, and 9 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Total active cases are 25,782.

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Former MLA PC George will appear before Fort ACP, for questioning in connection with an alleged hate speech case against him.

Intelligence agencies have alerted the Karnataka government after they tracked satellite phone calls made to foreign locations from state's coastal and Malnad regions, sources said on Monday. Three calls were detected from the thick forests in these regions between May 23-29, according to the sources.

Two calls were tracked in places near Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district, Chikkamagalur and Uttara Kannada jungles by the Central intelligence agencies. The sleuths of the State Internal Security Division (ISD) visited the spot and have launched a probe.

With the addition of 273 new COVID-19 cases, the infection tally in Maharashtra's Thane district has gone up to 7,11,115, an official said on Monday.
These new cases were reported on Sunday, he said.

There was no fresh fatality and the death toll in the district stood at 11,895, he said, adding that COVID-19 mortality rate in Thane is 1.67 per cent.

The police and security forces have seized heroin and foreign cigarettes valued at over Rs 3.4 crore in separate operations in Mizoram, police said on Sunday. In one operation, a special branch of the crime investigation department on Saturday seized 222 grams of heroin on the outskirts of Sateek village in the Aizawl district.

The contraband worth Rs 1.11 crore in the international market was concealed in 17 soap cases, the police said. Two peddlers, both from south Mizoram's Lunglei town, were arrested for possessing the contraband.

West Bengal's COVID-19 tally rose to 20,19,633 on Sunday as 59 more people tested positive for the infection, while one fresh fatality pushed the state's coronavirus death toll to 21,205, a health bulletin said.

Thirty-one cases and zero deaths were reported on Saturday.

President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Lucknow late Sunday evening as part of his visit to Uttar Pradesh. Accompanied by his wife Savita Kovind, the President reached the Raj Bhavan here from the airport, an official statement said.

He was welcomed by Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
At the Raj Bhavan, Patel presented an "angavastram" to the President and his wife.

Jacob Hoggard, the frontman for the Canadian band Hedley, has been convicted of sexual assault causing bodily harm to an Ottawa woman but acquitted of the same charge involving a teenage fan.

Hoggard, 37, was also found not guilty of sexual interference, a charge alleging the sexual touching of someone under 16, in an incident involving the same teen fan when she was 15.

The singer hugged his wife in the courtroom after the jury's verdict was read.

SP candidates for Lok Sabha by-polls decided - Dharmendra Yadav  to contest from Azamgarh, Azam Khan's wife Tanzeem Fatima from Ramgarh: Samajwadi Party (SP) Sources

With the number of COVID cases witnessing a sudden spike in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, the health officials in the city have cautioned the people to wear masks and follow COVID guidelines.

The city has reported 36 cases in the last three days.

In view of the recent incidents of violence in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday while listing out the instances of deteriorating law and order in the state said that the Bhagwant Mann government "failed miserably".

The SAD chief also pointed out the murder of Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moose Wala that took place on May 29.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today conducted searches at the residence of Delhi's Health and Home Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with hawala transactions related to a Kolkata-based company.

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The search and rescue operation has concluded. A total of 26 people died in the accident, and 4 are injured. The injured have been sent to Higher Centre for their treatment: Uttarakhand Police 

The bus had a total of 30 people, including 28 pilgrims.

In a heinous crime in Pakistan, a pregnant woman was gang-raped by five men in the Punjab province, according to media reports. Five armed men barged into the house of a woman in Jhelum city who was reportedly expecting a baby, Daily Pakistan reported.

According to the report, the group of culprits first assaulted and then tied the victim's husband using a rope.

The police officials said the medical examination of the pregnant woman was completed and the blood sample of the victim was also sent to Lahore for forensic examination.

As many as 12 people tested positive for the new subvariants of COVID BA.4 and BA.5 in Tamil Nadu, as per state Health Minister M Subramanian.

The Minister informed that 300 samples were sent to the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad of which 12 tested positive for the subvariants.

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Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan who was granted three-week transit bail on June 2, would be arrested by the security officials deployed outside his Bani Gala residence, country's Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said.

Sanaullah has said that Imran Khan has been charged in over two dozens of cases including rioting, sedition, chaos and armed attacks at the federation, The News International reported.

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At least 50 people including women and children were killed and others injured after gunmen attacked a Catholic church in Nigeria's Ondo state during mass on Sunday, according to media reports.

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Two cases of Norovirus have been confirmed in Thiruvananthapuram's Vizhinjam; no need for concern. Health Department has assessed the situation; samples have been collected and tested from the area and preventive actions have been intensified. Condition of the two children stable: Kerala Health Minister Veena George

In response to North Korea's latest missile launches, South Korea and the United States test-fired eight missiles on Sunday, according to Yonhap news agency.

Yonhap said citing the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday morning that the missiles were test-fired "at various targets."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 'Iconic Week Celebrations' of the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corporate Affairs today at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi.

The "iconic week" is being celebrated as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' (AKAM) from June 6 to June 11, 2022.

PM Modi will launch the national portal for credit-linked government schemes - Jan Samarth Portal. It is a one-stop digital portal linking government credit schemes that directly connect beneficiaries to lenders.