THE HEADLINES:
- Death toll in West Bengal train accident rises to Nine; Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visits the site.
- Home Minister Amit Shah reviews security situation in Manipur.
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi retains Raebareli Loksabha seat, Priyanka Gandhi to contest from Wayanad.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves 6-member war cabinet amid Gaza conflict.
- Eid-ul-Azha celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in the country and abroad.
- In T20 World Cup Cricket, Bangladesh books last berth of super eight beating Nepal by 21 runs; Super eight matches start from Wednesday.
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Nine people were killed and at least 60 injured when the Agartala – Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express collided with a goods train near New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal this morning. The collision occurred near Rangapani station, approximately seven kilometers from New Jalpaiguri, causing two rear compartments to derail.
Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a social media post that enhanced ex-gratia compensation will be provided to the victims. He said, 10 lakh rupees in case of death, two lakh 50 thousand towards grievous and 50 thousand rupees for minor injuries. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visited the train collision site at Rangapani this afternoon to assess the situation. He also visited the hospital to meet the accident victims.
It has been raining heavily since morning in Siliguri, impacting the rescue operation. As a result, long-distance train services was temporarily stopped.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah today chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi to review the security situation in Manipur. During the meeting, Mr Shah asked for strategic deployment of central forces to restore peace and harmony in the state. The Minister directed to take strict action as per law against those committing violence. He said, that the Home Ministry will soon talk to both the groups, Meitei and Kuki, so that the gap between the two communities can be bridged.
Home Minister Shah said, Central government is fully committed to ensure the security of the people of Manipur. He directed state Chief Secretary to ensure proper health and education facilities for displaced people and their rehabilitation.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 17th installment of more than 20 thousand crore rupees under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh tomorrow. The installment will be released to nine crore 26 lakh beneficiary farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer. During the event, the Prime Minister will also grant Certificates to more than 30 thousand women from Self Help Groups as Krishi Sakhis. PM-KISAN scheme launched on 24th February 2019 to supplement the financial needs of all land-holding farmers subject to certain exclusion criteria of higher income status. The Prime Minister will visit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on 18th and 19th June.
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USA National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Mr Sullivan briefed Prime Minister on the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation, particularly under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) such as semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, defence, space and among others. Prime Minister Modi expressed satisfaction at the speed and scale of the growing bilateral partnership in all areas and the convergence of views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
Earlier, Mr Sullivan met External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi. After the meeting, Dr. Jaishankar said that a comprehensive discussion was held between the both sides on broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Mr Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval today attended the second annual meeting of initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.
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In Tamil Nadu, three fishermen drowned near Rameswaram today as their boat sank in the deep sea due to an accident. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has expressed shock over the incident and has announced an ex gratia of three lakh rupees each to the family of the deceased.
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu visited the Polavaram project construction site today, marking his first visit since assuming office as the Chief Minister. Mr. Naidu inspected the project and reviewed the progress of ongoing works. He conducted an aerial survey of the site, including the spillway. Later, speaking to the media, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu said there were four damaged areas on the diaphragm wall. He said about 70 per cent of the project was completed during the TDP government between 2014 and 2019. He alleged, the YSRCP government not only failed to complete the remaining work but also pushed the project into limbo.
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In flood affected Sikkim, the district administration with the help of state Police and other departments managed to evacuate nine stranded tourists in the first batch, today. The tourists were brought in via Toong and Naga. Log bridges were created to facilitate foot movement. Wherever roads are motorable vehicles are being used for transhipment. 55 tourists reached Mangan in the second batch this evening, making it a total of 64 tourists evacuated so far. If the weather turns favourable tomorrow, more tourists will be airlifted.
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BJP has appointed State election-in-charge and co-in-charge for the ensuing assembly polls in the Maharashtra, Haryana, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir. The party has appointed Bhupender Yadav as State election in-charge and Ashwini Vaishnaw co-incharge for Maharashtra assembly polls. Dharmendra Pradhan and Biplab Kumar Dev have been made state election incharges for Haryana. For the Jharkhand assembly election, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been appointed State in-charge and Himanta Biswa Sarma as co-incharge. Union Minister G Kisan Reddy has been given the charge for Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections.
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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will keep the Raebareli seat and vacate Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will fight from Wayanad Lok Sabha in Kerala. Mr Kharge said that the party has decided that Rahul Gandhi should retain Rae Bareli’s seat since it is close to the gandhi family.
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The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival is underway in Mumbai. A total of 314 films from 59 countries across 61 languages are there in the MIFF programming this year. The 6-day film festival will culminate on 21 June.
“The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival-MIFF-2024 today featured an engaging panel discussion on the topic “Unlocking the Force: Using Documentary Films to Promote Social Transformation,” featuring Veteran Kannada Film Director, actor, and producer Dr. T. S. Nagabharana. Another panel discussion was held on the topic ‘Unveiling her story: Exploring women’s narratives through Documentary Film making’ which involved acclaimed women filmmakers. Renowned Animation Filmmaker Georges Schwizgebel conducted a master class titled. ‘Schwizgebel’s Approach to Animation’. Various films including Herd Walk, Everywhere, Submerged, Sour Milk, My Father, Nomad Girl, Lost Dream were screened on the third of the festival. With C Prarthana, Madhuri Pange, Aakashwani News, Mumbai.”
In a related development, the Red Carpet event of the Mumbai International Film Festival scheduled to take place in New Delhi today has been cancelled. This is for the first time that the 18th Mumbai International Film Festival is expanding to other cities.
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Eid-ul-Azha, the festival of sacrifice celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in various parts of the country and abraod today. The devotees offered Eid namaaz or prayers in Eidgahs and mosques this morning. Later they exchanged Eid greetings. In the national capital Delhi, main congregations were held at Jama Masjid, Fatehpuri mosque and Shahi Eidgah.
In Bangladesh, the festival of Eid-ul-Adha celebrated with religious fervour and solemnity. People started gathering in the mosques early in the morning to celebrate the festival of sacrifice and sharing. The Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin, Cabinet Ministers and several other dignitaries took part in the prayer at the National Eidgah ground this morning.
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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his six-member war cabinet, less than a week after centrist opposition leader Benny Gantz and his ally Gadi Eisenkot resigned. According to media reports, the sensitive issues about the war with Hamas in Gaza will now be discussed in a smaller forum. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it would not affect the chain of command. The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7.
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Heat wave to severe heat wave conditions are likely to continue over many parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during the next two days.
On the other hand, the weather office has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Assam-Meghalaya during next three days.
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In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Bangladesh today defeated Nepal by 21 runs to book the last berth in the Super 8 stage of the tournament. With this victory, the eight teams that qualified for this phase have now been finalized. Bangladesh was the last team to qualify after their victory over Nepal. The Super 8 round will begin on June 19 and end on June 25.
“The first group consists of India, Australia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, while the second group consists of the USA, England, the West Indies, and South Africa. The first Super 8 match will be played between the USA and South Africa on June 19. India will take on Afghanistan in their first match on June 20. All the matches will be played in the West Indies. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals. The teams have to play three matches in the Super-8 and need two wins to reach the semi-finals. The final match will be played in Barbados on June 29. India, Australia, Afghanistan, the West Indies, and South Africa are the only teams to progress to the Super 8 on an unbeaten note. The last match of the group stage will be played between the West Indies and Afghanistan at 6 a.m. tomorrow. The result of this match will not have any effect on the Super-8 teams.
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In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” at 9.30 tonight, we will bring an insightful discussion on “Yoga for Health and Wellness with Dr Surakshit Goswami, Yog Expert & Dr. Ishwar N. Acharya, Programme Officer, Yoga Therapy at Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.
During the programme, listeners will have the opportunity to pose questions to our guests regarding various aspects of yoga such as its importance and benefits. To participate, simply dial the telephone numbers 011 – 23421050.
Alternatively, you can also send your queries via WhatsApp to the number 9289094044.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN
- Death toll in West Bengal train accident rises to Nine; Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw visits the site.
- Home Minister Amit Shah reviews security situation in Manipur.
- Congress leader Rahul Gandhi retains Raebareli Loksabha seat, Priyanka Gandhi to contest from Wayanad.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves 6-member war cabinet amid Gaza conflict.
- Eid-ul-Azha celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety in the country and abroad.
- In T20 World Cup Cricket, Bangladesh books last berth of super eight beating Nepal by 21 runs; Super eight matches start from Wednesday.
