In a letter to Jaishankar, Dhaliwal also sought time to meet him over the issue. 

As many as 700 Indian students, mostly from Punjab, are facing deportation from Canada after the authorities in that country found "admission offer letters' to educational institutions to be fake. 

The matter came to light in March when these students applied for permanent residency in Canada. 

"I have also sought time to meet EAM so that the whole matter can be brought to the attention of the GOI personally," Dhaliwal said. 

In the letter to the EAM, Dhaliwal said, "These (700) students are innocent and have been cheated by the clique of fraudsters'' 

"I shall be highly grateful if you again look into the matter personally and take up the matter with concerned agencies including High Commission of Canada and government of Canada so that these students can be saved from being deported,' wrote Dhaliwal. -- PTI

His condition is stable, they said. 

Jain, in his late 50s, has been in Tihar Jail since his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in May last year in connection with a money laundering case. 

He was admitted to the ICU at LNJP Hospital on May 25 after he collapsed in a prison bathroom due to dizziness. 

Later, he was shifted to Apollo Hospital. 

The sources said Jain was "admitted in a medicine department ward at Apollo Hospital for nearly a week". 

A team of doctors, including a neurology expert, attended to him, they said. 

Sources had said on May 26 that Jain had suffered a blood clot due to a head injury, though his condition was stable. -- PTI

It was suspected that she had been sexually assaulted but it can be ascertained only after autopsy report is available, an official said. 

The victim was a student of a government polytechnic in suburban Bandra, he said. 

The police were alerted after she became untraceable in the afternoon with her fourth-floor hostel room locked from outside. 

A police team which entered the room found her dead with a dupatta (stole) wrapped around her neck. 

A security guard in the hostel, who was a suspect in the case, was found dead on the railway tracks in the morning, the official said. 

An FIR for murder was registered at Marine Drive police station and further probe was on, he added.

Bajrang Sena leaders are close to former minister Deepak Joshi, who had quit BJP to join Congress. 

The merger happened in the presence of MP Congress president Kamal Nath. 

The merger announcement was made by BS national president Rajnish Pateria and coordinator Raghunandan Sharma. 

Joshi was also present on the occasion. 

BS members presented a mace and memorabilia to Nath and raised slogans of Jai Shriram. 

Welcoming the development, Nath alleged Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is making hollow announcements as elections are approaching. 

"Chouhan has made more than 20,000 announcements so far which are never implemented. As the assembly polls are nearing, Chouhan is now remembering women, youths and employees. He had done nothing for them in the last 18 years while in power," Nath claimed. -- PTI

'The BBC has now travelled in Afghanistan -- and used satellite analysis -- to examine the effects of the direct action on opium poppy cultivation. 

The bus conductor, a contractual employee, was also removed from service, he said. 

Regional manager Deepak Choudhary said the action was taken as stopping the bus at a secluded place could have led to an untoward incident like loot and put at risk the lives of passengers who included women. 

"UPSRTC's Janrath bus was heading to Kaushambi from the Satellite bus stand on Saturday night. K P Singh was driving the vehicle and Mohit Yadav was the bus conductor," assistant regional manager (ARM), Bareilly depot, Sanjeev Srivastava said. 

On reaching a secluded place before Rampur, the bus was stopped. When the passengers demanded an answer, they came to know that two Muslim passengers had got down and were offering namaaz on the road. 

The other passengers then raised an objection and one of them made a video of the incident and made it public on Sunday, he said. 

A complaint was made to the MD Transport Corporation through Twitter after which action was taken in the matter on Monday. 

Meanwhile, Ravindra Pandey, regional secretary, UP Roadways Employees Union termed the action as "one-sided" and said the driver and the conductor should have been given a chance to present their case. 

"Sometimes passengers force the driver to stop the bus. It could be the same in this case. An enquiry should be conducted in the matter," he said.

All the passengers and crew are accommodated in local hotels in Magadan, Air India said in a statement. 

Earlier, the airline had informed that its flight AI173 of date (June 6) operating Delhi-San Francisco with 216 passengers and 16 crew on board was diverted to Magadan airport, where it landed safely. 

"Air India will operate an alternate aircraft from Magadan to San Francisco on June 7, carrying all passengers and crew of AI-173 who are presently accommodated in local hotels in Magadan," an Air India spokesperson said in an updated statement. 

The authorities are extending all cooperation in the airline's effort to ensure that passengers safely reach their destination at the earliest, the spokesperson added. 

The aircraft (a Boeing 777) is undergoing mandatory checks and the passengers are being provided all support on the ground, it had stated in its earlier statement.

'It is, of course, not clear how long this US relationship with India will last, but for the moment, added to the decline of Russia as an ally and the aggressive actions the US has taken to form alliances in the Western Pacific, China is in a difficult position. 

'I have long argued that China could not risk a war in the Pacific. Now, in my view, China must take steps to deescalate the tension. A meeting involving China's head of intelligence and his counterparts from the US, India, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand -- and not Russia -- suggests Beijing understands the position it is in and that it had to shift. The leaders seemed very careful to make the balance of power public,' reports Friedman, here.

The incident occurred when DEO SK Mishra's vehicle was moving out of the office campus in the afternoon. 

BJP's Damoh district vice president Amit Bajaj claimed responsibility for the ink attack. 

The incident was condemned by Madhya Pradesh BJP unit president VD Sharma. 

The state education department last week suspended the recognition of Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School following a controversy over a poster showing girls, including Hindu students, wearing headscarves that looked like hijab as part of the uniform. 

A couple of students of the school alleged that Hindu students were being forced to wear hijabs and offer namaz in the school. 

Initially, the DEO had given a clean chit to the school but the district collector later constituted a probe committee on the directives of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. 

After throwing the ink on the DEO, Bajaj alleged Mishra had tried to suppress the issue though he was aware of illegal activities in the school. -- PTI

"A malware attack was detected at 1450 hrs today by the cyber-security systems deployed in AIIMS, New Delhi. The attempt was successfully thwarted, and the threat was neutralised by the deployed cyber-security systems. The e-Hospital services remain to be fully secure and are functioning normally," the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said. 

As rumours of a possible cyber attack began to spread, Minister of State for Electronics and Information and Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar took to Twitter to clarify that there was no cyber incident or breach. 

"http://E-Hospital.aiims.edu is an internal application not available for internet users. Someone may have tried accessing this portal and alert generated due to security layer used by AIIMS. Same person may have taken a screenshot of error msg and circulated it," he tweeted. -- PTI

According to a press note issued by the Election Commission, the three MLCs whose resignation necessitated the by-polls are Baburao Chinchansur, R Shankar and Laxman Savadi. 

The trio contested the assembly elections and only Savadi won while Chinchansur, a Congress candidate from Gurmitkal, and R Shankar, an NCP candidate from Ranebennur, lost. 

The notification will be issued on June 13 and the last date for filing of nominations is June 20. 

The scrutiny of nominations will take place on June 21 while the last date to withdraw nomination is June 23. 

The polling will take place on June 30 from 9 am to 4 pm by members of the legislative assembly casting their votes. 

The counting of votes will take place the same evening at 5. 

The Commission said the process of election should be completed by July 4. -- PTI

Speaking to reporters, chief secretary PK Jena said, 275 deaths were confirmed till Monday, and after verification of bodies, the figure was raised to 288.                 

Jena said that 205 bodies of the the total 288 have been identified so far and handed over to their families.                 

The remaining 83 bodies were kept at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar and other hospitals for identification, he said.                 

"We have received many queries on the helpline numbers released by the government. We are optimistic that all bodies will be identified," Jena said.                 

He said the state government was bearing the cost of treatment of the injured, and transportation of bodies to respective destinations.                 

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik sanctioned Rs 1.95 crore for ex-gratia payment to the families of 39 deceased persons from Odisha. -- PTI

The reality series will be streaming on JioCinema for free from June 17. 

"Everyone's favourite @beingsalmankhan is all set to bring back India's biggest reality show, Bigg Boss to OTT! Aur iss baar, lagayenge bhi aap aur bachayenge bhi aap.Stay tuned for the #BBOTT2 anthem drop.#BBOTT2onJioCinema streaming free 17 June onwards. #BiggBossOTT2" Jio Cinema posted on Instagram alongside a teaser of the popular series. 

The first season of Bigg Boss OTT Hindi was hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar. 

The winner was Divya Agarwal. List of participants for season two is yet to be announced. -- PTI

The court, however, said they will face trial for the offences of rioting, unlawful assembly and disobedience of an order duly promulgated by a public servant. 

Additional sessions judge Pulastya Pramachala was hearing a case against five people, who were accused of being part of a riotous mob that engaged in vandalism and arson, besides looting 10 tola (116.64 gm) gold jewellery and Rs 90,000 from the complainant's house on February 25, 2020. 

"...I find that there is no evidence on the record in support of allegations for offences under IPC Sections 427 (punishment for committing mischief and thereby causing loss or damage to the amount of Rs 50 or upwards) 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to an amount of Rs 100 or upwards) and 395 (dacoity) against accused persons. Therefore, they are entitled to be discharged," the judge said. 

The judge, however, said on the basis of the evidence placed on record the accused persons were liable to be tried for the offence of rioting, rioting armed with a deadly weapon, unlawful assembly and disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant. 

ASJ Pramachala said presumptions could not make any person responsible for a particular incident. 

"In the present case from the statement of witnesses and the video relied upon by the prosecution, one can only assume that the accused persons had come in the gali (lane) equipped with lathi or danda and they were making statements against Hindus for putting pressure upon the government to take back CAA/NRC," the judge said. -- PTI

Earlier, it was supposed to be till June 7. 

"We acknowledge the flight cancellations might have disrupted your travel plans and we are committed to providing all the assistance we can," Go First tweeted. 

The airline operator had recently filed for voluntary insolvency. 

Earlier, Directorate General of Civil Aviation advised Go First Airlines to submit a comprehensive restructuring plan for a sustainable revival of operations. 

A senior DGCA official earlier said that Go First has submitted their response to a show cause notice, issued on May 8, wherein they have requested that they may be allowed to use the moratorium period to prepare a comprehensive restructuring plan for restarting operations and present the same to DGCA for the requisite regulatory approvals before restarting operations. -- ANI

Superintendent of police Palghar rural Balasaheb Patil in a release said this was one of the success stories of the ongoing Jana Samwad Abhiyan in the district. 

An unidentified man had entered a house in Mangelwada of Kelva in Palghar and stolen gold jewellery worth Rs 3.2 lakh on May 31. 

Following this, a case was registered, he said. 

During a Jana Samwad Abhiyan meeting, the police spoke to villagers and urged that whoever stole the jewellery must return the same to show his honesty and loyalty towards the community, the official said. 

The police on Tuesday found the stolen jewellery kept at the doorstep of a prominent person in the village, he said. -- PTI

The flight, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew, however, landed safely, the airline said.

"Air India flight AI173 of June 6, operating Delhi-San Francisco has developed a technical issue with one of its engines. The flight, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew, was diverted and landed safely in Magadan airport in Russia," Air India said in the statement.

The aircraft is undergoing the mandatory checks, the airline said, adding the passengers are being provided all support on the ground.

The passengers will be provided an alternate option to reach their destination at the earliest, Air India added.

In light of the depression in the Arabian Sea, which is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued a warning to fishermen not to venture into areas that may be affected.

The weather department in a tweet said that squally winds of 45-55 kmph speed and gusting to 65 kmph is very likely over northeast Arabian Sea and off north Gujarat coast and warned fishermen not to venture into the sea.

The depression is 1,000-1,100 km away from our coast, so at present, the impact of that depression on our coast is less.

As the cyclone moves further, it is likely to go north and that time, we will be able to see the impact that it can have on our coast, said Sunil Kamble, the head of Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) Mumbai told PTI.

Considering the depression, alerts and warnings have been issued to the fishermen and shipping agencies, he said.

"At present, the wind speed may be more than 50 knots due to the depression, but above this, it can be dangerous for fishermen. The warning will be in place till the cyclone in the Arabian Sea abates," the official said.

In a bulletin, the Met office said the depression lay about 950 km west-southwest of Goa, 1,100 km south-southwest of Mumbai, 1,190 km south of Porbandar and 1,490 km south of Karachi, Pakistan, at 8.30 am.

The IMD had on Monday said the formation of the low-pressure system over the southeast Arabian Sea and its intensification is expected to critically influence the advance of the monsoon towards the Kerala coast.

The weather department, however, did not give a tentative date for the arrival of the monsoon in Kerala.

"Generally, whenever there is a cyclone, it affects the onset of monsoon. This may cause a delay of about one or two days," the official said.  --  PTI

A case has been registered against 50 people for allegedly pelting stones, following a dispute over a Dalit man's wedding procession at a village in Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred in Chourai village under Baksaha police station limits on Monday, when some people from another community objected to the wedding procession of a Dalit man, Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi said.

The police force reached the village and the procession and other programmes were conducted safely, he said.

Some police personnel sustained minor injuries in the stone pelting, the official said.

A case was registered against 50 persons under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.  -- PTI

Hari Padman, who was accused of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment, was arrested on April 3 by the Chennai police following a complaint from a former student of the college. 

He was granted bail by a Metropolitan Magistrate court at Saidapet in the city on June 3, a senior police official said.

The accident involving two passenger trains and a goods train claimed 278 lives and left more than 1,100 people injured.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the alleged criminal negligence leading to the train accident.

"Balasore train crash is the biggest rail accident in independent India. In the initial statement of railways, the cause of the accident was stated as a fault in the interlocking signal system," Singh claimed while speaking to reporters.

A senior railway official in one of his letters written in February, had clearly warned about the major risk of train accidents due to a fault in the interlocking signalling system and highlighted the need for its immediate rectification and improving this system, the Rajya Sabha member claimed.

Because of the failure to fix this problem in time, a terrible rail accident occurred in Balasore, he alleged.

Singh claimed the number of railway derailments in the country rose steadily in India since 2014 (when Narendra Modi became prime minister) whereas the budget allocation for maintenance and safety measures in railways is decreasing.

At the same time, a lot of money is being spent on the bullet train project (between Mumbai and Ahmedabad) whose ticket is beyond the reach of the poor man. The condition of Vande Bharat trains is such that its engine becomes useless due to collision with a cow, he said.

According to officials, the fire was detected in the third coach from the rear in the Ajmer-bound train at around 1.20 pm. After some passengers pulled the chain, it came to a halt and the people swiftly vacated the coach, with some jumping out of windows.

Station superintendent of Bharwari station DN Yadav said the 12987 Sealdah-Ajmer Express was stopped at the railway station and the fire in the general coach was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

The train left for its destination at around 2 pm, he said, adding that no passenger was injured in the incident.

The officials said that the fire occurred due to a short circuit.

Also on Tuesday, the Secunderabad-Agartala Express was halted at Odisha's Brahmapur railway station around noon as passengers alerted railway officials about smoke emitting from an air-conditioning unit inside a coach, officials said.

"It was reported that a minor electrical issue occurred in the coach no. B-5 of Secunderabad-Agartala Express near Brahmapur station. The staff on duty attended to the issue immediately and rectified it," an East Coast Railway (ECoR) official said.

Though the smoke was controlled immediately, panic-stricken passengers refused to travel in it and demanded a replacement, an official said.

On Monday,  a passenger travelling in an inter-city express in Kerala was taken into custody for allegedly attempting to set the coach on fire.        

Over the last two months, there have been two incidents of arson on trains in Kerala.

In the first instance, three people including a baby died and nine others suffered burns in an arson in Kozhikode district on April 2 onboard the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train.

On June 1, a West Bengal native allegedly set ablaze a coach of the same express train in the early hours after it had halted at Kannur railway station and all the passengers had deboarded.

The man was arrested the very next day and police said that he was a beggar who was suffering mental trauma.

A man hanged himself allegedly over the delay by police in probing the gang-rape of his 15-year-old daughter.

A station house officer and another policeman were suspended on Tuesday, police said.

The victim's family alleged that police did not take timely action on his complaint following which the 35-year-old man hanged himself from a tree in a village in Jalaun on Sunday.

On March 28, the minor girl was allegedly raped by Golu (30) and Devendra (32) on the pretext of taking her to a birthday party in area under Ait police station limits.

The teen managed to escape and later narrated the ordeal to her family, police said.

The girl's parents worked as street vendors in Punjab and upon returning to Jalaun on May 31, they lodged a complaint against the two men at the police station with Ait SHO Narendra Kumar Gautam and sub-inspector Ashok Kumar.

The rape victim's mother alleged the officers did not take any action on their complaint and instead exerted pressure on the girl's father to end the case.

She said that they then approached the Superintendent of Police Iraj Raja who asked them to go back to Ait police station.

The family, instead of going back to the police station, lodged a complaint on the chief minister's 'jansunvaai' portal on Saturday evening, following which the SP took cognisance of it and directed that action be initiated against the SHO.

However, the anguished father committed suicide the next day over the delay in action by the police in the case.

The SP directed circle officer Konch Shailendra Kumar Bajpai to probe both cases.

Prima facie, the allegations levelled by the girl's mother were found to be true and the two policemen were suspended.

The SP added that stringent action will be initiated against the two officers after the probe report comes.   -- PTI

 The girl is currently stuck at a depth of 20 feet, an official said, adding that the incident occurred at Mugavali village in the afternoon. The rescue operation is on with the help of JCB machines under the supervision of senior officials, he said.

 Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who belongs to Sehore district, took cognisance of the incident and directed officials to ensure that the girl is pulled out safely. Officials of the Chief Minister's Office are also in touch with the district authorities, it was stated. Further details are awaited.

 

 Released in the year 1983, film written by legendary writer Gulzar, was an adaptation of Erich Segal's 1980 novel 'Man, Woman and Child.' 

It followed a happily married couple and their two daughters whose lives are disrupted by the arrival of a boy who is the man's son from an earlier affair. The cast included Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Jugal Hansraj, Supriya Pathak, Saeed Jaffrey, and Urmila Matondkar. The film received positive responses from the audience.

 Taking a swipe at the government, Moily said they are talking of bullet trains when the basics have not been rectified nor sufficient modernisation and technology has been put in place. 

 "The clubbing of Railway Budget with the Union Budget has lost the focus on the railways. It is a major blunder committed by the NDA government. Mere focus on high-speed trains without taking into account safety and modernisation is a step in haste. It is necessary to go back to the Railway Budget," the former Union minister said in a statement. 

 He also demanded that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw should tender his resignation on moral grounds. Faster rail movement and vast network deserves sound operational ecosystem which can ensure efficiency and safety, and the government should focus on the improvement of infrastructure, he said. 

 "The railways have not been able to generate their share of safety funds. We need to diversify their revenue, increase budgetary allocation and ensure its proper and transparent utilisation," he said. 

 The crash last Friday involving two passenger trains and a goods train killed 278 people and injured more than 1,100, while the movement of goods and passenger trains on the busy route was also disrupted. PTI

The central probe agency was roped in after a preliminary inquiry flagged tampering with the electronic interlocking system, which detects the presence of trains, and officials suspected "sabotage" behind the Friday accident. 

 The agency, which has little expertise in dealing with the functioning of railways, might need the help of rail security and forensic experts to get to the bottom of the case, the officials said. 

 Following the procedure, the central agency took over the FIR registered by the Balasore GRP on June 3 under IPC sections 337, 338, 304A (causing death by negligence) and 34 (common intention), and sections 153 (unlawful and negligent action endangering lives of Railway passengers ), 154 and 175 (endangering lives) of the Railways Act. 

 According to the procedure, the CBI re-registers the local police case as its own FIR and starts the probe. It can add or remove a charge from the FIR in its charge sheet filed after its investigation. 

 Talking to reporters in Odisha on Sunday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "We have recommended a CBI probe into the triple train accident...." -- PTI

"This is factually incorrect. Cancellations have not increased. On the contrary, cancellations have reduced from 7.7 Lakh on 01.06.23 to 7.5 Lakh on 03.06.23," IRCTC tweeted Tuesday. 

Congress leader and former union minister Bhakta Charan Das at a press conference on Monday claimed thousands of people have cancelled their tickets after the accident and said they were not feeling safe to travel.

"Such a train accident has never happened in the past. Hundreds of people lost their lives and more than a thousand people were injured. This incident has hurt everyone. Thousands of people have canceled their tickets after the accident. They feel that traveling in the train is not safe," Das said, speaking in Hindi.

The train accident in Odisha's Balasore on Friday left at least 278 dead and over 1,000 injured.

The accident involved Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar Station in the Balasore district. 

As many as 17 coaches of these two passenger trains were derailed and severely damaged in the deadly accident.

The restoration work at the accident site for the regular movement of trains has been completed.

 The posters were put up on the shutters of the shops late on Sunday evening, Purola Station House Officer Khajan Singh Chauhan said. They asked the shop owners to leave Purola immediately, he added. 

 Taking serious note of the situation, police on Monday held meetings with the local Vyapar Mandal and public representatives appealing to them to maintain peace and law and order.

 A case was also registered against unidentified people of 'Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan', who allegedly pasted the posters, on charges of conspiring to disrupt peace of the town and provoke the religious sentiments of a particular community, Chauhan said. 

 Investigations into the pasting of posters has begun and people bearing allegiance to Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan are being interrogated, he added. A group of Muslims also met Purola SDM Devanand Sharma and SHO Chauhan to submit a memorandum to them demanding stern action against dubious and criminal elements of a particular community who were out to disrupt peace and social amity in the town. 

 Credentials of elements who have created a situation like this in the town must be examined and verified, they said. "Muslim families have been living peacefully with locals and doing business for years but for the past few years criminal-minded people are coming from outside and vitiating the social atmosphere in the town in the name of doing business," the memorandum alleged.

 Headed by Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das, the six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet for three days and the decision would be announced on Thursday, June 8. 

 After the last MPC meeting in April, the RBI paused its rate hike cycle and stayed with the 6.5 per cent repo rate. Prior to that the central bank had cumulatively hiked the repo rate by 250 basis points since May 2022 in a bid to contain inflation. The MPC is meeting in the backdrop of consumer price-based (CPI) inflation declining to an 18-month low of 4.7 per cent in April. 

The Reserve Bank governor recently indicated that the May print would be lower than the April numbers. The CPI for May is scheduled to be announced on June 12. 

 On expectations from the MPC, Rumki Majumdar, Economist, Deloitte India said: "We expect a pause in this meeting as growth concerns cannot be overlooked. With the global economy slowing down, there are risks that the slowdown contagion may impact us". 

 Globally, there are signs that the Central Banks may also take a pause or go with fewer hikes as runaway inflation takes a breather, Majumdar said, and added this will further help the RBI to maintain the status quo. 

Dhruv Agarwala, Group CEO, Housing.com said the RBI is expected to keep its benchmark lending rate unchanged, reflecting the easing concerns surrounding inflation. "While some voices advocate for a rate cut to provide an impetus to growth, the RBI is likely to exercise caution and wait before contemplating such a step," he said.

 According to Bhasker, the baby is due in October. 

 "Sometimes all your prayers are answered all together! Blessed, grateful, excited (and clueless! ) as we step into a whole new world! @FahadZirarAhmad #comingsoon #Family #Newarrival #gratitude #OctoberBaby," she tweeted. 

 The actor, who tied the knot with the political leader in February, also shared pictures of her with Ahmad cradling her baby bump. Bhasker was last seen in the buddy comedy film "Jahaan Chaar Yaar" (2022). PTI

 The CBI probe was recommended by the Railway Board on Sunday. 

 In all, 278 people have lost their lives and over 1,200 injured in the June 2 train crash. A forensics team, which is accompanying the CBI officials, also spoke to signal room employees and sought information about the functioning of different equipment.

 The CBI will probe criminal angles into the accident as the Railways suspect sabotage and outside intervention behind the accident. 

 Khurda Road Division DRM Rinkesh Roy had suspected physical tampering' of the signaling system. The Central agency had taken over Balasore GRP case No. 64 registered by Odisha Police on June 3, a day after the accident.

 "The CBI will probe all aspects. It is gathering information and the Railways will extend full cooperation," said South Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Aditya Choudhury. 

 On Monday, the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, SE Circle, Shailesh Kumar Pathak had visited the spot and spoke to people about the accident as part of his probe. The reason behind the accident will be known after completion of investigations by CBI and CCRS, an official said, adding that the GRP in Balasore had registered an FIR and is also probing into the accident. The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time. Of the 278 dead persons, 177 bodies have been identified and handed over to their families. PTI

"I assure the country on behalf of Coal India and the coal ministry that there will not be any shortage of coal even in the monsoon this time," he said. The preparation is good and it is "our responsibility" to meet the entire demand this year, Joshi said.

 Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the event, the minister said while 35 million tonne (MT) coal is at thermal power plants, 65 MT is lying at pit heads of Coal India and private miners and another 10-12 MT is in various stages of transportation. On the movement of coal through rakes, Joshi said the ministry is working in close coordination with Railways for movement of the dry fuel from pit heads to locations. Earlier, the minister also unveiled Coal India's 'UG Vision Plan', which is a roadmap for achieving 100 MT production from CIL's underground mines by FY 2028.

Though the smoke was controlled immediately, the panic stricken passengers refused to travel in the coach fearing another electrical breakdown. 

They demanded a replacement of the coach. 

 Some passengers first noticed smoke in the B-5 coach and raised an alarm. Following this most of the passengers reportedly got down and refused to re-board the train, an official said. 

"It was reported that a minor electrical issue occurred in the coach no. B-5 of Secunderabad-Agartala Express near Brahmapur station. The staff on duty attended to the issue immediately and rectified it," a ECoR official said. PTI

 "The bridge has been demolished by BJP. We are building the bridge and they are demolishing it," Tej Pratap said on Monday. 

 Meanwhile, a PIL has been filed in the Patna High Court for seeking an independent enquiry into the collapse of the bridge, second time in a year. After the collapse of the bridge, CM Nitish Kumar has ordered a probe and has asked the officials to identify those responsible for the incident. 

 "The bridge that collapsed on June 4, had collapsed last year also. I have instructed the authorities concerned to look into the matter seriously. It is not being constructed correctly that's why it is collapsing again and again. The department will look into it, I have instructed officials to visit the site and action will be taken," Kumar said.

 The ban was imposed on May 3. Nearly 98 people lost their lives and 310 others were injured in the ethnic violence in Manipur that broke out a month ago.

 A total of 37,450 people are currently sheltered in 272 relief camps Clashes first broke out in the northeastern state on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. 

 Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts. Around 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles personnel have been deployed in the state to bring back peace. PTI

Pratyay Amrit, the Additional Chief Secretary for the road construction department, also said that the executive engineer concerned has been suspended. 

"The Haryana-based company, which was awarded the contract, has been served with a show cause notice by the Managing Director of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam and asked to reply within 15 days," Amrit told PTI. 

The company has been asked to explain why it should not be blacklisted by the government and further action taken against it, he said. "The department has also suspended the executive engineer concerned for his failure to keep an eye on the quality of the work", added the Additional Chief Secretary. Constructed over the river Ganges, the bridge was supposed to link Bhagalpur and Khagaria districts. 

 The under-construction bridge, a portion of which caved in on Sunday, involved a cost of over Rs 1,700 crore and was supposed to be completed by 2019. 

The foundation stone of the structure was laid in February 2014, by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav had earlier indicated that portions of the bridge had been demolished earlier in a planned fashion and the final collapse indicated that fears about the structural stability of the bridge were correct. 

 The incident took place a year after another portion had collapsed during a thunderstorm. The chief minister had, on Monday, voiced strong displeasure over the poor quality of the work and the inordinate delay in completion. 

 The BJP, which had been in power in the state till about a year ago, has been pinning the blame on corruption and demanding the chief minister's resignation. PTI

 Further details will follow, it said. 

"Extensive area domination operations by Assam Rifles, BSF & Police undertaken in areas of Sugnu/Serou in #Manipur... Intermittent firing between Security Forces & group of insurgents took place throughout night of 05/06 June. Security Forces effectively retaliated to the fire," it posted on Twitter. PTI

 Nine National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams were deployed for rescue operations following one of the worst railway disasters in India that killed at least 278 people and injured more than 900. 

According to official data, the force rescued 44 victims and retrieved 121 bodies from the spot. 

 Addressing the Annual Conference on Capacity Building for Disaster Response-2023', Karwal said, "I met my personnel who were involved in the rescue operation following the Balasore train accident... someone told me he hallucinated blood every time he saw water. Another said he has lost his urge to eat post this rescue operation." 

 The NDRF DG, who recently toured the accident site, said the force initiated psychological counselling and mental stability courses for its personnel upon their return from a rescue and relief operation. 

 "Such counselling sessions to ensure good mental health are being held for our personnel who undertake rescue and relief operations in areas struck with disaster," he said. 

 About 95 per cent of the estimated 18,000 personnel-strong force was "fit" after special exercises were carried out in this context since the last year, Karwal added. 

 The train accident in Balasore involving Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying over 2,500 passengers, and goods train laden with iron ore occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, about 250 km south of Kolkata and 170 km north of Bhubaneswar. As many as 21 coaches were derailed and severely damaged in the accident, trapping hundreds of passengers. PTI

 This happened a day after the horrific triple train crash in Odisha in which 278 people died and 1,100 were injured. The toy train, which left from Matheran at around 4 pm on Saturday, had 90 to 95 passengers onboard, the officials said. No passenger suffered any injury, a railway spokesperson said.

 The passengers immediately de-boarded the train and left for their destination by cabs, he said. 

 The train was re-railed at around 9 pm and was brought back to Neral station, located at the foot of Matheran hills, by 10.30 pm, as per the railway staff. 

 The incident led to the cancellation of the last train from Neral to Matheran and hence, fares of the passengers of both the trains were refunded, he said. The toy train moves on a slow speed and sometimes in case of derailment of coaches, the support staff travelling along with the train just lift them and put them back on tracks, the spokesperson said.

 A senior railway official said the toy train operation will be suspended between Neral and Matheran during the monsoon. The Neral-Matheran toy train is more than 100 years old. 

This is one among the few mountain railways (section) in India. The 21 km long Neral-Matheran narrow gauge track passes through the picturesque ghat of the hill station. The toy train operation is generally suspended between Neral and Matheran during the rainy season from June to October for safety reasons. But, it is operated between Matheran and Aman Lodge, the closest station from Dasturi point beyond which vehicles are not allowed on the hill station.

 Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced on Sunday evening that a CBI probe had been recommended into the accident. 

 Slamming the government, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Even before the Commissioner of Railway Safety has submitted his report on Balasore train disaster, a CBI inquiry is announced. This is nothing but headlines management having failed to meet deadlines," he said on Twitter. 

 Ramesh also raised the issue of the 2016 Kanpur rail accident in which 150 lives were lost, and noted that the NIA has is yet to come out with its report. "Ab yeh Chronology yaad kijiye 1. Nov 20, 2016: Indore-Patna Express derails near Kanpur. Over 150 people lose their lives. 2. Jan 23, 2017: Then Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu writes to Union Home Minister asking for NIA probe into this accident. "3. Feb 24, 2017: PM says Kanpur train accident is a conspiracy. 4. Oct 21, 2018: Newspapers report NIA will NOT file any chargesheet in the derailment. 5: June 6, 2023: Still no OFFICIAL news on NIA final report on Kanpur derailment. Zero accountability!"

 Ramesh said. Ramesh's attack comes a day after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the probe agency is meant to investigate crimes, not railway accidents, and cannot fix accountability for technical, institutional and political failures.

 The crash on Friday last involving two passenger trains and a goods train killed 275 people and injured more than 1,100, while the movement of goods and passenger trains on the busy route was also disrupted. PTI

The temples include Daksh Prajapati Temple at Kankhal in Haridwar, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Pauri district and Tapkeshwar Mahadev Temple in Dehradun, he said. 

 "Women and girls cannot enter these three temples wearing short clothes. These three temples come under Mahanirvani Akhara," Puri added. He further said that the Akhara has appealed to the devotees visiting the temple that the temple is a place for introspection and not for entertainment. "On behalf of Mahanirvani Akhara, an appeal has been made to women and girls that if they are coming for temple worship, then they should wear clothes according to Indian tradition. Only then they will get entry into the temple", he added. Shrimant Ravindra Puri appealed to the girls and women as well as their family members to come to the temples only with at least 80 per cent of their body covered. He claimed that this system is already in force in temples of South India and Maharashtra. 

 "Now this system is being implemented here also. So that the devotees coming to the temple do not face any uncomfortable situation," he added. -- ANI

 The death toll has increased to 5,31,884 with two deaths which includes one reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated. The Covid case tally was recorded at 4.49 crore (4,49,91,880) The active cases now comprise 0.01 per cent of the total infections and the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.81 per cent, the ministry said. -- PTI

 According to AAP sources, the meeting of the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the national president of the Samajwadi Party will be held in Lucknow. 

 Kejriwal had on May 23 embarked on a nationwide tour to seek support from the Opposition parties against the Ordinance. 

 The AAP national convenor has so far met with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav. The Union government on May 19 brought an ordinance to notify rules for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) regarding the 'transfer posting, vigilance and other incidental matters'. The ordinance was brought to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 and it circumvents the Supreme Court judgement in the Centre vs Delhi case.

 In a bulletin, the Met office said the depression lay about 920 km west-southwest of Goa, 1,120 km south-southwest of Mumbai, 1,160 km south of Porbandar and 1,520 km south of Karachi, Pakistan, at 5:30 am. 

 "It is likely to move nearly northwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours over east-central Arabian Sea and adjoining southeast Arabian Sea," it said. 

 The IMD had Monday said the formation of the low-pressure system over the southeast Arabian Sea and its intensification is expected to critically influence the advance of the monsoon towards the Kerala coast. The weather department, however, did not give a tentative date for the arrival of the monsoon in Kerala. Private forecasting agency Skymet Weather said the monsoon onset over Kerala may happen on June 8 or June 9 but it is expected to be a "meek and mild entry". 

 "These powerful weather systems in the Arabian Sea spoil the advancement of the monsoon deep inland. Under their influence, the monsoon stream may reach coastal parts but will struggle to penetrate beyond the Western Ghats," it said. 

 Skymet had earlier predicted the monsoon onset over Kerala on June 7 with an error margin of three days. 

 "The southwest monsoon is likely to arrive within this bracket. Onset criteria require stipulated rainfall on two consecutive days over Lakshadweep, Kerala and coastal Karnataka. Accordingly, the spread and intensity of rainfall may match these requirements on June 8 or June 9. However, the onset of the annual event may not be loud and sound. It may only make a meek and mild entry to start with," the private weather forecasting agency said.

 The triple train accident involved the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, the Coromandel Express and the goods train on three separate tracks at Bahanaga Bazar station in the Balasore district on June 2. 

"This incident (Odisha train accident) is TMC's conspiracy. They are behind the incident," Adhikari alleged. "Why have they been panicking so much since yesterday when this incident is of another state. Why are they afraid of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation?" he said. 

 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader referred to a purported audio clip of a conversation between two railway officials which was posted by TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Twitter on Sunday. 

 He further said, "These people with the help of the police tapped the phones of both the railway officials. How did these people know the conversation between two railway officials? How the conversation got leaked. This should come in the CBI investigation. If it doesn't come, I will go to court."

In the aftermath of the tragic train accident in Odisha, which resulted in the loss of at least 275 lives and left over 1000 individuals injured, officials on Monday said that there are still 101 bodies yet to be identified.

 

Talking to ANI, Divisional Railway Manager of the Eastern Central Railways Rinkesh Roy said that around 200 people are still being treated in various hospitals in Odisha.

 

 "About 1,100 people were injured in the accident, out of which about 900 people were discharged after treatment. Around 200 people are being treated in various hospitals in the state. Out of 278 people who died in the accident, 101 bodies are yet to be identified," Roy told ANI.

 

 The devastating collision, involving two passenger trains and a freight train, took the lives of at least 275 people and caused injuries to over 1100 others in Balasore. This tragic incident has had a profound impact across India.

 

 Vijay Amrit Kulange, Commissioner, of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation told ANI, "Of the total 193 bodies kept in Bhubaneswar, 80 bodies have been identified. 55 bodies have been handed over to the relatives. More than 200 calls have been received on BMC's helpline number 1929. The dead bodies are being identified and handed over to the relatives."

Jawaharlal Nehru University retained its second position among universities in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings, with Vice Chancellor Santishree D Pandit saying the varsity has the "best" faculty members as well as students.

 

 The JNU is ranked tenth in the overall category in the Ministry of Education's National Institutional Ranking Framework 2023. The rankings were announced by Union Minister of State for Education Rajkumar Ranjan Singh on Monday.

"JNU has the best faculty members and students. People from all over the country come to the university. It is a centre of excellence with empathy," Pandit told PTI.

Talking about her focus areas, she said that they are focussing on filling up faculty positions in a mission mode and are working to improve infrastructure.

"Our buildings are old. Last month, we have received a HEFA (Higher Education Financing Agency) loan of Rs 450 crore and we will improve our infrastructure. We do not have a good guest house," she added.

Noting that the varsity has to strengthen its research, she said Indian Institute of Science (IISc), which is adjudged the best university in the NIRF rankings, is solely a research-based institute.

"They do not have the challenges and problems that we face. Even in the overall category where we are ranked tenth, the top nine are single subject institutes. They have got so much more funds than us. We have to work hard to generate funds. Even among central universities, we get less funds," the VC rued. 

The eighth edition of the NIRF observed that faculty with doctoral qualifications are mostly concentrated in the top 100 institutions.

Seven IITs - Madras, Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Roorkee and Guwahati - figured in the top 10 in the overall rankings.

The ranking framework evaluates institutions on five broad generic groups of parameters of teaching, learning and resources, research and professional practice, graduation outcomes, outreach and inclusivity and perception. 

Ranks are assigned based on the total sum of marks assigned for each of these five broad groups of parameters. -- PTI 

India is a vibrant democracy and anybody who happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves, the White House said Monday, as it appeared to dismiss concerns about the health of democracy in India. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a state visit to the US later this month.

"India is a vibrant democracy. Anybody that, you know, happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves. And certainly, I would expect that strength and health of democratic institutions will be part of the discussion," John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference in Washington, DC.

"Look, we never shy away. And you can do that with friends. You're supposed to do that with friends. You never shy away from expressing concerns that we might have with anyone around the world. But this (State) visit is really about advancing what is now and what we hope will be a deeper, stronger partnership and friendship going forward," Kirby said in response to a question.

Kirby said India is a strong partner with the United States on many levels. 

"You saw that in Shangri-La Secretary (of Defense, Lloyd) Austin announced some additional defense cooperation now that we're going to pursue with India. Of course, there's an awful lot of economic trade between our two countries. India is a member of the Pacific Quad and a key friend and partner with respect to Indo-Pacific security," he said.

"I could go on and on and on. There are innumerable reasons why India certainly matters, not just bilaterally between the two of our nations, but multilaterally on very many levels. And the president is looking forward very much to having Prime Minister Modi here to talk about all those issues and to advance and deepen that partnership and that friendship," Kirby said. -- PTI 

Tech giant Apple finally launched its first augmented reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, at its 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday.

According to The Verge, an American technology news website, Vision Pro is positioned as primarily an AR device, but it can switch between augmented and full virtual reality using a dial.

The device is controller-free, and you browse rows of app icons by looking at them. You can tap to select and flick to scroll, and you can also give voice commands. You're also not, Apple promises, isolated from people around you. The headset will display your eyes with a system called EyeSight, and if you're in full VR, a glowing screen will obscure them to suggest you're not available.

"It's the first Apple product you look through, and not at," CEO Tim Cook said of the device.

The headset has been in the works for years and has reportedly gone through several iterations as well as years of delays.

It's meant to be CEO Tim Cook's signature addition to the Apple product lineup, reported The Verge.   -- ANI