The VHP said Owaisi's slogan displayed "allegiance to a foreign nation" while taking oath as an MP in Parliament. 

In a statement issued on Sunday, the VHP said that Owaisi has previously refused to say "Bharat Mata Ki Jai", which it said was an insult to the Constitution. 

The protest at Jantar Mantar against Owaisi, a five-time MP, was led by the VHP's youth wing, Bajrang Dal. 

Several leaders from the VHP and Bajrang Dal attended the demonstration. Owaisi's slogan on conflitct-hit Palestine triggered an uproar in the Lok Sabha with objections by some members of the treasury benches. 

Radha Mohan Singh, who was in the Chair at the time, assured them that anything apart from the oath won't go on record. Owaisi, however, justified his slogans at the oath-taking ceremony on June 25, telling reporters later that there was nothing wrong with saying "Jai Bheem, Jai Meem, Jai Telangana, Jai Palestine". 

After taking oath, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader hailed his state Telangana, Bhimrao Ambedkar, then raised the AIMIM's slogan for Muslims, followed by a slogan in support of the West Asian region. 

The VHP, in its statement, accused Owaisi of treason and of making "divisive statements" intended to provoke the Muslim community in India. -- PTI

The incident took place at around 6 pm in Krishna Vihar Colony, developed by the Uttar Pradesh Awas Vikas Parishad, they said. 

The casualties are likely to rise as some people, including children, got buried under the debris of the 2.5 lakh litre tank, the officials said, adding some nearby houses also came under the rubble. 

District magistrate Shailendra Kumar Singh said the injured were taken to the district hospital for treatment. 

Apart from the fire service and police personnel, teams of revenue, municipal corporation, and health department are engaged in the rescue work, the DM said, adding that teams of the National Disaster Response Force have also been called. 

Additional district magistrate (finance and revenue) Yogendra Pandey confirmed that two persons have died, but could not provide the details of the dead. 

He said that the work of removing the debris is still going on and several people are still trapped under it. 

Two people have died and a dozen have been admitted to the hospital, pandey added. -- PTI

Saunik, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch, succeeds Nitin Kareer who retired as the chief secretary on Sunday. 

She will have a year's tenure before retiring in June next year, an official said. 

Kareer handed over the charge to Saunik at a ceremony held at Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai Sunday evening. 

Before her elevation as the chief secretary, Saunik, whose husband Manoj Saunik is also a former state chief secretary, was the additional chief secretary in the state home department. -- PTI

The 77-year-old -- popular for '70s and '80s films such as Mere Apne, Kalicharan, Vishwanath, Kaala Patthar and Dostana -- is also undergoing an annual check-up at the medical facility, he added.

It couldn't be confirmed immediately when Sinha was taken to the hospital. 

"My father had a strong fever and we decided to take him to the hospital so that he could recover and we could have his yearly tests done as well," Luv said in a WhatsApp message.

It has been quite an eventful month for Sinha, who emerged victorious from West Bengal's Asansol constituency for his party TMC in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, followed by the much-talked-about wedding of his actor-daughter Sonakshi Sinha to longtime partner and Double XL co-star Zaheer Iqbal on June 23.

There were reports that Sinha had undergone a minor surgery but Luv denied such claims. -- PTI

This comes a day after the Uttar Pradesh government suspended six officials of civic agencies for alleged gross negligence following the road cave-ins and waterlogging at several sections of the newly-built Ram Path. 

"A committee of all the concerned departments has been constituted which will investigate and submit its report within 15 days. This is to check problems with regard to sewage chambers/manholes where depressions have occurred," Ayodhya divisional commissioner Gaurav Dayal said on Sunday. 

He said the road has been constructed in standard quality but the excessive rains led to these issues. 

There is an area on the stretch where the sewer line was laid without proper padding of construction material, he said, adding there were potholes at 6-7 places. -- PTI

Additional superintendent of police Nripendra on Sunday said there was an old dispute between Aman and Rizwan in Khempur under Pali police station area of the Hardoi district.

It is alleged Rizwan and his companions, who went to Aman's house late on Saturday night, beat up Aman and his family members and also fired bullets during this, Nripendra said, adding the accused fled from the spot after committing the crime.

The ASP said five people on Aman's side were injured in this incident. 

Aman and Dayawati were referred to the Trauma Centre in Lucknow in a critical condition, where Aman died during treatment.

Nripendra said a case has been registered in this matter. -- PTI

As of 4 pm on Sunday, 148 people have been discharged from the hospitals across the state. 

Currently, two persons are undergoing treatment in Kallakurichi Government Medical and Hospital. 

Six persons are undergoing treatment in Puducherry, eight in Salem government hospitals. 

Presently, 16 persons are undergoing treatment in total. 

The NCW had earlier taken suo motto cognizance of a media report on the deaths of people in the incident and constituted a three-member inquiry committee, led by NCW Member Khushbu Sundar, to look into the matter. 

A three-member delegation of the National Commission for Women, led by Khushbu Sundar, visited the families of victims who lost their lives by consuming spurious liquor in Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district. -- ANI

The downpour affected traffic movement in Surat, Bhuj, Vapi, Bharuch and Ahmedabad cities due to inundation in low-lying areas, rendering some roads and underpass inaccessible, officials said.

The wet spell will continue in the next four days in Gujarat, as per the Met department.

As many as 43 talukas received more than 40 mm of rainfall in just ten hours between 6 am and 4 pm on Sunday, while Palsana taluka received 153 mm of rain, the State Emergency Operations Centre stated.                 

Four talukas namely Bardoli, Surat city, Kamrej, and Mahuva in Surat district received rainfall in triple digits at 135 mm, 123 mm, 120 mm, and 119 mm, respectively, in ten hours.

Among other talukas, Vapi in Valsad district received 117 mm of rainfall, Olpad in Surat 116 mm, Valsad taluka 102 mm, Kaprada in Valsad 90 mm, Khergam in Navsari 88 mm, Bharuch taluka 86 mm, Dharampur in Valsad 73 mm, and Morbi taluka 72 mm. -- PTI

Dixit Patel, owner of Jay Jalaram School situated near Godhra in Panchmahal district where the exam was conducted, was arrested in the early hours from his residence, said public prosecutor Rakesh Thakor, adding that Patel is now being taken to Ahmedabad by the CBI to acquire his remand. 

"As the case has been handed over to the CBI by the Gujarat government, a CBI team will produce him (Dixit Patel) before a designated court in Ahmedabad to acquire his remand," said Thakor. 

Jay Jalaram School was one of the designated centres where the NEET-UG exam was held on May 5. 

Patel is the sixth person to be arrested in this case wherein the accused had allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh from candidates to help them in clearing the test. -- PTI

He said earlier it was tough to score the minimum pass mark of 210 but now everybody was clearing the examination.

"But, a significant percentage of them do not know how to read or write properly," he said at a programme here on Saturday.

If anybody fails in the examination, it would be portrayed as the failure of the state government, the minister said, adding that it was good for the government to be liberal in the evaluation forLC examinations.

But, the present general education minister V Sivankutty, who already made it clear that the practice was not right, is expected to bring changes in it, Cheriyan added.

A pass percentage of 99.69 percent was registered in the Class 10 Secondary School Leaving Certificate examinations in Kerala for the academic year 2023-24 when the results were announced last month. -- PTI

Senior superintendent of police, Rudraprayag, Dr Vishakha Ashok Bhadane said, "There was an avalanche from above Gandhi Sarovar in Kedarnath at around 5 am today. But there has been no loss of life or property."  

According to the SSP, the avalanche occurred on a hill about 4 km away from the Kedarnath temple as a result of the cracking of snow due to sunlight.  

Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties or damage to property due to the avalanche, which was captured in a video shared widely on social media.  

"There has been no loss of lives or damage to the temple's property," said the official.  

The video shared by an official handle by Shri Kedarnath shows a cascade of snow and debris tumbling down a steep slope right behind the revered temple.  

Authorities are monitoring the situation closely as more details about the incident are awaited to assess any potential risks or further impacts.  

Earlier last week, a condolence meeting was held in Kedarnath Dham to pay tribute to the victims of the devastating flood disaster that struck the region in 2013.  

Organised by the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee and Kedar Sabha, the event saw participation from the entire Tirthapurohit community, the district police, and numerous pilgrims.  

The disaster, which occurred on the evening of June 16, 2013, was triggered by a series of cloudbursts in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.  

These cloudbursts caused severe floods and landslides, obliterating several villages and towns. -- ANI 

Based on a complaint lodged by a woman, the police on Saturday registered a first information report under section 295 (destroying, damaging or defiling a place of worship or sacred object with intent to insult the religion of any class of persons) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.

The alleged incident occurred in the Hazuri area of the city on June 23, he said.

As per the complaint, a man from the minority community allegedly harassed a woman, the official said.

On the day of the incident, the woman was at the temple with her relatives when a mob of around 150 persons allegedly entered the premises with footwear and created a ruckus, he said.

In light of the incident, activists of the Sakal Hindu Samaj submitted a memorandum to the police commissioner on Saturday seeking stringent action against those involved in the incident. -- PTI

Expressing concern over the situation in a video posted on a social media platform, Fernandes said the show in Hyderabad had to be rescheduled "because of the unrest" caused by his previous show. 

The video that offended "people" was taken down and an apology was posted, he said. 

"However, we are still receiving calls, messages and emails threatening us with violence and vandalism. Nobody is ready to guarantee the safety of my audience, my crew and myself. I don't want to put anybody in harm because of something I have said." 

"It's ok to disagree with an artiste's work. But to say that I will inflict violence upon an artiste because I do not like their work isn't the answer," he added. -- PTI

Jaishankar's visit comes four-and-half months after Qatar released eight former Indian Navy personnel, who were sentenced to death after being arrested in August 2022. 

"EAM arrives in Doha on a day-long official visit. Received at the Airport by Chief of Protocol HE Mr Ibrahim Fakhroo," the Indian Embassy in Qatar said in a post X. 

During the visit, Jaishankar will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, who also holds the portfolio as foreign minister. 

The visit would "enable both sides to review various aspects of bilateral relations, including political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural and people-to-people as well as the regional and international issues of mutual interest," the ministry of external affairs said in New Delhi on Saturday. 

It is expected that Jaishankar and Al Thani would also deliberate on the overall situation in West Asia against the backdrop of Israel's continuing military offensives in Gaza. -- PTI

The anti-terrorist operation was launched after security forces received reports of two people with guns being spotted in the Affarwat area of Gulmarg, they said. 

As a precautionary measure, the authorities have shut down phase two of the Gondola Cable Car and asked tourists to not venture into that area. 

The cable car services up to phase one were operational till the last reports were received. -- PTI

The incident happened around 3pm when these five persons, who were there for a picnic. slipped close to the waterfall and fell into the waterbody, the Lonavala police station official said. 

"A search and rescue team is at the spot. Further details are awaited," he added. -- PTI

Director general of police, Gaurav Yadav informed on X, "Commissionerate police Jalandhar arrests five operatives of Canada-based Lakhbir Landa gang in a 15-day operation. They were involved in arms and drug smuggling across the border, multiple heinous crimes such as murder, extortion, ransom and many other criminal activities in many districts of Punjab." 

He further said that the police have recovered five foreign-made pistols. 

"The Punjab police is fully committed to eradicate organised crime in state as per the directions of CM Bhagwant Mann," the DGP further added. 

Earlier this month, the Punjab police carried out raids at multiple hideouts of gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa. Bathinda superintendent of police Narinder Singh said a total of five people have been rounded up and search operations are being carried out. -- PTI

An intelligence tip-off led to the arrest of a shop-owner, his staff who were allegedly involved in the crime.

A press release from Chennai International Airport, principal commissioner R Srinivasa Naik said a sales executive of the Airhub shop located at the international terminal was intercepted on suspicious movement and during a personal search by the sleuths of the department, three bundles of gold concealed in his body were recovered. 

He had received the contraband from a transit passenger, a Sri Lankan national.

Further probe revealed that the smugglers hailing from Sri Lanka had rented the Airhub shop and had recruited eight persons to receive gold from transit passengers.

These individuals, upon receiving the gold from air passengers, would conceal it in their body and smuggle it out of the airport. 

"Under this modus operandi, they successfully smuggled 267 kg of gold worth Rs 167 crore in a span of two months," the release said.                 

The Sri Lankan national who had handed over the gold, the owner (of Airhub shop) and staff were arrested and sent to judicial custody. Further investigation was on, the release added.  -- PTI

A blend of Hindu epic Mahabharata and science fiction, the big-budget film is produced by Vyjayanthi Movies and was released on Thursday in six languages: Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English. 

Kalki 2898 AD, mounted on a whopping budget of Rs 600 crore, features Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan.

The official page of the movie, directed by Nag Ashwin, shared the box office update on X.

"The force is unstoppable #Kalki2898AD #EpicBlockbusterKalki @SrBachchan @ikamalhaasan #Prabhas @deepikapadukone @nagashwin7 @DishPatani @Music_Santhosh @VyjayanthiFilms @Kalki2898AD @saregamaglobal @saregamasouth," read the caption of the poster stating that Kalki 2898 AD earned Rs 415 crore in gross box office collection (GBOC) worldwide in three days.

On the opening day, the movie earned Rs 191.5 GBOC and collected Rs 107 crore on Friday. 

It added Rs 152.5 crore for its day three collection on Saturday.

According to Prathyangira Cinemas, Kalki 2898 AD is running houseful in North America and has raked in $9.4 million at the local box office. -- PTI

The searches led to the seizure of various items showing linkages between the terrorists and overground workers, a statement issued by the NIA said. 

Terrorists had opened fire at a bus carrying 'yatris' from Shiv Khori to Katra on the evening of June 9 in the Pouni area of Reasi district, causing the bus to fall into a nearby gorge, killing nine people, including a child. 

NIA, which took over the investigation on June 15 on orders from the Union ministry of home affairs, searched five locations linked with hybrid terrorists and OGWs, it said. 

The locations were pointed out by arrested accused Hakam Khan alias Hakin Din, the NIA said. 

Hakam had provided safe shelter, logistics and food to the terrorists, as per the probe agency's investigations. -- PTI

The core areas of the Pench and Bor tiger reserves and Umred Paoni Karhandala Wildlife Sanctuary will be shut for safaris from July 1, Prabhu Nath Shukla, deputy director of Pench Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra), stated in a release. 

Safari gates at Sillari, Khursapar, Karhandala, Gothangaon, and a few other places will remain closed till September 30, he said. 

According to the release, safaris can be undertaken in the buffer areas of the reserve during monsoon. 

Bookings for entry from the Paoni safari gate will be available from Sillari and Banera gate from Kolitmara and Surewani from Surewani gate, it stated. 

Safaris from any gate in the buffer zone will depend on road conditions, and accommodation will be available at Sillari, Kolitmara and Surewani. -- PTI

There was no report of any injury, he said.

The incident took place in Deori block, around 235 km from Jharkhand's capital Ranchi, on Saturday night. 

The bridge is being constructed on Fatehpur-Bhelwagati road to connect Dumritola and Karipahri villages.

Executive engineer of road construction department, Giridih, Vinay Kumar said, "The bridge is under construction. A single-span girder of the bridge collapsed due to heavy rain on Saturday night and a pillar got tilted. The contractor has been asked to rebuild the portion."

He, however, did not divulge the project cost of the bridge.                 

Sources said that the bridge is being constructed at a cost of around Rs 5 crore and it would connect the remote villages of Giridih in Jharkhand and Jamui district in Bihar. -- PTI

"Today (Sunday), a van carrying Shri Amarnath Ji Yatris met with an accident near Chandanwari. The pilgrims sustained serious head injuries & were promptly evacuated by the #BSF QRT (Quick Response Team) to a nearby hospital," the Border Security Force said in a post on X. 

"The quick response of BSF saved the precious lives of the pilgrims," the BSF added. 

Though BSF did not mentioned the number of people injured in the accident, visuals showed two of the pilgrims, including a woman could be seen admitted in the hospital. 

Their identities were not confirmed. 

Earlier in the day, another batch of pilgrims left from the Pantha Chowk base camp for the Amarnath yatra amid tightened security. 

Visuals showed queues of cars crossing the Pantha Chowk base camp's police checkpoints. 

Rajesh Gupta, a pilgrim from Delhi, said, "This is my second yatra to worship Baba Bholenath. I am very happy and excited about this. All the facilities, including the security provided by the Central Reserve Police Force (and the camps made for the pilgrims, are very good." -- PTI

The Congress leader demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, stating that this issue is not just about NEET but concerns all the institutions run by the Ministry of Education. 

"In the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, we will put forward our demands regarding what this NTA (National Testing Agency) does. It conducts all tests through private companies. Where have the scams occurred? Bihar, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh are BJP-ruled states. There will be a discussion on this. Our Education Minister first says there is nothing, it is a minor matter. Later, they talk of a CBI investigation and form a high-level committee," he said. -- ANI

The police arrested two persons while a hunt is on for others said to be involved in the abduction of the stock market investor, who led a lavish life. 

According to the police, the incident took place on June 16 and came to light only on Sunday.

In a post on 'X', Azmeera Raju said, "I am saved by Bengaluru police. Unknown people kidnapped me on 16/6/2024 midnight from Mahatma Gandhi Road, Bengaluru, & kidnappers took me to Telangana...somewhere in forest."

"Within 48 hours Bangalore police reached the forest location & saved me," he added.

Expressing his gratitude to the Bengaluru City Police, Raju said, "This is my second life, hats off and big salute to Bengaluru police, special thanks to B Dayananda sir Commissioner of Police & DCP sir, Bengaluru Halusuru crime team, Madhu sir and team. No criminals can escape from Bangalore police, Bangalore city is the safest city ! Jai hind." -- PTI

The incident occurred in Banwas village under the Jigna police station limits on Saturday night, superintendent of police Virendra Mishra said.

A quarrel broke out between one of the villagers, Ratiram Yadav, and sarpanch Arvind Yadav's brother Ravindra while they were consuming alcohol together, he said.

While some villagers immediately pacified them, the sarpanch and his accomplices later reached Ratiram's house and opened fire, the official said.

Ratiram's daughter-in-law Ahilya died, and his niece sustained injuries in the firing and is undergoing treatment at the district hospital, he said.

A case has been registered against the sarpanch and 12 other accused who are absconding, and efforts are on to apprehend them, the official said. -- PTI

The couple were greeted with loud cheers as their convoy drove into the mandir grounds on Saturday evening and went on to perform puja guided by the priests. 

After a tour of the grand temple complex and interaction with volunteers and senior community leaders, cricket fan Sunak began his address to the congregation with a reference to India's victory in the T20 World Cup before speaking about the inspiration he draws from his faith. 

"I am Hindu and like all of you, I draw inspiration and comfort from my faith, said Sunak. I was proud to be sworn in as a member of parliament on the Bhagavad Gita. Our faith teaches us to do our duty and not fret about the outcome as long as one does it faithfully. That is what I was brought up to believe by my wonderful and loving parents and that is how I live my life; and that is what I want to pass on to my daughters as they grow up. It is dharma which guides me in my approach to public service," he said. 

Sunak went on to reference his general practitioner father and pharmacist mother's community service and also the wonderful work his philanthropist mother-in-law, Sudha Murty, does in India. 

"My wife is not only the greatest support that any husband could ever have but also someone committed to public service," he added. -- PTI

The book release event was organised at Anvaya Convention Centre in Gachibowli in Telangana's Hyderabad, on the eve of the 75th birthday of the former Vice President Naidu.  

Hailing the former vice president, Modi, in his virtual address, said, "Tomorrow, July 1st, is Venkaiah Naidu's birthday. His life journey has completed 75 years. These 75 years have been filled with extraordinary achievements. These 75 years have been marked by amazing milestones. I am happy that today I have the opportunity to release his biography as well as two more books. I believe that these books will inspire people and show them the right direction of national service."   

"I have had the opportunity to work with Venkaiah Naidu for a very long time. When he was the national president of the party, when he was a senior cabinet colleague in the government, when he was the Vice President of the country and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha," Modi said.  

The books released by the Prime Minister include the biography of the former vice president titled Venkaiah Naidu - Life in Service, authored by S Nagesh Kumar, former resident editor of The Hindu, Hyderabad edition.  

Another book is Celebrating Bharat - The Mission and Message of M Venkaiah Naidu as 13th Vice-President of India, a photo chronicle compiled by IV Subba Rao, former secretary to the vice president of India.  

The third book is a pictorial biography in Telugu titled Mahaneta - Life and Journey of M Venkaiah Naidu, authored by Sanjay Kishore.  

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi called on the former Vice President at his residence in the National Capital.  

"Prime Minister Shri Narendra Bhai Modi Ji called on me at my residence No. Thyagaraja Marg, in New Delhi," Venkaiah Naidu said in a post on X on June 25.  

"I conveyed my heartiest congratulations to Shri Narendra Bhai Modi Ji on being sworn in for his third term as Prime Minister of India. In our interaction, we exchanged our views on matters of national interest. I am certain that Bharat will scale new heights of glory under his leadership in the years to come," he added. -- ANI                       

The visuals of Fire Force personnel pulling them to safety from the overflowing river in Pallanchi in Kasaragod the other day went viral on social media platforms on Sunday.

They could escape and contact the Fire Force personnel only because their vehicle, which was carried away by the water currents, got stuck in a tree.

The rescued youths said they were on their way to a hospital in neighbouring Karnataka in the wee hours the other day and were proceeding using Google Maps.

Abdul Rasheed, one of the youths, said Google Maps showed a narrow road and they drove their car through it.

"Using the vehicle's headlight, we felt that there was some water in front of us. But, we didn't see that there was a river on both sides and a bridge in the middle. There was also no sidewall for the bridge," he told a TV channel. -- PTI

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had reserved order on the maintainability of Kumar's petition on May 31 after hearing his counsel as well as the lawyers appearing for the Delhi police.

Kumar, presently in judicial custody, allegedly assaulted Maliwal on May 13 at Kejriwal's official residence. 

He was arrested on May 18.

The senior counsel, appearing for the police, had opposed even issuance of notice on the petition on the grounds that it was not maintainable.

Kumar, in his plea, has sought a direction to declare his arrest as illegal and in gross violation of the provisions of Section 41A (notice of appearance before police officer) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and against the mandate of the law.

He has claimed he was arrested with an "oblique motive" while his anticipatory bail was still pending in the trial court, in violation of his fundamental rights as well as the law. -- PTI

Gen Dwivedi, who has vast operational experience along the frontiers with China and Pakistan, was serving as the Vice Chief of the Army. 

Before taking charge as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on February 19, Gen Dwivedi was serving as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command from 2022-2024. 

Gen Dwivedi took charge of the 1.3 million-strong Army at a time India is facing various security challenges including along the Line of Actual Control with China as the chief of Army staff, he will also have to coordinate with the Navy and the Indian Air Force on the government's ambitious plan to roll out theatre commands. 

An alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa, Gen Dwivedi was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles of the Indian Army on December 15, 1984. He commanded the unit later. 

In his long and distinguished career spanning nearly 40 years, he has served in a variety of command, staff, instructional and foreign appointments. -- PTI

Addressing the milestone of Akashvani's Sanskrit Bulletin completing 50 years of broadcast on June 30, the Prime Minister commended All India Radio for its enduring efforts in promoting Sanskrit and connecting people to the language, which he claimed is the need of the hour.  

"Sanskrit has played a big role in the progress of ancient Indian knowledge and science. Today the need of the hour is also that we respect Sanskrit and connect it with our daily lives. Today on June 30, Akashvani's Sanskrit Bulletin is completing 50 years of its broadcast. For 50 years, this bulletin has kept so many people connected to Sanskrit. I congratulate the All India Radio family."  

Modi also highlighted grassroots initiative in Bangalore's Cubbon Park known as 'Sanskrit Weekend'.  Initiated by Samashthi Gubbi via a website, this initiative encourages people of all ages to converse and participate in debates in Sanskrit every Sunday.  

The prime minister praised the growing popularity of this initiative, emphasising its potential to foster deeper engagement with ancient scientific knowledge among the public.  

"There is a park in Bangalore - Cubbon Park. The people here have started a new tradition in this park. Here, once a week, every Sunday, children, youngsters and elders talk to each other in Sanskrit. Not only this, many debate sessions are also organised in Sanskrit. The name of this initiative is Sanskrit Weekend. This was started by Samashthi Gubbi ji via a website. This initiative started a few days back has gained popularity among the people of Bengaluru. If we all connect with initiatives like this then we can learn a lot from the world's ancient and scientific knowledge". -- ANI                        

The first blast hit a wedding ceremony around 3 pm local time on Saturday, followed by another at General Hospital Gwoza and a third at a funeral, CNN reported.  

According to the head of the local state emergency management agency, the attacks were carried out by suspected suicide bombers.  

WION, citing a report by AFP, reported that a state police spokesperson said in one of the three blasts in Gwoza, a woman with a baby strapped to her back detonated explosives in the middle of a wedding ceremony.  

The blast took place around 3:45 pm local time when a "woman carrying a baby on her back detonated an Improvised Explosive Device she had on her at a crowded motor park," Borno State police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said.  

The female suicide bombers also targeted a hospital in the same town and carried out another attack at the funeral for victims of the wedding blast, WION reported, citing AFP.  -- ANI

Besides the paper leak matter, the opposition is also likely to raise the issue of unemployment. 

In the Lok Sabha, BJP member and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur is set to initiate the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address. 

The Motion will be seconded by first term Lok Sabha member Bansuri Swaraj, the daughter of BJP stalwart late Sushma Swaraj. 

The Lok Sabha has allocated 16 hours for the debate on the Motion of Thanks, which will conclude with the reply by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. 

In the Rajya Sabha, 21 hours have been set aside for the debate and the prime minister is likely to reply on Wednesday. 

Parliament has been rocked by protests over the NEET issue. NEET-UG was conducted by the NTA on May 5 with around 24 lakh candidates appearing. 

The results were announced on June 4, but they were followed by allegations of question paper leaks in states such as Bihar, besides other irregularities. -- PTI

In a ceremonial farewell, General Manoj Pande, the outgoing Chief of the Indian Army, was accorded a Guard of Honour on his final day in office.

Gen Pande, who served a distinguished 26-month tenure, also paid homage at the National War Memorial in Delhi.

Originally slated to retire on May 30, Gen Pande's service was extended by the government for an additional month, allowing him to serve until June 30.

As per Government sources, his successor had to be appointed after the declaration of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results which were scheduled for June 4.

Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi has been appointed as the new Chief of Army Staff and will be taking over his appointment today.

'The Appointments Committee of Cabinet, on May 26, 2024, approved the extension in service of Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj C Pande for a period of one month, beyond his normal age of superannuation (May 31, 2024) that is up to June 30, 2024, under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954,' Defence Ministry said in a statement earlier.

Gen Pandey's tenure as Army Chief has been marked by significant contributions to national security and military modernisation.

Gen Pande was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff on April 30, 2022.

He was commissioned in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers).

He held the appointment of Vice Chief of the Army Staff before taking over as the COAS.

Gen Pande also assumed the command of #EasternCommand on 01 Jun 2021.He was the Commander-In-Chief, Andaman & Nicobar Command #CINCAN prior to this appointment.

As the 30th Army Chief, Lt Gen Dwivedi will be taking over after serving the country as Vice Chief of Army Staff, Northern Army Commander, DG Infantry and many other command appointments in the force.

During his illustrious career spanning over 39 years, he has held command appointments in challenging operational environments, spanning the length and breadth of the country. He commanded his unit in Kashmir Valley as well as in Rajasthan. He has been Sector Commander and Inspector General of Assam Rifles in an intense Counter Terrorism environment in the North East.  -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Indian cricket team on the phone on Sunday and congratulated its members on their T20 World Cup win. 

Officials said Modi congratulated Rohit Sharma for his splendid captaincy and appreciated his T20 career.

He also lauded Virat Kohli for his innings in the final, besides his overall contribution to Indian cricket.

Both the greats announced their retirement from T20 internationals following the win.

Modi praised Hardik Pandya for his final over and Suryakumar Yadav for his splendid catch on the boundary line to dismiss David Miller.

He also talked highly of Jaspreet Bumrah's contribution, the officials added. 

The prime minister thanked coach Rahul Dravid for his contribution to Indian cricket.  -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should not be blamed for the party's poor performance in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections.

The party had fared badly in the state even after the demolition of the Babri masjid, the former Union minister said in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district on Saturday.

The BJP won only 33 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 parliamentary elections.

"It is not right to blame Modi and Yogi for the Lok Sabha election results in Uttar Pradesh. BJP had lost even after the demolition of the Babri structure on December 6, 1992. Despite this, we did not drop the Ram temple in Ayodhya from our agenda....We never associated Ayodhya with votes. Similarly, now we are not associating (disputes regarding religious places at) Mathura-Kashi with votes," Bharti said replying to a reporter's question.

To another question, she said one needs to understand the nature of the Hindu community which does not conflate the social system with religion.

"It is the Islamic society which works by uniting the social and religious systems. That is why they vote according to the social system," the BJP leader claimed.

The results in Uttar Pradesh did not mean people's devotion for Lord Ram had dwindled, Bharti further said.

"We should not have this arrogance that every Ram devotee will vote for the BJP. We should not think that the one who does not vote for us is not a Ram devotee. This (poll result) is the outcome of some negligence and nothing else," she said.

The BJP leader also said running a coalition government at the Centre with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu would not be difficult as in the past the BJP ran governments successfully with them as allies.

Earlier on Saturday, Bharti met local BJP leaders in Shivpuri on her way to Bhopal from Gwalior.   -- PTI

After a hiatus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's monthly radio broadcast, 'Mann Ki Baat', will resume on Sunday (June 30).

Mann Ki Baat is Prime Minister Modi's monthly radio programme, where he discusses important national issues with the citizens of India.

The programme is broadcast on the last Sunday of every month.

Prime Minister Modi's monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' broadcast was last aired on February 25, after which it was stopped considering the Lok Sabha elections.

"Mann ki Baat will not be broadcast for the next three months in view of upcoming Lok Sabha polls," Modi had said in his 110th edition of the programme.

Earlier on June 18, Modi announced that Mann Ki Baat will resume on June 30. He also called upon the people to share their ideas and inputs for his radio broadcast on MyGov Open Forum, NaMo App or by record message on 1800 11 7800.

'Delighted to share that after a gap of some months due to the elections, #MannKiBaat is back! This month's programme will take place on Sunday, 30th June. I call upon all of you to share your ideas and inputs for the same. Write on the MyGov Open Forum, NaMo App or record your message on 1800 11 7800,' Modi said in a post on X.  -- ANI