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10:32 AM

BJP chief JP Nadda to address rally in Jharkhand's Giridih today

The BJP president J P Nadda will address a public rally in Jharkhand's Giridih district on Thursday as part of the party's mass outreach programme on the completion of nine years of the NDA government at the Centre.

During his visit to the state, he will also meet distinguished people as part of the saffron party's "Sampark Se Samarthan" campaign.

Nadda is scheduled to meet Sarod player Mor ji and Mukut Kedia ji at their residence in Giridih, the party said in a statement.

10:31 AM

4 MP youth stranded in Uttarakhand rescued by Disaster Relief Force in midnight operation

In a swift and prompt rescue operation, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) successfully rescued four youths stranded between Garuchatti and Rambada of Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand on Wednesday night, police said. The youth who hail from Madhya Pradesh had lost their way near a river bed between Garuchatti and Rambada. On receiving information, a team of the SDRF Uttarakhand Police rushed to the spot and rescued all of them amid extremely adverse conditions through alternate routes and reached Lincholi, the police said.

Earlier, also SDRF team had rescued a biker from a 200-meter-deep gorge near Narkota in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on Monday midnight.

Uttarakhand SDRF officials said that as soon as they got to know about the person on a bike falling into a gorge in the area, they sprung into action, launched an operation, and rescued him.

10:31 AM

Exchange of firing between unknown gunmen and Assam Rifles in Manipur

Exchange of fire between unknown gunmen and Assam Rifles troops was reported at North Boljang in Manipur's Imphal West district at 5 am on Thursday, PTI report citing sources said.

The situation has been brought under control and combing operations to ferret out the gunmen are on.

Shots of automatic small arms were also heard near Urangpat, North of YKPI in Imphal East district, around 5.45 pm on Wednesday, PTI report citing sources said.

There were also reports of unprovoked firing by unidentified gunmen from 2 directions towards Harothel around 5.30pm. The situation was brought under control around 7.30 pm, PTI report citing sources added.

PTI report citing sources added that the Sawonbung-YKPI road remained blocked at multiple locations by the women activists on Wednesday.

10:30 AM

Remarkable feat: PM Modi congratulates Surat as it sets new Guinness World Record on Yoga Day event

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday (local time), congratulated Surat for setting the Guinness world record for the largest gathering of people for a yoga session in one place.

PM Modi responded to a tweet by Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi congratulating Surat for the achievement.

Congratulating Sanghavi, PM Modi tweeted, "Congratulations Surat! A remarkable feat."

10:30 AM

BSF recovers Pak drone, two packets of suspected narcotics in Punajb's Fazilka

Border Security Force (BSF) in Punajb's Fazilka recovered a drone originating from the Pakistan side and two packets of suspected narcotics near the Abohar border, said an official statement on Thursday.

"On specific information, alert BSF troops recovered a Pakistani drone (DJI Matrice 300 RTK) on June 22, during morning hours along with 2 kg (appx) suspected heroin near the international border in Jodhawala village of Fazilka district," BSF Punjab Frontier said.

Meanwhile, once again the vigilant BSF troops thwarted the nefarious attempts of smugglers to smuggle contraband through the drone, they stated.

9:53 AM

Five key priorities of G20 tourism track endorsed by all member countries

Five key priorities of the G20 tourism track, including green tourism, digitalisation and destination management, were "endorsed by all G20 countries" for achieving a sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth in the sector, officials said on Wednesday.

A Goa Roadmap and Action Plan and a ministerial outcome document came out at the end of the G20 ministerial meeting here. The meeting was preceded by the Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting here.

About 130 delegates from countries such as the US, the UK, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and top international organisations took part in the ministerial meeting.

The delegates were greeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via a recorded video message in which he welcomed them to "Incredible India".

9:50 AM

Calcutta HC directs State Election Commission to deploy more Central forces than in 2013

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday ordered the West Bengal State Election Commission (SEC) to requisition Central Forces within 24 hours for deployment in panchayat elections.

The court's directive specifies that the number of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) companies should not be less than those requisitioned for the 2013 panchayat polls.

This decision by the court comes amidst allegations from Opposition parties that the ruling Trinamool Congress is employing violence and intimidation tactics to discourage their candidates from filing nominations for the upcoming July 8 elections.

The court observed that there are more districts now compared to 2013, and it is going to be a single-phased election while in 2013 there were five phases of elections.

9:46 AM

Five key priorities of G20 tourism track endorsed by all member countries

Five key priorities of the G20 tourism track, including green tourism, digitalisation and destination management, were "endorsed by all G20 countries" for achieving a sustainable, resilient and inclusive growth in the sector, officials said on Wednesday.

A Goa Roadmap and Action Plan and a ministerial outcome document came out at the end of the G20 ministerial meeting here. The meeting was preceded by the Tourism Working Group (TWG) Meeting here.

About 130 delegates from countries such as the US, the UK, Spain, South Africa, Russia, Mauritius, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Nigeria, Oman, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and top international organisations took part in the ministerial meeting.

9:45 AM

PM Modi gifts President Joe Biden, US First Lady Jill Biden- Sandalwood box with 'das danams,' green diamond

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on his first state visit to the US on Wednesday (local time) gifted a handcrafted sandalwood box with 'das danam' to US President Joe Biden and a lab-grown green diamond to First Lady Jill Biden.

The gifts were exchanged during the private dinner hosted by Joe Biden and Jill Biden for PM Modi at the White House.

The special sandalwood box presented to US President Joe Biden has been handcrafted by a master craftsman from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The sandalwood sourced from Mysore, Karnataka has intricately carved flora and fauna patterns, officials said.

9:43 AM

After years of strengthening ties, US-India partnership deep, expansive: Jill Biden

First Lady Jill Biden said after years of strengthening ties, the US-India partnership is deep and expansive as the two countries jointly tackle global challenges.

She also previewed to the media the menu of the State Dinner being hosted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi by her and US President Joe Biden.

"With this official State Visit, we are bringing together the world's oldest and the world's largest democracies," Jill Biden said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Biden and the First Lady.

9:43 AM

Education is cornerstone of bond between India-US: Jill Biden

US First Lady Jill Biden, on Wednesday, said that education is the cornerstone of the bond between India and the United States.

First Lady Jill Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended the 'Skilling for Future' event where she said, "Education is the cornerstone of the bond between India and the United States. Students from both countries are learning and growing alongside each other, discovering the people that they want to become and building a better world together. Working side by side, our nations can create a safer, healthier, more prosperous future for everyone."

She also stated that to make the economies of both nations strong, India and the US need to invest in young people who are the future. She highlighted the importance of providing young people with the opportunities they deserve.

9:40 AM

Indus-X event aims to boost Indo-US defence partnerships under iCET

The India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) was launched by the defence departments of India and the US on Wednesday, aimed to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the two countries, informed an official press release.

"This initiative builds on a commitment by the US and Indian National Security Advisors in January 2023 to launch an 'Innovation Bridge' to connect US and Indian defence start-ups as part of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET)," the official release stated.

According to the release, the support of both governments will lead to closer cooperation between the private sectors and will catalyse innovation by the research institutions within the defence industrial bases.

9:23 AM

Amit Shah holds discussions on 2024 Lok Sabha elections with Goa CM, JP Nadda

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday held a review meeting with Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant regarding the feedback of BJP's "Maha Jansampark" Abhiyan and preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were also discussed.

BJP national president JP Nadda was also present at the meeting along with the Goa state BJP president Sadanand Shet.

Earlier on May 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched "Maha Jansampark". Under this Maha Jan Sampark, scheduled to be held from May 31 (today) to June 30, extensive public programmes will be done across the country after the completion of 9 years at the Centre.

9:13 AM

Biden admin to ease visas for skilled Indian workers as PM Modi visits US

The Biden administration will make it easier for Indians to live and work in the United States, using this week's state visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help some skilled workers enter or remain in the country, according to three people familiar with the matter.

 

The State Department could announce as soon as Thursday that a small number of Indians and other foreign workers on H-1B visas will be able to renew those visas in the US, without having to travel abroad, one of the sources said, part of a pilot program that could be expanded in coming years.
 

Indian citizens are by far the most active users of the US H-1B program and made up 73% of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in fiscal year 2022.

8:44 AM

It's India's time to shine: CEO of Applied Materials after meeting PM Modi

After meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gary E. Dickerson, the President and CEO of Applied Materials, expressed his belief that it is India's time to drive remarkable growth and shine.

 

Dickerson said, "I deeply believe this is India's time to shine. We will be announcing soon an innovation centre in India that will focus on innovation in equipment. We have very high confidence that working together with India, we can create tremendous success."

 

Acknowledging that India is a trusted partner, he recognized the exceptional talent that India possesses, which is appreciated by many countries worldwide.

 

He said, "This is India's time to drive incredible growth. And applied is looking forward to working together with PM Modi and everyone in India to achieve tremendous success together. India is a trusted partner and many countries around the world to see the trust and tremendous talent that India has," he added.