Congress LIVE Updates: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge slams govt over price rise, unemployment

10:46 (IST)

India Share Market LIVE Updates

Indian shares muted on weak global cues; financials slip

On Wednesday, Indian stocks dipped slightly as investors grabbed profits at higher levels over fears of a trade war between the United States and China.

As of 10:30 a.m. IST, the Nifty index was down 0.07 per cent at 19,375.85, while the S&P BSE Sensex was down 0.12 per cent at 65,400.03.

High-weightage financials fell more than 0.6 per cent, led by HDFC and HDFC Bank, which fell more than 2.5 per cent apiece.

The drop comes after the National Stock Exchange (NSE) declared that HDFC will be removed from the Nifty 50 from July 13.

10:34 (IST)

India Monsoon LIVE Updates

Light to moderate rain predicted in Delhi

The Met Office has issued a yellow advisory for light to moderate rain in Delhi on Wednesday, saying that the showers might flood low-lying regions and affect traffic flow on major routes.  

The lowest temperature at Delhi's major meteorological station, Safdarjung Observatory, was 27.8 degrees Celsius, which is usual for this time of year. The highest temperature is expected to be approximately 35 degrees Celsius.

On Tuesday, rain fell in parts of Delhi, and the India Meteorological Department predicted gloomy skies with intermittent showers for the next six to seven days.

Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius. 

10:32 (IST)

Early Trade LIVE Updates

Rupee falls 7 paise to 82.08 against US dollar

In early trade on Wednesday, the rupee fell 7 paise to 82.08 versus the US dollar, driven down by the strength of the American currency in the outside market and increasing demand for the dollar from importers.

Foreign money inflows continued to boost the local currency and limit the slide. The domestic unit started at 82.05 on the interbank foreign exchange, then dropped to 82.08, a 7-paise drop from its previous closing.

The rupee had finished at 82.01 per dollar on Tuesday.

The dollar index, which measures the strength of the US currency against a basket of six currencies, increased 0.8 per cent to 103.12.

10:29 (IST)

Uniform Civil Code LIVE Updates

Muslim groups in Kerala to put up legal, political fight against Uniform Civil Code

Representatives of prominent Muslim organisations in Kerala vowed to legally and politically "fight" the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The organisations, led by the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), believe that if UCC is adopted, it will harm people other than Muslims.

"UCC is not an issue of Muslims, it is of all people. We will unite all people against it and fight legally and politically," said Indian Union Muslim League(IUML) state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal who attended the Tuesday's meeting.

PK Kunhalikutty, a senior IUML leader and MLA, claimed that UCC is being exploited to divide people along communal lines.

Aside from the IUML, two factions of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, two factions of the Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muslim Education Society, and the Muslim Service Society attended the conference.

10:03 (IST)

Manipur Violence LIVE Updates

2 incidents of intermittent firing in Manipur, no casualties reported

Intermittent firings were recorded in two locations in Manipur, the most recent in the early hours of Wednesday, but no injuries have been reported, according to security sources here.

They reported the first instance of sporadic shooting between two villages in the Khoijumtambi region between 7 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

According to the sources, the exchange of fire ended after a while, and no casualties were recorded.

The other occurrence occurred on Wednesday about 4.30 a.m. near the ridge line east of Phaileng. According to the sources, there were no casualties in this incident as well.

So far, nearly 120 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 have been injured in the ethnic violence that broke out in Manipur on May 3.

09:26 (IST)

Maharashtra LIVE Updates

Sharad Pawar-led NCP issues whip to all MLAs to attend meeting in Mumbai; Ajit group also issues notice for its meet

The NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, has issued a whip to all MLAs, urging them to attend a major meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday, while the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, has also invited a separate gathering of party lawmakers here.

The one-line whip issued on Tuesday by Jitendra Awhad, chief whip of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, said that Sharad Pawar has scheduled a meeting at 1 p.m. on July 5 at the Y B Chavan Centre, and that all MLAs must attend.

After nephew Ajit Pawar joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government with eight other MLAs on Sunday, Pawar senior appointed Awhad as chief whip.

The Ajit Pawar camp also issued a notice on Tuesday to all current and former legislators, parliamentarians, office-bearers, working committee members and others, asking them to attend a meeting convened by Sunil Tatkare, the Maharashtra unit president appointed by the group, at the MET institute's premises in suburban Bandra on Wednesday.

09:05 (IST)

UGC LIVE Updates

UGC on minimum criteria for recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor

For all Higher Education Institutions, the minimum requirement for direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor should be NET/SET/SLET, according to the UGC (University Grants Commission).

08:57 (IST)

Jagan Mohan Reddy LIVE Updates

AP CM Jagan in Delhi on Wednesday, to meet PM Modi, HM Shah

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy is expected to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday during his visit to Delhi, according to reports.

During his visit, Reddy is also likely to meet Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, according to sources.

"The Chief Minister will be meeting the PM and HM to press for the unresolved and pending issues related to the state," sources added.

Last month, Opposition Leader and Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu met with Amit Shah and Nadda. However, there was no official word on the meeting's conclusion.

08:34 (IST)

Operation Muskaan LIVE Updates

Chhattisgarh: 559 missing children recovered under Operation Muskaan

According to an official statement on Tuesday, a total of 559 missing children were recovered from across the state under the state-wide campaign 'Operation Muskaan'.

"In "Operation Muskaan", 72 boys and 487 girls have been recovered, making a total of 559 missing children recovered from across the state. The number includes 76 children from Janjgir-Champa, 56 from Raipur, 52 from Bilaspur, and 52 from Sakti. The remaining children were recovered from other districts. The recovered boys and girls were handed over to their families. The Police achieved success in restoring the smiles on the faces of the missing children and their parents," an official statement said.

Chhattisgarh police initiated a state-wide effort to find the missing children from June 1 to June 30, 2023, under the direction of Inspector General of Police CID SC Dwivedi.

The campaign was carried out throughout Chhattisgarh as well as in other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, and Karnataka.

08:28 (IST)

NEET Exam Racket LIVE Updates

Medical college student arrested for running NEET exam racket, says Delhi Police

A student from a local medical school was detained on Tuesday for allegedly conspiring to rig the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

They said the arrest happened around a month after Sanju Yadav, another student at the same college, was detained for impersonating a NEET applicant.

Yadav was apprehended in May because his biometrics did not match those of the original candidate, raising concerns. According to a police officer, his ID card and other documentation, including his Aadhaar card, were all falsified.

During interrogation, Yadav stated that Naresh Bishnoi, a second-year college student, persuaded him to compete in the medical entrance exam as a candidate in exchange for a large quantity of money, according to the official.

According to the police, Bishnoi allegedly took around Rs 6 lakh per candidate. He has been arrested, the police said.

Further investigation in the case is underway and more arrests are likely, they added

08:11 (IST)

Jaishankar LIVE Updates

Jaishankar to embark on four-day visit to Tanzania today

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will depart for Tanzania on Wednesday on a four-day official visit to hold high-level talks and co-chair the 10th Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart, according to a release from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

During his visit, Jaishankar will meet with the country's senior authorities and attend a reception on the Indian Naval Ship Trishul. He will also address the Indian diaspora and unveil Swami Vivekananda's bust.

08:05 (IST)

COVID-19 LIVE Updates

Mumbai reports four new COVID-19 cases, one death

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reported four new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 11,63,965.

The death toll rose to 19,774 as another patient died to the virus, according to a report.

According to the notice, the deceased was a 57-year-old lady with TB and chronic renal illness.

On Monday, Mumbai reported one COVID-19 instance with no fatalities.

According to the bulletin, 547 additional tests were done throughout the city, bringing the total to 1,89,00,811.

The number of recovered cases reached 11,44,166, according to the BMC, after seven additional individuals recovered from the virus, leaving the city with 25 active cases.

07:41 (IST)

Manipur Violence LIVE Updates

Mob tries to loot weapons from security camp; 1 killed, Assam Rifles jawan shot at

A mob allegedly tried to steal weapons from an Indian Reserved Battalion (IRB) camp in Manipur's Thoubal district on Tuesday, resulting in a conflict with security personnel in which a 27-year-old man was slain and an Assam Riles jawan was fired at, according to officials.

According to them, the crowd attempted to raid the camp of the 3rd IRB batallion in the Khangabok region in order to steal weaponry and ammunition.

Soon after, a battle with the military erupted. Initially, the troops deployed teargas shells and rubber bullets to try to contain the situation. However, when the armed crowd opened fire, the military retaliated, according to authorities.

The mob also blocked the roads leading to the camp at multiple locations to prevent reinforcements from reaching there, but the forces moved through, they said.

The mob attacked a team of the Assam Rifles that was on the way to the camp. They fired on the Assam Rifles personnel, in which a jawan was injured, and torched their vehicle, officials said.

The jawan was shot in the leg, they said.

07:38 (IST)

Naga Political Issue LIVE Updates

Solution to Naga peace talks eluding hopes of people: Top tribal organization

The Naga Hoho stated on Tuesday that celebrating the nine-year anniversary of the Narendra Modi-led federal government would have been "most appropriate" if peace negotiations had succeeded and peace had been restored in violence-torn Manipur.

"As we celebrate nine years of Modi government, how we wish if this celebration or observation of the achievements that has taken place was clubbed with the resolution of the Naga political issue during his time as prime minister," said K Elu Ndang, the general secretary of Naga Hoho, an apex body of tribal organisations of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Nagaland.

People have been looking forward to this political settlement, but it appears to be escaping them, he told reporters during an event here.

In his remarks on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Ndang urged the Centre to rethink its decision to adopt it in the northeast area in general, and Nagaland in particular.

The UCC may not be fit for the Naga people or tribals in general, but it may cause greater harm, he claims.

07:28 (IST)

SCO Summit LIVE Updates

At SCO summit, India reiterates opposition to China's Belt and Road Initiative

India declined to support China's grandiose Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on Tuesday, becoming the first country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to do so.

Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan reiterated their support for the BRI in a proclamation released at the conclusion of a virtual summit hosted by India.

"Reaffirming their support for China's 'Belt and Road Initiative' (BRI) initiative, the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan and Republic of Uzbekistan note the ongoing work to jointly implement this project, including efforts to link the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union and BRI," it said.

According to the declaration, the member states also thought it was important to ensure the implementation of the SCO Economic Development Strategy 2030, which was adopted by "interested member states," as well as projects aimed at promoting cooperation in areas such as digital economy, high technology, and modernization of existing international road and rail transport routes.