Top news: ‘Whoever messes with us will be destroyed,’ warns Mamata Banerjee

‘Such people have no religion,’ says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Giriraj Singh’s remarks on Iftar party

A day after Union minister Giriraj Singh mocked politicians who attend Iftar parties, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said that those who make unnecessary statements to stay in the limelight have no religion. Singh had on Tuesday mocked Kumar and a few other politicians for attending an Iftar party.

Uttarakhand: IAF choppers remain unable to retrieve bodies of five mountaineers

Indian Air Force helicopters on Wednesday remained unable to retrieve the bodies of five mountaineers sighted on an unscaled peak near the Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand two days before. Pithoragarh District Magistrate Vijay Kumar Jogdande said the helicopters returned to base after three attempts, due to air turbulence, the height and geography of the terrain.

‘Whoever messes with us will be destroyed’: Mamata Banerjee’s warning to BJP in Eid message

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched a sharp veiled attack at the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying “whoever messes with us will be destroyed”. She made the remark at a gathering during Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations at Red Road in Kolkata.

Air pollution in India kills more than one lakh children under the age of five every year: Report

Air pollution kills more than one lakh children under the age of five in India every year, and it is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in the country, the Centre for Science and Environment said in a report published on Tuesday on the eve of World Environment Day. On an average, 8.5 out of every 10,000 children die because of bad air before they turn five, but the figure for girls is even higher, at 9.6 per 10,000.

Ram temple: Vishwa Hindu Parishad calls meeting later this month, says will not wait indefinitely

Alok Kumar, the international working president of the organisation, said the VHP will remind the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party about its election promise on the matter within the first month of its second term.

‘There are trials, sometimes trials fail’, Akhilesh Yadav says after Mayawati pulls out of alliance

“I have been a science student,” Yadav told reporters on Wednesday. “There are trials and sometimes trials fail. But at least you realise what the shortcomings are. But today also I will say what I said when we announced the gathbandhan – respect to Mayawatiji and respect to me.”

UP: Tiles with Mahatma Gandhi’s image found installed in toilets, official suspended

The district administration suspended Rural Development Officer Santosh Kumar. Village pradhan Savitri Devi was served a notice and her development fund account was frozen, The Times of India reported. The block pramukh was also served a notice.

Indian economy will grow at 7.5% in 2019-’20, says World Bank as it warns against ‘skirmishes’

However, the World Bank warned that “skirmishes”, such as the air battle between Indian and Pakistani jets following the Balakot strikes, could increase uncertainty and impact investments.

J&K: Clashes reported between protesters, security forces after Eid prayers in parts of Kashmir

Clashes between protestors and security forces were reported in some parts of Kashmir Valley on Wednesday after the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers. Masked protestors displayed flags of Pakistan and the Islami State group, reports said.

Tamil Nadu CM urges PM Modi to include Tamil as optional language in other states after Hindi row

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to introduce Tamil as an optional language in other states. “This will be a great service to one of the most ancient languages of the world,” he said.

Mumbai’s traffic jams are the worst in the world, Delhi stands at fourth spot: Study

Mumbai sees the worst traffic jams in the world, according to a new study detailing the traffic situation in 403 cities in 56 countries. Delhi took the fourth spot on the list of cities with most congested traffic, after Bogota in Colombia and Lima in Peru. Russian capital Moscow was ranked fifth.

Manipur: Kuki Students’ Organisation calls for 24-hour strike over arrest of its executives

The Kuki Students’ Organisation has called for a 24-hour strike across Manipur from Thursday midnight, demanding the release of its executives arrested in connection with an arson attack on a Catholic school in April.

UK: Indian man sentenced to seven years in jail for raping woman in 2017

The Ipswich Crown Court sentenced Ajay Rana after a jury found him guilty of rape by a majority verdict following a two-week trial.

UP: Rashtriya Lok Dal says it will also contest Assembly bye-polls alone after alliance breaks up

Uttar Pradesh President of Rashtriya Lok Dal Masood Ahmad, however, expressed hope that the “gathbandhan” remains intact. “The Rashtriya Lok Dal will contest the UP assembly bye-polls on its own whenever they are held,” Ahmad told the news agency. Party chief Ajit Singh and his son Jayant Chaudhary will decide over the next few days on the number of seats that RLD will contest, he added.

Jammu and Kashmir: Unidentified gunmen kill woman, injure a man in Pulwama

The incident took place at Singoo-Narbal in Pulwama. “While the lady succumbed to injuries, the injured man has been rushed to a hospital,” an unidentified police official said.

Madhya Pradesh High Court stays suspension of Ujjain professor who predicted BJP win

On April 29, Musalgaonkar, the head of Sanskrit-Ved-Jyotirvigyan department, had posted: “BJP 300 ke paas and NDA 300 ke paar [BJP around 300 (seats) and NDA more than 300]”. A Congress worker had registered a complaint against the professor alleging the prediction was meant to influence polling.

Chhattisgarh: Beggar in Korba killed on suspicion of being a child lifter, three arrested

The Chhattisgarh Police arrested two men and detained a minor for allegedly killing a beggar in Korba district on the suspicion that he was a child abductor. The incident took place on May 27, but the suspects were held after the incident came to light, said Lemru police station house officer Ramlal Maravi.

Nipah: College student who contracted the virus is in a stable condition, says Kerala government

The Kerala government said on Wednesday that the condition of a college student who is being treated for the Nipah virus was stable, while five others who are suspected of having contracted the virus were improving. “The patient is clinically stable, slowly improving and his fever is subsiding,” a medical bulletin said.

Madhya Pradesh: ‘Computer Baba’ takes charge of river trust, demands helicopter for aerial survey

Religious leader Namdev Tyagi, also known as “Computer Baba”, formally took charge as the chairperson of the Narmada river trust under the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. Soon after joining duty, he demanded a helicopter to conduct an aerial survey of the river.

Heat wave to continue across India, light rain brings relief in Punjab and Haryana

The heat wave continued to persist across large parts of the country, with Churu in Rajasthan recording temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department said there will be no large change in maximum temperatures over the next two days.

‘No fawning gestures, same standards of food for all officers’: New Navy chief issues guidelines

Days after taking over as the chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Karambir Singh issued guidelines aimed at tweaking contemporary social and ceremonial practices for optimum utilisation of resources and manpower. “Ladies should remain seated except when the President of India or the governor enters an auditorium or an event,” the new directive said. There is no need for “clapping/cheering/applause or fawning gestures” during such occasions, the guidelines said, according to the newspaper.

West Bengal: BJP takes control of Bhatpara Municipality – its first civic body in the state

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday took control of the Bhatpara Municipality, its first civic body in West Bengal, weeks after the party made inroads in the state by winning 18 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP has never run a civic body in the state. Saurav Singh, a councillor from ward 20, was elected chairman of the board on Tuesday morning.

Mamata Banerjee’s government may not survive till 2021, says BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya

Bharatiya Janata Party National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Tuesday reiterated his party’s claim that the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal might not be able to complete its term, and urged party workers to prepare themselves as an “alternative force” before the Assembly elections.

Malegaon blast case: Pragya Thakur fails to attend court, granted one-day exemption from appearance

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, did not attend court proceedings on Tuesday even though her appeal for exemption from appearance was rejected. The special National Investigation Agency court, however, allowed her advocates to file a new petition seeking exemption for one day.

J&K Assembly polls: Schedule to be announced after Amarnath Yatra, says Election Commission

The Election Commission on Tuesday said it would announce the schedule for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections after the Amarnath Yatra. The pilgrimage will begin on July 2 and end on August 15.