July 1 News Highlights: Rahul Gandhi's 'Hindu' Controversy, French Election, Gaza War & More

-Rahul Gandhi's 'Not Hindus' Remark Raises Heat, Modi Intervenes Read full story

-Pune: 5 Dead In Lonavala Mishap, Trekker Dies After Jumping In Tamhini Ghat | Waterfall Tragedies On Cam Read full story

-Social Activist Medha Patkar Given 5-Month Jail In Defamation Case Filed By Delhi L-G Read full story

-Donald Trump Granted Partial Immunity, Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling Read full story

-Al-Shifa Hospital Director Released By Israel, Alleges 'Daily Torture' With Batons, Dogs Read full story

-UPSC Prelims Result 2024 Declared On upsc.gov.in | Direct Link To Check Read full story

After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja Announces Retirement From T20I's - FULL STORY HERE

UK Claims Russian Interference Ahead of July 4 Polls - READ HERE

Arvind Kejriwal Arrested On Orders Of Centre, PM Modi, Alleges AAP MP Sanjay Singh - READ FULL STORY HERE

NEET Re-Exam Results 2024 Expected Soon, NTA Releases Final Answer Key - FULL STORY HERE

18 Dead As Suspected Female Suicide Bombers Strike Wedding, Funeral, Hospital In Nigeria - READ HERE

The second week of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha is set to begin on July 1. With this, the Parliament is set to witness heated debates on a range of issues like the NEET paper leak row, the Agnipath scheme and inflation when both houses reconvene on Monday.

On Monday, in addition to the paper leak scandal, the Opposition is expected to highlight the issue of unemployment in the Lok Sabha.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will replace the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

The West Bengal Police on Sunday registered a case after a video clip of a brutal assault on a couple allegedly engaged in an illicit relationship went viral, sparking widespread outrage.

The man who was seen in the video beating up the two with a bamboo stick was allegedly a local TMC leader of Chopra in Uttar Dinajpur district where the incident occurred following a decision of a kangaroo court.

While the opposition BJP, Congress and CPI(M) slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for the incident, the ruling TMC said the matter will be investigated.

Female suicide bombers targeted a wedding, a funeral, and a hospital in coordinated attacks in northern Nigeria that killed at least 18 people, local authorities said Sunday.

The first suicide bomber detonated a device during a marriage celebration in the northeastern town of Gwoza, Barkindo Saidu, director-general of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, told reporters.

“Minutes later, another blast occurred near General Hospital,” Saidu said, and the third bomber at the funeral service was disguised as a mourner. Children and pregnant women were among those killed. At least 30 others were wounded, and, Saidu said, injuries included abdominal ruptures and skull fractures.

- AP

Two women died and 11 people were injured after being buried under the debris of an overhead water tank that collapsed in a densely populated area of Mathura district on Sunday, officials said.

One of the injured, identified as Nawab (35), has been sent to SN Medical College and Hospital in Agra as his condition was serious, they said.

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

- PTI

France went to the polls on Sunday in the first round of the snap parliamentary elections. Following the results of the EU parliamentary elections, French president Emmanuel Macron shocked the entire nation when he called for snap elections and dissolved the national assembly.

With the EU vote, France saw an increase in far-right party National Rally emerged victorious. During the first round of the snap elections, the voter turnout reached a historic high as thousands flocked to the nearest polling booth to cast their vote.

READ FULL STORY

The Aam Aadmi Party has accused central investigative agencies of "misleading" the Supreme Court, and said opposition INDIA bloc will protest against it on the Parliament premises on Monday.

The INDIA bloc parties had a meeting at the house of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday over the issue of "misuse of investigative agencies".

"Everyone decided unanimously that on Monday at 10:30 am, all the constituent parties of the INDIA bloc will protest against the misuse of the ED-CBI across the country on the Parliament premises," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.

A propane tank explosion at a restaurant in the western Turkish city of Izmir on Sunday left five people dead and 63 others injured, authorities said.

Security cameras recorded the explosion, which devastated the street and caused minor damage to surrounding buildings.

Izmir Gov. Suleyman Elban visited the injured at the hospital and announced that 40 of them had already been released.

Authorities have detained one suspect who might be responsible. The man had replaced the propane tank with a new one on Saturday

Union Minister Piyush Goyal met Telangana CM Revanth Reddy at his residence in Hyderabad on Sunday.

The Delhi Police is all set to implement the three new criminal laws which will come into effect across the country from Monday, bringing widespread changes in India's criminal justice system and ending colonial-era laws.

"Proper trainings were organised to understand the new laws. Those who received the training were given handbooks to understand the new laws," a senior officer of the Delhi Police said.

In January this year, a 14-member committee was constituted to study the laws and prepare the study material for the Delhi Police personnel. The committee was led by Special Commissioner of Police Chhaya Sharma and comprised DCP Joy Tirkey, Additional DCP Uma Shankar and other officers.

Gujarat is experiencing a wet spell due to cyclonic circulation over the northeast Arabian Sea adjoining the Saurashtra region, it said.

Heavy downpours caused waterlogging and 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.

Palsana Taluka in Surat district received 153 mm of rainfall, the highest in the state, in just ten hours.

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

In a first, Delhi Police filed an FIR under section of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 on July 1.

The case was registered at Kamla Market Police Station in Delhi.

The case has been registered against a street vendor under the section of 285 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for obstruction under foot over bridge of New Delhi Railway Station and making sales.

Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena inspected parade on Monday morning at Commissionerate Day Parade at Parade Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp, New Delhi. He is the Chief Guest on the occasion. Delhi Police CP Sanjay Arora is also present at the occassion.

The National Testing Agency has declared the NEET UG retest results on Monday. The candidates who appeared for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (UG) – 2024 retest conducted on June 23, 2024, can access their results at the official website - https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/

The National Testing Agency on Monday released the revised scorecard of NEET 2024 candidates on the official website - https://exams.nta.ac.in/NEET/NEET2024SCRevised.html

A 23-year-old man died at a hospital in West Bengal's Jhargram district a week after he was beaten up by some people, police said.

This is the third death in a mob attack in the state. Two other similar incidents took place in Kolkata and Salt Lake on June 28 and 29.

An injured Sourabh Sau was found lying on a road in the Jamboni area near Jhargram town by locals on June 22. He was admitted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.

The police registered a case against unnamed persons based on a complaint lodged by Sau's family on June 27.

Oil marketing companies have revised the prices of commercial LPG gas cylinders.

The rate of 19 KG commercial LPG gas cylinder has been slashed by Rs 30 with effect from today, 1st July.

In Delhi, the retail sale price of 19kg commercial LPG cylinder is Rs 1646 from today.

General Upendra Dwivedi receives Guard of Honour on Monday as he took charge as the Chief of Army Staff from General Manoj Pande yesterday, June 30.

He also met religious leaders before his Guard of Honour.

While addressing an audience after receiving Guard Of Honour on the first day of office, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi said, "...This is a moment of great pride and honour for me that have received the opportunity to lead the Indian Army. The proud tradition of Indian Army is based on the sacrifice and contributions of our jawans. On this occasion, I pay tribute to the brave jawans who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Today, global equations are changing. The current battles are taking a new form and we need to not only advance in this direction but also improve the war systems and strategies by arming jawans with modern arms and new-age technology. Today, Indian Army is advancing on the path to modernisation. In this regard, Indian Army is always ready to attain Aatmanirbharta. For this, the Army will encourage indigenous initiatives and induct more and more indigenous war systems and equipment. It will be my effort that with the synergy between the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force and other stakeholders, we be always prepared for operations under the full spectrum of conflict. With this, we will be able to secure the national interest of India and we will be able to become a major pillar in nation-building towards Viksit Bharat 2047...I assure the country and all Indians that the Indian Army is ready and capable to face all challenges."

Congress MP B Manickam Tagore on Monday gave suspension of business notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the cases of paper leak in NEET-UG and UGC NET exams conducted by the NTA.

Rupee falls 6 paise to 83.40 against US dollar in early trade.

Sensex rises 69.63 points to 79,102.36 in early trade; Nifty up 37.85 points to 24,048.45.

PM Narendra Modi extended greetings to former Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on his 75th birthday. PM Modi in a post on X wrote, "Today, India’s former Vice President and respected statesman M. Venkaiah Naidu Garu turns 75. I wish him a long and healthy life and also extend my greetings to all his well-wishers and supporters. This is an occasion to celebrate a leader whose life journey showcases dedication, adaptability and an unwavering commitment to public service. From his early days in the political arena to his tenure as Vice President, Venkaiah Garu’s career exemplifies his unique ability to navigate the complexities of Indian politics with ease and humility. His eloquence, wit and steadfast focus on developmental issues have earned him respect across party lines."

He continued, "When the Emergency was imposed almost 50 years ago, young Venkaiah Garu immersed himself in the anti-Emergency movement. He was imprisoned and that too for inviting Loknayak JP to Andhra Pradesh. This commitment to democracy would be seen time and again in his political career. In the mid-1980s, when the great NTR’s Government was unceremoniously dismissed by the Congress, he was again at the forefront of the movement to protect democratic principles."

"When the decision to remove Articles 370 and 35(A) were placed on the floor of the Rajya Sabha, it was Venkaiah Garu who was on the Chair. I am sure it was such an emotional moment for him- the young boy who was drawn to Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s dream of a united India was on the Chair when this was finally achieved," he added.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday claimed that the three new criminal laws were passed "forcibly" after suspending 146 MPs in the last Lok Sabha, and asserted that the INDIA bloc will not allow such "bulldozer justice" to prevail in the country's parliamentary system.

In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge said, "After the political and moral shock in the elections, Modi ji and the BJP are pretending to respect the Constitution, but the truth is that the three laws of the criminal justice system which are being implemented from today, were passed forcibly after suspension of 146 MPs."

"INDIA will no longer allow this 'bulldozer justice' to prevail in the parliamentary system," he asserted.

The three new criminal laws came into effect in the country on Monday, bringing far-reaching changes in India's criminal justice system.

A labourer was killed and two others were injured after a two-storey under-construction house collapsed in Madhya Pradesh's Dindori district on Monday, a police official said.

The incident took place in Matta village in the wee hours and police got information about it at around 5 am, Gadasarai police station in-charge Durga Prasad told reporters.

"After receiving information, police rushed to the spot. Three labourers who were trapped under the debris were rescued," he said.

The three labourers were rushed to a hospital, the official said, adding that one of them died.

The house collapsed possibly due to rains in the area, a local resident said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday participated in the first welfare pensions disbursal programme of the new NDA government at Penumaka in Guntur district.

Renamed as 'NTR Bharosa Samajika Pensions', the NDA government comprising the TDP, BJP and Janasena hiked the state-wide welfare pensions scheme from Rs 3,000 per month provided during the previous YSRCP government to Rs 4,000 per month.

The state government started the procedure to disburse Rs 7,000 as pension to eligible beneficiaries, which includes the enhanced amount of Rs 1,000 each for April, May and June, along with the July's pension of Rs 4,000.

The Rs 1,000 hike in monthly pensions has raised the financial burden on the state government by Rs 819 crore while a similar amount for the preceding three months has put on an additional burden of Rs 1,650 crore.

The southern state will disburse Rs 4,408 crore on welfare pensions alone.

A mud slab collapsed due to incessant rain in Wanapatla village of Telangana's Nagarkurnool killing four members of a family today morning.

Govardhan, Inspector of Nagarkurnool police station said, "The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination (PME)."

INDIA bloc parties hold protest outside Parliament, alleging misuse of central probe agencies against opposition leaders.

Several opposition leaders including Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and AAP leader Raghav Chadha can be seen participating in the protest.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and the House congratulates Cricket Skipper Rohit Sharma and the entire Team India on winning T20 World Cup.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly moved High Court challenging his arrest in the excise policy case, in which his bail given by a trial court was stayed by the Delhi HC last week. 

Structural engineers from IIT Delhi, engaged by the Civil Aviation Ministry, are expected to complete an independent assessment of the roof collapse incident at Delhi airport's T1 in a month, according to a senior official.

Heavy rain that started in the wee hours of Friday continued for hours in Delhi and led to a tragic roof-collapse incident at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) which killed one person and injured four others.

After a thorough assessment of the findings and taking into consideration other aspects, the decision will be taken on restarting operations at the terminal, according to a PTI report.

Samajwadi Party workers and supporters celebrate and dance outside the Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh on the ocassion of the birthday of Samajwadi Party Chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav.

LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge speaking on the Motion of thanks on President's address, said, "The President is the most important part of the Parliament, we respect the President. This year the President’s first address was in January and second in June. The first address was for elections and the second was a copy of it. There was nothing for Dalits, minority sections and the backward classes in her address. There was neither vision nor direction in the President's address. Like the last time, it was just about full of words of appreciation for the govt."

Kharge also appealed to RS chairman to put back statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, others in their original places in Parliament complex

Raising the issue regarding 'paper leaks' and irregularities alleged against NEET-UG 2024 and UGC NET exams, Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi said, "A message is disseminated to the country, from Parliament. We want to give a message to students that NEET issue is important for the Parliament. So, to send this message we want the Parliament to discuss this."

NIA has given consent for jailed Kashmiri leader Engineer Rashid to take oath as MP and Delhi court will pass order tomorrow.

The NIA counsel also mentioned that the oath taking function should be subject to restrictions like not speaking to media.

A senior Police officer informed media that the Pune Police will move Supreme Court against High Court's order which allowed the release of juvenile accused in Pune car accident case.

The officials have reported that West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Monday has sought a report from CM Mamata Banerjee on the public flogging of the couple in Chopra.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore said, "Today the Opposition raised the NEET issue in the Parliament. Rajnath Singh assured that after the President's address, the issue will be discussed. But there was no assurance, that is why INDIA alliance leaders walked out of the Parliament as a mark of protest. We will participate in the debate on the motion to thank honourable President."

Congress MP Tariq Anwar said, "We have been raising this issue since day one but the Government is not ready to discuss and debate on it. So, as a mark of protest we have walked out."

Purnia MP Pappu Yadav speaking on the matter stated, "They are not listening to the Opposition. Rahul Gandhi respected the words of Rajnath Singh. They are postponing everything. We did not have any other option but to walkout from the Parliament. The most important issue is NEET. People have earned big money."

Economic Explosives Ltd, a subsidiary of Solar Industries, Nagpur, has developed three new explosive formulations "The three new explosive formulations can prove to be a game changer for our armed forces due to the sheer enhancement of Firepower & Explosive Effect. SEBEX 2 is a new explosive formulation that provides a much more powerful blast effect than any currently available solid explosive. The performance of any explosive is measured in terms of TNT equivalence. Explosives with higher TNT equivalence have more lethality and destructive power. Conventional Explosives, like DENTEX/TORPEX, which are used in conventional warheads, aerial bombs &many other ammunitions worldwide have TNT equivalence of 1.25-1.30": Solar Industries officials

Amit Shah is holding a press conference to speak about the new criminal laws that came into effect from today under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhati by replacing the colonial-age IPC codes.

'#AzaadBharatKeKanoon' was used in the X post which broadcasted his presser.

In his address, Shah said, "...First of all, I would like to congratulate the people of the country that about 77 years after independence, our criminal justice system is becoming completely 'Swadeshi'. This will function on Indian ethos. After 75 years, these laws were contemplated upon and when these laws are in effect from today, colonial laws have been scrapped and laws made in the Indian Parliament are being brought into practice. Instead of 'Dand', it is now 'Nyay'. Instead of delay, there will be speedy trial and speedy justice. Earlier, only the rights of the Police were protected but now, vicitms' and complainants' rights will be protected too."

The high-level committee constituted to formulate the State Education Policy submits its recommendations to Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin in Chennai on Monday.

While addressing a presser on the implementation of the three new criminal laws under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, Home Minister Amit Shah spoke about the first case filed under the new codes.

He said, "...The first case (under the new laws) has been registered at a Police station in Gwalior. It was a case of theft, someone's motorcycle was stolen. The case was registered at 12.10 am...As far as the case against a vendor (registered at a Police Station in Delhi) is concerned, there were provisions for the same earlier too and it is not a new provision. Police used the provision to review it and dismissed that case."

While addressing a presser on Monday on the matter, HM Amit Shah said, "Expect conviction rate of up to 90 per cent under new criminal justice laws; will reduce crime," as he added that the "Three criminal justice laws were deliberated upon for over four years."

Responding to the objection expressed by Opposition leaders regarding the criminal laws, Shah said, "I am ready to meet any opposition leader who has concerns about new criminal laws."

A search and rescue operation is underway by a team of Indian Navy divers near Bhushi dam in Lonavala after a woman and four children drowned in a waterfall here yesterday.

Earlier this morning, District Collector Suhas Diwase told ANI, "...We started the rescue operation at 8 am. INS Shivaji divers are now finding their best to recover the bodies. Search is on but as it is raining, the water level is rising. It is windy. So, there are problems. Rescue operation gets interrupted. But we will recover the bodies..."

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday said, "Country has together protected Constitution, it feels nice that BJP people now repeating 'Jai samvidhan' after me."

He then continued to say, "There has been systematic attack on Constitution, idea of India and on millions of people who resisted ideas proposed by BJP."

"I was attacked on orders of PM Modi; there were 20 plus cases, house was taken away, 55 hours of interrogation by ED," alleges Gandhi.

He further said, "I am happy and proud to be in opposition; for us there is something more than power, it is truth."

Speaker Om Birla stated that the rules of Parliament don't allow display of placards after Rahul Gandhi showed picture of Lord Shiva.

Further speaking on religion, Rahul Gandhi said that all religions talk about courage as he cites Islam, Sikhism to underline one should be fearless.

Rahul Gandhi attacking BJP in Lok Sabha, said that Hinduism is not about spreading fear, hatred and falsehoods.

PM Modi then intervened during Rahul Gandhi's speech and stated, "calling entire Hindu society violent is a serious issue".

Rahul then hit back at PM, saying that "BJP, Modi are not entire Hindu society".

PM Modi intervening again said "Constitution has taught him to take LoP seriously".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday hit out at LoP Rahul Gandhi after his fiery speech against BJP, PM Modi and said that "crores of people take pride in being Hindus, does Rahul Gandhi think they are all violent".

He added, "Rahul Gandhi must apologise for his remarks painting all Hindus as violent."

Amit Shah also invoked Emergency, 1984 anti-Sikh riots to assert that "Rahul Gandhi has no right to talk about non-violence".

LoP Rahul Gandhi stated, "If you look at Lord Shiva's image you would know that Hindus can never spread fear, hatred but BJP spreads fear, hatred 24X7."

LS Speaker then chided Rahul Gandhi for casting aspersion on intentions of Chair and said his mic has never been muted.

Birla also urged Rahul Gandhi to maintain dignity of the Motion of Thanks to the president's address.

Rahul Gandhi slammed central government over Agnipath issue and said Agniveer is 'use-and-throw labour' for the Centre.

"Agnipath scheme is brainchild of PM Modi not of armed forces," stated Gandhi.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh intervened during Rahul Gandhi's speech, saying "LoP misleading House on Agniveers".

Rahul Gandhi continuing his speech said, "When our govt comes, we will scrap Agnipath scheme because we think it is against armed forces, patriots."

"Politics, policies of BJP have burnt down Manipur, pushed it into civil war; still PM Modi yet to visit state," he added.

Rescue teams on Monday morning recovered the body of one of the two missing children, who along with three other family members got swept away at a waterfall near the Bhushi Dam in Pune's Lonavala area, officials said. Search was on for the other missing child, they said.

On Sunday, a group of persons got swept away by the gushing water caused by intense rainfall in the region. After the tragic incident, the rescue teams on Sunday recovered the bodies of a 36-year-old woman and two minor girls.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for his poll speeches and also levelled allegations against the ruling BJP's ideological parent RSS but most of his remarks were expunged by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Dhankhar also defended the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), calling it an organisation engaged in working for the nation.

In his speech in the Upper House of Parliament on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address, Congress chief Kharge mentioned comments made by Modi in his election rallies and presented statistics showing the number of times the prime minister referred to minorities and Pakistan.

India recorded below-normal cumulative rainfall in June, with deficit standing at 11 per cent: India Meteorological Department.

An Indian-origin woman died on a Qantas flight just before takeoff in Australia on June 20. The woman was en route to India to visit her family for the first time in four years, as per reports.

The 24-year-old, Manpreet Kaur, boarded the aircraft ready to fly from Melbourne to Delhi, a news.com.au report said, adding that Kaur suffered a medical episode soon after boarding the plane at Tullamarine Airport.

According to a friend, the 24-year-old student reportedly ''felt unwell'' hours before arriving at the airport but managed to board the flight without any issues. But when she went to put on her seatbelt, Kaur fell to the floor and ''died on the spot.''

A Delhi court on Monday sentenced social activist Medha Patkar to five months imprisonment in a 23-year-old criminal defamation case filed by current Delhi L-G V K Saxena.

Northwest India recorded warmest June since 1901, with a mean temperature of 31.73 degrees Celsius, IMD said on Monday.

IMD also said the torrential rain that brought Delhi to its knees last week was not a result of a cloudburst.

Addressing a press conference, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the Safdarjung Observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 91 mm rainfall between 5 am and 6 am on June 28.

Similarly, the Lodhi Road weather station logged 64 mm from 5 am to 6 am and 89 mm from 6 am to 7 am.

Delhi High Court dismisses the bail petitions moved by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in CBI and ED cases related to the Excise Policy case.

India could experience above-normal rainfall in July, except for parts of the northeastern region, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

Addressing a virtual press conference, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said July rainfall averaged over the country as a whole is most likely to be above normal -- more than 106 per cent of the long-period average of 28.04 cm.

"Normal to above-normal rainfall is most likely over most parts of the country except many parts of northeast India and some parts of northwest, east, and southeast peninsular India," he said.

The Met office said maximum temperatures are likely to be normal to below normal over many parts of northwest India and south peninsular India, except the west coast.

On Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's speech in Parliament, Union Minister and BJP national president JP Nadda said on X, "First day, worst show! Lies + Hindu hatred = Rahul Gandhi Ji in Parliament. Third Time Fail LoP has a knack for agitated, flawed logic. His speech today has shown that neither has he understood the mandate of 2024 (his third successive loss) nor does he have any humility."

"Rahul Gandhi Ji must immediately apologise to all Hindus for terming them as violent. This is the same person who was telling foreign diplomats that Hindus are terrorists. This intrinsic hate towards Hindus must stop...Discussion on the President’s Speech is about healthy debate," Nadda said

"The Opposition, in their misplaced triumphalism continues to be destructive not constructive. Never in the last 60 years has an opposition been rejected 3 times consecutively. They way they are going, they will beat their own record in the coming times," he added

European Union regulators accused social media company Meta Platforms on Monday of breaching the bloc's new digital competition rulebook by forcing Facebook and Instagram users to choose between seeing ads or paying to avoid them. Meta began giving European users the option in November of paying for ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram as a way to comply with the continent's strict data privacy rules.

Users can pay at least 10 euros ($10.75) a month to avoid being targeted by ads based on their personal data. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, said preliminary findings of its investigation show that Meta's “pay or consent” advertising model was in breach of the 27-nation bloc's Digital Markets Act.

Meta's model doesn't allow users to exercise their right to “freely consent” to allowing their personal data from its various services, including Facebook, Instagram, Marketplace, WhatsApp, and Messenger, to be combined to target them with personalised online ads, the commission said.

Meta's model also doesn't give users the option of a service that's less personalised but still equivalent to its social networks, it said. (AP Inputs)

A Pakistani court has sentenced a Christian man to death for posting a "blasphemous post" on social media which triggered a mob attack, causing the burning of dozens of Churches and houses of members belonging to the minority community in Punjab province last year, officials said on Monday.

In August 2023, at least 24 churches and over 80 houses belonging to Christians in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad district, some 130 km from the provincial capital Lahore, were burnt down by a mob enraged over reports that two Christians had desecrated the Quran.

Following the incident, police detained over 200 Muslims but, interestingly, none of them have been convicted so far. Rather, 188 of them have been set free by the court either on want of evidence against them or on bail. (PTI Inputs)

A high-profile politician in the far-right Alternative for Germany party was convicted for the second time on Monday of knowingly using a Nazi slogan at a political event.

Bjorn Hocke, who plans to run for governor in the eastern state of Thuringia in September, was fined for using the banned Nazi slogan “Everything for Germany”.

The Halle Regional Court found the 52-year-old guilty of using signs of unconstitutional and terrorist organisations and sentenced him to a fine of 130 daily rates of 130 euros each — or 16,900 euros (USD 18,000) — German news agency dpa reported.

An appeal against the ruling is possible. The conviction won't block him from running in the election.

The charge of using symbols of an unconstitutional organisation can carry a fine or up to three years in prison. (AP Inputs)

Editors Guild of India on Monday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to remove access restrictions on the media for covering proceedings of Parliament.

The Guild, in a letter to Birla, said the practice of restricting the number of media persons, including those holding permanent accreditation, came into force when Covid19 protocols were in place.

"The country has fought the scourge and moved on and we hope limiting access is also done away with," it said in a letter to Birla.

The Guild urged Dhankhar to restore complete access to all media accredited media persons to the House without the need for them to secure additional access passes, which only adds to the bureaucratic work at a time when the effort is to reduce the load. (PTI Inputs)

Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek verification of several claims made by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi during his speech.

Intervening in the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address in Lok Sabha after Gandhi's "not Hindu" jibe at the BJP, Shah demanded he apologise to not only the House but to the country.

"He has categorically said that those who call themselves Hindus engage in violence. Crores of people in the country proudly call themselves Hindus. Are they all speaking about violence? Linking violence to any religion, that too by somebody holding a constitutional position... I believe he should apologise," the home minister said.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has no knowledge of Indian tradition and Hindu culture and he should apologise to the entire nation for his speech in Lok Sabha.

In a post on 'X' in Hindi, Sai said, "Rahul Gandhi's statement in the Parliament calling the entire Hindu society violent is extremely objectionable and condemnable. He has insulted crores of Hindus of the country. Rahul Gandhi has no knowledge of Indian tradition and Hindu culture".

"The entire country is hurt by his statement. This hatred of Congress towards Hindus should stop. Rahul Gandhi and Congress should apologize to the entire country for this statement."