Breaking News July 5: Shiv Sena (Punjab) Leader Attacked With Sword In Ludhiana; PM Modi To Visit Russia From July 8 To 9

1. NEET-UG Row: Scrapping Entire Exam Not Rational, Centre Tells SC; NTA Says Claims Of Mass Malpractice 'Lack Basis' READ FULL STORY

2. Bihar: 11 Govt Engineers Suspended Over Series Of Bridge Collapse Incidents READ FULL STORY

3. Hathras Stampede: Massive Hunt On For Key Accused, Bhole Baba; Fresh Evidence Suggests Organisers' 'Fault' READ FULL STORY

4. Shiv Sena Punjab Leader Attacked With Swords On Busy Road, Now In 'Serious' Condition READ FULL STORY

5. NEET PG New Date Date Announced: Exam To Be Held On August 11 In Two Shifts READ FULL STORY

6. Jailed Lok Sabha Election Winners Engineer Rashid, Amritpal Singh Take Oath READ FULL STORY

Welcome to Outlook India's Breaking News Live Blog, through which we bring you real-time updates on major events and developments across the globe. Here’s a look at top events and developments in focus today:

• UK Elections

• Hathras stampede updates

• NEET-UG row

In first arrests in the Hathras stampede case, police have nabbed six people, all of whom are 'sevadars' of the self-proclaimed godman 'Bhole Baba' who organised the 'satsang' where the tragedy struck, killing over 121 people on Tuesday.

Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur, addressing a press briefing on the Hathras stampede case investigation, said on Thursday that 'Bhole Baba's' criminal history is also being inquired, adding that permission for the event was not taken in his name.

Aligarh IG Shalabh Mathur on Thursday, "...Six people including four men and two women have been arrested in the incident. They all are members of the organising committee and worked as 'Sevadars'."

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi left for Uttar Pradesh's Hathras from Delhi early Friday morning, according to Congress leaders.

"Rahul ji left for Hathras from Delhi at around 5.10 am (on Friday)," state Congress chief Ajay Rai told PTI.

Apart from Rai, state Congress in-charge Avinash Pande, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and other office bearers are accompanying Gandhi to Hathras.

Rai had on Thursday told PTI that Gandhi will meet the family members of the victims of the Hathras stampede tragedy, which claimed the lives of 121 people at a religious gathering.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may be on course for a bruising defeat with his Labour Party rival Keir Starmer set for a landslide win, according to the definitive election night exit poll released on Thursday as polling stations across the country closed in the landmark UK general election.

According to the exit poll, which is often quite close to the final tally, Labour could win as many as 410 seats, comfortably crossing the halfway 326 mark and notching up a 170-seat majority with the incumbent Tories down to just 131 seats.

The Odisha government has set up a committee to determine timelines and budgetary requirements for the identification and translation of MBBS books into Odia language.

"In view of the mandate to provide medical education in Odia language in the state, a committee has been constituted to examine the matter, identify the essential course books for MBBS education required to be translated into Odia language, and work out timelines and budget requirements for undertaking this task," an order issued by the health department said.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's cabinet committee on law and order has recommended banning of all social media platforms -- YouTube, X, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, among others --during 6 to 11 Muharram (July 13-18) in Punjab, a province of over 120 million people, to "control hate material, misinformation to avoid sectarian violence", according to a Punjab government notification issued here late Thursday night.

The Punjab government of Maryam Nawaz has requested her uncle Shehbaz Sharif's government at the Centre to notify the suspension of all social media platforms on internet for six days (July 13-18).

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reaches Aligarh, visits home of those killed in Hathras stampede.

In the final stretch before France's high-stakes parliamentary elections Sunday, several candidates have reported being attacked on the campaign trail, including government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot.

Candidates have complained of both hate speech and physical violence in the brief and polarizing campaign for the snap elections.

Thevenot, a candidate for the centrist Ensemble alliance led by President Emmanuel Macron, said she and a deputy and a party activist were putting up election posters in Meudon near Paris on Wednesday night when a group attacked them. Thevenot's deputy and the party activist were taken to a hospital.

''The symbolic violence of words quickly was replaced by physical violence,? she told reporters while back on the campaign trail Thursday. 'We are still a bit shocked ... I remain mobilized.'' (AP Inputs)

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday met here the family members of those who lost their lives in the stampede in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, according to Congress leaders.

The senior Congress leader landed in Pilakhna village in Aligarh around 7.15 am after he left by road from Delhi. Later, Gandhi is scheduled to meet families of the stampede victims in Hathras's Vibhav Nagar area.

According to police, of the 121 people who died due to the stampede on July 2, 17 were from Aligarh and 19 were from Hathras.

Nigel Farage, leader of the right-wing Reform UK party, won a seat in the British parliament for the first time on Friday in the seaside English town of Clacton-on-Sea, as voters deserted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party.

Farage, whose career of anti-immigration, pro-Brexit campaigning has made him one of Britain's most recognisable and divisive political figures, comfortably beat the Conservative candidate Giles Watling who had previously held the seat.

Speaking after winning his seat in Richmond, Yorkshire, Conservative leader Rishi Sunak said: "The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory."

Sunak became the youngest prime minister of the modern era when he took over the Conservative Party in 2022.

At least 11 persons were rushed to hospitals for sustaining minor injuries or feeling dizzy after a massive crowd gathered along the route of the victory parade of the T-20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team in South Mumbai, an official said on Friday.

Nine were admitted to the state-run GT Hospital for suffering injuries or complaining of breathing difficulties due to excessive crowding. They are now in a stable condition, said the dean of JJ Group of Hospitals.

Officials said one fan was taken to the government-run St George’s Hospital near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and was allowed to go after primary care. Another person was taken to a private hospital in south Mumbai and discharged after treatment. (PTI Inputs)

Iranians began voting on Friday in a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, killed in a helicopter crash last month.

Voters face a choice between the hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili and Masoud Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime parliament member who has allied himself with moderates and reformists within Iran's Shiite theocracy.

An initial round of voting June 28 saw no candidate get over 50 per cent of the vote, forcing the runoff.

Five die after entering well in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district; toxic gas suspected to be behind deaths: Police.

-PTI

The Delhi High Court begins hearing CM Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking bail in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) corruption case related to the now-scrapped excise policy.

Earlier on Tuesday, the HC had issued notice on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the central agency and a June 26 trial court order remanding him to three-day CBI custody. The CBI was asked to file its response and listed the matter on July 17.

The Delhi High Court which heard CM Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) corruption case related to the now-scrapped excise policy today has asked the agency to respond and listed the matter for hearing on July 17.

Earlier on Tuesday, the HC had issued notice on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the central agency and a June 26 trial court order remanding him to three-day CBI custody. The CBI was asked to file its response and listed the matter on July 17.

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Friday urged citizens, who have pending cases before the Supreme Court, to take part in the special Lok Adalat from July 29 to August 3 to get their disputes resolved amicably and speedily.

In a bid to lessen the pendency of cases in the top court, the special Lok Adalat will be organised in the 75th year of the establishment of the apex court, which came into existence on January 26, 1950 with the coming into force of the Constitution.

In a video message uploaded on the apex court’s website, the CJI said, "From the 29th of July to the third of August 2024, the Supreme Court is organising a special Lok Adalat. This is part of a series of activities, which the Supreme Court is observing to commemorate the 75th year since the establishment of the Supreme Court." (PTI Inputs)

The Congress on Friday slammed the Centre over the delay in publishing new Class 6 textbooks, alleging the Education Ministry is "sabotaging" the education of children.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh hit out at the government over the issue, saying that either the "rot runs deep", or the incompetence scales new heights everyday.

In a post on X, he said, "After sabotaging the examination process through the incompetent National Testing Authority, the non-biological PM's Education Ministry is sabotaging the education of our children."

"Even as the school year has begun, the NCERT - the National (read Nagpur) Council of Educational Research and Training - has failed to publish new textbooks for Science, Mathematics, and Social Sciences for Class 6 students," Ramesh said.

A massive fire broke out at Logix Mall in Uttar Pradesh's Noida on Friday, triggering panic.

According to available information and reports, the fire broke out due to a short circuit. People were reportedly evacuated after the fire broke out.

The Enforcement Directorate has seized cash amounting to Rs 41 lakh, various incriminating documents and digital evidence during a search operation conducted at various locations of Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Hyderabad in connection with Sewage Treatment Plant corruption case of Delhi Jal Board (DJB). The raids were conducted on July 3.

The Delhi High Court has directed a Noida-resident to remove her social media posts that alleged she found a centipede in a tub of Amul ice cream bought by her. The Delhi HC directed the removal of the social media post due to the non-appearance in court of the defendant in the matter.

Justice Manmeet P S Arora, while dealing with a lawsuit by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation which markets products under Amul brand, further restrained the customer from posting and uploading any other identical or similar content on social media platforms until further orders.

xIn a post on social media platform 'X' on June 15, Deepa Devi had shared a picture purportedly showing a centipede inside her Amul ice cream tub that she ordered through an instant delivery app.

Javeline star Neeraj Chopra shared his fitness concerns, PV Sindhu talked about the significance of self-belief and Nikhat Zareen could barely hide her excitement about being a first-time Olympian during a light-hearted interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who advised the Paris-bound group to stay calm and sleep well for best results.

PM Modi interacted with the Indian Olympics contingent on Thursday. The interaction also featured the men's hockey team and the 21-strong shooting contingent in person, while some others, including Chopra, Sindhu and Zareen, joined online from their respective training bases abroad.

Pop icon Justin Bieber has landed in BKC, Mumbai, where he will be performing at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding this Friday, at the Jio World Convention Center.

Uttar Pradesh government agencies have launched intensive searches across the state and in neighbouring Rajasthan and Haryana to trace Hathras stampede key accused Devprakash Madhukar, official sources said Friday.

A senior government official told PTI that the agencies, including the police, are also looking for preacher Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba for questioning in the case.

NEET PG 2024 will be conducted on August 11 ,2024, in two shifts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X, "Heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Keir Starmer on the remarkable victory in the UK general elections. I look forward to our positive and constructive collaboration to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in all areas, fostering mutual growth and prosperity."

PM Modi also thanked outgoing UK PM Rishi Sunak for his "admirable leadership of the UK" and his "active contribution to deepen the ties between India and the UK" during his term in office.

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court extends judicial custody of BRS leader K Kavitha till July 18, in the CBI case linked to the Delhi excise policy alleged scam.

The Supreme Court has listed for July 10 petitions seeking review of the judgment that refused to recognise same-sex marriages.

Justices Sanjiv Khanna and BV Nagarathna will replace Justices SK Kaul and S Ravindra Bhat - who have retired- in the five-judge bench.

Rishi Sunak resigns as Conservative Party leader after crushing election defeat. The Conservative Party led by Sunak suffered a massive defeat after 14 years in government, ending his premiership, 20 months after he was sworn in amidst political turmoil in the party.

Sunak said he will resign as Tory leader, but not immediately and only when formal arrangements for a successor have taken place

Delhi Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj will hold a meeting with different departments to chalk out an anti-dengue action plan on Friday, officials said.

In the meeting, there will be discussions on preparations for handling and preventing the spread of dengue in the national capital this year, they added.

"The meeting will be chaired by Bharadwaj at Delhi Secretariat. Earlier this week, he held a meeting with health department officials over the spread of the vector borne disease," an official said.

Nifty rises 12 points to hit an all-time high of 24,314.15; Sensex slips 53.07 points to close at 79,996.60.

Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court says it would not be rational to scrap entire May 5 examination.

Scrapping exam entirely will jeopardise lakhs of honest candidates who attempted NEET-UG 2024 questions, Centre told Supreme Court on Friday.

Centre said it has asked CBI to conduct comprehensive probe into entire gamut of alleged irregularities.

Amid a spike in dengue cases in Karnataka, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday launched an awareness campaign in this district headquarters town of Dakshina Kannada to eliminate breeding sites of Aedes mosquito that causes the vector borne disease.

He conducted a house-to-house inspection in parts of the city along with health workers and checked breeding areas of Aedes mosquitoes.

Rao, who is also district in-charge Minister, inspected places where Aedes mosquito larvae were produced in water stagnated in coconut shells, tubs and tyres and observed the measures being taken by Health Department staff to destroy them.

During his interaction with PM Modi on Thursday, Cricketer Hardik Pandya said, "...Last 6 months have been very entertaining for me, there have been a lot of ups and downs and the public booed me. A lot of things happened and I always felt that if I give any answer, it would be through sports... So I believed that I would stay strong, will work hard..."

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who met the T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team on Thursday, said: "Seeing the tears of victory and joy makes one realise how difficult the moments of defeat must have been. People are not able to feel the moments of defeat in that environment."

BJP's official X account quoted PM as saying, "How much pain does a player go through... because he has come after doing so much penance and he falls short by one step. But when the player achieves victory, their happiness shows how difficult the moments of defeat must have been."

Bharatiya Janata Party has appointed state in-charges and co-in charges for various states

Eleven engineers of the water resources department in Bihar have reportedly been suspended over the collapse of 10 bridges within 15 days in the state.

With a fresh bridge collapse in Bihar's Saran district on Thursday, the state reported 10th such incident in just over a fortnight. READ FULL STORY

NCW chief Rekha Sharma has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora over TMC MP Mahua Moitra's alleged remarks against her during Sharma's visit to Hathras.

This comes a day after the TMC, commenting on a video posted on X showing the NCW chairperson's arrival at the site of a stampede that recently took place in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras, wrote, "She is too busy holding up her boss's pajamas".

"The crude remarks are outrageous and a violation of a woman's right to dignity. The Commission observed that this remark attracts Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023," the NCW said in a post on X.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma addressed the audience after he was felicitated at an event organised to honour the T20 World Cup-winning team at Vidhan Bhavan, Mumbai.

Cricketer Shivam Dube and Surya Kumar Yadav are also present at the event.

West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on Friday administered the oath to two newly elected TMC MLAs - Rayat Hossain Sarkar from Bhagwangola in Murshidabad district and Sayantika Banerjee from Baranagar on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, as authorised by Governor C V Ananda Bose for the job.

After taking oath as an MLA, TMC leader Sayantika Banerjee told ANI, "I would like to thank the Speaker for taking the initiative to administer oath...I thank the voters for bestowing their trust upon me..."

“We were sitting here for the last seven days (in protest), and we ultimately took our oath in the West Bengal Assembly. Now we will be able to work for the common people who elected us,” said TMC leader Reyat Hossain Sarkar after taking oath as an MLA.

President Droupadi Murmu presented Gallantry Awards at the Defence Investiture Ceremony 2024, being held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Among the dignitaries present on the occasion are Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

The NTA on Friday told the Supreme Court, "Scrapping entire NEET-UG 2024 exam will be hugely counterproductive and harmful to larger public interest."

They also stated, "Alleged incidents of paper leak do not seem to have any bearing on conduct of entire NEET-UG 2024 exam."

Further NTA claimed, "Entirety of NEET-UG 2024 exam was carried out fairly and with due confidentiality without any illegal practices."

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a reward of Rs 11 crore to Indian cricket team for T20 World Cup win after he felicitated the Mumbai players at Vidhan Bhavan on Friday.

Tripura CM Manik Saha addressed a gathering after he participated in a state-level mass plantation drive in Agartala where he planted a sapling.

JD(U) leader Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha took oath as MLC in Patna in presence of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

Kushwaha after taking oath spoke to media when he said, “I want to thank my elder brother Nitish Kumar and the senior leadership of NDA. JD(U) and NDA have decided to contest (Bihar Assembly) 2025 elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar. I 100 per cent guarantee that we will form the government under him in 2025."

Assam CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma's office informed that he visited the relief camp established at Pithubor Girls' Higher Secondary School, accommodating 173 individuals, and at Khowang Higher Secondary School, where 380 flood-affected residents are sheltered.

He reviewed their daily necessities and instructed the district administration to ensure the provision of essential items such as medical facilities, safe drinking water, and clothing.

Additionally, he assured that, in addition to distributing relief materials, necessary measures will be promptly undertaken to repair or rebuild the damaged homes of the flood victims

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma visited flood-affected areas of Garo Hills and took stock of the situation, today.

He also interacted with the affected locals there.

CM Sangma reportedly said, "We have come here to the plain belt area of Garo Hills. Close to 30,000 families have been affected here. The administration has provided relief to the citizens. There has been no loss of life till now. This is a natural calamity. All the assistance is being provided to the affected."

West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose on Friday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu, describing the administration of oaths to two newly elected TMC MLAs by the Assembly Speaker as a "violation of the Constitution," a Raj Bhavan official said.

"He wrote to the President shortly after Speaker Biman Banerjee administered the oath to two TMC legislators, instead of the Deputy Speaker who was authorised by Bose for the task," the official added.

"The Governor has written to President Droupadi Murmu regarding the Speaker's constitutional impropriety. In his letter, the Governor also emphasised that the Bengal Speaker administering oaths to two MLAs at the state Assembly violates the Constitution," the Raj Bhavan official told PTI.

Bhubaneswar Commissioner of Police Sanjeeb Panda told media that President of India, Droupadi Murmu will visit Odisha for four days from July 6-9.

He said, "All the journeys inside Bhubaneswar are by road, so we will be making adequate route-lining arrangements. Entire arrangements will be supervised by DCP Bhubaneswar and he will be assisted by 15 ACPs, 25 Inspectors, etc."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will review the whole range of bilateral ties, including in areas like defence, investment, energy cooperation, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges, at the upcoming annual India-Russia summit, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Friday.

Modi will pay a two-day official visit to Russia from July 8 to 9 at the invitation of Putin for the 22nd India-Russia summit that will review the entire range of multi-faceted ties between the two countries. Putin will host a private dinner for Modi on the day of arrival.

The two leaders will also share perspectives on "regional and global developments of mutual interest," Kwatra said at a media briefing here ahead of Modi's visit to Russia for the summit.

A Shiv Sena (Punjab) leader was grievously injured after he was attacked with swords by four unidentified assailants in full public view here on Friday, police said.

Sandeep Thapar (58) was attacked when he came out of the office of the Samvedna Trust near the Civil Hospital after attending a ceremony to mark the fourth death anniversary of the trust's founder-president Ravinder Arora, police said.

In the purported video, the assailants dressed as Nihangs approached Thapar while he was on a scooter with his securityman riding pillion.

While Thapar was speaking to the assailants with folded hands, one of them suddenly attacked him with a sword while passersby looked on. Another assailant appears to be pushing Tharpar's securityman away.

After Thapar fell down, a third assailant also started hitting Thapar with a sword. Later, two of the accused fled on Thapar's scooter.