Delhi Records Year's Lowest AQI; Police Files Case Against Mahua Moitra Over 'Derogatory Remarks'

In case you missed top news of the day, the Outlook brings you top happenings of the day.

• 2 Soldiers, 6 Militants Killed In 2 Separate Encounters In Jammu And Kashmir's Kulgam

• Woman Killed In Mumbai BMW Hit-And-Run Case

• Police Files Case Against Mahua Moitra Over 'Derogatory Remarks'

• Nirmala Sitharaman To Present Budget On July 23

• Train Services Suspended After Heavy Rains In Mumbai

• Supreme Court To Hear Pleas On NEET-UG 2024 Irregularities Tomorrow

• Mayawati Demands CBI Probe Into Matter In Armstrong Murder Case

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:

• Hathras Stampede Updates

• NEET-UG row

• Kulgam encounter 

• Assam floods and weather

At least four terrorists were killed and two soldiers laid down their lives in twin encounters in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The officials said two soldiers lost their lives while battling the militants.

They said contact with terrorists was established during a cordon and search operation in the Frisal Chinnigam area. In the exchange of fire there so far, four terrorists have been killed, the officials said, adding their bodies have been sighted.

Drone footage of the encounter site has shown four bodies lying there, but they could not be retrieved yet as firing was still going on.

Hamas has given its initial approval of a US-backed proposal for a phased cease-fire deal in Gaza, dropping a key demand that Israel commit up front to a complete end to the war, a Hamas official and an Egyptian official said Saturday.

The apparent compromise by the militant group, which controlled Gaza before triggering the war with an Oct 7 attack on Israel, could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks on ending a devastating nine months of fighting. But all sides cautioned that a deal is still not guaranteed.

Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has vowed to serve all Iranians' in a victory speech. Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, spoke Saturday at the the mausoleum of the late Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, addressing journalists in a chaotic event.

“In this election, I didn't give you false promises. I did not lie,” the heart surgeon said. “It's been many years after the revolution that we come to the podium, we make promises and we fail to fulfil them. This is the biggest problem we have.”

At least 16 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack on a United Nations-run school sheltering displaced people in the Gaza Strip, the Gaza Government Media Office said.

In a statement on Saturday, the Government Media Office said more than 75 people also were injured in the attack on al-Jaouni school in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp.

“We condemn the Israeli occupation, committing these ongoing crimes and massacres against civilians, children and women,” it said.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will visit Manipur on Monday and meet the violence-affected people in different districts of the state. State Congress president K Meghachandra said Gandhi would travel from Delhi to Silchar on a flight, and from there would head to Jiribam district where fresh violence happened on June 6.

"Gandhi will visit some relief camps in the district. He will then return to the Silchar airport, and from there, take a flight to Imphal," Meghachandra said.

"After landing in Imphal, he will head to Churachandpur district where he will interact with people living in relief camps," he said.

A six-storey building in Gujarat's Surat collapsed on Saturday due to heavy rainfall in the state. As per the latest update shared by officials, at least seven dead bodies have been recovered from the site.

The building in Surat's Sachin Pali village, which had a total of 30 apartments, collapsed on Saturday afternoon. Five families who were in the building at the time of collapse are feared trapped or assumed dead.

Eleven people, including nine women, were arrested for defrauding people in the name of loans and insurance policies from a call centre here, officials said on Saturday. The Noida Police said that the gang had data of 10,000 people.

The gang, operating from a call centre on the fourth floor of a market in Sector 51, was busted on Friday in a joint operation by the Crime Response Team (CRT) and the local Sector 49 police station officials, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Shakti Mohan Avasthy said.

"The action on the bogus call centre was carried out based on local intelligence and confidential information. The accused were targeting people in Delhi NCR under the guise of offering loans and insurance policies. They had data of 10,000 people," Avasthy said. (PTI Inputs)

With Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally headed for a landslide victory, the final round of voting in the France parliamentary elections 2024 will decide the country's fate.

Ahead of the result, the only thing for certain is President Emmanuel Macron's loss. After round one on June 30, Le Pen's National Rally and left-wing alliance of Socialists, greens and radical leftists emerged victorious, taking Macron's centrist alliance to third place.

Read Full Story

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian for being elected as Iran's new President.

"Looking forward to working closely with you to further strengthen our warm and long-standing bilateral relationship for the benefit of our people and the region," PM Modi said in a post on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day visit to Russia from July 8 to 9 to hold the 22nd India-Russia annual summit that will review the entire range of multifaceted ties between the two countries.

After concluding his trip to Russia, Mr. Modi will travel to Austria, which will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to that country in 41 years, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

It will be Modi's first trip to Russia in nearly five years. His last visit to Russia was in 2019 when he attended an economic conclave in the Far East city of Vladivostok.

An Army personnel was injured when militants opened fire on a security post in a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir early Sunday, officials said, PTI reported.

The militants fired on a sentry post of Territorial Army at village Galuthi in Manjakote area around 4 am, prompting retaliation by troops, they said.

The Supreme Court will hear on Monday a batch of pleas related to the controversy-ridden medical entrance exam NEET-UG 2024, including those alleging irregularities and malpractices in the May 5 test and seeking a direction to conduct it afresh.

The Centre and the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts NEET-UG, recently told the apex court that scrapping the exam would be "counterproductive" and "seriously jeopardise" lakhs of honest candidates in the absence of any proof of large-scale breach of confidentiality.

According to the cause list for July 8 uploaded on the court's website, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra is scheduled to hear a total of 38 petitions related to the exam. (PTI Inputs)

Voting opened Sunday in France for the second round of high-stake legislative elections that have already seen the largest gains ever for the country's far-right National Rally party.

French President Emmanuel Macron took a huge gamble in dissolving parliament and calling for the elections after his centrists were trounced in European elections on June 9.

The first round on June 30 saw the largest gains ever for the anti-immigration, nationalist National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen.

The body of an eight-year-old boy who had fallen into a stormwater drain in Guwahati on Thursday, was recovered about 4 km downstream in Rajgarh area of the city, police said.

The body was identified by his parents at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where it was taken after being retrieved on Sunday.

A police officer said that the body was recovered by rescue agencies in Rajgarh area, more than four km downstream from hilly Jyotinagar, where the boy had fallen into the drain.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has urged Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to increase the amount of compensation for the victims of the Hathras stampede and demanded that those responsible for the incident be given severe punishment.

In his letter to Adityanath dated July 6, Gandhi said, "The compensation announced by the Uttar Pradesh government is very inadequate. I urge that the amount of compensation be increased and it should be given as soon as possible."

At the same time, the injured should be given proper treatment and they should also be given proper compensation, the Congress leader said.

"I am shocked by the news of the death of more than 120 people in the stampede incident in Hathras. I am writing this letter to you with pain in my heart and I know that you too must be feeling the same pain," he said.

BSP supremo Mayawati on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into the death of her party's slain Tamil Nadu president K Armstrong, who was hacked to death here on Friday.

She claimed those who have been arrested so far were not the real culprits and urged Chief Minister M K Stalin to refer the probe to the Central agency to ensure justice to the victim.

"The way he was killed, shows there is nothing called law and order in Tamil Nadu. Those who have killed him, the real culprits have not been nabbed," she said.

"The real culprits have not been nabbed. Transfer the probe to CBI. We are not hopeful that the state government will ensure justice. So, refer the matter to CBI immediately," she demanded.

The death toll in the twin encounters in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir climbed to eight on Sunday as security forces recovered bodies of two more militants, officials said.

The twin encounters began on Saturday in two villages of Kulgam district.

"Bodies of two terrorists were recovered from Modergam encounter site while four bodies of terrorists were recovered from Chinnigam site," the officials said.

The anti-militancy operation was going on till last reports came in.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday hit out at Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar over his criticism of Congress leader P Chidambaram's remarks on the new criminal laws, and said it was not the opposition that insults parliamentary procedures on a daily basis.

In a post on X, Sibal said on Sunday, "Dhankar: Criticised Chidambaram's statement that part-timers drafted the three criminal laws was an 'inexcusable insult to the wisdom of Parliament'. We are all part-timers Dhankar ji!"

"And who insults parliamentary procedures on a daily basis? Not us!" said Sibal, a prominent Opposition voice and an Independent Rajya Sabha MP.

The Supreme Court of India will be hearing the various pleas filed regarding the irregularities during the NEET UG Exam 2024 conducted on May 5 by the National Testing Agency.

The pleas are expected to list the various irregularities, paper leak allegations and uproar over the results on Monday before a bench comprising of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Read here to know more

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has concluded consultations with various stakeholders as part of the budget preparation exercise and official wrapped them up.

Sitharaman is due to present her seventh Budget on July 23. This would be the first full budget of Modi 3.0 which is going to set the path for Vikshit Bharat (developed India) by 2047. Read more here

The incident took place on Sunday morning after the couple were returning home from Sassoon Dock. The husband and wife were struck from behind by a speeding BMW. The impact caused the scooter to overturn, throwing the couple on the bonnet of the car. The husband managed to jump off the bonnet, but his wife died on impact.

Following the crash, the driver of the car fled the scene, leaving the injured woman behind. The woman was rushed to the hospital, where she was declared brought dead.

NTA has released the provisional answer keys for the CUET UG 2024 exam. Candidates who appeared for the exams in May can download these answer keys and raise their objections till July 9 on the official website - exams.nta.nic.in

Local train services between Kasara and Titwala stations in Maharashtra's Thane district adjoining Mumbai were suspended on Sunday morning following heavy rains and a tree fall, officials said.

At around 6.30 am, soil came on tracks between Atgaon and Thansit stations due to heavy trains, and a tree fell, blocking tracks near Vashind station, disrupting rail traffic on the busy Kalyan-Kasara route, they said.

"Train services between Kasara and Titwala have been suspended temporarily," a spokesperson of the Central Railway (CR) said. (PTI Inputs)

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday stood by his criticism of the criminal bills drafting process, despite VP Jagdeep Dhankhar's rebuke. Chidambaram argued that the crucial bills should have been entrusted to the Law Commission, not a committee with ‘part-time’ members who had other responsibilities.

he Union Home Ministry has initiated disciplinary action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and a DCP for allegedly maligning the office of the West Bengal Governor by promoting and spreading canards, a central government official said.

The Union ministry action came after West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose submitted a report to it regarding Goyal and Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner (DCP) Central Indira Mukherjee, alleging that they were "functioning in a manner which is completely unbecoming of a public servant", he said.

Bose, in his report, submitted to the Home Minister in the last week of June, has highlighted the issues of Kolkata Police officers not allowing the victims of post-poll violence to meet him despite him giving them the requisite permission, he said.

"The Union Home Ministry has initiated disciplinary action against IPS officers based on a detailed report submitted by Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose," the official told PTI.

- PTI

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested in the Delhi Excise 'scam' cases, seeking additional meetings with his lawyers.

The plea is listed for hearing before Justice Neena Bansal Krishna.

Kejriwal has challenged a trial court's July 1 order rejecting his application for directions to the prison authorities for granting two additional meetings in a week with his lawyers through video conferencing.

Presently, he is allowed two meetings with his lawyers in a week.

In the plea before the trial court, Kejriwal said he was facing around 30 litigations across the country and on the grounds of the right to a fair trial, he required two additional meetings with his lawyers through video conferencing to discuss the cases.

- PTI

Mumbai Police searched the car involved in a hit and run case which occurred in Mumbai earlier today. A woman died after the two-wheeler on which she was travelling with her husband was hit by a BMW car in Mumbai's Worli area today.

Self-styled godman Bhole Baba's lawyer AP Singh alleged on Sunday that witnesses told him some people opened cans containing a poisonous substance in the crowd during the July 2 Hathras 'satsang', triggering the stampede.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Singh also alleged a conspiracy, which he attributed to Bhole Baba's "rising popularity", behind the stampede.

The stampede after the 'satsang' of self-styled godman Surajpal alias Narayan Sakar Hari alias Bhole Baba in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras left 121 people, mostly women, dead.

"Witnesses have reached out to me and said there were 15-16 people carrying cans of a poisonous substance that they opened in the crowd. I have seen post-mortem reports of those killed and it showed that they died of asphyxiation and not because of injuries," Singh claimed.

- PTI

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday visited relief camps in Kamrup district to take stock of the conditions of the inmates, as the state continued to reel under floods.

He met inmates at three relief camps, interacting with them and directing the district administration for all necessary assistance.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma tweets, "Due to floods in Assam, houses of many families have been damaged and they have come to our Relief Camps. Today I met some such people in Palashbari and instructed to provide them new houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)."

Delhi Police filed a case against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra over her alleged 'derogatory remarks' targeting National Commission for Women chief Rekha Sharma. The case has been registered under the allegation of outraging the modesty of a woman, said reports.

People gather in Tiruvallur's Pothur for the funeral procession of Tamil Nadu BSP chief K Armstrong, who was hacked to death on Friday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested a key absconding accused, carrying a reward for his arrest, in a narco-terror nexus case of Jammu & Kashmir, linked with Pakistan-based terrorist outfits, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).

Syed Saleem Jahangir Andrabi alias Saleem Andrabi, a resident of district Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, had been on the run since June 2020 and had subsequently been charge-sheeted under various sections of the NDPS Act, IPC and UA(P) Act in the case. His arrest marks a major success in NIA’s efforts to destroy the narco-terror nexus and dismantle the ecosystem created in India by terrorist organisations based across the border.

The flood situation in Manipur's Imphal Valley improved on Sunday with water receding from most areas, officials said.

Water levels of all rivers, including Iril and Kongba, went below the danger levels, they said.

The breach in embankments at Singjmei and Kongba Irong in Imphal East district were also repaired, they added.

A few low-lying areas such as Lairikyengbam Leikai, Laipham Khunou and Kitna Panung were still under the waters. Paddy fields in some areas also remained inundated.

Hundreds of people from these areas were still living in the relief camps, officials said.

- PTI

The AQI in the national capital was recorded at its lowest of the year at 56, with the air quality in the "satisfactory" category for the entire first week of July, according to monitoring agencies.

Delhi's AQI (Air Quality Index) was under 100 for seven days in June and has improved further due to the weather in July.

The AQI was recorded in the "satisfactory" category with a reading of 56 at 6 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The AQI has been in the "satisfactory" category from July 1-7, with Sunday being the lowest of the year.

After meeting Delhi L-G VK Saxena over transfer orders of 5,000 teachers in Delhi, Ajay Veer Yadav, General Secretary, Government Schools Teachers Association of India on Sunday said, "We met the Delhi L-G today, who has given us a huge relief by staying this order. The L-G said that a committee will be formed and the transfer policy will be relooked. This is a huge relief for us."

Several people were injured following a stampede-like situation during Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri on Sunday.

On the upcoming assembly elections, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday said,"... Congress is weak in every assembly. Congress has nothing to speak about... I don't think Congress will be able to win any seat in the assembly elections because BJP is very strong in all 90 assembly seats... PM Modi has taken oath for the third time and the people of Haryana will make PM Modi stronger and form the government with a big number for the third time ..."

On Hathras tragedy Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind's legal advisor Maulana Kaab Rashidi on Sunday said, "It is a very saddening incident. Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is a social organisation that helps the victims of natural disasters and accidents. We deployed our district units from Aligarh and Hathras after this incident. We have provided financial aid of Rs 10,000 to the families to those who lost their lives."

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan while addressing BJP’s working committee meeting in Madhya Pradesh' Bhopal on Sunday said, "It was a clean sweep for BJP (in Lok Sabha elections) in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and more. In Odisha, we have won 20 seats out of 21. Not just in one, but in several states, Congress could not even open its account."

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday described Rahul Gandhi as "bal buddhi" (childish) and accused him of spreading confusion and lies, remarks coming in response to the opposition leader's recent statement about defeating the Ram Mandir movement.

"Rahul Gandhi is a childish person who has not matured yet. He has not yet become the leader of the opposition properly. He says we (the India bloc) defeated the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Rahul ji, Ram is our existence, our ideal, our life, our God, and Ram is the identity of India," Chouhan told reporters after attending the BJP state working committee meeting in Bhopal. PTI

Ahead of floor test of Jharkhand's Hemant Soren goverment tomorrow(July 8), BJP MLAs held a meeting in Ranchi on Sunday.