As it happened: Pranab Mukherjee at RSS event
Former President Pranab Mukherjee is the chief guest at the closing ceremony of ‘Tritiya Varsha Sangh Shiksha Varg’, an RSS event to mark the conclusion of the annual three years' training camp for swayamsevaks in Nagpur on Thursday. He is delivering a speech at the Sangh headquarters on the occasion.
‘Kaala’ review: an underwhelming film made for Rajinikanth, the politician
Rajinikanth’s Kabali was a film caught in the middle of two different personalities. While it tried to merge the typical Rajinikanth mass film with the sensibilities of its director Pa. Ranjith, Kabali ended up being a film that’s neither a commercial potboiler nor an intriguing political commentary.
Also read: Rajinikanth's 'Kaala' not screened in Bengaluru; fans celebrate in Tamil Nadu
Govt aims to provide affordable healthcare to all: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thrsday has said that access to medicines is a big concern for the poor and his government’s constant endeavour is to ensure affordable healthcare for every Indian. He was interacting through video conference with beneficiaries of the ‘Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojna (PMBJP)’ and affordable cardiac stents and knee implants.
French Open: Nadal overcomes hiccup to march into semi-finals
Rafael Nadal lost his first set at the French Open since 2015 but that blip did not prevent the 10-times champion from marching into the semi-finals with a 4-6., 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Diego Schwartzman in their rain-delayed match on Thursday.
Shiromani Akali Dal is a permanent ally of BJP: Sukhbir Singh Badal
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) remained a permanent partner of the BJP in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), its president Sukhbir Singh Badal said on Thursday. “The SAD is a permanent ally of the BJP and the NDA,” Mr. Sukhbir told reporters after BJP president Amit Shah’s meeting in Chandigarh with top Akali Dal leaders, including party’s patriarch Parkash Singh Badal.
Pune police say arrested activists were in touch with top Naxalites
Naxalite funds were used to sponsor the ‘Elgaar Parishad’ held in Pune’s Shaniwarwada Fort on December 31 last, the Pune police said on Thursday. Joint Commissioner of Pune City Police Ravindra Kadam told reporters that the authorities had “concrete proof” that the five activist-intellectuals arrested in Mumbai, Delhi and Nagpur on Wednesday morning had links to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).
Barkha Dutt alleges threats from some govt. quarters
Senior journalist Barkha Dutt, in a series of tweets on Thursday, said she had been receiving threats from certain quarters in the government who wanted her to stop working in TV news. NDTV journalist Ravish Kumar and independent journalist Rana Ayyub had recently accused the ruling BJP of orchestrating systematic online and offline harassment.
Tuticorin plant accounted for less than 1% of sulphur dioxide emissions: Sterlite Copper CEO
The main sources of sulphur dioxide pollution in the Tuticorin area are the various government-owned and private sector power plants in the area, responsible for more than 99% of the sulphur dioxide emitted, according to P. Ramnath, CEO of Sterlite Copper. The recent violence was likely spurred by “fringe elements” with their own agendas, he added.
Kathua rape and murder: Pathankot court frames charges against seven accused
The district and sessions court in Pathankot on June 7 framed charges against seven of the eight accused of raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, officials said. The eighth accused in the case is a juvenile.
Pakistan SC allows Musharraf to contest July 25 general elections
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that former military dictator General Pervez Musharraf, disqualified for life, can conditionally file his nomination papers to contest the general elections on July 25.
