News Highlights: Aim to make Maharashtra world's big financial powerhouse, says PM Modi

The Union law ministry is learnt to have started processing the names of Justices N Kotiswar Singh and R Mahadevan for their elevation to the Supreme Court, and their appointments are likely to take place next week.

Once they take the oath of office after appointment, the apex court will regain its sanctioned strength of 34, which includes the chief justice.

Rescue operation underway with the help of robots in search of a 42-year-old employee of Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation who went missing in Amayizhanjan canal near Thiruvananthapuram railway station.

Border Security Force (BSF) troops intercepted a Pakistani drone intrusion in the border area of Fazilka district. The troops immediately fired on it and activated technical counter-measures to neutralize the illicit drone.

An extensive search operation by BSF troops along with SSOC Fazilka was carried out. The search operation culminated in the recovery of a drone along with a suspected packet which was wrapped in yellow coloured packing material. A metal ring along with a small plastic torch was also found attached to the packet. Upon opening the packing, 03 pistols and 07 empty pistol magazines were found inside.

This recovery took place in a farming field adjacent to village Maharsona of district Fazilka. The recovered drone has been identified as China Made DJI Matrice 300 RTK, the BSF informed.

A corporation worker went missing in the Amayizhanjan canal of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. A rescue operation is underway.

Commenting on the situation, District Collector Geromic George said, “The rescue operation is ongoing. We are trying to find the worker from both sides of the tunnel, simultaneously. We are trying to go inside the tunnel...”

Rain lashed parts of Delhi early Saturday, providing relief from the humid weather and bringing the temperature down.

Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, recorded 13.6 mm of rain, Lodhi Road recorded 12.4 mm, the Palam observatory recorded 7.8 mm of rainfall between 2 30 to 5. 30 pm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The city recorded minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season’s average. The maximum temperature settled at 35.6, normal during the season, the weather department said.

The humidity oscillated between 92 percent and 94 percent.

"Media plays a key role in showing the correct path to the nation. It will play a crucial role in making India 'viksit' in the next 25 years. Media also makes people aware of their strength and their rights," says PM Modi while speaking at the inauguration of The Indian Newspaper Society Towers in Mumbai.

A fire broke out at the Radha Raman Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, earlier today.

Cuttack ACP Swastik Panda said, "We received a call around 2-2:30 pm and got the information that a fire has broken out in the constituent hospital of Trisha Hospital. We reached the spot immediately and informed the fire department. Our priority was to evacuate the patients from the hospital... Most of the people have been evacuated..."

“Maharashtra is a state that will play crucial role in making India 'viksit' (self-reliant). Maharashtra has the power of industry, agriculture and finance sector, and this has helped Mumbai become the financial hub (of India). Now, my aim is to make Maharashtra world's big financial powerhouse,” says PM Modi in Mumbai

While addressing the 3rd GCTC Cyber Security Conference, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said, “Just a decade ago, we were taken as a fragile five countries on the point of the economy. What a jump in a decade from slot number eleven we are at number five...This is one indicator we have to go to, another indicator, also an indicator of economic growth that is relatable to every individual, because our size at the moment has to be seen in the context of our demographic size. So, I do not doubt that our economy is looking up, and it is looking up on account of various steps taken...”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 13 launched and laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 29,400 crore in Mumbai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "Maharashtra has a glorious history, Maharashtra has a strong present and Maharashtra has dreams of a prosperous future. Maharashtra is a state which has a very big role in building a developed India. Maharashtra has the power of industry, Maharashtra has the power of agriculture, Maharashtra has the power of the finance sector. This power has made Mumbai the financial hub of the country. Now my goal is to use this power of Maharashtra to make Maharashtra the biggest economic powerhouse of the world."

Russian shelling of Ukraine's Kherson region killed two people, local officials said, as the two countries exchanged drone attacks overnight into Saturday.

Two others were wounded in the attack close to the regional capital, said Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the partly occupied Kherson region.

In Russia's southwestern Rostov region, an oil depot in the Tsimlyansky District, deep inside the region, was set ablaze in the early hours of Saturday following a Ukrainian drone attack — the latest long-range strike by Kyiv's forces on a border region.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was felicitated by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai on July 13.

The PM will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of several development projects in Mumbai shortly.

Rescuers in Nepal on Saturday recovered the body of a 40-year-old Indian national working in this country, the first from two buses that were swept by a mudslide into a rain-swollen river with more than 50 passengers a day earlier.

The two buses carrying 54 passengers, including seven Indians, went missing in the Trishuli River in the landslides at the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district on Friday. Three people swam to safety later.

The first body from the buses has been recovered from 50 km away from the accident site. The deceased was identified as Rishi Pal Shahi from India, police said.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will hold bilateral meetings at Reggio Calabria in Italy next week with his counterparts from G7 nations and discuss ways to boost trade and investments, an official statement said on Saturday.

Reggio Calabria is a coastal city in southern Italy. The Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US.

These meetings aim to explore new avenues for trade and investment, resolve bilateral trade issues, and deepen economic cooperation, it said.

Deputy Commissioner of Doda, Harvinder Singh said, "Two people were killed in the accident. 4 were critically injured and 5 others were referred to the hospital. We have referred a total of 9 people to the GMC (Government Medical College) Doda. The reason for the accident seems to be a malfunction in the bus... The driver tried his best to avoid the accident. We appreciate his efforts. However, we lost 2 lives in the accident. A total of 26 people were injured, including 2 children... We have referred serious patients to GMC Doda..."

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a red alert for the coastal districts of Raigad and Ratnagiri, and Kolhapur and Satara in western Maharashtra, warning of extremely heavy rainfall on July 14.

The MeT department has issued an orange alert for Thane district for Sunday and a yellow alert for Mumbai, forecasting moderate to heavy showers in the city and suburbs with a possibility of very heavy rainfall at isolated places.

A red alert was already in place for Raigad and Ratnagiri for Saturday.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been discharged from hospital, AIIMS Delhi informed on July 13.

Singh was admitted to the old private ward, early morning on July 11, with a complaint of back pain.

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has directed medical colleges across the country to set up 'tobacco cessation centres' to combat the adverse effects of tobacco use and promote public health.

This initiative aims to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure by integrating specialised services for tobacco cessation into the educational and healthcare framework, a circular issued by the NMC on Friday stated.

"In line with its commitment to promoting public health and combating the adverse effects of tobacco use, the government has decided to establish tobacco cessation centres in medical colleges across the country," it said.

“Sanjay Singh should answer (first) whether the liquor excise policy was changed or not. Arvind Kejriwal is the mastermind of this whole scam. So, Sanjay Singh should ask him about the theft of crores of rupees,” says Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva

“I believe such an emergency should never happen again, and for this reason, Amit Shah’s declaration of Black Day for Democracy (Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas) is appropriate.”

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will not be carrying out the demolition drive against encroachment on the Yamnua flood plain near south of Majnu Ka Tila gurdwara on Saturday and Sunday, sources said.

No immediate reason was cited for this. The DDA, in a public notice released on Thursday, said that it will undertake a demolition drive in the area on July 13 and 14.

Residents of Majnu Ka Tila, where Pakistani Hindus are staying, said they received the notice from the land owning agency late Thursday evening.

Four children have died and two others are undergoing treatment in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district for suspected infection of Chandipura virus, an official said Saturday.

The two children are being treated at the civil hospital at Himmatnagar in the district.

Chandipura virus causes fever, with symptoms similar to flu, and acute encephalitis (inflammation of brain). The pathogen is a member of the Vesiculovirus genus of the family Rhabdoviridae. It is transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes, ticks and sandflies.

Bihar Police have launched an investigation after a video purportedly showing a youth waving a Palestinian flag at a Muharram procession in Darbhanga district went viral on social media, an officer said on Saturday.

A youth was seen waving a Palestinian flag during the Muharram procession in Kilaghat locality on Friday, Munna Khan, head of district Muharram committee told reporters.

The moment it was noticed by the committee members, the Palestinian flag was immediately seized, he added.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Saturday said central agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) should not become "political weapons".

His comments come a day after the ED on Friday arrested former minister B Nagendra in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Limited.

Following allegations against him in connection with the scam, Nagendra, who was Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister, had tendered his resignation on June 6.

The National Investigation Agency has filed a charge sheet against four Maoists for allegedly attacking police personnel in Chhattisgarh this year, according to a statement on Saturday.

The accused -- Aaytu Ram Nuruti, Manoj Kumar Hichami, Suresh Nuruti and Budhuram Padda -- have been named in the charge sheet filed on Friday before the NIA special court in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur, it said.

Investigations have revealed that all the accused, who are members of the proscribed organisation CPI (Maoist), were involved in attacking a search team of the police and other security personnel in Chhote Bethiya police station area in Kanker on January 16 this year.

The BJP and its government at the Centre are playing with the life of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has lost 8.5 kg and whose blood sugar level dropped below 50 mg/dL five times while in jail, AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh claimed on Saturday.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on his claims.

"His health condition is such that if he is not brought out of jail soon and provided medical care, any serious incident may happen with him," Singh said at a press conference.

Three persons were killed and 14 injured on Saturday after a bus in which they were travelling hit a truck from behind in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, police said.

The accident took place around 5.30 am on National Highway 18 near Budikhmari Square under the Betanati Police Station limits, when the bus with around 20 pilgrims on board rammed into the commercial vehicle, a senior officer said.

Delhi Police's Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) cell has registered an FIR over an alleged lewd remark made on the widow of Kirti Chakra Captain Anshuman Singh on social media platform X, officials said on Saturday.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday took a suo motu cognisance and filed a complaint before Delhi Police regarding the matter.

The Centre has vested more powers to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Jammu and Kashmir for taking decisions on police, officers of all-India services such as the IAS and the IPS, and giving sanction for prosecution in various cases.

Decisions regarding the appointment of advocate general and other law officers, besides matters related to the anti-corruption bureau will also be taken by the lieutenant governor (L-G).

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Saturday it was monitoring "waves" of missile tests taking place in China's far northern region of Inner Mongolia and that its air defence forces were on alert.

Democratically governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, keeps a close watch on all Chinese military activities given Beijing's regular activities around the island, but only rarely releases details of what it sees taking place inside China.

Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Karol has said the construction of dams on the Sutlej has turned the trans-Himalayan river into a rivulet, altering the entire ecosystem and eco chain.

Speaking at the launch of a book titled "Climate Change: The Policy, Law and Practice" by lawyer Jatinder (Jay) Cheema on Friday, Justice Karol also highlighted that climate change is heavily impacting the agriculture sector in the country.

Rescuers in Nepal searched on Saturday for 51 passengers and crew who went missing after a landslide swept their buses into a river swollen by heavy rain, an official said, adding that the chances of finding any survivors were diminishing.

Some 500 rescuers resumed their search of the site of Friday's incident in Chitwan district, about 86 km (53 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, but security personnel and divers have so far only found a curtain from one of the bus windows and a pair of trousers, said Khimananda Bhusal, deputy chief administrator of the district.

Russia accused Australia of inciting "anti-Russian paranoia" for charging a Russian-born couple with espionage, prompting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Saturday to tell Moscow to "back off".

The married couple, who hold Australian citizenship, were arrested on charges of working to access material related to Australia's national security, though no significant compromise was identified, the Australian Federal Police said on Friday.

Former Karnataka Minister and Congress leader B Nagendra sent to ED custody till July 18 after he was arrested by the agency yesterday in connection with the alleged Valmiki Corporation scam case.

In a major drug haul, Mizoram police seized over 10 lakh tablets of Methamphetamine worth Rs 32 crore from Khawzawl town, a senior police officer said.

Acting on specific information about the movement of a huge consignment of Meth tablets, Khawzawl police and Champhai police launched a joint operation and intercepted a vehicle at Khawzawl's Lungvar locality on Friday, the officer said.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) amended Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act to give more power to the Lieutenant Governor.

The MHA notifies the amended Rules under Section 55 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 inserting new Sections giving more power to the LG.

Rain lashed parts of Delhi on early Saturday, providing relief from the humid weather and bringing the temperature down.

The weather department has predicted a generally cloudy sky with light rain throughout the day.

A report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on Friday night said that seven more people lost their lives and over 12.33 lakh people are reeling under the deluge across 23 districts.

Meanwhile, state government has distributed 3,621.01 quintals of rice, 666.3 quintals of dal, 6,266.61 quintals of salt and 11,446.82 litres of mustard oil among the flood victims of the state during the last 24 hours.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who has been ramping up criticism of U.S. President Joe Biden, has donated to a political group working to elect rival presidential candidate Donald Trump, Bloomberg reported on Friday, citing sources.

The report did not indicate how much Musk donated but added it was "a sizable amount" given to a group called America PAC.

Bloomberg reported that the PAC - a group that can receive unlimited contributions for political activity - is next required to disclose its list of donors on July 15.

DDA (Delhi Development Authority) to carry out a demolition drive against the encroachment in the River Yamuna Flood Plain near South of Gurudwara, Majnu ka Tila today.

Supreme Court judge Justice K V Viswanathan on Friday said climate change is a serious existential threat and called for the establishment of a permanent commission in India, similar to NITI Aayog, to find a comprehensive solution to the problem.

Another SC Judge, Justice Surya Kant, said the apex court has "time and again gone above and beyond the scope of existing laws" to prevent environmental degradation and hoped the Indian legislature would come forward to address the current challenges.

Three gangsters, including two shooters allegedly behind the west Delhi food joint murder last month, were shot dead on Friday in a joint operation by the Haryana Police and the Delhi Crime Branch in Sonipat, officials said.

They said Sub-Inspector Amit of the Crime Branch was injured in the operation. The Delhi Police Crime Branch team was led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Umesh Bharatwal under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Amit Goel.

The Indian Consulate in Seattle inaugurated its new visa application centre on Friday.

The facility will offer full visa and passport services to the greater Seattle area.

Argentina designated Hamas a terrorist organization Friday and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, a largely symbolic move as President Javier Milei seeks to align Argentina strongly with the U.S. and Israel.

Announcing the decision, Milei's office cited the militant Palestinian group's cross-border attack on Israel last Oct. 7 that killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage, in the deadliest assault in Israel's 76-year history.

Rain lashes parts of the national capital

Waterlogging witnessed in several parts of Delhi after the rainfall.

Prime Minister will arrive at the NESCO Exhibition Centre in Goregaon today around 5:30pm, where he will lay the foundation stone for the Thane Borivali Tunnel Project, valued at Rs 16,600 crore.

This Twin Tube Tunnel, spanning 11.8 km beneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, will create a direct connection between the Western Express Highway at Borivali and Thane Ghodbunder Road.

The project is expected to reduce travel distance by 12 km and cut down travel time by about one hour.