Morning Digest | PM Modi leads International Yoga Day celebrations from Mysuru; Opposition rejigs plan as Gopal Gandhi opts out of fray, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

June 21, 2022 07:50 am | Updated 07:57 am IST

Members of Kashmiri Pandit United Front raise slogans during a protest in Jammu.

Members of Kashmiri Pandit United Front raise slogans during a protest in Jammu. | Photo Credit: PTI

Opposition huddles after Gopalkrishna Gandhi bows out of Presidential race

Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi declined the Opposition’s invitation to contest the Presidential race. Mr. Gandhi is the third public figure to back out of the fight after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar and former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah.

All eyes on Mysuru as it gears up for Yoga Day today

All eyes are on Mysuru as it hosts the 8th edition of the International Day of Yoga at the palace on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations in the country’s favorite yoga hub.

‘Joining Army voluntary, there is no conscription’

Amid continuing violence and protests over the Agnipath scheme, Union Minister and former Army Chief General (retired) V.K. Singh said joining the Army was voluntary and there was no conscription while alleging that the Opposition, particularly the Congress, was trying to mislead the youngsters.

‘It is a do or die situation for us,’ say Army aspirants

Many Army aspirants are mulling over the uncertain future that lies ahead of them ever since the Union Government announced the ‘Agnipath’ scheme for recruitment of soldiers into the armed forces.

Election Commission deletes 111 ‘non-existent’ parties from list of registered political outfits

The Election Commission on Monday ordered the deletion of 111 registered unrecognised political parties that it found to be “non-existent” and referred three of the parties to the Department of Revenue for legal action for “serious financial impropriety”, an EC statement said.

Will join duty only after Govt. gives written assurance: Kashmiri Pandits

Kashmiri Pandit employees, recruited under the Prime Minister’s special package, on Monday asked the J&K Lieutenant Governor’s (L-G) administration “to assure in writing that no Pandit will be killed in the future so that they could resume their duties”.

Congress leaders meet President to seek withdrawal of Agnipath

The Congress party held a satyagraha at Jantar Mantar to protest against the Centre’s misuse of government agencies to carry out political vendetta against Opposition leaders and the Delhi Police’s alleged manhandling of Congress party leaders without any provocation during protests that were recently organised against the Agnipath scheme. The Congress party also demanded a rollback of the Centre’s Agnipath recruitment scheme for the armed forces.

Bandh against Agnipath hits normal life in some parts of country

The Bharat bandh against the Agnipath recruitment scheme called by unnamed organisations on social media platforms disrupted normal life in some parts of the country on Monday. Road and rail traffic was disrupted for the fifth day due to the protests.

Will complete suburban project in 40 months, though 40 years were spent discussing it: Modi

Hailing Bengaluru as the “city of dreams” for lakhs of youngsters from across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured people of the city that he would strive to complete in 40 months the suburban railway project that had seen “just discussion” for the last 40 years.

Unresolved national question impaired Sri Lanka’s economic progress: Sampanthan

Addressing Sri Lanka’s Tamil national question is imperative for the island nation’s recovery from the crushing economic crisis it is facing, veteran Tamil leader R. Sampanthan said, contending that the unresolved issue had proved a major impediment for the country’s economic progress since Independence.

Prophet remark row: Nupur Sharma skips appearance before police station in Kolkata

Sacked BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma skipped her appearance on June 20 before Narkeldanga police station in Kolkata, which had sent her a notice on the basis of an FIR filed by a local resident over her controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammed, an officer said.

Saudi Arabia lifts Covid-related travel restrictions on citizens travelling to India, three other countries

Saudi Arabia on Monday lifted coronavirus-related travel restrictions on its citizens travelling to India and three other countries. The move is based on the follow-up to the epidemiological situation of the coronavirus pandemic, and what has been submitted by health authorities on the global epidemiological situation, the Saudi Press Agency reported quoting an official source at the Ministry of Interior.

‘Misled’ individuals behind boycott calls, not worried about it, says Qatar Airways CEO

The calls for boycotting Qatar Airways in India were made by “misled” individuals and do not worry the airline, chief executive officer Akbar Al Baker told The Hindu on Monday. When asked if he was concerned about the such calls, the Qatar Airways CEO replied with an emphatic “no”.

VIL board to mull raising up to ₹500-cr. from Vodafone Group

Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea’s board is scheduled to meet on June 22 to consider a proposal for raising funds to the tune of ₹500 crore from Vodafone Group.

Will buy IndiGo stake only from Bhatia: Al Baker

Qatar Airways is not interested in buying a stake in IndiGo’s parent InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. from its co-promoter Rakesh Gangwal, who plans to sell his holdings in the budget Indian airline over the next five years, the Doha-based carrier’s CEO Akbar Al Baker said on Monday.

India is one of Australia’s closest security partners, says Australia Deputy PM

India is one of Australia’s closest security partners and the government is focused on revitalising Australia’s historically deep engagement with our partners across the Indo-Pacific, said Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia Richard Marles ahead of a visit to India. The visit is scheduled from June 20 to 23.

Muslim girl aged above 15 competent for marriage: Punjab and Haryana High Court

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that a Muslim girl above 15 years of age is competent to enter into a contract of marriage with a person of her choice. Justice Jasjit Singh Bedi’s assertion came during a petition filed by a Muslim couple, who fell in love and solemnised their marriage on June 6, 2022, as per Muslim rites and ceremonies.

Sri Lanka announce 19-member squad for white-ball series against Indian women’s cricket team

Sri Lanka announced a 19-member women’s squad on June 20 for the white-ball series, comprising three ODIs and as many T20Is, against India starting here from June 23.

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