Highlights: 2 dead, 8 injured as 4-storey building collapses in Delhi; rescue ops underway

Highlights: Catch all the developments from around the world here

10:49 PM

Air India crash: UK air investigators reviewing' preliminary safety report

The report by the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is based on the initial findings of their probe into the crash, whcih claimed the lives of all but one of the 242 passengers

10:17 PM

'Attempt to damage ties': Iran denounces social media post on Kashmir

The clarification came in response to an account on X ('Daily Iran News') -- with 400,000 followers and falsely linked to Iran -- claiming Kashmir belongs to Pakistan and Taiwan to China

 

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9:18 PM

Who is Varun Mohan, Windsurf CEO hired by Google to boost Gemini AI project

Tech giant Google has brought in Varun Mohan, co-founder and CEO of Windsurf, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

 

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6:38 PM

Screening continues even after visa approval: US Embassy in India

The US Embassy in India has warned that visa screening continues after approval. Visa holders must follow all US laws or risk visa cancellation and deportation, according to an official advisory

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4:04 PM

India eases sulphur norms for coal plants, reversing decade-old mandate

India has reversed a decade-old mandate to install $30 billion worth of clean-air equipment, easing sulphur emission rules for most coal-fired power plants, a government order said.

2:59 PM

Naveen Patnaik returns to Odisha after successful spine surgery

BJD president Naveen Patnaik returned to Bhubaneswar on Saturday after fully recovering from cervical spine surgery in Mumbai. His special flight landed at Biju Patnaik International Airport around 2 pm. Patnaik was away from Odisha for 21 days, BJD senior vice president Debi Prasad Mishra said.

 

The five-time former chief minister received a warm welcome from party workers gathered at the airport since morning. Supporters chanted “Jai Jagannath” as he stepped out.

2:43 PM

Assam Rifles seize ₹112 crore meth haul near Myanmar border in Mizoram

Assam Rifles personnel seized Methamphetamine tablets worth ₹112.40 crore during an operation near the Myanmar border in Mizoram’s Champhai district, the paramilitary force said on Saturday. While patrolling Zokhawthar village on Friday, troops spotted two individuals carrying rucksacks near the Tiau river, which forms the border with Myanmar.

 

Upon inspection, the personnel found 333,000 meth tablets in the bags. The suspects, however, managed to flee by jumping into the river and escaping into Myanmar, the statement added. 

2:13 PM

Eviction drive begins peacefully in Assam’s Goalpara, 95% settlers moved out

An eviction drive began peacefully on Saturday morning in Assam’s Goalpara district, officials said. According to authorities, around 40 excavators were deployed and the area was heavily secured to ensure a smooth operation. Senior district and police officers are overseeing the drive.

 

Goalpara Deputy Commissioner Khanindra Choudhury told PTI that nearly 95 per cent of the alleged illegal settlers had already vacated the area on their own, dismantling their homes and structures.

 

The eviction was initially scheduled for Friday but was postponed by a day due to Friday prayers in the Muslim-majority area, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said.

1:42 PM

Nasa to telecast Axiom Mission 4 departure on July 14; Shubhanshu Shukla set to return from ISS

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has announced it will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) from the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for approximately 7 pm. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the ISS and pilot for the mission, is part of the four-member crew aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The vehicle will undock from the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module.

The crew also includes veteran Nasa astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson, European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu. According to a Nasa release on Friday (local time), its live coverage will end around 30 minutes after undocking. Axiom Space and SpaceX will continue coverage via axiom.space/live and the SpaceX website, showing Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown off the coast of California.

1:03 PM

Security heightened at Patna airport after 'hoax' bomb threat

Security was heightened at Patna's Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport on Saturday following a bomb threat received via email, officials said.

 

The threat, sent to the airport director’s official email around 9 pm on Friday, prompted an immediate response. A meeting of the Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was held, after which the threat was deemed non-specific and declared a hoax, according to an official statement from the airport.

12:11 PM

MoS Margherita reaffirms 'enduring bonds of friendship' between India and Cambodia

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita reaffirmed the “strong and enduring bonds of friendship” between India and Cambodia during his official two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation from July 7 to 8.

 

According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, Margherita held meetings with Cambodian leaders, including King Norodom Sihamoni, Senate President Hun Sen, and Prime Minister Hun Manet.

 

He emphasised the deep civilisational, cultural, and linguistic ties shared by the two countries, along with their ongoing development cooperation.

11:42 AM

Amit Shah inaugurates BJP's new state committee office in Kerala

Union Home MInister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the new BJP state committee office, Mararji Bhavan, here ahead of launching the party's campaign for the upcoming local body polls this year and the assembly elections next year. Shah hoisted the party flag, planted a sapling in front of the building, cut the ribbon to enter the premises and lit a traditional lamp to mark the official opening of the new office.

The Union Home Minister, who arrived in Kerala late Friday night, also paid floral tributes to a bronze half-bust of late former BJP state president K G Marar, which has been installed in the central hall of the new building. Shah was accompanied by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and other senior leaders of the party's Kerala unit while he took a tour of the new building.

10:58 AM

Fresh batch of 6,639 pilgrims sets out for Amarnath shrine from Jammu base camp

The 11th batch of 6,639 pilgrims left the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu on Saturday to pay obeisance at the holy Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas, officials said.

The pilgrims, including 1,462 women, 41 children and 181 sadhus and sadhvis, left for the twin base camps of Nunwan-Pahalgam in Anantnag and Baltal in Ganderbal in two separate convoys under tight security arrangements in the early hours of the day, they said.

10:34 AM

Security forces demolish Maoist bunkers, recover IEDs in Jharkhand

Security forces have demolished five Maoist bunkers and recovered two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during an anti-Naxal operation in the forested region of West Singhbhum district, police said on Saturday.

According to Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ranjan, a joint team of security personnel launched a combing operation in the Chotanagra area after receiving intelligence inputs about a suspected cache of explosives hidden by Maoists to disrupt ongoing operations.

During the search on Friday, two IEDs were successfully recovered and neutralised, while five underground bunkers used by Maoist cadres were destroyed, the official confirmed.

10:31 AM

Ramban road accident: ₹1 lakh ex-gratia for kin of four killed, says District Administration

Four people lost their lives and two others sustained injuries in a road accident that occurred at Ukhral Senabathi in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. The District Administration Ramban has expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 25,000 each for the injured.