TODAY NEWS ON June 18, 2024

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

National Headlines

• Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi retains Rae Bareli
• Kanchanjunga accident: locopilot of goods train had authority to cross all signals in red
• Gaurav Gogoi asks EC to release data on EVMs found faulty in Lok Sabha elections
• BJP sounds poll bugle for Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, and J&K
• With BJP in office, Odisha govt. leans in on Central schemes
• Four Maoists killed in encounter with police in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum
• J&K Reasi terror attack case: MHA hands over probe to NIA

International Headlines

• Nikhil Gupta, accused of murder-for-hire plot against Sikh separatist Pannun, pleads not guilty in U.S. court
• 2024 Tony Awards: Daniel Radcliffe, ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Stereophonic’ win big as women make strides
• Chinese vessel, Philippine supply ship collide in disputed South China Sea
• Railway Board says anti-train collision system not in place on mishap route
• Kanchanjunga Express accident: Signal had been defective since 5.50 a.m., says report
• NSA Ajit Doval, his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan review implementation of iCET
• NATO in talks to put nuclear weapons on standby: Jens Stoltenberg
• Israeli officials say Netanyahu has dissolved the war Cabinet after key partner bolted government
• Russia to hold espionage trial of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich behind closed doors
• Russian President Vladimir Putin to make ‘friendly’ visit to North Korea
• UEFA wants to keep Russian flags out of stadium for Ukraine’s opening game at Euro 2024

Headlines in Detail

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi retains Rae Bareli

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala in a bypoll, after her brother and former Congress chief, Rahul Gandhi, decided to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Gandhi said it was a difficult decision for him as he has an emotional connection with both Rae Bareli and the people of Wayanad.

Kanchanjunga accident: locopilot of goods train had authority to cross all signals in red

The locopilot of the goods train that rammed into the rear of Kanchanjunga Express between Rangapani and Chattar Hat railway stations of the Northeast Frontier Railway in West Bengal had the authority to cross all signals in danger. Documents made available to The Hindu revealed that the Station Master of the Rangapani railway station issued Travel Authority (TA-912) authorising the locopilot of the goods to cross all signals in red.

Nikhil Gupta, accused of murder-for-hire plot against Sikh separatist Pannun, pleads not guilty in U.S. court

Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh extremist on American soil pleaded not guilty in the case at a federal court in New York. Gupta was extradited to the U.S. from the Czech Republic on Friday.

Gaurav Gogoi asks EC to release data on EVMs found faulty in Lok Sabha elections

Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi asked the Election Commission of India to put out data on how many EVMs were found faulty throughout the Lok Sabha polls. Mr. Gogoi's statement came a day after a fresh political row erupted more than EVM tampering claims with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders citing a media report that alleged that a relative of the Shiv Sena candidate in Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency was found using a mobile phone "connected" to an electronic voting machine during the counting of votes on June 4.

BJP sounds poll bugle for Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Haryana, and J&K

The Bharatiya Janata Party ignalled its poll readiness for Assembly elections in three States and one Union Territory, that of Jammu and Kashmir, where Assembly election is to be held for the first time since the abrogation of Article 370 and removal of statehood. In a communiqué from the BJP, the party stated that Union Ministers Bhupendra Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw will be election in-charges for Maharashtra; their Cabinet colleagues Dharmendra Pradhan and Tripura MP Biplab Deb of Haryana; Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to be in-charge of Jharkhand; and Union Minister G. Kishen Reddy will be in-charge of Jammu and Kashmir.

With BJP in office, Odisha govt. leans in on Central schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to release the 17th instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, amounting to over ₹20,000 crore on June 18 in Odisha. The scheme is likely to benefit 9.26 crore farmers. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Deputy Chief Minister K.V. Singh Deo will be in western Odisha district of Bargarh, known as the rice bowl of Odisha, to celebrate the PM-Kisan Utsav.

2024 Tony Awards: Daniel Radcliffe, ‘The Outsiders’ and ‘Stereophonic’ win big as women make strides

The Outsiders, a gritty adaptation of the classic young adult novel, became the essence of a Broadway insider on Sunday, winning the Tony Award for best new musical on a night when women made strides.The musical based on the beloved S. E. Hinton book is about rival gangs of haves and have-nots in 1960s Oklahoma. The win meant Angelina Jolie, a producer, landed her first Tony, too.

Chinese vessel, Philippine supply ship collide in disputed South China Sea

A Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, China's coast guard said. The coast guard said a Philippine supply ship entered waters near the Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that's part of territory claimed by several nations.

Railway Board says anti-train collision system not in place on mishap route

The Railways’ ‘Kavach’ or anti-train collision system was not in place along the Guwahati-Delhi route, where a goods train collided with the Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express in the rear, a top official said. Chairperson of the Railway Board Jaya Varma Sinha said that Kavach, an automatic anti-collision train protection system, is being planned for the route. “It is not there right now,” she said.

Kanchanjunga Express accident: Signal had been defective since 5.50 a.m., says report

The automatic signalling system between Ranipatra Railway Station and Chattar Hat Junction in West Bengal, where a goods train hit Sealdah-bound Kanchanjungha Express in the rear, was defective since 5:50 a.m. on June 17, according to a railway source. “Train No 13174 (Kanchanjungha Express) departed Rangapani station at 8:27 a.m. and stopped between Ranipatra railway station and Chattar Hat due to automatic signalling failure from 5:50 a.m.,” the source told PTI.

Four Maoists killed in encounter with police in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum

At least four Maoists, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with police in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district on June 17 early morning, officials said. The incident took place in Tonto and Goilkera area, they said. “Four Maoists were killed in the gunfight, while two have been arrested,” Jharkhand Police spokesperson and IG (Operations), Amol V. Homkar, told PTI.

J&K Reasi terror attack case: MHA hands over probe to NIA

The Union Home Ministry on June 17 handed over the probe into the recent terror attack on a bus in Jammu and Kashmir to the National Investigation Agency, officials said. Nine people, including three women were killed, and 41 injured as a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi plunged into a deep gorge after an ambush by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district on June 9.

NSA Ajit Doval, his U.S. counterpart Jake Sullivan review implementation of iCET

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on June 17 held extensive talks with his American counterpart Jake Sullivan, focusing on implementation of the ambitious India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, bilateral defence ties and regional security situation. Mr. Sullivan is visiting Delhi from June 17 to 18, in the first trip to India by a senior Biden administration official after the Modi Government came to power for the third term.

NATO in talks to put nuclear weapons on standby: Jens Stoltenberg

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is in talks to deploy more nuclear weapons, taking them out of storage and placing them on standby, in the face of a growing threat from Russia and China, the head of the alliance said on June 17. Jens Stoltenberg told Britain’s Telegraph newspaper that there were live consultations between members to use transparency around its nuclear arsenal as a deterrent. “I won’t go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That’s exactly what we’re doing,” he told the paper.

Israeli officials say Netanyahu has dissolved the war Cabinet after key partner bolted government

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential War Cabinet tasked with steering the war in Gaza, Israeli officials said on June 17, a move that comes days after a key member of the body bolted the government over frustrations surrounding the Israeli leader’s handling of the war. The move was widely expected following the departure of Benny Gantz, a centrist former military chief, earlier this month. Mr. Gantz’s absence from the government makes Mr. Netanyahu more dependent on his ultranationalist allies to govern and the dissolution of the War Cabinet underlines that shift as the eight-month-long war in Gaza drags on.

Russia to hold espionage trial of U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich behind closed doors

Russia will hold the espionage trial of detained U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich, who denies charges of collecting secrets for the Central Intelligence Agency, behind closed doors later this month, a court in city of Yekaterinburg said on June 17. Evan Gershkovich was detained by the Federal Security Service on March 29, 2023, in a steak house in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 years in prison.

Russian President Vladimir Putin to make ‘friendly’ visit to North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to North Korea on June 18 for a “friendly” visit, the Kremlin announced, as the West suspects Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with weapons for its Ukraine offensive. The visit to the world’s most reclusive state comes as Mr. Putin seeks ammunition to continue his military campaign launched in February 2022, which has thrown Moscow into unprecedented global isolation.

UEFA wants to keep Russian flags out of stadium for Ukraine’s opening game at Euro 2024

The Union of European Football Associations wants to keep Russian flags out of the stadium when Ukraine plays its first European Championship game on June 17 after some were displayed in the stands at other matches. UEFA said security staff will try to intercept and remove Russian flags from being displayed at the Munich stadium where Ukraine plays Romania on June 17 afternoon in the Euro 2024 group stage.

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