Modi rejects US mediation claim in ceasefire with Pakistan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi told United States President Donald Trump on June 17 that India and Pakistan’s May ceasefire was the result of direct military talks, not US mediation, according to India’s Foreign Secretary.
Mr Trump had earlier claimed the US persuaded the nuclear-armed neighbours to halt hostilities and focus on trade instead.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarified that Mr Modi firmly rejected any US role, stressing India never accepted mediation in the past and never will.
110 Indian students evacuated from Iran amid conflict
A group of 110 Indian students, mainly from Jammu and Kashmir, were evacuated from Iran and landed in Delhi on June 18.
They were students at Urmia Medical University and the first batch to be rescued under Operation Sindhu, launched as tensions escalate between Iran and Israel.
Earlier reports indicated some Indian students were injured in a strike on a dormitory in Tehran. Over 4,000 Indians live in Iran, with half of them being students.
Heavy rains in Gujarat leave 18 dead
Torrential rains since June 16 have claimed at least 18 lives in Gujarat, officials confirmed.
Disaster response teams have been deployed to rescue stranded residents, especially in low-lying areas of the southern part of the state, where additional monsoon rain is expected.
State relief commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey said fatalities resulted from lightning, storms and building collapses.
Kerala mountaineer stranded on Denali sends SOS
Mr Shaikh Hassan Khan, a mountaineer from Kerala, is stranded with his team on North America’s Denali mountain and has sent an SOS via satellite phone requesting urgent rescue.
Bharatiya Janata Party Kerala president Rajeev Chandrasekhar alerted External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the Indian Embassy in Washington DC to facilitate assistance.
Mr Khan reportedly encountered difficulties during the expedition. In a post on X, Mr Chandrasekhar urged authorities to act quickly and ensure the stranded climber’s safety.
India, Canada restore envoys as Modi, Carney move past row
India and Canada will reinstate ambassadors, easing diplomatic tensions sparked by Canada’s 2023 accusation that India was linked to a Sikh separatist’s assassination.
New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office in March, met with PM Narendra Modi at the G7 summit and invited him to the Canadian Rockies.
They agreed to name new high commissioners and rebuild ties based on sovereignty and trust. The spat had led to mutual expulsions of envoys, straining relations between the two countries.
New ambassador to North Korea named after four-year gap
India will reestablish a complete diplomatic mission in Pyongyang, appointing Mr Aliawati Longkumer as the next ambassador to North Korea.
Mr Longkumer, who currently serves as charge d’affaires in Paraguay, will take up his post in North Korea shortly, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on June 16.
This marks India’s return to having a resident envoy in North Korea after nearly four years.
Goa Minister Gaude dropped after corruption allegations
Goa’s Art and Culture Minister Govind Gaude was dropped from the state cabinet on June 18, nearly a month after he alleged corruption in the tribal welfare department led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
Mr Gaude termed his removal a “reward” coinciding with Goa Revolution Day.
Bharatiya Janata Party Goa unit president Damodar Naik confirmed Mr Gaude’s dismissal. His allegations had caused political ripples, although the chief minister’s office did not respond to the charges directly.
Kerala High Court says petrol station toilets not for public use
The Kerala High Court ruled that toilets at petrol stations are not for general public use but only for customers’ emergencies.
Justice C S Dias issued an interim order favouring pump owners who argued that state and local authorities wrongly categorised their toilets as public facilities.
The Petroleum Dealers Association contended that this imposed unreasonable burdens on private establishments. The court directed the state government and Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation not to enforce public access at these petrol pump washrooms.
Influencer with 1.3 million followers arrested in honeytrap case
Kirti Patel, a social media influencer with 1.3 million Instagram followers, was arrested in Ahmedabad after evading police for over 10 months.
She was accused of honeytrapping a builder in Surat and blackmailing him for crores. Four accomplices were previously arrested in connection with the case.
Kirti allegedly changed cities and SIM cards to avoid capture despite an active court warrant. She was tracked to Sarkhej in Ahmedabad, and Surat Police, with local assistance, arrested her on June 18.
Woman threatens petrol station worker with gun in UP
In Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district, 21-year-old Ariba Khan pulled a gun on a petrol station worker after he allegedly pushed her father during an argument on June 15.
A viral video shows Ms Ariba brandishing a licensed .32-bore revolver, pressing it against the worker’s chest, and threatening to fire multiple bullets.
The victim, Mr Rajnish Kumar, has filed a police report. Police have issued legal notices to Ms Ariba and her parents as they investigate the dramatic and widely shared incident.
