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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday arrived here in Japan for the G20 Summit during which he will attend important plurilateral meetings and meet with the world leaders including US President Donald Trump.
This will be Prime Minister Modi’s sixth G20 Summit which is being held at Osaka on June 28-29.

In his departure statement, he said that issues such as women empowerment, artificial intelligence and common efforts to address challenges like terrorism will be high on his agenda.
“The summit will provide an important opportunity to reiterate and reinforce our strong support to reformed multilateralism, which is crucial for preserving rule-based international order in today’s fast-changing world,” Modi said.

The summit, he said, will also be a platform for sharing India’s strong developmental experience of the last five years, which provided the basis for a resounding mandate by the people of India to the government to continue on the path of progress and stability.
He said the two-day Osaka summit will also be an important stepping stone for India towards hosting the G20 summit in 2022 “when we usher in a New India in the 75th anniversary year of our Independence”.
On the sidelines, Modi said, he “looks forward to engaging with leaders of our major partner countries on important issues of bilateral and global importance.
“I also look forward to host the next Russia, India and China (RIC) Informal Summit on the sidelines, and also to participate in the next informal meetings of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and JAI (Japan, America and India) leaders,” he added.

A US-bound Air India flight made an unscheduled landing in London — escorted by fighter jets of the Royal Air Force — for what the airline initially called a “bomb threat”. Minutes later, the tweet was deleted without any update being offered. It turned out that the matter was a hoax, news agency Reuters reported, quoting an unnamed official of Air India.

The landing at London’s Stansted airport was confirmed almost immediately by the British authorities. The Air India Boeing 777 “diverted into the airport at 10:15 hrs and landed safely with the Essex Police in attendance,” a statement from the airport read.

“Our runway has now re-opened and is fully operational following a precautionary landing of Air India flight. We are sorry for any disruption caused by the incident and would like to thank you for your patience,” the statement added.

Quoting UK’s Ministry of defence, Reuters reported that Typhoon aircraft were deployed at supersonic speed to intercept a civilian plane.

Reuters later tweeted, “Air India official says bomb threat on Mumbai-Newark flight was a hoax, plane back in the air”. The hoax call was received at Mumbai airport, the official said, adding that there is no security threat, Reuters reported.

Mobile phone manufacturers Oppo and Xiaomi are working on a new technology that’ll do away with the display notches as well as pop-up and flip camera modules from smartphones. Taking a step forward, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo unveiled its new under-screen camera at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2019 event in Shanghai, China.

“It utilises a customised camera module, an enhanced translucent panel material combined with advanced processing algorithms to take vivid pictures without a notch or motorised camera. The algorithms behind our USC technology showcased at MWC19 include haze removal, HDR and white balance resulting in a bezel-less phone, yet with a selfie camera that rivals current smartphones in the market today,” said Oppo while explaining the tech.

The company has not given any word on the commercial availability of the phone, but it is expected to launch later this year or by early next year.

This isn’t the first time when Oppo has taken a remarkable leap in terms of new smartphone features. Back in 2013, the company launched its N1 phone with a rotating shooter. It was one of the first companies to implement the waterdrop notch with the Oppo F9, and introduced elevating mechanism with Oppo Find X and Oppo Reno.

Taking aim at the BJP-led central government, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that the country went through a period of ‘Super Emergency’ in the last five years – Narendra Modi’s first tenure as Prime Minister.
“Today is the anniversary of the #Emergency declared in 1975. For the last five years, the country went through a ‘Super Emergency’. We must learn our lessons from history and fight to safeguard the democratic institutions in the country,” Banerjee tweeted on the occasion of the Emergency.

Banerjee, who has been at loggerheads with BJP, did not participate in the recent all-party meetings convened by Prime Minister Modi. She also skipped the swearing-in ceremony of the new government last month and did not attend the June 15 NITI Aayog meeting.
On the other hand, Modi said that the country saluted those who “fiercely and fearlessly” resisted the Emergency period.
“India salutes all those greats who fiercely and fearlessly resisted the Emergency. India’s democratic ethos successfully prevailed over an authoritarian mindset,” he tweeted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the parliament on Tuesday in a note of thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind’s joint address of the house. PM Modi’s reply to the issues raised by the President is expected to set the tone and agenda for the next five years of the NDA government in Lok Sabha. Even though his address is a mere formality, PM Modi’s speech will be followed widely.

Kovind had addressed the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha last week and had raised several issues comprising water crisis, ‘One Nation, One Poll’ proposal and the National Register of Citizens. The President said that the government has taken the decision to go ahead with the process of National Register Citizens on a priority basis. Following the fierce debate between the government and the opposition, Congress specifically, on Monday, PM Modi is likely to come up with a sound rebuttal with his speech.

India, which plans to push ahead with an $5 billion air-defence missile deal with Russia despite the threat of US sanctions, will point out that the US has a law that offers a way out, sources said. New Delhi’s stance will be made clear to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who would reach New Delhi tonight, sources said.

“We have a longstanding defence relationship with Russia which we cannot wish away,” a person with direct knowledge of the matter told NDTV.

India has been buying military hardware from Russia for decades, and mass manufacturing them as well under licence. The $5 billion deal is for the S-400 Triumf long-range missile, which the US considers a threat. The S400 Triumf can hit targets up to 400 km, making it one of the world’s most lethal surface-to-air missiles.

The US wants India to cancel the purchase of the missiles, citing a law that imposes sanctions on any country that has “significant transactions” with Iran, North Korea or Russia.

The US Congress, however, has passed another law that could give countries like India a waiver from the sanctions, but that is yet to be signed by President Donald Trump.

“We have eased the process and granted India Strategic Trade Authorization Tier-1 status that gives them the same license-free access to defence articles as our NATO allies, Japan, South Korea and Australia. So I think this is the time where we will be encouraging India to look at alternatives,” the official had said.

Indian diplomatic sources say discussions with Russia for the S-400 missiles have been on for a decade and the “US is aware of the reasons India wants this”.

“As far as sanctions go, if you look at the US law, it’s very clear as to under what circumstances a waiver can be given by the administration, which we feel that we meet. From a purely legal view, India fulfils those requirements. This will have to be a combination of legal and the political stand of the US government, keeping in mind US-India ties,” a person familiar with the matter said.

A US State Department official told reporters last week that the US was “urging all of our allies and partners, India included, to forego transactions with Russia that risk triggering the CAATSA sanctions”. In September 2018, the US imposed sanctions on China for purchasing the same missile system from Russia.

First-time MP from Balasore in Odisha Pratap Chandra Sarangi in his address to the parliament on Monday asked whether those who refused to say “Vande Mataram” had a right to live in the country.

“What is the religion of tukde tukde gang?” he asked. “People who say ‘Bharat ke tukde tukde karne tak jung rahegi’, and ‘Pakistan zindabad, Afzal Guru zindabad’, do they have the right to live in this country? Who supports these people? Introspect now,” he said, in an apparent dig at the opposition.

Sarangi’s remark comes days after Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq refused to say “Vande Mataram” during his oath-taking ceremony last week, arguing that it was “against Islam”.

Sarangi, who is also the Minister of State for MSME and Animal Husbandry was fielded by the NDA to table the motion of thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to the joint session of Parliament.

In a multilingual speech rousing much brouhaha from his fellow BJP MPs, Sarangi – who is popularly known as the “Modi of Odisha” – likened Narendra Modi to Swami Vivekananda. “There was one Vivekananda whose earlier name was Narendra and now, our Narendra Modi, who has come from a humble background and risen through the ranks to become PM,” Sarangi said.

Sarangi also heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that the people had reposed their faith in the PM on the grounds of “pro-incumbency” before slamming the UPA government’s tenure as one of misrule, governance failure and policy paralysis and taunting the Congress over transgressions committed during the Emergency.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s Delhi visit has been canceled today. According to the information, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was scheduled to meet Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Monday, in which issues related to Cabinet expansion and new appointment to the PCC president were to be discussed, but Bhupesh Baghel’s reason for the sudden deterioration of his mother His visit has been canceled.

According to local sources, Bhupesh Baghel’s mother Bindeshwari Baghel has been admitted to the hospital due to poor health. Because of this, the Chief Minister has canceled all his programs today. Before going to New Delhi, the Chief Minister was scheduled to participate in a program in Garia Bandh today. Bhupesh Baghel is in Ramkrishna Care Hospital from around 8 am in the morning, where his mother is being treated under intensive care of doctors.

The Congress party on Monday dissolved its Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka committees in the wake of the recent electoral debacle. The party’s working committee is likely to meet next week to decide on the post of the party president as Rahul Gandhi is “adamant on resignation”. The party has also decided to set up a three-member panel to look into complaints of gross indiscipline during the election.

According to party sources, the committee will meet next week and request Gandhi to continue holding the position of president. The working committees being helmed by Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Uttar Pradesh have effectively been dissolved.

According to a statement issued by Congress general secretary organisation KC Venugopal, a two-member team will now oversee election preparations for the Assembly polls in the state. Bypolls are due for 11 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh after the respective MLAs were elected to Parliament.

Ajay Kumar Lallu, leader of the Congress Legislative Party, has been appointed in-charge for making organisational changes in UP East for a defined period, the party said. Scindia will announce the name of the person who will be in charge of making organisational changes in UP West, it added.

The shake-up in the party’s state unit comes after Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia held review meetings following the Congress’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it managed to win only 52 seats nationally.

Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia, who were appointed as the party general secretaries just ahead of the parliamentary polls, had campaigned vigorously for the Congress candidates in Uttar Pradesh. But of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress could manage to win only Raebareli. Even party president Rahul Gandhi lost to Union minister Smriti Irani from his family stronghold of Amethi.

Gandhi had offered to quit as party chief during a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on May 25 which was called to analyse the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha polls, in which it managed to win just 52 seats.

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa on Monday said that Pakistan closing its airspace was a problem of the neighbouring country and did not affect India. Addressing mediapersons, the Air Chief Marshal said that the Indian Air Force made it a point that despite tensions with Pakistan, the civil aviation in the country remained unaffected.

Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa also talked about the Balakot airstrike, and the retaliation by Pakistan. He said that while the Indian Air Force was able to achieve its military objective, Pakistan failed to achieve the same, confirming that no Pakistani jet crossed over the Line of Control (LoC).

He added, “That is the bottom line. How you did it? How many (jets) came? What kind of combat took place? But what matters is whether you fulfilled your military objective. We achieved our military objective, they did not achieve their objective. And let me tell you, none of them crossed the Line of Control.”

Referring to the 20 years of Kargil War, the IAF chief said that purpose of all attacks by India has always been to show “our resolve and capability”.

When asked about the issue of closing of airspace, the Air Chief Marshal clarified that India had stopped the Srinagar airspace for just two to three hours on February 27, thereby asserting that tension with Pakistan did not dictate India’s civil aviation.