1. AAP Protests: Four CMs Back Kejriwal; IAS Denies Strike
In a meeting on Monday, 18 June, Aam Aadmi Party leaders said that IAS officers in the capital had failed to appear for several important meetings, called by the Delhi government in a defence for their sit-in protest against these same officers to end their strike. The Delhi High Court in turn, heard a petition against the AAP’s protest, and adjourned the hearing in the matter to 22 June.
A day earlier, four non-BJP chief ministers extended their support to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s sit-in protest at the Lt Governor Anil Baijal’s office, saying there is a “constitutional crisis” in the state and they will urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to solve the issue at the earliest.
The chief ministers – West Bengal’s Mamata Banerjee, Kerala’s Pinarayi Vijayan, Karnataka’s HD Kumaraswamy and Andhra Pradesh’s N Chandrababu Naidu – also accused the central government of “restricting the federal system”, terming it a threat to the nation. They also said they were denied permission to meet Kejriwal and Lt Governor Anil Baijal even after having waited for long, asking how was it possible in a democracy.
Denying the AAP government's allegation that they are on strike, the Delhi IAS Association on Sunday said they are totally neutral towards all political parties but they need a "culture of trust" to work.
(Watch the full video here)
2. No Extension of Ramzan Ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir: Centre
The government on Sunday, 17 June, announced the decision of not extending ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir announced at the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan.
“The Government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations in J&K announced in the beginning of Ramzan,” the Home Ministry said adding “operations against the terrorists to resume.”
In a series of tweets, Home Minister Rajnath Singh commended the “resilience of the security forces” and said the ceasefire decision was widely appreciated.
Hours into the Ministry's declaration, a 45-year-old man was killed by unidentified gunmen, believed to be militants, in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
(Read the full story here)
3. Is Kedarnath in for Another Disaster With Char Dham Redevelopment?
On 27 December 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Chardham Mahamarg Vikas Paryojna, a Rs 12,000 crore highway-development project that seeks to ease connectivity between the Char Dham shrines in Uttarakhand.
The project was setup to widen existing roads and make the entire 900km stretch immune to the vagaries of weather in the ecologically sensitive and geologically unstable Garhwal hills. But the landmark initiative has run into controversies, with questions being raised on methods of hill-cutting and unnecessary felling of trees.
Speaking to The Quint, experts have stated that while the widening of roads for the Chardham project remains marred by environmental concerns, the re-development of Kedarnath, which was nearly destroyed in the 2013 flash-floods, too has raised eyebrows.
(Watch the full video here)
4. Shamed by Virushka for Littering, Man Lashes Out on Social Media
While Anushka Sharma may have schooled a common citizen on the road for littering (which was caught on video and shared by her husband Virat Kohli), it seems to not have gone down well with the man.
In a Facebook post that’s going viral, he said: “While I’m apologetic for my carelessness, Mrs Anushka Sharma Kohli a little etiquette and politeness in your dialogue wouldn’t have made you a lesser star !! There are all kinds of manners and hygiene .. verbal etiquette is one of them!”
Claiming that the star couple invaded his privacy, Arhhan Singh took to social media to call them out. Even his mother posted on Instagram about how they should have blurred her son’s face who is now facing “unwanted hostility”.
(Read the full story here)
5. FIFA: Mexico Stun Germany; Brazil & Switzerland Draw 1-1
In a major upset, Mexico stunned defending champions Germany in their World Cup Group F opener on Sunday, 17 June.
For the first time since 1982, Germany lost their FIFA World Cup opener after Hirving Lozano finished off a sweeping move to smash the ball in after 34 minutes and release an explosion of noise in Luzhniki Stadium.
In yet another historic game, Switzerland came up with a gritty, fighting performance to hold title contenders Brazil 1-1 in a Group E match of the FIFA World Cup here on Sunday, 17 June. This is the first time since 1978, that Brazil - the five-time former champions - failed to win their World Cup opener.
(To catch live updates from the World Cup, click here)
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