Top 10 headlines: Shiv Sena taunts rebels; IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai rains & more

Mumbai Rains: IMD Issues Orange Alert Till July 8; CM Asks Officials To Take Precautions

While the entire state of Maharashtra including major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Raigad and Palghar among other areas continue to brace for heavy rains in the coming days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already sounded a heavy rain alert for these areas.

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ED Summons Former Mumbai CP Sanjay Pandey In Maha Vasooli Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday summoned former Mumbai CP Sanjay Pandey in the Maharashtra Vasooli racket case. The agency has asked Sanjay Pandey to appear before it on July 5 for interrogation. Sources have revealed that when Sanjay Pandey was the Maharashtra DGP, he made a call to ex-Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh asking him to take back his allegations against then-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. 

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BJP To Launch Outreach Programme For Pasmanda Muslims After PM Modi's Intervention

In a significant political development, BJP is set to launch an outreach programme for Pasmanda Muslims after the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament. Historically and socially oppressed on caste lines, they constitute about 80% of the Muslim community. When Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh presented a report on BJP's astonishing win in the Azamgarh and Rampur bypolls at the party's national executive meeting on July 3, PM Modi intervened and stressed the need to focus on Pasmanda Muslims and their upliftment. 

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Shiv Sena Taunts Rebels; Predicts 'BJP Will Topple Shinde Govt & Force Mid-term Polls'

Even as the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government proved its majority on Monday, Shiv Sena predicted that there will be mid-term elections in Maharashtra soon. Penning an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Tuesday, Executive Editor Sanjay Raut contended that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would destabilise the state government before the completion of its tenure. Asserting that the rebels have no political future, he pointed out that the JP Nadda-led party must have an ulterior motive in giving up the CM's post as it has 106 MLAs. 

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Gupkar Alliance To Contest Elections In J&K Together: Abdullah & Mehbooba Mufti Concur

Speaking to the media on Monday, both NC president Farooq Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti asserted that the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) constituents will contest the J&K elections together. Abdullah opined, "I am foreseeing good times for J&K ahead. God will take us out of these difficulties. Our path should be correct. Democracy will continue. We will protect the Constitution on which we have taken the oath. If they can conduct elections during floods, why can't do it now? PAGD will fight the elections together". 

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Delhi Police Grills BJP MP Tejasvi Surya For 2 Hours Over Attack On CM Kejriwal's House

The Delhi Police interrogated Lok Sabha MP and BJYM national president Tejasvi Surya, in connection with the protest outside the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 30. At least eight members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) were arrested for allegedly barging through barricades and banging on the main gate of the CM's residence during a protest

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'Kaali' Poster Row: 2 New FIRs Filed By Delhi Police & UP Police For 'hurting Sentiments'

Amid the controversy over the 'Kaali' documentary poster which has created a furore on social media, an FIR has been filed by the Delhi Police for outraging religious feelings. According to a statement by the Delhi Police, the case has been registered under IPC Section 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings). The action has been taken after advocate Vineet Jindal filed a complaint against the director of the documentary with the Intelligence Fusion & Strategic Operations, also known as IFSO, of the Delhi Police.

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UK Roads See 'serious Disruption' As Fuel Price Protesters Block Motorways & Highways

Amid the mounting fuel crisis in the United Kingdom, motorways and major highways came to a halt on Monday after the slow-moving convoys of demonstrators were seen to be protesting against the excessive fuel prices. According to The Guardian report, the demonstrators have vowed to continue direct action until the British government's addresses the situation. On Monday, July 4, hundreds of lorries, vans, vehicles, and tractors blocked roads in England, Wales, and Scotland, causing delays and 'serious disruption' for thousands of motorists. 

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Turkey & UN Negotiating With Ukraine For Export Of Grains From Besieged Ports: Zelenskyy

As Russian forces blocked major Ukrainian seaports since the onset of the "special military operation", Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he is in talks with Turkey and the United Nations to secure a green channel for the export of grains from the besieged ports. "Talks are in fact going on now with Turkey and the UN our representatives who are responsible for the security of the grain that leaves our ports," Zelenskyy said during a press conference as he met with the Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on Monday.

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Ukraine's Direct Damage To Infrastructure From Russian War Tops $100bn: PM Denys Shmyhal

The all-out Russian war in Ukraine has "directly damaged" infrastructure exceeding $100 billion, said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. Addressing the forum on Ukraine Recovery in Lugano, Switzerland, Shmyhal underscored that at least 2,50,000 victims of the war have registered for compensation for damages caused during Russia's arbitrary bombings. "We are already creating an electronic map of Ukraine, where we record all the damages caused by the war. This map is constantly updated. Damage is constantly recorded and verified," Shmyhal explained to the participants in the conference, as reported by Ukrinform.

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