India

According to the police, the biker rode almost 30 km within the Indian territory on Wednesday evening, before hiding in the Karimganj area. The police later found his bike, which he had abandoned in the middle of the road.

The Border Security Force (BSF) had opened the gates of the international border on Wednesday evening for some work, and the biker took advantage of the opening to cross over to the Indian territpory, said Partha Pratim Das, Superintendent of Police, Karimganj district.

"It occurred during twilight, and for unknown reasons, the BSF did not shoot him down. After receiving notification from them, we immediately launched a search operation,” said Das.

He claimed that the rider rode all the way to Karimganj before abandoning off his bike.

"The region is located between 30 and 35 km from the border. We have launched a manhunt, and will have him in custody soon,” said Das.

The bike, which has a Sylhet registration number, was found by a special police unit. According to Das, the BSF will get in touch with its counterparts in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, C.P. Meena, the DIG of BSF's Mizoram Cachar Frontier, visited Karimganj on Thursday and met with various BSF and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officers. He claimed that such an occurrence was the first of its kind to be reported from the area.

--IANS

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Pandey said that she aimed to fulfill her duty towards her birthplace by joining AAP.

Pathak said that the AAP's growing popularity in Madhya Pradesh was remarkable.

"Today, we are delighted to have renownedactressChahatManiPandeyfrom Madhya Pradesh joining the Aam Aadmi Party. The people love her, and her work is widely admired. She believes that the people of Madhya Pradesh need her the most. We extend a warm welcome toChahat ji into the Aam Aadmi Party family," he added.

Pandeymade her career debut in 2016 with theTV series "Pavitra Bandhan". She has also played lead roles in popular serials like "Hamari Bahu Silk", "Pakhi Parekh", and "Durga Mata Ki Chhaya". She was honoured with the Best Actor Award by the National Academy of Television in 2020-21.

She said that it was a dream come true for her as an actress.

"I believe that while we live our lives, we also have a responsibility towards our place of origin. Fulfilling that duty is also our responsibility. By joining the Aam Aadmi Party, I aim to fulfill that duty," she added.

--IANSatk/khz/

Another mob reportedly gathered near the office of ruling BJP in Imphal.

Police fired in the air and used tear gas shells when the mob, after completing the formalities with the body, tried to move towards the official bungalow of the Chief Minister N. Biren Singh.

Police officials claimed that there is tension in the Imphal city and surrounding areas but the "situation is fully under control".

A huge contingent of paramilitary and Manipur Police commandos have been deployed in the Imphal city and on the outskirts.

Meanwhile, in fresh violence, two persons were shot dead and few others injured in firing by armed militants at Haraothel in Imphal West on Thursday.

Reports said that Waikhom Boicha, reportedly working in a merchant navy, and Konsam Herojit died in the firing.

There was tension in the Haraothel areas and farmers were not able to carry out farming activities due to heavy firing by the militants from the surrounding areas.

The Army in a tweet said : “Buildup of mobs in the Haraothel area in Kangpokpi district to interfere with operations by Security Forces effectively controlled. At approx 4 PM, troops deployed in the area heard firing from East of village K Munlai. Further, at approx 5.15 PM, exchange of fire was reported from the direction of Village Bethel, South of National Sports University. Own columns are dominating the area to de-escalate the situation”.

--IANS

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"Congress is a strange party where leaders are launched. I belong to a party where people launch the leaders, not the party. The Congress has been trying to launch Rahul 'Baba' (Rahul Gandhi) for the last 20 years. This time too the Congress is making unsuccessful attempt to launch Rahul 'Baba',” Shah said while addressing the Hunkar rally in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Thursday.

“Recently, they held a meeting in Patna where the leaders tried to launch Rahul Gandhi. I want to tell them that he will fail again. The people of Bihar will not stand with corrupt people,” Shah said.

"I want to appeal to the people of Bihar to make BJP victorious in all the 40 seats of the state in next year's Lok Sabha elections. Narendra Modi will lead the BJP in 2024, will you not give him 40 seats,” Shah asked the crowd, which replied in the affirmative.

--IANS

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He also attached a video of his convoy being stopped enroute Churachandpur, in which police could be seen firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

Rahul Gandhi reached Manipur on a two-day visit on Thursday morning and was scheduled to meet the affected families taking refuge in the relief camps in the ethnic violence-hit state.

His convoy was stopped in Bishnupur.

The Congress has been critical of the government for failing to control the situation in Manipur, where violence erupted on May 3. The Congress has also demanded immediate removal of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh for failing to control the situation, besides questioning the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, who accompanied Rahul Gandhi, tweeted: "After initially allowing us, our convoy led by Rahul Gandhi ji was stalled near Bishnupur on the orders of the Manipur Chief Minister. Such moves are unfortunateand have no place in a democracy.

"At a time when the victims of Manipur are suffering, Rahul ji is in Manipur to deliver a message of peace and harmony. Manipur today needs a healing touch, not further acrimony. It is our constitutional right to travel across Manipur, interact with the people who have suffered so much, and build bridges between communities."

--IANSaks/arm

This is the second consecutive month to register more than 10 million face authentication transactions. The number of face authentication transactions has been rising and the monthly numbers clocked in May is an increase of 38 per cent, compared to such transactions reported in January 2023, indicating its growing usage.

The month of May also saw the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) executing 14.86 million Aadhaar updates following request from residents

Aadhaar e-KYC service continues to play a key role in the banking and non-banking financial services sectors by providing transparent and improved customer experience and helping in ease of doing business. More than 254 million e-KYC transactions were carried out in May alone, official sources said.

By the end May 2023, the cumulative number of Aadhaar e-KYC transactions had gone past 15.2 billion. Continued adoption of e-KYC is significantly reducing customer acquisition cost of entities like financial institutions, telecom service providers among others.

The face authentication solution developed in-house by the UIDAI, is now being used by 47 entities, including state government departments, ministries in the central government and some banks.

It’s being used for registering beneficiaries under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, for authentication of beneficiaries in the PM Kisan scheme and for generating digital life certificates at home by pensioners.

--IANS

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His reaction came hours after former Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi's convoy was stopped in Manipur .

Kharge took to Twitter and said, "Rahul Gandhi’s convoy in Manipur has been stopped by the police near Bishnupur. He is going there to meet the people suffering in relief camps and to provide a healing touch in the strife-torn state."

"Prime Minister Modi has not bothered to break his silence on Manipur. He has left the state to fend for itself. Now, his double engine disastrous governments are using autocratic methods to stall a compassionate outreach by Rahul Gandhi. This is totally unacceptable and shatters all Constitutional and Democratic norms. Manipur needs peace, not confrontation," Kharge, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.

Rahul Gandhi arrived in Manipur on two-day visit to violence hit Manipur to meet the affected families living in relief camps.

"Landed in Manipur today, where I will be visiting relief camps and meeting the families of those affected by violence that has engulfed the state. I will also be meeting with members of the civil society. Restoration of peace is the top priority. Manipur needs healing, and only together we can bring harmony," Rahul Gandhi said on a Facebook post after reaching the violence-hit state.

Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh also hit out at the BJP government at the Centre dubbing it "unfortunate" saying his visit was in spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY), and also asked "why stop his efforts to listen to all sections and provide a healing touch".

In a tweet, the Congress General Secretary said, "It is most unfortunate that the Modi government is preventing Rahul Gandhi from visiting relief camps and interacting with the people outside Imphal.

"His 2-day visit to Manipur is in the spirit of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Prime Minister may choose to remain silent or be inactive but why stop Rahul Gandhi's efforts to listen to all sections of the Manipuri society and provide a healing touch?" The Rajya Sabha MP's remarks came after the convoy of Rahul Gandhi was stopped from proceeding towards Churachandpur.

On Thursday, he was scheduled to meet with the affected families at the Greenwood Academy, Tuibong and Churachandpur government College and at Community Hall, Konjengbam and Moirang College. The Congress has questioned the silence of the Prime Minister over violence in Manipur which began on May 3.

The Congress has also been demanding the removal of Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh for failing miserably to control the situation in the northeastern state.

Over 100 people have died and thousands forced to take refuge in the relief camps.

--IANS

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Taking to Twitter, Kharge said: "India and Australia have several commonalities, which serve as a foundation for closer cooperation and multifaceted interaction. Our strategic partnership has grown in strength and in importance. Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell met me, as we discussed ways to deepen the relationship between the two countries."

He also attached pictures from the meeting.

Sharing the details of his meeting with the German Ambassador, Kharge said: "India was amongst the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the Federal Republic of Germany. Today, Germany is amongst India’s most valued partners, both bilaterally and in the global context.

"Met Dr. Philipp Ackermann, Ambassador of Germany in India, and deliberated upon the deepening strategic partnership between the two countries founded upon common democratic principles and marked by a high degree of trust and mutual respect."

--IANS

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In a tweet, Kharge said: "India and Australia have several commonalities, which serve as a foundation for closer cooperation and multifaceted interaction. Our strategic partnership has grown in strength and in importance. Australia’s High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell met me, as we discussed ways to deepen the relationship between the two countries."

He also attached the pictures from the meeting.

According to party leaders, Germany's Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann is also to meet Kharge later in the day.

--IANS

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Man held at IGI airport with six bullets New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) Delhi Police have detained a 43-year-old man for allegedly carrying six live cartridges in his luggage at IGI airport, an official said on Thursday. The man identified as Amrish Bishnoi, a resident of Ghaziabad, is doing work of transport in Uttar Pradesh and was travelling from Delhi to Dubai from IGI Airport on an Emirates flight on June 27 (Tuesday_. According to police, during screening of luggage after check-in six live cartridges were found in his luggage. “He was not in possession of valid documents for carrying live ammunition in aircraft, but he was having an all India license of pistol from the UP government. A case under section 25 Arms act has been registered at IGI police station,” said the official IANS ssh/