Hindustan Times

MEA Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon addressed queries about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision not to hold a press conference during his New Zealand visit, citing a preference for direct contact with voters. India and New Zealand elevated bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership and adopted a Roadmap to 2030. Similar questions on media access were raised during Modi's recent visits to Norway and Australia.

An FIR was registered at Badrinath police station against Pramod Nautiyal, a personal assistant in the BKTC chairman’s office, under BNS sections 306 and 316(5) following a preliminary inquiry into the alleged removal of cash from offering thalis on July 2. Police in Chamoli registered the FIR on Wednesday, and a show-cause notice was issued on July 3. The case occurs alongside a separate investigation into Ram Temple donations in Ayodhya that has resulted in eight arrests.

The Delhi High Court upheld Rajpal Yadav's conviction in cheque bounce cases and imposed a three-month sentence per case while staying the verdict for two months. Both Times of India and Hindustan Times confirm the conviction, sentence reduction from six months, and denial of probation. Discrepancies exist on the exact number of cases and compensation amounts.

C Joseph Vijay, chief minister of Tamil Nadu, made his first official visit to Karur on Friday following the September 2025 stampede at a TVK rally that killed 41 people and injured others. He stated that Perambalur police had warned of overcrowding but Karur police had not, and he questioned responsibility for crowd management. Unverified reports indicate he distributed compassionate appointment orders to 32 affected families and announced plans for a memorial.

Heavy rainfall caused flooding that displaced roughly 3,000 filled and empty LPG cylinders from a Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited bottling plant in Raigad district, Maharashtra, into the Patalganga River. District authorities appealed for residents to return recovered cylinders, while videos recorded locals collecting them from the waterway. The incident location is specified as Plot No. E-1/7, Additional MIDC, Chawane, Patalganga, Taluka Panvel.

Fifteen Indian nationals died when a boat capsized near May Rut Ngoai Islet in Vietnam's An Thoi archipelago on Saturday. Thirty-two Indians were aboard the vessel. Indian officials including Prime Minister Modi and President Murmu issued condolences, and the Telangana government established a control room.

The BJP selected Ashutosh Tiwari as its candidate for the Datia assembly bypoll and denied a ticket to former Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra. Supporters of Mishra blocked the Jhansi-Gwalior highway for nearly 12 hours, with reports of stone-pelting and injuries to police personnel. The bypoll was triggered by the disqualification of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti following a cheating conviction.

On July 6, the travelling ticket examiner on Train No. 11002 Nandigram Express was suspended and an official inquiry ordered after an event decorator entered a First AC coupe at Jalna railway station without authorization. The decorator was booked under the Railway Act for unauthorized entry, travelling without a ticket, and trespassing. A video of the compartment decoration was later deleted from the Instagram page where it was posted.

Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Prakash Chik Baraik, all former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha members, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on July 9, 2026, at the party's Salt Lake office in Kolkata. The inductions occurred after the leaders resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the TMC following the 2026 West Bengal assembly elections. Samik Bhattacharya, BJP state president, welcomed the three with party flags.

Sharad Pawar visited Eknath Shinde’s Vidhan Bhavan office on Wednesday and held separate meetings with Arif Naseem Khan and Sachin Ahir. Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders expressed displeasure over the interactions. Pawar also attended a Maharashtra-Karnataka border committee meeting chaired by Devendra Fadnavis.

K.C. Venugopal, Congress general secretary and MP, addressed media outside Guruvayur temple on Saturday and demanded a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into alleged misappropriation of donations to the Ayodhya Ram temple. He described the matter as India's biggest temple scam, criticized the Uttar Pradesh SIT probe as a farce, and said Congress will raise the issue in the July 20 Parliament session. The temple trust was constituted by the Centre; no independent confirmation of specific allegations such as erased CCTV footage has been reported.

Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and Prakash Chik Baraik joined the BJP at its Salt Lake office in Kolkata, with West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya present. The leaders had resigned from the Rajya Sabha and quit the TMC in the preceding month and are set to contest the July 24 bypolls for those seats. Reports from Times of India and Hindustan Times confirm the event and basic details of the switch.

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered that three Trinamool Congress bank accounts remain under the supervision of retired Justice Subrata Talukdar until September 30, 2026, with access limited to day-to-day expenses. The accounts were debit-frozen on June 19 following an FIR filed on June 18 at the Bidhannagar cyber-crime police station. The order requires the special officer's signature for withdrawals and provides a monthly honorarium of ₹1.25 lakh from the accounts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a two-day visit to Australia that produced 18 announced outcomes, including a renewed defense declaration, a maritime security roadmap, and a civil nuclear energy agreement. Both Hindustan Times and The Hindu reported the meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the signing of multiple bilateral instruments. The two sources share a left-center orientation, limiting perspective diversity.

A stampede occurred during a September 27 rally organized by C. Joseph Vijay in Karur, Tamil Nadu. At the time, M.K. Stalin served as Chief Minister and Udhayanidhi Stalin as Deputy Chief Minister. Subsequent statements from political figures addressed the incident alongside references to vacant state government posts and job offers to victims' families.

Rain occurred in parts of Delhi early on Thursday with an IMD orange alert issued and waterlogging noted at New Delhi Railway Station, Munirka, and Ghaziabad. Forecasts indicate continued rainfall across Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan through July 10. Separate incidents include nine deaths in Surat and eleven in a Pune building collapse linked to heavy rains.

Fifteen of 32 Indian tourists died when a speedboat capsized near Hon May Rut Ngoai Island off Phu Quoc, Vietnam, on July 11. The vessel overturned in rough seas with large waves roughly 400 meters into its journey from Hon May Rut Island to An Thoi Port. India's embassy in Vietnam established emergency centers and helplines in response.

Arvind Kejriwal addressed a press conference in New Delhi on July 8 and wrote to 29 automobile manufacturers seeking clarification on E20 ethanol-blended fuel impacts. He stated that petrol prices should fall from Rs 102 to Rs 82 per litre. The government fixed the current petrol price at Rs 102 per litre in May.