LIVE news updates: Mike Pompeo says India and US are- great democracies, global powers and good friends

A relative of Tabrez Ansari, who was killed by a mob suspecting he stole a bike in Jharkhand, has alleged that Tabrez was given poisonous water.

"After Tabrez was thrashed, he was given water mixed with 'dhatura' (a form of a poisonous leaf)," said Mohammad Masroor, uncle of Tabrez.

"A police chargesheet should be filed immediately and the accused punished", he added.

Eleven people, including the main accused, have been arrested and two police personnel have been suspended in the case.

The Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties staged a sit-in on Wednesday at the Governor House demanding a CBI probe into the incident.

A badly stubbed-out cigarette or an electrical fault could have started the devastating fire that ripped through Notre-Dame cathedral in April, Paris prosecutors said Wednesday, ruling out any criminal intent.

French investigators were examining many hypotheses "including a malfunctioning of the electrical system or a fire which started with a badly stubbed-out cigarette", said a statement, indicating there was no evidence to back up any theory of "a criminal origin" to the fire.

Hours after a Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative was arrested, the National Investigation Agency and Intelligence Bureau Wednesday found two 'live' bombs hidden in a stormwater drain in Ramanagar district, officials said.

The NIA had on Tuesday arrested Habibur Rehman Sheikh (28) alias Habibur or Sheikh, wanted in the 2014 Burdwan blast case, from Doddaballapura in Bengaluru rural district.

Based on information provided by Sheikh during interrogation, the two agencies in association with local police searched and found the bombs concealed in a stormwater drain at Tipunagar in Ramanagar district, police said.

The Punjab Police Wednesday arrested five persons, including a BSF constable, for allegedly possessing and selling heroin.

The police recovered 1.15 kg of heroin from the official residence of the BSF constable Sunil Kumar in the city, they said.

The constable told the police that he had found the contraband from the Indo-Pakistan border in 2018 and was selling it in parts, they added.

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 45-year-old relative who attacked her while she was sleeping in a village here, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, a resident of Sarkanda village of Mau district in Uttar Pradesh was arrested on Tuesday evening, they said.

The incident took place on Saturday in Gorakhpur's Sikriganj area when the accused came to the girl's house for some work and allegedly raped her, Superintendent of Police (south) Vipul Kumar Srivastava said.

A fire broke out at the Noida Authority office here Wednesday morning with some documents being gutted in the flames, officials said.

Around half a dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the flames doused within an hour, a Fire Department official said.

The fire occurred inside the office of an assistant manager and in the Traffic Cell at the authority's office in Sector 6 around 10 am, they said. "The cause of the fire that engulfed the office of Work Circle 10 and Noida Traffic Cell is yet to be known. The Fire Department was immediately informed and the flames brought under control soon," Noida Authority's officer on special duty Rajesh Kumar Singh said.

One policeman and three suicide bombers were killed in an attack on a police station in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Wednesday.

The attack took place in the morning when three suicide bombers tried to enter the police station in the Loralai city, the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

While one attacker was shot dead by the police at the entrance to the complex, other two managed to enter the centre, Geo News reported. "In the exchange of fire one suicide bomber (of the remaining two) exploded himself and the other was killed by security forces," the ISPR said

Three Trinamool Congress supporters have been arrested after a video of obscene dance and display of vulgarity in public surfaced during a celebration in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district, the police said on Wednesday.

The video showing a skimpily dressed female dancer performing on stage and a man accompanying her making objectionable moves has embarrassed the state's ruling party. The video was recorded and circulated by some locals.

"Three individuals -- Shyamal Ghosh, Bapi Sheikh and Chhakbat Mollah -- have been arrested, while Ansar Mollah, the organiser of the event, is still absconding," an officer at Kashipur police station said.

Intensifying the fight against drugs, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, here on Wednesday, mooted preventive detention of repeat offenders in drugs smuggling cases, amid reports that the police have identified around 200 such criminals.

"The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act provides for preventive detention of such criminals," the Chief Minister said while suggesting fast-track courts for speedy trial of offenders

"I would take up the matter of operationalising such fast-track courts at the earliest with the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court," he said during a video conference with the Deputy Commissioners and the senior police officers organised to review progress of drug eradication drive and discuss the strategy.

The government on Wednesday appointed senior IPS officers Arvind Kumar and Samant Goel as the chiefs of the country's top intelligence agencies - the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), respectively.

"The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Samant Kumar Goel, IPS (PB: 84), Special Secretary, as Secretary, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) vice A. K. Dhasmana on completion of his tenure on June 29, 2019 for a tenure of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the post, or until further orders, whichever is earlier," an official release said.

The order appointing Kumar said: "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Arvind Kumar, IPS (AM: 84), Special Director, Intelligence Bureau as Director, Intelligence Bureau vice Rajiv Jain on completion of his tenure on June 30, 2019 for a tenure of two years from the date of assumption of charges of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier."

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announced on Wednesday that he had approved the execution of four people on death row after being convicted for drug trafficking, ending a 42-year-long moratorium on the application of the death penalty in the country.

"I have already signed death penalty for four (convicts). It will be implemented soon and we have already decided the date as well," Sirisena was quoted as saying by Efe news, adding that all four were drug related convicts.

Sirisena has repeatedly said that he will go ahead with executions of people convicted of crimes related to drugs as part of a hardening stance in the drive against drug-trafficking on the island.

The nomination of former IAS officer Ashwini Vaishnaw for the Rajya Sabha by-election from the state resonated in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday as the Congress demanded a statement from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik over his alleged involvement in mining and land allotment scams.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated the former Odisha cadre officer for the by-election and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has 'extended' its support to him.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Congress legislature party leader Narasingh Mishra said never in the history of the country a ruling party gifted a seat to the opposition. "Naturally, a doubt arises that something is behind the screen," he said.

In the era where apps control our lives, the rapid spread of explicit vulger content via social networking platforms, especially in regional languages, has become a matter of concern in India.

While some apps like China-based TikTok came under fire for not filtering inappropriate content on its platform, several not-so-famous apps are also earning large revenue via unfiltered and vulgar content.

Most of these apps are free to download while some of them let users make an in-app purchase as well to let them "unlock special features".

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of Amitabh Kant's tenure for a further period of two years beyond June 30, 2019, i.e. up to June 30, 2021, on the same terms and conditions, the Personnel Ministry said in the order.

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome claimed one more life in Muzaffarpur on Wednesday, raising the toll in the north Bihar district, the worst affected by the outbreak, to 132, while the total number of casualties across the state was 154, officials said.

The death in Muzaffarpur was reported from privately-owned Kejriwal hospital which had 165 AES patients admitted since June 1. Out of them 21 have died. The previous casualty reported at the hospital was on June 20.

The demolition of an annexe of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's residence here has triggered an uproar with main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) questioning the rationale behind YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government's action

While Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said that the drive against illegal structures will begin with the demolition of 'Praja Vedika' to send a clear message, the TDP termed the action as political vendetta.

This is the first major action by Jagan Reddy targeting the TDP chief since taking over as the Chief Minister last month

A case has been registered against Adilabad BJP MP Soyam Bapu Rao over his alleged remarks that any Muslim youth who stalks tribal girls would be "beheaded." A purported video of Bapu Rao making those comments at a meeting at Gadiguda mandal centre in Adilabad district on June 14 went viral since Monday.

"I want to tell the Muslim youths one thing, that if you try to indulge in stalking our Adivasi girls you will be beheaded.

"I am requesting minority youth brothers in the united Adilabad district, don't follow our girls. It would be difficult for you if we start following you," he is heard saying in the purported video.

Noisy scenes were witnessed in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday with opposition members demanding a discussion on a viral sting video which they claimed showed some people considered close to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat negotiating a monetary deal.

As the House assembled for the day Speaker Prem Chandra Aggrawal paid tribute to Padma Bhushan Jagatguru Shankaracharya Swami Satyamitranand Giri Maharaj who passed away at the age of 87 after a prolonged illness at a city hospital on Tuesday.

After the assembly had observed two minutes silence to condole the spiritual leader's demise, the opposition members led by Ranikhet MLA Karan Mahra demanded that the listed  business of the House should be suspended and a debate be held on the sting video as it had gone viral and it involved people considered to be close to the chief minister.

Uttarakhand: Policemen beaten up allegedly by liquor mafia in Haridwar y'day. SP City says,“Illicit liquor was being carried on scooty in Ranipur last night. On being questioned,accused misbehaved with police. Case registered. 5 accused arrested; search for 3 others on.”

TMC member Saugata Roy on Wednesday said the incident of lynching of a youth in Jharkhand is an example of religious intolerance and instead of attacking the West Bengal government, the BJP should look into the affairs of the state ruled by it.

Raising the matter during the Zero Hour, Roy said it was a "cold-blooded murder" of 24-year-old Tabrez Ansari as police held th youth, who had sustained severe head injuries, in custody for four days. It is a blot on humanity, the Trinamool Congress MP said.

"BJP members are speaking about West Bengal, but not taking steps on what is happening in Jharkhand and other places. This is an example of religious intolerance and the TMC will continue to protest against mob lynching," Roy said.

ICC says colour options were given to BCCI and they chose what they felt went best with the colour combination. The whole idea is to be different as England also wears a same shade of blue as India. The design is taken from India’s old T20 jersey which had orange in it.

Vaishali Police have directed officials of Bhagwanpur police station to investigate and remove names of innocent people from the FIR that has been lodged against 39 people in Harbanspur in Vaishali district.

Security personnel had a close shave on Wednesday when Maoists triggered two blasts in a forest in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, police said.

Fortunately, no security personnel was injured in the incident which occurred near Becha Mod under Narayanpur police station limits.

Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg said that a joint team was deployed to provide security for road construction work on Narayanpur-Sonpur road, around 340 kms away from Raipur, he said.

Madhya Pradesh: Case registered against BJP MLA Akash Vijayvargiya and 10 others for thrashing a Municipal Corporation officer in Indore. Akash is the son of senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: US-India partnership is already beginning to reach new heights, we have bolstered our defence cooperation, we have solidified our common vision for free and open Indo-Pacific. We have grown cooperation in energy, space & other areas.

Jammu and Kashmir: Home Minister Amit Shah arrives in Srinagar. The Home Minister is on a 2-day visit to the state where he will review overall security situation & also discuss security arrangements for Amarnath Yatra.

PM Modi: The deaths in Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome are unfortunate and a matter of shame for us. We have to take this seriously. I am in constant touch with the state Govt and I am sure we will collectively come out of this crisis soon.

The need of the hour is to strengthen Ayushman Bharat. We want our poor to get the best quality and affordable medical treatment.

PM Modi: There are 226 districts in the country where there is water crisis. Now I am trying to mobilize everyone to tackle this, how we can give priority to water in MPLAD funds. We also have to make society aware on water issues. A Jal Shakti ministry has also been setup.

The Congress on Wednesday accused the government of betraying the people of Andhra Pradesh by denying 'special category status' to the state and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "trampling upon Constitutionalism" by disregarding the promise made by his predecessor Manmohan Singh.

It is time for Modi and the BJP to "walk their talk", Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said and added that the government is a continuing entity..

"Trampling upon Constitutionalism and backstabbing the trust of people have become synonymous with the BJP. The new BJP government has broken its first solemn promise by bluntly refusing to grant 'special category status' to Andhra Pradesh and disrespecting the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014," Surjewala said in a statement.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his American counterpart Mike Pompeo on Wednesday and discussed ways to strengthen the Indo-US strategic partnership.

"Welcoming a close friend. Continuing the emphasis on high-level Indo-US exchanges, EAM Dr S Jaishankar warm-heartedly welcomed Secretary Pompeo as the first US dignitary visiting India after elections. Secretary Pompeo is the first Foreign Minister to be hosted by EAM," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted along with a picture of the two leaders.

"Working together to further deepen our strategic partnership. Secretary Pompeo called on PM Narendra Modi to exchange views on various aspects of Indo-US relationship. PM will meet President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 Osaka Summit," Kumar tweeted with pictures of the Modi-Pompeo meeting.

Kerala Jail Department conducted raids in Kannur & Viyyur (Thrissur) central prisons on 22nd June. Mobile phones, chargers, knife, iron bars and ganja were seized from inmates. Case registered against four inmates including TP Chandrasekharan murder accused Kodi Suni.

The ED has attached assets worth over ₹9,000 crore in connection with its money laundering probe against Gujarat-based pharmaceutical firm Sterling Biotech, which is allegedly involved in a multi-crore bank fraud case, officials said on Wednesday.

The officials said a provisional order of attachment was issued by the central probe agency under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

One dead and other critically injured after a fight broke out among inmates inside the Ghaghidih Central Jail. Father of the deceased, says,"administration has killed him, he was about to be released after 10 days. He was also beaten 6 months back."

Madhya Pradesh: Akash Vijayvargiya, BJP MLA and son of senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya, thrashes a Municipal Corporation officer with a cricket bat, in Indore. The officers were in the area for an anti-encroachment drive.

New Chiefs of IB and Raw appointed. Arvind Kumar, IPS 1984 batch, to replace Rajiv Jain as the new IB director. Samant Goel, IPS 1984, to be the new RAW chief reported News18.

Uttarakhand Education Minister Arvind Pandey's son Ankur has been killed after the car in which he was travelling hit a truck in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, police said on Wednesday.

Ankur, 24, was on his to Gorakhpur on Tuesday night along with two friends to attend a wedding when the incident happened near Future College on Lucknow Road in the district's Faridpur area. His friend Munni Giri (26) was also killed in the accident, police said.

The other person has been injured and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital, they added.

Hockey player Lalremsiami, part of the team which won FIH Series Finals hockey tournament in Hiroshima on Sunday: Just before the game I got the news that my father died but I still played and we became Champions. I believe my father will be proud of my achievement, wherever he is.

Security forces on Wednesday killed an unidentified militant in an encounter in a forest in Tral in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Branpatri forest area of Tral on Wednesday morning following information about the presence of militants in the area, a police spokesperson said.

The hiding militants opened firing on security forces, who retaliated, triggering a gun battle, he said.

"One militant was killed in the gun battle while there were no casualties among the security forces," he added.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militant is being ascertained.

Syed Akbaruddin, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations: Asia-Pacific Group UN unanimously endorses India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat of the Security Council for 2 year term in 2021/22.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi: PM remembers Shah Bano. Didn't he remember Tabrez Ansari, Akhlaq, Pehlu Khan? Didn't he remember that his Minister had garlanded the murderers of Alimuddin Ansari? If someone is making the 'gutter' comment, then why do you not give Muslims reservation?

No Muslim MP from your party comes. Who is keeping them behind? You. There's a difference between their words and ideology. Narasimha Rao was responsible for Babri Masjid demolition, despite being PM he couldn't do anything. Now there's PM Modi who wants to work on his ideology.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The US Secretary is on a visit to India from June 25-27.

3 children died, 1 injured after an SUV mowed then down while they were sleeping on the footpath in Agam Kuan area of Patna, on Tuesday. The locals later staged protest on the road. Police say, "3 children died, 1 injured. 1 man in the SUV also died. Investigation underway"

The death toll due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) rises to 132 in Muzaffarpur. 111 deaths in SKMCH and 21 in Kejriwal Hospital

3 people dead, at least 12 injured after the bus they were in, rammed into an electricity pole today in Kawakol of Nawada on Wednesday.

Home Minister Amit Shah to leave for Srinagar, J&K later on Wednesday. He will review overall security situation in the state and also discuss security arrangements for Amarnath Yatra, in particular. He will also meet Governor Satya Pal Malik. He will return to Delhi on Thursday, 27 June.

An exchange of fire between terrorists and security forces is underway in forests of Tral area of Pulwama district.