Breaking news highlights: K'taka adds 562 new Covid cases; active cases at 3,387

Rodion Miroshnik, the ambassador of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) to Russia said on Saturday that 300-400 Ukrainian troops are blocked on the territory of the Severodonetsk Azot Association chemical plant. 

Karnataka on Saturday saw yet another spike in its daily Covid tally after 562 new infections were reported, pushing the caseload to 39,55,871. The active cases in the state are currently at 3,387.

The rise in the number of daily Covid cases that India has been reporting over the past few days should not be a cause for panic, said top health experts, while dismissing fears of the emergence of any new variant of the virus.

As India logged over 8,000 in the last 24 hours, AIIMS chief Dr Randeep Guleria cited poor turnout for booster doses and non-adherence of Covid-appropriate behaviour as the top reasons behind the spike.

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In the midst of reports of violent clashes in Uttar Pradesh, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday assured that ‘no action will be taken on the house of a poor’ but bulldozers against “criminals and mafia” will continue. “If any poor or helpless person’s house is constructed at an unsuitable place due to certain reasons, then proper arrangement will be done by the local administration first,” said in a series of tweets.

The state of Maharashtra on Saturday reported nearly 3,000 cases - roughly 60 per cent of which were reported from Mumbai alone. While Maha logged 2,922 fresh cases in the last 24 hours, one virus-linked death was reported from the capital city Mumbai.

Congress expels Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from all party posts amid cross-voting charges in Rajya Sabha polls.

The national capital reported nearly 800 cases in the last 24 hours and the positivity rate stood at 4.11% as per the official health bulletin. No new deaths were reported in Delhi in last 24 hours.

One killed, another hurt in firing by AAP councillor’s son in Amritsar over land dispute.

Bengal govt suspends internet services in parts of Murshidabad district till Tuesday to stop spread of misinformation post-Howrah violence, reports PTI citing Home dept official.

Cambodia’s prime minister urged military-ruled Myanmar to reconsider the death sentences against four political opponents, suggesting that executing them will draw strong international condemnation and complicate efforts to restore peace to the strife-torn nation.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has reached out to the opposition CMs & leaders to participate in a joint meeting at Constitution Club, Delhi on June 15, news agency ANI reported. 

She has written to 22 leaders - including Delhi CM Kejriwal, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren,Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann & Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, reported ANI.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann on Saturday urged Himachal Pradesh voters to give the AAP a chance in the coming Assembly elections if they want their children to have a bright future.

"If you want the 8.5 lakh students studying in Himachal Pradesh government schools to have a bright future, give a chance to the AAP," Kejriwal said.

BJP's West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar arrested as he tried to visit violence-hit Howrah.

Ukrainian and British officials warned Saturday that Russian forces are relying on weapons with the potential to cause mass casualties as they try to make headway in capturing eastern Ukraine.

Russian bombers have likely been launching heavy 1960s-era anti-ship missiles in Ukraine, the U.K. Defense Ministry said as per news agency AFP.

US federal law enforcement officials have arrested a 24-year-old Indian national in Virginia on charges of participating in an alleged nationwide scam targeting senior citizens. Anirudha Kalkote was produced before a US magistrate in Houston on Friday to face the charges, news agency PTI reported.

According to the charges, the ring tricked and deceived victims using various ruses and instructed them to send money via wire through a money transmitter business such as Western Union or MoneyGram, by buying gift cards and providing to the fraudsters or by mailing cash to alias names via FedEx or UPS.

People are feared trapped after a slab of sixth floor of a building collapsed to the ground floor, in Nerul, Sector 17, Navi Mumbai. Rescue tenders from Nerul, Belapur, Vashi and Koparkhairane fire brigade has reached the spot and rescue operations have begun.

Nearly five Independent lawmakers who backed chief minister Uddhav Thackeray when he won his first trust vote in the Maharashtra assembly may have supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha elections, leaders of the Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi said after the surprise defeat of Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Pawar. Read More

The Election Commission (EC) rejected Shiv Sena legislator Suhas Kande’s vote for the Rajya Sabha because he did not fold the ballot paper after casting his vote, violating the voting procedure and secrecy of the ballot paper, according to the EC order issued late on Friday. Read More

The IED was defused shortly after it was found on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. Read More

The office of Ukraine's prosecutor general said on Saturday that it has learned about the deaths of 24 more children in Mariupol, the southeastern port that was besieged for weeks before Russian forces captured it in mid-May. Read More

Police have registered a case in connection with Friday's protest outside Jama Masjid to demand the arrest of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, officials said on Saturday. Read More

Fresh clashes were seen in Bengal's Howrah district, news agency ANI reported, a day after several parts in the country witnessed clashes over remarks against Prophet Mohammed after Friday prayers. Read More

Kashmir-based YouTuber Faisal Wani on Saturday apologised for his video on former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma which went viral drawing flak. Read More