Good morning. Here's your 5-minute brief of today's top stories from politics, India, the world, entertainment and sports.
Russia optimistic BRICS will bridge Iran-UAE gap at India-hosted summit
Russia remains hopeful that BRICS member states will be able to bridge differences between Iran and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the West Asia conflict and achieve consensus in framing joint documents for the grouping’s summit to be hosted by India over the weekend, a key aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. Read more
Channi assured full support to Congress’ poll efforts in Punjab, Sachin Pilot tells HT
Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot, who was recently appointed in-charge of Punjab, maintains that all senior party leaders in the state have assured him that they will work unitedly ahead of the crucial assembly polls. In an interview with HT, the senior Congress leader also spoke about his new role as well as the party’s prospects in the upcoming Punjab polls. Read excerpts of the interview here
No UAPA in NIA chargesheet against US national VanDyke, his Ukrainian associates arrested in India
Deep Dive
What are the main objectives of the upcoming BRICS summit in India?
How is Russia working to bridge the gap between Iran and the UAE in the BRICS framework?
Why did the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting in May end without a joint statement?
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday charged US national Mathew Aaron VanDyke and six Ukrainians, arrested in March this year, under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, and not the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). VanDyke was arrested from Kolkata airport by NIA on March 13 under Section 18 of UAPA, which punishes conspiracy, advocacy, abetment, or incitement to commit a terrorist act. His six Ukrainian associates - Hurba Petro, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi - were arrested from Delhi and Lucknow airports on the same day. Read more
‘Are you going home?’ King Charles jibe sums up England greats' mockery of Pakistan chaos and wild player clear-out
Pakistan cricket’s chaotic England tour has now become a source of disbelief and ridicule for some of the biggest names in English cricket, with Phil Tufnell, David Lloyd, Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook tearing into the PCB’s extraordinary mid-series overhaul on the Stick to Cricket podcast. Pakistan went 2-0 down after being beaten by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and then by 194 runs at Lord’s. What followed was even more dramatic. Read more
Preity Zinta says she's proud of Batwara 1947 despite its box office failure: 'You can't control what happens'
{{/usCountry}}Pakistan cricket’s chaotic England tour has now become a source of disbelief and ridicule for some of the biggest names in English cricket, with Phil Tufnell, David Lloyd, Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook tearing into the PCB’s extraordinary mid-series overhaul on the Stick to Cricket podcast. Pakistan went 2-0 down after being beaten by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley and then by 194 runs at Lord’s. What followed was even more dramatic. Read more
Preity Zinta says she's proud of Batwara 1947 despite its box office failure: 'You can't control what happens'
{{/usCountry}}Bollywood actor Preity Zinta has reacted to the box office performance of her comeback film, Batwara 1947. The actor returned to the big screen alongside Sunny Deol and Shabana Azmi, but despite its ensemble cast and the anticipation around her comeback, the film failed to make a significant box-office impact. Now, Preity has opened up about the film’s performance and said that there are several things about a film’s fate that actors simply cannot control. Read more