Indian Sub-continent

NEW DELHI, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The very severe cyclonic storm, Vayu, which was likely to make a landfall in India's western state of Gujarat on Thursday but changed its trajectory could again recurve in the next two days, meteorological department officials said Saturday.

ISLAMABAD, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Floods triggered by continuous torrential rains hit different areas of Gilgit-Baltistan region in the north of Pakistan in the past days, leaving at least three people dead and injuring several others, local media and officials said Thursday.

Disaster Management Authority officials said in a statement that torrential rains and the floods caused widespread devastation by destroying several houses and washing away crops, livestock and vehicles in different areas, including Nagar, Skardu and Shigar district of the region.

NEW DELHI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- India's Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Thursday said it will launch its first mission to study the sun in 2020.

The announcement was made by ISRO Chairman K Sivan and the mission has been named Aditya-L1.

"The aim of the mission is to keep a permanent eye on the sun without any disturbance. Aditya-L1 is meant to observe the solar corona," Sivan told media during a press conference in New Delhi. "There are still a lot of things that are to be learnt about the sun."

14 June 2019; DW: A number of Indian cities can do more to prevent deaths and illnesses experts said on Friday.

Until now, there have been at least 36 deaths as a result of this year's heat wave, where temperatures have exceeded 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).

Indeed, a scarcity of water has led to fighting on the streets, with a number of stabbings, injuries and even deaths as a result of the hostilities.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 14 (APP): The 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State (CHS) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Friday started in Bishkek with leadership from all member and observer states in attendance.

President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov is chairing the session who earlier received all the participating leaders including Prime Minister Imran Khan as they arrived at the venue.

Prior to proceeding for the meeting, the leaders had a group photo with the banner of the SCO Summit in the backdrop.

Bengaluru, June 13 (PTI): Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah Thursday said he was unable to understand the Modi mania, despite the "bad state" of the economy under the previous BJP regime led by him.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the BJP won the Lok Sabha election raising emotive issues, rather than delivering on development.

People of the country, including the media, have favoured Narendra Modi's five year government, despite low GDP growth, increase in unemployment and dwindling value of the Rupee, Siddaramaiah said.

Bareilly, Jun 13 (PTI) An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped in a village here, police said Thursday.

She was lured by the accused and raped at an unknown place under the Nawabganj police station on Wednesday, they said.

"The accused person knew the family members of the girl," a senior police official said.

The girl's family lodged a complaint after she narrated the sequence of events. Police have registered a case.

Police said a search is underway to nab the accused.

New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) The ruling BJP is set to launch its membership drive as the party begins the process for its organisational polls, which may lead to the election of its current president Amit Shah's successor, sources said on Thursday.

Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is also a vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is likely to head the membership drive and will be assisted by several officer-bearers of the saffron party.

Hyderabad, Jun 13 (PTI) The CPI has once again reached out to the CPI(M) for a reunification of the two communist parties, hoping this time the cadre would exert pressure on its leadership to respond positively after their Lok Sabha poll debacle.

Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy recently met his CPI(M) counterpart, Sitaram Yechury, and handed over a letter on the need for the coming together of the two Left parties.

Panaji, Jun 13 (PTI) The Congress in Goa Thursday rubbished the BJP's claim that 10 of its MLAs were keen to join the ruling party, but were denied entry into the saffron fold.

Goa BJP chief Vinay Tendulkar had Wednesday claimed that 10 Congress MLAs had expressed their willingness in the last fortnight to join the saffron party.

The BJP, however, refused to accept them into the party fold as it had comfortable majority in the Assembly, Tendulkar had said.