Morning brief: AAP slams ED’s fresh charge sheet on Kejriwal; Omar Abdullah’s take on Amit Shah’s Kashmir visit & more | Latest News India

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday hit out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after it filed a fresh charge sheet against the party and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, calling the probe agency the “political wing of the BJP”. According to the Kejriwal-led party, the “intention” behind the excise policy case probe is to “frame AAP”. “The ED is functioning like a political wing and mouthpiece of the BJP. Its intention from the very beginning of this fake investigation was to frame the AAP, arrest all its top leaders and crush the party. The ED’s charge-sheet framing AAP and CM Arvind Kejriwal is part of this grand political conspiracy,” the party said in a statement, reported PTI. Dig Deeper

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Friday alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah’s recent Kashmir visit amid the Lok Sabha elections was to help candidates from the BJP’s “proxy” parties in the ongoing national polls. “While the BJP has not fielded its own candidates, its ‘B,’ ‘C,’ and ‘D’ teams, be it the bucket, apple, cricket bat or ink-pot, have been working on its directions,” Abdullah told reporters in Gurez. The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) vice-president was referring to the election symbols of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP), People’s Conference, Apni Party and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), respectively. Incidentally, both JKNC and PDP are among members of the opposition INDIA group of opposition parties. Dig Deeper

The Latest News

PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi to hold first campaign rallies in Delhi today; security beefed up. Dig Deeper

‘Orchestrated lie’: Mamata Banerjee on Centre granting citizenship under CAA. Dig Deeper

‘It has no Hindu members’: Diaspora body slams USCIRF for ‘biased’ reports on India. Dig Deeper

India News

‘Swati Maliwal barged in, abused Delhi CM staff’: Bibhav Kumar’s charges. Dig Deeper

Supreme Court seeks Election Commission’s reply on plea over voter turnout data. Dig Deeper

Lok Sabha polls: Legacy, development aspirations key factors in Hajipur seat. Dig Deeper

Global Matters

King Charles III is ready to step out of UK for the first time since his cancer diagnosis. Dig Deeper

Donald Trump’s hush-money trial judge receives ethics caution for donating to Biden campaign. Dig Deeper

Bodies of three hostages recovered from Gaza in overnight operation: IDF Dig Deeper

Entertainment Focus

Actor Gurucharan Singh, who has been missing since April 22 this year, returned home on Friday. An India Today report, citing the Delhi Police, said that Gurucharan “was on a religious journey.” Gurucharan is well known for playing Roshan Singh Sodhi in the Taarak Mehta ka Ulta Chashma. As per the report, Gurucharan told the police officials during the interrogation that he had left his worldly life and was on a religious journey. In the last few days, the actor stopped at gurudwaras in many cities including Amritsar and Ludhiana. However, he later realised that he should return home. According to the report, the police also during its investigation also found that Gurucharan was a follower of a sect that practices meditation. He even showed interest in going to the Himalayas for meditation. Dig Deeper

Sports Goings

Rohit Sharma ended a string of low scores in the Indian Premier League on Friday as he hit a brilliant 68 off 38 deliveries during the match against Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai. While the innings didn’t help MI as the side faced an 18-run defeat in its final match of the season, Rohit made a timely return to run-scoring before he transitions into national colours ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Americas. In a season ridden with controversies for Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma also endured an inconsistent outing with the bat. After making a bright start with the bat – which also included a century against arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings – Rohit’s form fell flat, with the opener being dismissed on four single-digit scores in his next six outings. Dig Deeper

Lifestyle and Health

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s breathtaking Cannes looks are making waves in the fashion world and on social media. After turning heads on the first day in a jaw-dropping black and white ensemble embellished with gold flowers for the screening of “Megalopolis” on May 16, the global icon once again made jaws drop with her second look. The OG diva graced the screening of “Kinds of Kindness” in a custom avant-garde silhouette designed by Falguni Shane Peacock. Aishwarya has been a game changer when it comes to red-carpet appearances, and this time is no exception as she has proved her fashion savvy. Scroll down to know more about her second appearance. Dig Deeper

Trending

Sundar Pichai, in a recent interview with content creator Varun Mayya, opened up about AI in the Indian market and the advice he has for the country’s engineers amid the rise of this new technology. Mayya and Pichai met at the Google headquarters after the company’s annual I/O developer event, which the vlogger jokingly called “AI Coachella”. Varun Mayya took to YouTube to share the 10-minute-long interview. “Wow, what an honour! I got to sit down with Sundar Pichai at Google I/O for an exclusive podcast! We dive into the incredible advancements in AI and how India is poised to ride this exciting wave of innovation. Plus some more interesting insights!” he wrote. Dig Deeper