Evening News Report: Hardeep Singh Puri responds to Rahul Gandhi’s claims about ‘Epstein meeting’ and more | India News

Here are the top 5 stories of the day:

Hardeep Singh Puri responds to Rahul Gandhi’s claims about Epstein meeting

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has denied Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegations linking him with Jeffrey Epstein during the budget session of the Lok Sabha, saying he had met the disgraced financier only “three or four times” in professional settings as part of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism before joining the cabinet. Read more

Rahul Gandhi attacks government over India-US trade deal

Rahul Gandhi delivered a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha during the Union Budget debate, accusing the government of undermining India’s strategic autonomy in its trade deal with the United States. He warned of the need to protect India’s people, data, energy and food systems from geopolitical instability, arguing that the government had “sold out” India’s data and autonomy. Gandhi claimed the deal undermined energy security and said “now the United States will decide from whom we buy oil, not our prime minister” and called for equal treatment in negotiations. Read more

Government opposes release of Sonam Wangchuk on health grounds

The central government has told the Supreme Court that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was detained under the National Security Act (NSA) after protests in Leh, should not be released on health grounds as he was “in good health” and had only a minor infection. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said regular inspections did not reveal any serious issues and no exceptions should be made. The government opposed reconsidering his detention, despite earlier court concerns about his health. Wangchuck has been detained for more than four months. Read more

Prime Minister Modi expressed condolences over the incident Canadian school shooting

Prime Minister Modi expressed condolences for the death of 10 people in the school shooting incident in British Columbia, Canada, expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a statement that India stands with the people of Canada during this difficult time, reflecting the international community’s support in the wake of mass school shootings. Read more

T20 World Cup thriller: South Africa beat Afghanistan in two overs

In a dramatic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match, Afghanistan pushed South Africa to the limit but lost narrowly in the second Super Over at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. South Africa tied the first Super Over with Afghanistan with a score of 187/6. In the second match, South Africa scored 23 runs and despite Rahmanullah Gubaz hitting three consecutive sixes, Afghanistan managed to score 19 runs to hand the Proteas a thrilling victory. Read more