PM Modi To Cement Shared Culture And infra-Energy Support With Nepal Today

HT Daily News Wrap

PM Modi to cement shared culture and infra-energy support with Nepal today, Arvind Kejriwal to meet Delhi MLAs to discuss countering ‘bulldozer politics’, Delhi sees new record at 49°C, heatwave soars in many parts of India: 10 points, India asks Pak to punish those behind the killing of two Sikh traders, and other top news in this bulletin.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first visit to Nepal on Monday after his 2019 re-election will focus on cementing bilateral ties on the pillars of shared culture and civilisational heritage, connectivity, energy, and education, people familiar with the matter said. Modi will be meeting Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at Lumbini, the birthplace of Prince Siddhartha who became Buddha after enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in India, on Monday after taking a short helicopter ride from Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, the place where the Lord attained Nirvana after his death. Delhi saw a new record on Sunday with the mercury passing the 49 degrees-mark in Mungeshpur near the Haryana border while neighbouring Gurgaon registered the day’s high at 48 degrees, also the highest since May 1966, according to news agency PTI. In the national capital, rain shortfall is believed to be one of the reasons behind the intense spell of a heatwave. Many other parts of the country – including those in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh – continue to bear the brunt of the sizzling temperatures. Delhi chief minister and national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal has called a meeting of the party’s Delhi MLAs on Monday morning to discuss the ongoing alleged “bulldozer politics” by the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations, party leaders aware of the matter said.  They said the AAP is looking to chart out a political counterstrategy. The meeting was earlier called on Saturday, but was postponed due to the Mundka fire tragedy. India on Sunday asked Pakistan to sincerely investigate the “brutal” killing of two Sikh traders in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and take strict action against those responsible for the “shocking” and “deplorable” incident. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has registered its “strong protest” with Pakistan on the continued “targeting” of members of the minority community in that country. The trailer of Kamal Haasan’s forthcoming Tamil action-thriller Vikram was unveiled on Sunday. The Lokesh Kanagaraj directorial, which also features a star-studded cast of Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi and Suriya in a cameo role, promises to be a high-octane action thriller involving cops and gangsters. The film will be released in theatres on June 3. Two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winners Kolkata Knight Riders have not had the desired campaign this time around but emphatic wins in their previous two encounters has surely lifted the spirit among the fans. The Shreyas Iyer-led unit defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) by 52 runs and secured another dominant 54-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to keep their play-offs hope intact.  While Pat Cummins stole the show against MI, emerging as the game changer, Andre Russell showcased great all-round display against SRH.