Top stories on 29th May in a capsule
PM Modi begins 4 Nation Tour
Prime Minister Narendra on Monday began his four-nation tour of Germany, Spain, Russia and France in a bid to give a major boost to India's economic engagement and investment, several media reports said.
Modi's first stop will be in Germany where he will hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Modi's visit to Spain on Tuesday will be a first by any PM in almost 30 years where he is likely to meet CEOs and push for the 'Make in India' initiative.
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Bihar rains kill 23, heat wave kills 12 in Odisha
At least 23 people were killed in different parts of Bihar after strong winds combined with rain and lightning triggered wall collapses and uprooted trees on Sunday even as the country reeled under a severe heat wave, media reports quoting officials said on Monday.
While eighteen people were killed in lightning strikes, the rest of the people died due to wall collapse followed by rains and gusty winds in the state, the official added.
Meanwhile, the death toll in Odisha owing to the heat wave climbed to 12.
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Death toll in Sri Lankan Floods rises to 164
The death toll in the Sri Lankan floods have risen to 164 and more than 110 people are said to be missing after water levels rose following heavy rains thereby displacing half a million people, media reports quoting govt officials said on Monday.
The monsoon rains across southwestern portions of Sri Lanka has triggered landslides throughout the country and has forced the government to activate its Emergency Response Unit and seek help from neighbouring countries for a speedy recovery, several reports added.
The monsoon rains that have triggered the floods come after two months of severe drought which had forced the country to seek aid from the World Food Programme.
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Kashmir on tenterhooks after thousands turn up for funeral of militant Sabzar Bhat
Kashmir continued to be tense on Monday a day after clashes erupted between forces and Kashmiris following the death of Hizbul Mujhaideen militant Sabzar Bhat who was killed in Rampur area of J&K along with seven other militants on Saturday.
Thousands of people on Saturday gathered at the funeral prayers of Bhat who was considered to be a successor of Burhan Wani, the commander of Hizbul who was gunned down by the forces last year, media reports quoting officials said.
The state government had deploment a large number of forces to prevent any unrest after the funeral prayers where people shouted anti-India and pro-freedom slogans and even pelted stones at the forces, media reports added.
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Three Youth Congress workers suspended over public calf slaughter
Three Kerala youth Congress workers out of the 16 were suspended on Monday over slaughtering of a calf in full public display in Kannur district of Kerala, media reports said.
The youth whose actions were strongly condemned by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and MP Shashi Tharoor were booked by the police under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after a video of their actions surfaced on social media, the report added.
The BJP has strongly condemned the incident after Kerala chief Kummanam Rajashekharan tweeted the video and claimed that animal cruelty was at its peak in the state even as numerous beef festivals were held across the state.
