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Telegram app restricted in India at NTA request prior to NEET-UG 2026 re-examinationAt the National Testing Agency (NTA)’s request, the Union Government is blocking the messaging app Telegram in India for a week until Monday (June 22, 2026), following what the NTA described as a “response to the organised use of the platform by cheating rackets to defraud candidates appearing for the NEET (UG) 2026 re-examination scheduled on 21 June 2026.”G7 leaders open summit talksUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined world leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialised nations on Tuesday (June 16) for talks on ending the war in Ukraine after more than four years of conflict sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion. Mr. Zelenskyy was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a morning working session with G7 leaders to discuss the war.SC orders single-phase Tripura village committee polls on September 27The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) directed the Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) to hold the long-overdue elections to the village committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in a single phase on September 27, making it clear that no further extension of the poll schedule would be granted.BJP weighs organisational restructuring amid rapid expansionThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) expansion in recent years, without a corresponding restructuring of its organisational set-up, has been weighing heavily on the party leadership. With a new national team as well as a Cabinet reshuffle said to be in the offing, discussions on organisational restructuring have taken centre stage.BJP government has ‘failed’ first test of accountability by not seeking Pradhan’s resignation, says KhargeCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) accused the BJP government of having completely failed the test of accountability by not asking Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to resign following several exam irregularities. He also criticised the government for putting curbs on the Telegram messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam on June 21.Supreme Court seeks responses of Centre, States on plea for use of Aadhaar as identity proof onlyThe Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) sought responses from the Centre and States on a plea alleging misuse of Aadhaar cards issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as proof of citizenship, domicile and residence. The petition claimed that “infiltrators and illegal immigrants” are able to obtain Aadhaar cards and project themselves as “lawful residents”, thereby availing benefits to which they are not legally entitled.Lok Sabha Speaker invites Mamata faction to ‘present case’ amid TMC splitAmid a petition by the Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar-led faction of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs to merge with the Nationalist Citizen Party of India (NCPI), Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday (June 15, 2026) invited the group of TMC MPs led by Mamata Banerjee to “present their case”. The Speaker’s office was responding to TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s letter of June 10.NCPI ready to accept merger of rebel TMC MPs; numbers may go up to 22: Kakoli DastidarRebel Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) said the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) has agreed to accept the joining of all the dissident Lok Sabha members of her party, whose numbers are likely to go up to 22 from the present 20.All hell will rain down if Iran acquires nuclear weapon, says TrumpThe United States has “no obligation” to invest in Iran even after its deal with the Islamic Republic to end the Middle East war, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (June 16, 2026). “We are not investing any money” in Iran, Mr. Trump said at the G7 summit in France after talks with the emir of Qatar, adding that the main focus of the deal was that Iran would not acquire a nuclear weapon and that “all hell” would “rain down” on the country if it did.DR Congo Ebola peak ‘in front of us’, outbreak could last a year, says Red CrossThe deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has not yet reached its peak, the Red Cross said Tuesday (June 16, 2026), warning it could take a year to halt the spread. Since the outbreak was declared in the DRC on May 15, 2026, 808 cases have been confirmed in the country, including 192 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. Published - June 16, 2026 06:59 pm IST
