Latest News Today, June 5: Here is a sneak peak at national-international affairs as well as happenings in the field of business, finance, economy and sports that will keep you abreast of relevant news. The day is loaded with newsmakers with news on: Foundation stone laid for two NH projects in Assam, Gufi Paintal passes away, IED blast, Goods train derails in Odisha, US plane crash, Russia says it thwarted attack, Odisha rail accident: Main line tracks repaired. Stay tuned with FE.Com that will keep you one notch ahead of others with the influx of breaking and tending news.
Spotify to lay off 200 workers in podcast division
Spotify Technology SA said on Monday it would cut 200 jobs from its podcast unit in its second round of layoffs, as the company restructures the business after years of heavy investment.The move affects about 2% of the music-streaming giant’s workforce and aligns Spotify with the likes of Meta Platforms and Roku, which have also cut jobs for the second time in response to an uncertain economy. REUTERS
Adani Group repays loans worth USD 2.65 bn to complete prepayment programme
Embattled Adani Group on Monday said it has repaid loans aggregating USD 2.65 billion to complete a prepayment programme to cut overall leverage in an attempt to win back investor trust post a damning report of a US short seller. In a Credit Note released on Monday, Adani Group said it has made a full prepayment of USD 2.15 billion of loans that were taken by pledging shares in the conglomerate’s listed firms and also another USD 700 million in loans taken for the acquisition of Ambuja Cement. (READ MORE)
Odisha train accident: Signal error blamed for India’s deadliest rail crash in decades
India said its deadliest rail accident in nearly three decades was due to a fault in an electronic signaling system, as the focus turned from recovering victims to restoring train operations. A high-level inquiry into the three-train collision is underway, and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a preliminary investigation showed the accident on Friday evening happened “due to a change in electronic interlocking.” (READ MORE)
‘Fake News’: Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia reject reports of withdrawing from wrestlers’ protest
Top wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia refuted media reports of pulling out of the ongoing wrestlers protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The reaction came minutes after the three protesting wrestlers, including Olympic champions Malik and Punia, and World Championship medalist Vinesh Phogat rejoined their duties in the Railways. (READ MORE)
Centre aims at covering refractories in PLI 2.0 to support 300 MT steel capacity target by 2030
The Centre is looking to include refractories in the upcoming Production Linked Incentive Scheme 2.0 for steel as it aims at doubling the country’s production capacity for the metal to 300 million tonne by 2030, an official said. (READ MORE)
Gadkari lays foundation stone for two NH projects in Assam
Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday laid the foundation stone for two national highway (NH) projects in Assam. The minister also inaugurated two NH projects in the northeastern state. The total cost of all the four projects is about Rs 1,450 crore. Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the construction 4-lane Mangaldai Bypass (15 km) on NH 15 at a project cost of 535 crore, and the construction of a 13 km four-lane Daboka-Parakhuwa stretch on NH 29 worth Rs 517 crore. The 10-km Nagaon Bypass to Teliagaon 4-lane section of NH 127 built for Rs 247 crore and the Rs 156-crore Teliagaon-Rangagara 4-lane section of 8 KM built on the same NH 127 were dedicated to the nation by the minister. In his address, Gadkari said Assam is moving in the direction of growth and development. The state government helped in early approvals related to land acquisition, environment clearances etc. PTI
Big blow to wrestlers’s protest
As per media report, Sakshi Malik withdrew from the wrestlers’ protest, two days after meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Protesting wrestler Sakshee Malikkh resumes duties with Railways.
‘Mahabharat’ actor Gufi Paintal passes away
Veteran actor Gufi Paintal, best known for appearing as Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s TV serial ‘Mahabharat’, passed away on Monday morning.His cremation will take place on Monday evening. Gufi Paintal had been unwell for a long time and was admitted to the hospital on May 31 after his health condition worsened.
His younger brother and ace comedian Paintal informed ANI about his health condition a few days ago. According to him, Gufi Paintal “had heart and kidney problems.” Recently, actor Tina Ghaai also shared a health update of the seasoned actor on her Instagram handle. ANI
Two soldiers injured in IED blast
Two jawans of CRPF 85BN got injured in a pressure IED blast planted by Naxals in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. They are being airlifted to Raipur after giving primary treatment, said Chhattisgarh Police. ANI
Goods train derails in Odisha:
Several wagons of a goods train carrying limestone derailed in Bargarh district of Odisha. There has been no casualty. Police have already reached the spot and begun a probe.
No survivors found after plane that flew over DC
A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region.Hours later, police said rescuers had reached the site of the plane crash in a rural part of the Shenandoah Valley and that no survivors were found. The Federal Aviation Administration says the Cessna Citation took off from Elizabethtown, Tennessee, on Sunday and was headed for Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Inexplicably, the plane turned around over New York’s Long Island and flew a straight path down over D.C. before it crashed over mountainous terrain near Montebello, Virginia, around 3:30 p.m.It was not immediately clear why the plane was nonresponsive, why it crashed or how many people were on board. The plane flew directly over the nation’s capital, though it was technically flying above some of the most heavily restricted airspace in the nation. AP
Russia says it thwarted attack in Donetsk
Russia says it thwarted a large Ukrainian attack in the eastern province of Donetsk, though it’s unclear if this was the start of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Russian Defense Ministry, in a rare early morning video Monday, said its forces pushed back a “large scale” Ukrainian assault on Sunday at five points in Donetsk, one of four Ukrainian regions Russia illegally annexed last fall.
“The enemy’s goal was to break through our defenses in the most vulnerable, in its opinion, sector of the front,” said the ministry’s spokesman, Igor Konashenkov. “The enemy did not achieve its tasks. It had no success.” Konashenkov said 250 Ukrainian personnel were killed, and 16 Ukrainian tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles and 21 armored combat vehicles were destroyed. Ukraine didn’t comment, and often waits until the completion of its military operations to confirm its actions, imposing news blackouts in the interim. AP
Odisha rail accident
Indian Railways has declared both the tracks on the Howrah-Chennai route as fit for resumption of services. The move comes after the tracks got severely damaged in the wake of the deadliest train crash in the history of the country. The South Eastern Railway (SER) zone has successfully conducted the test run on the newly built track near Odisha’s Balasore. Read More
Stocks To Watch
The SGX Nifty gained 0.46% in trade on Monday morning, signaling that domestic indices NSE Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex would open on a positive basis. Nifty futures were 85 points higher on the Singaporean exchange at 18,714. Nifty 50 and Sensex concluded last Friday’s session in positive territory. Nifty 50 rose 0.25% to 18,534 and Sensex jumped 119 points to 62,547. Read More