Daily wrap: Rahul, Modi visit Kerala; Thiem will face Nadal in French Open

Modi arrives in Maldives; meets President Solih

Narendra Modi arrived in the Maldives on Saturday on his first foreign visit after re-election as Prime Minister to strengthen the bilateral ties, reflecting the importance India attaches to its Neighbourhood First policy. Modi was received at Male airport by Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. While Modi visited the Maldives in November 2018 to attend President Solihs swearing-in, this visit is the first by an Indian Prime Minister at a bilateral level in eight years. The two-day visit is aimed at further cementing ties with the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Rahul is on three-day visit to Wayanad to thank voters

On the second day of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Wayanad, he took out roadshows, during which people gathered on both sides of the road on the route to have a glimpse of their new MP and welcome him. The Congress president is on a three-day visit to the constituency after he was voted to Lok Sabha with a margin of about 4.31 lakh votes.

PM in Kochi, offers prayers at Lord Krishna’s temple

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kochi on Saturday (June 8) morning to offer prayers at the famed Lord Krishna temple. Modi left Kochi at 9.20 am and his helicopter landed at Sree Krishna College ground at 9.50 am. The Prime Minister reached in a special naval helicopter from the Kochi naval airport. After an hour-long darshan at the temple, the Prime Minister will address a party meeting Abhinandan Sabha being organised by the BJP Kerala State committee. This will be Modi’s first public meeting after assuming the chair of the prime minister for a second consecutive term.

Kolkata beef fest cancelled after organisers received threat calls 

A beef festival in Kolkata has been cancelled after the organisers of the event received hundreds of threat calls. This left a section of food-loving Kolkatans angry. The Kolkata Beef Festival, which was renamed as ‘Meat Festival’ and then to ‘Kolkata Beep Festival’, was scheduled to take place at a cafe in the heart of the city on June 23.

Aligarh murder: Cops arrest two more accused

Police arrested two more people for the murder of a toddler in Aligarh and confirmed one of the men booked earlier for the crime is an alleged sex offender who has targeted children in recent years today. The wife and brother of Zahid, one of the two main accused, were picked up this morning by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the killing of the two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Tappal township.

World Cup 2019: India will face Australia today 

India taking on Australia at The Oval on Sunday (June 9) will perhaps be one of the most high-profile matches this World Cup season with the ultimate rivals looking forward to keep their winning streak intact. The clash is expected to be largely a battle between the bowlers of the two teams, given the pitch remains unpredictable and both the teams get only one day for practice.

French Open 2019: Thiem defeats Novak in men’s single 

Novak Djokovic’s dream of becoming the second man in history to hold all Grand Slam titles at the same time twice was crushed by Dominic Thiem at Roland Garros on Saturday (May 8). Djokovic, who was second best to Thiem when it came to mastering the gloom, wind and damp of Paris, was bidding to join Rod Laver in the Grand Slam history books. However, its 25-year-old Austrian fourth seed Thiem goes on to face Nadal where he will be buoyed by having defeated the 17-time major winner four times on clay in his career.