Bored during the Covid-19 lockdown, Bharat Bhandari, a taxi driver from Vikasnagar in Shimla, decided to turn his idle time into an opportunity to explore his artistic side. What began as an experiment with woollen threads has now transformed into a unique art form, 'thread paintings', that is capturing hearts at an ongoing exhibition on The Mall in Shimla.

An official university bank account of Punjabi University was sealed following court orders today. Also, the vehicle of the Vice Chancellor of the varsity along with six other university vehicles, was impounded.The action followed after the university's failure to disburse the post-retirement allowance of a retired lecturer Inderjeet Kaur who retired in 2015.

'Dal Bati Churma, Rajasthani Soorma' has emerged as the slogan of Mata Vaishno Devi Seva Samiti, a group of nearly six dozen enthusiasts who annually undertake a paidal yatra from Jaipur to Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu. During their month-long excursion they walk through Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir to reach their destination, exchanging elements of culture along the way.

Chandigarh is reportedly set to become the first slum-free city of the country soon. The UT Estate Office has decided to demolish Adarsh Colony, the second last slum of the city, on June 19. The office had earlier asked the occupants of nearly 1,000 jhuggis in the slum to vacate the government land.

After escalation in the Israel-Iran aerial conflict, besides the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war driving up the gold price above ₹1 lakh per 10 gm, there has been a sharp decline in the sale of gold jewellery in the domestic market. Jeweller Vijay Mehta said the sale of gold ornaments had come down to half.

Without noisy crowds and commercial clutter, Meghamalai is a scenic and meditative hill station in Tamil Nadu's Theni district. It is a visual treat for travellers because it combines the raw beauty of untouched nature with the quiet elegance of cardamom and tea plantations wrapped in mist. It's also called the High Wavy Mountains due to its elevation of 1500m.

A radical Sikh leader, Amritpal Singh Mehron, aged about 30, has a controversial past. He is facing some cases of violence, including one of attempt to murder. As per the police theory, he is the key conspirator in the murder of social media influencer Kanchan Kumari, popularly known as Kamal Kaur Bhabhi.

The soaring mercury has made things difficult for farmers, with labourers 'reluctant' to carry out paddy transplantation in scorching sun. The unfavourable weather since June 5 has also resulted in hike in labour cost. According to farmers' bodies, paddy sowing has remained slow due to hot weather despite the government advancing the date for transplantation to June 1 this year.

In a significant step to ensure the safety of tourists visiting Himachal Pradesh's high-altitude marvel, Chandratal Lake, the District Police of Lahaul and Spiti has announced the setting up of a Seasonal Police Check Post (SCP), operational from June 14. The post will remain active throughout the tourist season, providing vital support to travellers exploring this remote and scenic destination.

Work on the much-delayed satellite township of Jathia Devi is likely to begin in October, later this year as Tata Consultants have submitted the master plan for the construction of flats, villas and eco resorts, besides other infrastructure. The much-delayed projects of the state government has failed to take off due to paucity of funds.

Italy's Palazzo Maffei museum has shared a video showing a tourist breaking 'Van Gogh' chair by sitting on it to pose for a picture and then escaping from the scene. The chair, studded with hundreds of Swarovski crystals, was made by artist Nicola Bolla. The museum condemned the incident, calling the tourist's behaviour "irresponsible" and "disrespectful".

The Amritsar (City) police have booked Amritpal Mehron, key conspirator in the killing of Ludhiana-based social media influencer Kanchan Kumari, alias Kamal Kaur Bhabhi, for threatening influencer Deepika Luthra. Mehron had threatened Luthra and other social media influencers of dire consequence if they uploaded 'double meaning' or vulgar content on social media platforms.

A 19-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at Balika Ashram in Mashobra, around 11 km from Shimla. According to reports, the girl was a native of Chamba district and was currently residing in the ashram. She was found hanging near the staircase area of the ashram by some residents who immediately informed the police.

One person has been arrested for murdering a youth from Chandigarh in a hotel in Shimla, police said. The victim has been identified as Akash Sharma, resident of Sector 26, Chandigarh, while the accused has been identified as his cousin, Arjun, a resident of Sector 10, Panchkula.

Haryana minister Krishna Bedi has stirred controversy by comparing CM Nayab Singh Saini with Dr BR Ambedkar during a Kabir Jayanti function in Sirsa. Addressing the gathering, Bedi welcomed the CM with high praise, saying, "Our destiny maker has arrived. We may not have seen Ambedkar, but if there is anyone like him in Haryana, it is Nayab Singh Saini."

Three children, aged between six and 12, have died after their parents allegedly fed them poison during dinner in Chhattisgarh's Kanker, police said on Saturday. The couple later reportedly tried to die by suicide, following which they were taken to a hospital in critical condition, a police officer said. The locals claimed the family was facing severe financial distress.

An IndiGo flight (6E 441/238) on the Bengaluru-Pune-Chennai route was diverted to Mumbai on June 12 due to bad weather in Pune. Scheduled to land at 10:05 PM, it eventually arrived at 1:32 AM on June 13 and departed for Chennai at 3:07 AM. Pune Airport MD Santosh Dhoke confirmed all passengers were safe.

Experts said there's no fixed seat that's universally considered safest during a plane crash. This is because each plane has a different configuration, with varied placement and numbering of seats and emergency exits. They added sitting next to an emergency exit raises survivability during accidents, as was probably the case with Vishwash Kumar, sole survivor of crashed Air India flight.

People of Himachal Pradesh got a slight relief from the continuing heatwave conditions as several parts of the state received light rainfall on Friday. According to the State's Meteorological Department, light to moderate rain occurred in isolated areas of the state during the last 24 hours. It also revealed that rainfall is expected to continue across the state till June 19.

Shimla got some relief from the hot weather Friday afternoon following light rain showers across the city. The rain helped lower the temperature, making the weather cooler and more comfortable for both locals and tourists. The IMD had warned earlier about possible rain and thunderstorms in the area, and the rain did arrive, breaking the long stretch of heat.

Tragedy struck Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune as 22-year-old Irfan Samir Shaikh, a cabin crew member with Air India, died in the Ahmedabad plane crash. A resident of Sant Tukaram Nagar, Irfan had recently visited home for Bakri Eid. Passionate about aviation, he joined the industry two years ago. His untimely death has shattered his dreams and left his family devastated.

A Special Task Force team in Karnal arrested two youths in possession of a hand grenade, which was safely defused. Acting on a tip-off, the police apprehended both the suspects from Baldi bypass, said Depender Rana, in-charge STF Karnal. Police have not disclosed the identity and motive of the accused, but revealed that they are members of a gang.

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