Your Daily Wrap: Bank manager shot dead in Kashmir, Punjab govt to restore security of VVIPs, and other stories

In Punjab, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government informed the High Court that the security cover for 424 VVIPs, which was withdrawn temporarily, will be restored from June 7. The decision comes days after singer Sidhu Moosewala’s death. Moosewala was shot dead a day after his security cover was curtailed.

Playback singer KK was cremated in the presence of his family and members of the film fraternity today, at Mumbai’s Versova Hindu Cemetery. The 53-year-old died Tuesday night after taking ill during a concert in Kolkata. As the country mourns the death of its beloved playback singer, it lost another musician today — Santoor maestro Pandit Bhajan Sopori. Hailed as the “Saint of the Santoor” and the “King of Strings”, Pandit Bhajan Sopori was honoured with several prestigious awards including the Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

A Virginia jury has ruled that actor Amber Heard defamed ex-husband Johnny Depp in a widely watched six-week trial that featured explicit and graphic evidence and testimony detailing the former Hollywood couple’s soured relationship. The jury also ruled in favor of Heard in some aspects of her counter-suit against Depp. The jury awarded Depp $15 million in damages from Heard. The panel awarded Heard $2 million in damages. Take a look at each count jurors considered.

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The Depp-Heard trial has captivated public interest with most onlookers echoing the jury’s sympathy for the former. Media coverage of the trial has been widespread which has the potential to shape public opinion surrounding domestic violence. In this #ExpressResearch piece, Mira Patel explains why attitudes towards domestic violence differ across cultures.

Akshay Kumar-Manushi Chhillar starrer Samrat Prithviraj will release in theatres tomorrow. We take a look at Akshay’s 30 years in the Hindi film industry, and the ever-increasing age gap with his female co-stars. With each year, Kumar gets older and the female co-stars younger. He is 29 years older than his Samrat Prithviraj co-star Manushi Chillar.

Political Pulse

Vacating his 7, Tughlaq Road residence in the national capital’s Lutyens’ zone, where he stayed for 22 years as a key player in national politics, socialist veteran Sharad Yadav said “Sangharsh jari rahega (struggle will continue)”. As he settles at his daughter’s house in a Delhi suburb now, Yadav speaks to The Indian Express on a host of burning political issues. Read here.

Ahead of the much anticipated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, reservation across the 236 electoral wards has emerged as the latest point of friction between the Shiv Sena and Congress, which are part of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance but are opposing parties in the Mumbai civic body. Sanjana Bhalerao reports why the Congress leaders are upset.

Express Explained

Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a historic trade agreement on May 31 with an aim to do trade worth more than $10 billion annually. The UAE is now the first country in the Arab world to have a free trade agreement with Israel. What is the deal? How must the deal be viewed given the Gulf region’s history? We explain.

After weeks of negotiations, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban was able to secure decisive concessions from the European Union in its sanctions against Russian oil. Hungary also received assurances that emergency measures would be put in place “in case of sudden interruptions of supply”, after Orban raised concerns about the possible risks to the Druzhba pipeline that enters Hungary through Ukraine. Who is Orban, his Russian ties, and troubles with the West. Read here.

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