PM Modi to respond to 'motion of thanks', Italian PM to testify in deepfake pornography trial… Today's headlines

It's going to be a busy Tuesday today with several major events scheduled for July 2nd.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will respond to the debate on 'Motion of Thanks' to the President's address while Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has been ordered to appear before an Uttar Pradesh court in the 2018 defamation case for allegedly making objectionable comments on BJP leader Amit Shah.

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) will submit its survey of the Bhojshala temple complex and Kamal Maula Mosque to the Madhya Pradesh High Court. Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana courts will hear Dera Sacha Sauda's petition seeking directions to grant it 21-day leave.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is to testify in a civil trial against two men accused of creating fake pornographic videos using her image and posting them online.

Let's take a look at everything that's going to happen today.

PM Modi to debate President's speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to thank the Speaker for her speech in the joint session of Parliament on Thursday (June 27). In the Rajya Sabha, BJP's Sudhanshu Trivedi moved the motion on Friday (June 28) while PM Modi may reply to the debate on July 2 in the Upper House.

As per parliamentary conventions and procedures, after the President's address in the joint sitting of Parliament, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha pass separate motions thanking the President for his address. The debate on the motion in both the Houses is likely to see the Treasury and Opposition benches launching sharp attacks on each other.

Court asks Rahul Gandhi to appear physically in defamation case

An MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 26 asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to appear before it on July 2 in a defamation case filed against him for allegedly making objectionable remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Advocate Santosh Kumar Pandey said one Ram Pratap had requested to be made a party in the case. Opposing the request, Mr Pandey said Pratap was neither a victim nor involved in the case.

ASI to submit inquiry report on Bhojshala temple, Kamal Maula mosque

The ASI will submit its study on the Bhojshala Temple and Kamal Maula Mosque complex to the Madhya Pradesh High Court. A petition was filed by Delhi-based social activist Salek Chand Jain seeking the right of the Jain community to worship in the Bhojshala Temple and Kamal Maula Mosque complex.

Salek Chand Jain's lawyer, Manohar Singh Chauhan, confirmed that the High Court is expected to hear the case this week. The petition highlights the importance of the complex to the Jain community, detailing its past role as an educational and religious centre where monks and scholars engaged in extensive translations of scriptures.

Deadline for submission of applications for the biennial election of the 11 MLC seats

July 2 is the last date for filing nominations for the biennial Maharashtra Legislative Council elections. Of the 11 incumbent members of the Legislative Council, two are from the Congress.

The ruling BJP has fielded five candidates, including former state minister Pankaja Munde, who lost the assembly elections to Beed in central Maharashtra. The biennial elections come just before the general elections, which are scheduled to be held in October.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim's 21 Day Leave Request

The Punjab and Haryana High Court will hear a petition by Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who is seeking 21 days' bail to try to carry out social activities outside jail. He is currently serving a sentence in Rohtak jail after being convicted of rape and murder.

In his application filed before the HC, the Dera chief claimed that he is the religious head of the institution where once in two years in the month of June, a 'Sewadar Shradhanjali Bhandara' is organised to pay homage to regular volunteers who have spent their lives in social services and lost their lives in accidents, serious illnesses or otherwise, to offer their condolences and extend all possible help to their bereaved families, The Times of India reported.

Giorgia Meloni to testify in deepfake pornography trial

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is to testify in a civil trial against two men accused of creating fake pornographic videos using her image and posting them online.

Meloni is seeking compensation from a 40-year-old man and his 73-year-old father over deepfake pornographic videos, which were uploaded to a US pornography website in 2020 and viewed millions of times, according to a BBC report.

A deepfake is an image or video that has been digitally manipulated to superimpose one person's face onto another's body.

Xi Jinping to visit Kazakhstan, Tajikistan

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to attend a series of diplomatic engagements in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan starting Tuesday, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.

China has recently stepped up its diplomatic initiatives in Central Asia, which occupies a crucial place in China's ambitious Belt and Road project, which aims to develop international infrastructure.

The region has come under increased scrutiny from Beijing following Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine in 2022, with former Soviet states expressing concerns over Moscow's growing belligerence.

That day