In what could be a historic day, the Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on a clutch of petitions demanding legal recognition for same-sex marriages today. The ruling would map out India’s jurisprudential acknowledgment of marriage equality and the realisation of rights that may emerge from such endorsement by the highest court of the land. The hearing in the case took place in March and April, during which intense arguments were witnessed from both sides – those in support and opposition. A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud had on May 11 reserved its verdict. Dig deeper.

Last night, a gunman killed two Swedish nationals and wounded a third in downtown Brussels, Belgium. In a video posted online, the gunman reportedly identified himself as a member of the Islamist State. “My name is Abdesalem Al Guilani and I am a fighter for Allah. I am from the Islamic State. We love who loves us and we hate who hates us,” he can be heard saying in the video. The incidents come even as European cities have been on high alert for possible extremist acts after the attacks by Palestine’s Hamas in Israel. However, officials, have so far said that there was no indication that the shooting is linked to the conflict in the Middle East. Dig deeper.

Latest news

Mumbai airport runways shut today, no flight operations for 6 hours. Dig deeper.

Kerala braces for heavy to very heavy rains, orange alert in 4 districts. Dig deeper.

India news

After three months, Centre clears appointment of Manipur HC Chief Justice. Dig deeper.

JD(S) won’t join NDA, says Karnataka unit chief. Dig deeper.

Global matters

Russia’s Putin arrives in China to meet ‘dear friend’ Xi Jinping. Dig deeper.

Donald Trump vows to bar Gaza refugees, expand Muslim travel ban if re-elected. Dig deeper.

Entertainment focus

Hema Malini’s immediate family was with her as she celebrated her 75th birthday in Mumbai on Monday. Ahead of her birthday, Hema had told Hindustan Times in an interview that Dharmendra had flown from the US for her birthday celebration. “He is here for my birthday, and the biggest gift he gives me is spending time with us,” she said with a smile. Dig deeper.

Sports going

Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur’s bizarre and controversial comment about the “partisan crowd” at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad did not go down well with the cricket fraternity. Besides India, Pakistan cricket legends have also lashed out at his remark. Now, ICC chairman Greg Barclay was asked to have his say on the matter and he downplayed it as mere criticism that every World Cup edition faces.”Every event that we have, there’s always criticisms from various quarters,” said. “Let’s see how the whole thing plays out and we’ll go away and we’ll review what could change, what we can do better.” Dig deeper.

That’s all we have at this hour in our morning briefing. Catch you in the afternoon.