THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi; Agreements expected to be signed in the fields of defence, hi-tech aircraft, economy, space exploration and artificial intelligence.
- Prime Minister Modi says, India is on the side of peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
- Government says, no penalty or action for three months for delayed registration of Waqf properties on UMEED Portal.
- Policy repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent; GDP growth estimates for 2025-26 revised to 7.3 per cent.
- And, in FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025, India to face Belgium in quarterfinals at Chennai, today.
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A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin is underway in New Delhi. In the meeting with the Russian President, the Prime Minister emphasized that the welfare of the world is only possible through the path of peace. He expressed confidence that with the efforts that have been ongoing for the past few days the world will return to peace.
Mr. Modi said that India and Russia have been having constant communication after the Ukraine crisis and this shows the trust between the two nations. The Prime Minister asserted that India has a side and that side is of peace.
The Russian President said that over the past years India has done a great deal of work to develop the relationship between the two countries. He added that both nations opened additional areas for cooperation, including hi-tech aircraft, space exploration and artificial intelligence.
Both leaders reviewed progress in bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. A number of agreements are expected to be signed following the talks, including in areas related to defence, trade, economy, healthcare, academics, culture and media.
The Russian President was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan this morning. The visiting dignitary also paid his respects to Mahatma Gandhi by laying a wreath at Rajghat. In the evening, President Droupadi Murmu will receive the Russian President and host a banquet in his honour. President Putin arrived in New Delhi last evening on a state visit to India for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit. Our correspondent has filed this report:
“The bonhomie between Prime Minister Modi and President Putin is there for all to see. In a special gesture, Prime Minister Modi welcomed President Putin upon his arrival at the airport. The Kremlin praised the surprise welcome at the airport and termed it as warm and unexpected. The Leaders then proceeded together in the same car towards Prime Minister’s official residence for dinner. The Prime Minister also gifted a copy of the Bhagwad Gita in Russian to Mr Putin. India and Russia have deep and historic cultural linkages. Various writers, philosophers, thinkers and artists have exercised mutual influence on each other’s art, culture and societies. A number of Russian universities and institutions teach Indian languages. Indian cinema was especially popular in the Soviet period with screenings in most major cities and urban centers. Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Kiren Rijiju has assured that the government will not impose any penalties and strict action for the next three months against those who have not registered wakf properties on the UMEED Portal.
Talking to reporters in New Delhi, Mr Rijiju said that the decision was taken after several Members of Parliament and community representatives requested additional time, citing challenges faced by mutawallis in completing the process. He urged mutawallis to approach the Waqf Tribunal if they are still unable to complete the process within the grace period.
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Union Parliament Minister Kiren Rijiju criticized leaders of opposition including DMK over issue of lamp lighting at a temple in Madurai saying, it is a wrong precedent to raise such matters in the parliament despite, knowing that the case is subjudice. The Minister was responding in Lok Sabha during the Zero hours after the issue was raised by the DMK and other opposition parties. Mr Rijiju said they are trying to cast aspersion on the judiciary and Judge of High court. He said the government is taking this matter very seriously.
In a brief intervention, BJP Minister L Murugan also accused DMK of playing politics and raise the issue in the state assembly and not in parliament.
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Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said that the train accidents in the country have come down by 90 per cent. He said, the number of train accidents between 2004 to 2014 was around 171 which has gone down drastically due to the various steps taken by the government. Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Mr Vaishnaw said, the government is working on the root cause of the accidents and taking systematic measures to deal with them. He said, India’s indigenous Automatic Train Protection, Kavach has been designed to prevent train collisions.
Replying to the issue of train punctuality, Mr Vaishnaw said that around 25 thousand trains run daily and 80 per cent of punctuality of trains has been achieved, which is a significant milestone.
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The government today said that the welfare of farmers is its highest priority. Replying to supplementaries in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour today, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. He said, Modi government has accomplished all three tasks, increasing production, reducing costs, and ensuring fair prices for the produce. Mr Chouhan said, the UPA Government did not accept the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee, but the NDA Government decided that Minimum Support Price, MSP, will be fixed by adding a 50 per cent profit margin to the cost.
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The Reserve Bank of India, RBI today cut the interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent in a bid to further bolster economic growth. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra announced the decision in the fifth bi-monthly monetary policy for the current fiscal.
The development is expected to make various advances, including housing, auto, and commercial loans, cheaper. The rate cut comes on the back of the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based headline retail inflation remaining below the 2 per cent lower band mandated by the government for the last three months. India’s retail inflation dropped to a historic low of 0.25 per cent in October 2025, marking the lowest level since the CPI series was introduced. He added that the Indian economy has recorded better-than-expected GDP growth of 8.2 per cent in the second quarter.
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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has withdrawn the rule that prohibited airlines from counting sick or privilege leave taken by crew members as part of their mandatory weekly rest period. In a letter to all operators, the DGCA said that, in view of the ongoing operational disruptions and the representations received from various airlines regarding the need to ensure continuity and stability of operations, the rule has now been removed with immediate effect. The DGCA had previously mandated that no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest.
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The Tourism Ministry is organizing the third edition of Carnatic Music Festival – Krishnaveni Sangeetha Neerajanam 2025 in Vijayawada tomorrow. The Ministry informed that this year’s theme, Celebrating the Richness of Telugu Music Traditions, reflects the festival’s objective to strengthen the cultural identity of Andhra Pradesh. It said that a total of 18 concerts featuring 98 artists are scheduled across the two-day festival.
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In Uttarakhand, five passengers have been killed and five others injured when a vehicle fell into a deep gorge near Bagh Dhar in Champawat district late last night. The injured have been admitted to the Sub-District Hospital in Lohaghat. The accident occurred while the passengers were returning from a wedding function in the Pati block. Police, SDRF, and local residents carried out a rescue operation to recover the bodies and bring the injured to safety. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
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The 14th round of the India-Oman Strategic Consultative Group meeting was held in Muscat, Oman, yesterday. The meeting reviewed the multifaceted strategic partnership between India and Oman in areas including political, defence, security, trade, investment, energy, agriculture, education, culture and people-to-people ties. The two sides also discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.
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Several universities in the United Kingdom have begun suspending or halting admissions of students from Bangladesh and Pakistan amid tightened immigration controls and rising concerns over alleged visa misuse. According to local reports, at least nine UK higher education institutions have imposed restrictions on applicants from what they classify as “high-risk” countries. The move follows a sharp rise in visa refusal rates and asylum claims linked to international students.
The tightening comes after the UK Home Office revised its Basic Compliance Assessment rules in September, lowering the acceptable visa refusal threshold for universities from 10 per cent to 5 per cent.
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In FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025, India will face traditional rivals Belgium in the quarterfinals today at Egmore in Chennai. The PR Sreejesh-coached side has been mercurial in the round robin stage, notching up significant victories against sides that are not traditionally strong in hockey. They beat Chile 7-0, Oman 17-0 and Switzerland 5-0.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions in Punjab, Haryana, East Rajasthan and Jharkhand today. The weather agency has predicted dense fog conditions in Himachal Pradesh and Odisha for the next two days. Similar conditions are expected in isolated pockets of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during the next two days. IMD has said that heavy rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning are likely to prevail over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal today.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, were trading on a bullish note in afternoon trade today. The Sensex surged 458 points to 85 thousand and 723, while the Nifty added 156 points to 26 thousand 190, when reports last came in. On the sectoral front, IT, Financial Services and PSU Bank were gaining the most, while Services, Media, and FMCG witnessed selling pressure.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi; Agreements expected to be signed in the fields of defence, hi-tech aircraft, economy, space exploration and artificial intelligence.
- Prime Minister Modi says, India is on the side of peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
- Government says, no penalty or action for three months for delayed registration of Waqf properties on UMEED Portal.
- Policy repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent; GDP growth estimates for 2025-26 revised to 7.3 per cent.
- And, in FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025, India to face Belgium in quarterfinals at Chennai, today.
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