Midday News -

THE HEADLINES:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India and Cyprus contribute to global peace and stability through closer cooperation and shared vision; Holds delegation-level talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides to review bilateral relations.

Cyprus confers highest civilian honour “Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III’ upon Prime Minister Modi.

Sixteenth census to be held in two phases beginning from 1st October 2026.

Casualties mount as war between Israel and Iran escalates with both sides firing new waves of missiles amid international pleas for de-escalation.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall continues over Konkan, Goa, and Coastal Karnataka; IMD issues red alert for heavy rainfall for west-coast region.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is holding a delegation-level talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at Nicosia, to review bilateral relations and explore new avenues of cooperation particularly in trade, investment, infrastructure, and innovation. Regional and global issues, including India-European Union relations and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, are also expected to feature prominently in the discussions.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the highest honour of Cyprus, the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III. The award was presented by President Nikos Christodoulides during a special ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. Named after Archbishop Makarios III, the first President of Cyprus, the honour is reserved for Heads of State and distinguished global leaders in recognition of their exceptional contributions.

Expressing his gratitude, Prime Minister Modi said the honour was not just for him, but for the 1.4 billion people of India. He said both countries would continue to contribute to global peace and stability through closer cooperation and shared vision.

The honour marks a significant moment in Prime Minister Modi’s historic visit to Cyprus, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over two decades.

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The Government today issued a notification to conduct the Census. The notification issued by the Home Ministry said, the reference date for the census shall be 1st March 2027, except for the Union territory of Ladakh the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. For these areas, the reference date shall be 1st October, 2026. A Report from our Correspondent:

“The Census will be conducted in two phases. The phase one is House-listing Operation, in which the housing conditions, assets and amenities of each household will be collected. In the second phase which is Population Enumeration, the demographic, socio-economic, cultural and other details of every person each household will be collected. In this Census, Caste enumeration will also be done. For Census activities, about 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors and around 1.3 lakh Census functionaries will be deployed. The ensuing Census will be conducted through digital means using mobile applications. Provision of Self-enumeration would also be made available to the people. Very stringent data security measures would be kept in place to ensure data security at the time of collection, transmission and storage. This Census will mark the 16th national Census since its inception and the eighth since India’s independence. ANUPAM MISHRA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked State Relief Commissioners to prepare District a Disaster Management Plan for each district in the next 90 days. Addressing the Conference of the Relief Commissioners of States and Union Territories and the Disaster Response Forces in New Delhi today, Mr Shah said, to respond to disasters it is important to a have Disaster Management Plan at District level. He said, the Government is moving ahead with Zero Casualty Approach while responding to disasters. Mr Shah said, in the last 10 years, India has made significant achievements in the areas of capacity, efficiency, speed and accuracy. Mr Shah said, due to climate change and global warming, the world is worried about disasters.

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The first meeting of the high-level committee set up by the government to investigate the Ahmedabad plane crash will be held this afternoon in New Delhi. The committee will be chaired by the Union Home Secretary. The members of the high-level multi-disciplinary committee including Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation, Senior Officials from Home Ministry, Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, Director General of Inspection and Safety in the Indian Air Force and Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security will attend the meeting. The committee will submit its report within three months.

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The mortal remains of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s body were handed over to his family today after a DNA match was done last evening. Vijay Rupani died in a plane crash in Ahmedabad on the 12th June. The family left with the mortal remains, which are being taken to Rajkot. The mortal remains will be kept at his residence in Rajkot. The last rites will be performed after 5 PM. Vijay Rupani served as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021.

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In Gujarat, so far, 92 DNA samples of the Ahmedabad plane crash victims have been matched. Out of these, 47 bodies have been handed over to the relatives. Additional Superintendent of Civil Hospital Dr. Rajneesh Patel said the families of those whose DNA has been matched have been informed. 13 people have come to take the body since this morning.

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The escalating conflict between Iran and Israel has now entered its fourth day, with relentless missile exchanges claiming hundreds of lives and causing widespread destruction across both nations. The overnight barrage, which wounded at least 100 additional civilians, represents Tehran’s continued retaliation against Israel’s preemptive strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and ballistic missile programs.

“As world leaders convene for the G7 summit in Canada, fears of a wider West Asian war loom large. In a major escalation, Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv and the port city of Haifa in the early hours of Monday, destroying homes and pushing Israel’s death toll to 18 since fighting began on Friday. The conflict has claimed over 240 lives so far, mostly civilians. G7 leaders have made the crisis a top priority. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed the urgency of halting Iran’s nuclear ambitions, reaffirmed support for Israel’s self-defense, and called for a diplomatic resolution. But efforts to de-escalate face roadblocks. Iran has rejected ceasefire talks, and the planned round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations has been scrapped highlighting just how fragile the situation is. Vinod Kumar for Akashvani news, Dubai.”

Both nations continue to threaten further escalation despite mounting international pressure for restraint. International efforts to broker a ceasefire have thus far proven unsuccessful, as the conflict that began on Friday shows no signs of abating. The risk of broader regional escalation remains high as world leaders at the G7 meeting express growing alarm.

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The UK’s foreign intelligence agency, MI6, will be led by a woman for the first time in its 116-year history. Blaise Metreweli, who joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999, will become the 18th chief of the organisation, taking over from Richard Moore later this year. Metreweli, who currently oversees technology and innovation at the agency, said she was proud and honoured to have been asked to lead. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the appointment historic noting that it comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital.

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India’s wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation eased to a 14-month low of 0.39 per cent in May, down from 0.85 percent in April. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry the Food inflation dropped to 1.72 per cent from 2.55 per cent, while primary articles saw a contraction of 2.02 per cent.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing a press conference along with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Coastal Karnataka, Konkan and Goa today. Parts of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, and northeastern states are also expected to experience heavy rainfall during the next 2-3 days. Dr. Jenamani added that there has not been any progress in Monsoon in any part of India but heavy to very heavy rainfall is still continuing over Konkan, Goa, and Coastal Karnataka. He said in most of the stations temperatures were below 40 degrees Celsius, or normal.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India and Cyprus contribute to global peace and stability through closer cooperation and shared vision; Holds delegation-level talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides to review bilateral relations.

Cyprus confers highest civilian honour “Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III’ upon Prime Minister Modi.

Sixteenth census to be held in two phases beginning from 1st October 2026.

Casualties mount as war between Israel and Iran escalates with both sides firing new waves of missiles amid international pleas for de-escalation.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall continues over Konkan, Goa, and Coastal Karnataka; IMD issues red alert for heavy rainfall for west-coast region.

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