Evening News -

THE HEADLINES:

27 Naxalites including top Maoist leader Basava Raju killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh; Prime Minister Narendra Modi commends security forces for their remarkable success in operation against Maoists.
India launches a global campaign to expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism with two all party delegations leaving for nine nations today.
Kannada Writer Banu Mushtaq’s short story collection ‘Heart Lamp’ makes history by winning the International Booker Prize.
IMD forecasts early arrival of South West Monsoon over Kerala; Heavy rainfall continues in Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Coastal Karnataka.
In IPL Cricket, Delhi Capitals elect to bowl first in a must win clash against hosts Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.

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In Chhattisgarh, 27 Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces today. Top Naxal leader and CPI Maoist general secretary Basav Raju is among those killed. A reward of about one crore rupees was declared on him. Security forces have recovered a large number of weapons and other Maoist material along with the bodies of all the Maoists killed from the spot. A jawan of District Reserve Guard was martyred in the encounter.

On receiving intelligence inputs about the presence of a large number of Maoists along with a member of the Central Committee and Polit bureau of Naxalites in the Abujhmad area of Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, teams of District Reserve Guard of four districts – Narayanpur, Dantewada, Bijapur and Kondagaon started a joint operation about two days ago. Despite the difficult geographical conditions of this area and many other challenges, the security forces carried forward this decisive operation with full commitment. As a result, the security forces have succeeded in killing twenty-seven Maoists including a top Naxal leader. The search operation is still going on in this area.Vikalp Shukla, AkashVani News, Raipur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed pride at the success of country’s security forces for their remarkable success in the operation against Maoists at Chhattisgarh today. In a social media post, Mr Modi said government is committed to eliminating the menace of Maoism and ensuring a life of peace and progress for the country’s people.

Home Minister Amit Shah has termed today’s operation against Maoists in Chhattisgarh as a landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism. In a social media post, Mr Shah said that in the operation in Narayanpur, security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju. He was the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, top most leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement. The Home Minister noted that this is the first time in three decades of India’s battle against Naxalism that a general secretary-ranked leader has been neutralized by the nation’s forces.

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India has launched its aggressive global campaign to further expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism with two all party delegations leaving for nine nations today. An all-party delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha left for a five nation tour of Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore as part of India’s diplomatic outreach on Operation Sindoor. Another delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde is also embarking on a visit to the UAE, Liberia, Congo and Sierra Leone to affirm New Delhi’s resolve on combating terrorism in all its forms.

Talking to the media before the departure of his delegation, Mr. Sanjay Jha said terrorism is a part of Pakistan’s state policy, and they will tell the world how Islamabad has been sponsoring terrorism.

Our correspondent reports that seven multi-party delegations have been set up to reach out to the international community on Pakistan’s nefarious designs and India’s successful anti-terror operation.

Immediately after the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack, India had reached out to global leaders and partners to corner Pakistan for its cross border terrorism and sheltering of terrorists. World leaders had shown solidarity with India, condemning the terror attack. New Delhi not only striked terror dens in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor, but also gave befitting reply to subsequent Pakistani aggression by hitting its military installations. At the same time, New Delhi also further unmasked Islamabad’s state policy of supporting terrorism citing state funeral accorded to the slain terrorists. The multi party delegations visiting 32 countries in a fortnight to present India’s firm stand against Pak-sponsored terrorism is a strategic move to isolate Pakistan globally for propagating terror from its soil. They are expected to engage with diplomats, parliamentarians, media, civil society, and Indian diaspora, among others to firmly present India’s stand. Pallavi Parmar, Akashvani News, Delhi.

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India has rejected allegations made by Pakistan regarding Indian involvement with the incident in Khuzdar earlier today and termed these as baseless. In response to media queries regarding allegations by Pakistan, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it has become second nature for Pakistan to blame India for all its internal issues in order to divert attention from its reputation as the global epicenter of terrorism and to hide its own gross failings. He said this attempt to hoodwink the world is doomed to fail. The spokesperson said India condoles the loss of lives in all such incidents.

At least six people, including four children, were killed and several others injured in a bomb attack on a school bus in Khuzdar town, located in Pakistan’s Balochistan region, earlier today. Local media reported that the bus was carrying around 40 school children when it exploded just outside the remote town of Khuzdar. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

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India has declared a Pakistani official, working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, persona non grata for indulging in activities not in keeping with his official status in India. The official has been asked to leave India within 24 hours. External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that Charge d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission was issued a demarche to this effect today.

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Renowned commentator on trans-boundary water issue, Uttam Kumar Sinha has described India’s recent decision to keep Indus Water Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance as a carefully thought-out diplomatic approach after the Pahalgam terror attack. Talking exclusively to Akashvani News, Mr. Sinha stated that India will continue with its decision with the hope that Pakistan rectifies its behavior and cooperates in a manner that restricts cross-border terrorism in future.

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Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the world is looking at India to provide new AI regulation model. In an interview to a media house, Mr Vaishnaw said India is taking a techno-legal approach to regulate AI. He said teams have been empanelled to develop technologies for AI safety, such as detecting deepfakes, biases and unlearning models. The Minister stressed that the AI mission is working well, and India aims to remain among the top five AI nations in terms of capability, use and talent in the world.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate 103 Amrit Bharat Stations tomorrow with modern amenities. In a social media post, Prime Minister Modi said, tomorrow is a landmark day for India’s railway infrastructure as Amrit Stations will boost comfort, connectivity and celebrate the country’s glorious culture.

Prime Minister Modi will visit Bikaner in Rajasthan and inaugurate the redeveloped Deshnok Railway Station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. He will also flag-off Bikaner-Mumbai express train.

More than 1,300 railway stations in the country are being redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Yojana, out of which the Prime Minister will inaugurate 103 redeveloped railway stations. These comprise eight stations of Rajasthan including Deshnok, Bundi, Gogamedi, Govindgarh, Mandawar-Mahwa Road, Mandalgarh, Fatehpur Shekhawati and Rajgarh. All the necessary passenger facilities including grand entrance gate, attractive facade, high mast lights, modern waiting rooms, ticket counter and modern toilet have been developed at these stations. These stations are also completely Divyaanjan friendly. Local folk art, culture and traditions have been given special importance at these stations. Overall, Amrit Station is a unique blend of convenience, beauty and culture. Jitendra Dwivedi, AkashVani News, Bikaner.

A total of 19 Amrit stations are located in different locations of Uttar Pradesh and are fully ready to provide modern facilities to the passengers.

These modern Amrit Bharat stations situated at Bijnor, Saharanpur Junction, Idgah Agra Junction, Goverdhan, Fatehabad, Govindpuri, Izzatnagar, Bareilly City, Hathras City, Ujhani, Siddharth Nagar, Balrampur, and other places are equipped with modern facilities. Bijnor station has undergone a complete transformation. The revamped station now features air-conditioned waiting halls, lifts, spacious parking, waiting sheds, water coolers, upgraded and cleaner toilets, enhanced fire safety infrastructure, ramps and toilets for divyangjan, and smart TVs. The new station building blends modern design elements while preserving the heritage and cultural legacy of the region. Saklen Akhtar for Akashvani News, Bijnor.

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Banu Mushtaq’s short story collection ‘Heart Lamp’ has won the International Booker Prize in London. Her award-winning work, Heart Lamp, is a collection of twelve short stories translated into English by Deepa Bhasthi. The book, originally titled in Kannada Hridaya Deepa, traces decades of Mushtaq’s literary output from 1990 to 2023 and was recognized for its compelling portrayals of familial and societal conflict in Karnataka.

It is a watershed moment for Karnataka and Kannada literature as Banu Mushtaq won the International Booker prize for her book Heart Lamp. In 2013 the literary icon U R Ananthamurthy became the first Kannada writer to be shortlisted for the Man Booker but missed it. That honour of Booker for Kannada writers is now realised by Banu Mushtaq, taking Kannada literature to the world literary stage. Born in Hassan in Karnataka, Banu Mushtaq gave voice to the downtrodden, women and minorities through her writings. Heart Lamp is a compilation of 12 stories on injustices, resilience and survival. Sudhindra, Akashvani News, Bengaluru.

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The Southwest Monsoon is likely to arrive early this year, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting monsoon onset over Kerala during the next 3 to 4 days. IMD has said that conditions are favourable for the monsoon onset over Kerala five days ahead of its usual date of 1st of next month. Talking exclusively to Akashvani News, DG, IMD Mritunjay Mahapatra said the southwest monsoon is now expected to hit Kerala within the next 3 to 4 days.

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Meanwhile, a cyclonic system over the Arabian Sea has triggered unseasonal rainfall across several parts of Gujarat, bringing temporary relief from the scorching heat. Director IMD of Gujarat region, AK Das said heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm is likely in the coastal districts of Saurashtra and South Gujarat over the next two days.

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In IPL T20 cricket, host Mumbai Indians were 138 for 5 in 18.1 overs against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Earlier, Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to field.

If Mumbai wins, the equation is straight forward with the Hardik Pandya-led team directly qualifying for the playoffs. Meanwhile, if Delhi win, they stay alive in the playoffs and will have to win against Punjab Kings in the final encounter.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-

27 Naxalites including top Maoist leader Basava Raju killed in an encounter in Chhattisgarh; Prime Minister Narendra Modi commends security forces for their remarkable success in operation against Maoists.
India launches a global campaign to expose Pakistan-sponsored terrorism with two all party delegations leaving for nine nations today.
Kannada Writer Banu Mushtaq’s short story collection ‘Heart Lamp’ makes history by winning the International Booker Prize.
IMD forecasts early arrival of South West Monsoon over Kerala; Heavy rainfall continues in Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Coastal Karnataka.
In IPL Cricket, Delhi Capitals elect to bowl first in a must win clash against hosts Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.

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