THE HEADLINES:
- India and Cyprus condemn terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations; Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus President agree to deepen cooperation in key sectors including defence, maritime security, trade and investment.
- Prime Minister leaves for Canada to participate in G-7 Summit and hold bilateral meetings with top leaders.
- First meeting of high-level committee to investigate Ahmedabad plane crash held in New Delhi; Report to be submitted within three months.
- Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian announces plan to leave nuclear treaty amid intensifying conflict with Israel.
- IMD forecasts heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Saurashtra and Kutch tomorrow; Delhi-NCR likely to experience rain and thunderstorms till Friday.
- And ICC announces full schedule for Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup starting 30th September in India and Sri Lanka.
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India and Cyprus have unequivocally condemned terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations and reaffirmed their shared commitment to countering hybrid threats that undermine peace and stability. The two countries also urged all States to respect the sovereignty of other nations and called for the disruption of terrorism financing networks, the elimination of safe havens, dismantling of terrorist infrastructure, and bringing perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. In a joint declaration, issued after a delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia today, the two nations emphasised the need for a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained approach to combat terrorism across borders. Cyprus expressed solidarity and unwavering support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. The two leaders strongly condemned the gruesome killing of civilians in the recent Pahalgam terror attacks and emphasised that those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable. The declaration says that the two leaders agreed to deepen defence and security cooperation, including through collaboration between their respective defence industries, with a special focus on cybersecurity and emerging technologies. Both leaders also discussed expanding cooperation to include the maritime domain. Recognising the growing strategic complementarity between Cyprus and India, the leaders expressed their commitment to expanding economic ties through increased trade, investment, and collaboration in science, innovation, and research.
Addressing media with the Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace, Prime Minister Modi noted that Cyprus’s Vision 2035 and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 have much in common, and a roadmap will be created to shape the future of the partnership over the next five years.
The Prime Minister also thanked Cyprus for its support in India’s fight against cross-border terrorism, and announced plans to develop a real-time information exchange mechanism between both countries.
During the delegation-level talks, the two leaders held wide-ranging discussions covering the full spectrum of India-Cyprus relations.
Earlier, Mr. Modi held a one-on-one meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides, during which the Cypriot President conferred upon him the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III – the highest civilian honour of the Republic of Cyprus.
Both leaders also visited the historic centre of Nicosia and the mountainous region in Northern Cyprus, which has remained under Turkish occupation since 1974.
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Prime Minister Modi embarked on a visit to Kananaskis, Canada this evening after successfully concluding his visit to Cyprus. During the two day visit at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Mr Modi will participate in the G-7 Summit and also hold bilateral meetings with top leaders. The Prime Minister will exchange views with leaders of G-7 countries, other invited outreach countries and Heads of International Organisations on crucial global issues. These issues include energy security, technology and innovation, particularly the AI-energy nexus and Quantum-related issues.
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Financial Action Task Force, FATF has condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, saying the attack could not have occurred without financial backing. The global watchdog said in a statement that the Pahalgam attack and other recent attacks could not have happened without money and means to move funds between terrorist supporters. The FATF reaffirmed its support to over 200 jurisdictions within its Global Network to build and enhance their counter-financing of terrorism measures.
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The first meeting of the high-level committee set up by the government to investigate the Ahmedabad plane crash was held in New Delhi today. The committee was chaired by the Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan. The members of the high-level multi-disciplinary committee including Secretary Ministry of Civil Aviation, Senior Officials from Home Ministry, Officials of Home Department and State Disaster Response Authority of Gujarat, Police Commissioner of Ahmedabad, Director General of Inspection and Safety in the Indian Air Force and Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security also attended the meeting. The panel will submit its report within three months which is expected to focus on formulating Standard Operating Procedures for preventing such occurrences in the future.
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In Gujarat, the last rites of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash, are being performed with full state honours in Rajkot. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and other senior leaders paid their respects to the late leader.
“The entire state of Gujarat is observing a day of mourning today to mark the loss of the senior leader. Thousands of people have joined the procession to bid farewell to their beloved leader, while many others gathered at his residence to pay tribute to the late leader. Meanwhile, in the plane crash incident, DNA samples of 119 deceased individuals have been matched so far, and 76 bodies have been handed over to their relatives. DNA sample matching process is accelerating and is expected to be completed within a day or two. With Mayur Solanki, Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News Ahmedabad.”
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Iran is planning to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty amid intensifying conflict with Israel. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran’s Parliament is drafting legislation to leave the nuclear treaty. The President reiterated Tehran’s stance that it has no plans to develop nuclear weapons and underscored that Iran’s nuclear activities remain focused on peaceful energy and research. Meanwhile, Iran today executed Esmaeil Fekri, convicted of spying for Israel’s Mossad.
“Iran’s Health Ministry reported that at least 224 people have died since fighting erupted on Friday, a majority of whom were civilians who were caught up in Israeli air strikes on military targets and infrastructure. Israeli fatalities now total more than 20, with over 300 wounded as the conflict burns to its most intense level yet. Iranian forces launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes at Israeli civilian targets last night and into Monday.
Israel responded with repeated air raids on Iranian military, nuclear, and energy sites all through Monday. The Israeli Air Force demonstrated what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as having achieved complete operational freedom over Iranian airspace including the capital city of Tehran.
The Israel Defense Forces reported significant tactical advances, announcing that they had destroyed roughly one-third of Iran’s stockpile. VINOD KUMAR, AKASHVANI NEWS, DUBAI”
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Saurashtra and Kutch tomorrow. Parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Karnataka, Gangetic West Bengal, Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Odisha, and northeastern states are also expected to witness heavy rainfall during the next 2-3 days. IMD further added that Delhi-NCR is likely to experience light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds till Friday.
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At least 25 people were killed in lightning strikes in 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the last two days.
“As per data released by the relief commissioner’s office, five deaths were reported in Prayagraj district, four in Jaunpur, and two each in Lalitpur, Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Bijnor. Apart from that one each in Lucknow, Kanpur Dehat, Kushinagar, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Sambhal, Jhansi and Jalaun districts lost their lives. Taking note of the deaths, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to carry out a survey of the affected areas and help the families. The Chief Minister directed the district administration officers to visit the affected areas and provide financial assistance to the family members of the deceased and others who suffered losses. Adityanath said officers should conduct a survey to assess crop loss and send a report to the government so that further action can be taken. On the other hand, the Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for heavy rains in the western parts of the state and an orange alert for the eastern areas in the next 24 hours. Om Awasthi, Akashvani News, Lucknow. “
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As many 19 people have lost their lives in various rain related incidents since the arrival of monsoon in Maharashtra.
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The benchmark domestic equity indices rebounded today, snapping their two-day losing streak. Both the indices edged up, fuelled by buying across all sectors, offsetting geopolitical jitters. The 30-share index at the Bombay Stock Exchange, Sensex, gained 678 points, to close at 81,796. The National Stock Exchange Nifty-50, rose 228 points, to settle at 24,947.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the full schedule for the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, set to be played from 30th September to 2nd of November in India and Sri Lanka. While India holds official hosting rights, Sri Lanka will serve as the neutral venue for all of Pakistan’s matches due to ongoing political tensions between the two nations.
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In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” at 09.30 PM today, we will bring an insightful discussion on Cyber Scams: How to Stay Safe Online with Lt. Col. Badal Kaushik, Director, Cyber Fraud Mitigation Centre, Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and Gulshan Rai, Cyber Security Expert.
During the programme, the listeners will have the opportunity to ask our experts questions on how to safeguard oneself against cyber frauds and online scams.
To participate, simply dial the telephone numbers 011 – 23421050 and 011 – 23314444.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- India and Cyprus condemn terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations; Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus President agree to deepen cooperation in key sectors including defence, maritime security, trade and investment.
- Prime Minister leaves for Canada to participate in G-7 Summit and hold bilateral meetings with top leaders.
- First meeting of high-level committee to investigate Ahmedabad plane crash held in New Delhi; Report to be submitted within three months.
- Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian announces plan to leave nuclear treaty amid intensifying conflict with Israel.
- IMD forecasts heavy to extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places over Saurashtra and Kutch tomorrow; Delhi-NCR likely to experience rain and thunderstorms till Friday.
- And ICC announces full schedule for Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup starting 30th September in India and Sri Lanka.
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