Evening News

THE HEADLINES:

Government approves development of Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan at cost of over 1,500 crore rupees; Also clears over 8,000 crore rupees six-lane Capital Region Ring Road project in Odisha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity on India-China border during meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi; China assures of addressing India’s requirement of fertilisers and rare earths.
Parliament passes Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill.
Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in Maharashtra, crippling normal life across Mumbai as waterlogging disrupts movement.
In Cricket, India squad announced for upcoming Men’s T20 Asia Cup and Women’s ODI World Cup.

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The government has approved development of Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan at an estimated cost of 1,507 crore rupees. Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the Union Cabinet’s decisions while briefing media in New Delhi this afternoon.

Mr Vaishnaw said, Cabinet has also approved construction of a 6-lane access-controlled Capital Region Ring Road in Odisha at a cost of over 8,307 crore rupees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post congratulated the people of Odisha and Rajasthan for cabinet decisions announced today related to the both states.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity on the India-China border, and reiterated India’s commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question. Mr Modi received Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi this evening. Mr Yi handed over a message and invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Prime Minister for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit being held in Tianjin. Prime Minister Modi welcomed the steady and positive progress in bilateral ties since his meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, including the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra. He thanked President Xi for the invitation to the SCO Summit and conveyed his acceptance.

Earlier in the day, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held the 24th round of Special Representatives dialogue on the boundary question between the countries in New Delhi.

The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that the discussions covered issues related to de-escalation, delimitation and boundary affairs.

The Chinese Foreign Minister arrived in New Delhi yesterday on a two day official visit to India. Soon after arriving, Mr Wang Yi held bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. Sources said that China has promised to address three key concerns of India. They said Chinese Foreign Minister assured Dr S Jaishankar during their meeting that China is addressing India’s needs of fertilisers, rare earths and tunnel boring machines. During the visit, the Indian side strongly raised the issue of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. Mr Wang Yi concurred that countering terrorism should be given the highest priority. Our correspondent has filed this report

“During the discussions, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar underlined India’s concerns with regard to the mega dam construction being undertaken by China in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo or Brahmaputra river, which will have implications for lower riparian states. The need for utmost transparency in this regard was strongly underlined. The Chinese side raised the issue of Taiwan. The Indian side underlined that there was no change in its position on this issue. It pointed out that, like the rest of the world, India had a relationship with Taiwan that focuses on economic, technological and cultural ties and that this would continue. The Indian side noted that China also cooperates with Taiwan in these very domains. Suparna Saikia, Akashvani News, Delhi.”

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar reached Moscow this evening on a three day official visit to Russia. He will co-chair the 26th Session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation tomorrow. During the visit, the External Affairs Minister will also meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and review the bilateral agenda and share perspective on regional and global issues.

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Parliament has passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025 with the Rajya Sabha approving it today. The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill. The bill will further amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957.

Earlier, moving the Bill in the Upper House, Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said, these amendments made in MMDR Act are an important step towards making India self-reliant in minerals.

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Proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament today were disrupted over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive of electoral rolls in Bihar. The Lok Sabha was adjourned three times while the Rajya Sabha witnessed one adjournment before being adjourned for the day.

When the Lok Sabha met after the third adjournment at 4 PM, the House passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025 amid the noisy scene. The Bill will further amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017. It seeks to establish the Indian Institute of Management at Guwahati in Assam which is an important centre of the North-Eastern region of the country.

Earlier, the House amid uproar resumed special discussion on India’s first astronaut, Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, aboard the International Space Station, focusing on the critical role of the space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047.

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National Democratic Alliance (NDA’s) Vice Presidential candidate CP Radhakrishnan will file his nomination tomorrow. All NDA leaders will participate in the nomination filing process. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the NDA Parliamentary Party meeting in New Delhi today appealed to all political parties, including the opposition to unanimously support NDA’s candidate for the Vice Presidential election.

Meanwhile, opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc has fielded former Supreme Court Judge B Sudershan Reddy as its candidate for the Vice-Presidential election. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge made the announcement about the decision during a press conference in National Capital this afternoon. Mr Kharge informed that Mr Reddy will file his nomination on Thursday. The Vice Presidential Election will be held on the 9th of next month.

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Heavy rainfall has wreaked havoc in Maharashtra, crippling normal life across Mumbai as waterlogging disrupted the movement. A cloudburst in Nanded district claimed eight lives, with Hasnaal village still 80 percent submerged. The Army, along with the State Disaster Response Force, is actively conducting rescue operations, relocating residents, setting up medical camps, and distributing food. In Mumbai, schools, colleges, and government offices remained shut, while local train services were hit due to heavy rainfall. More from our Mumbai correspondent:

“Some parts of Mumbai have witnessed record breaking rainfall of around 300 mm in a short span of time, leading to excessive waterlogging and disruptions. Evacuations were conducted in Kurla region this morning as the Mithi River started overflowing, posing danger to locals. According to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai over 16 thousand million litres of water, which is double the capacity of Tulsi Lake, has been pumped in the last four days. Incessant rains led to disruptions in local and long distance train services across Central Railway. Private offices were directed to allow work from home. The intensity of rain is likely to reduce by tomorrow However, the red alert warning will continue for Raigad and Pune districts. NISHA RANEY, AKASHWANI NEWS, MUMBAI.”

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready to hold one-on-one talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in any type of format without preconditions to end the war. Mr. Zelenskyy made the comments to reporters following talks with US President Donald Trump and European leaders at the White House yesterday. After the meeting, President Trump announced plans to arrange face-to-face talks between President Putin and President Zelensky to end the Ukraine conflict.

Meanwhile, the United States will no longer provide free weapons or financial aid to Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this in an interview with a television Channel. Mr Rubio said the US will now sell arms to Ukraine, with European countries covering the cost through NATO.

In a related development, US President Donald Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin today on Ukraine conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that US President has received a formal invitation to visit Moscow.

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Benchmark domestic equity indices ended with gains of over 0.4 per cent. We have a report:

“Sensex rose 370 points to close at 81 thousand 644. While, Nifty gained 103 points to settle at 24 thousand 980. The broader market indices at the Bombay Stock Exchange also moved upward. Both the Mid-Cap index and the Small-Cap index gained 0.97 per cent.The rupee today appreciated by 39 paise to close at 86 rupees and 95 paise against the US dollar. ARJUN CHAUDHURI, FOR AKASHVANI NEWS.”

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In Cricket, Suryakumar Yadav will captain the 15-member Indian T20 squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 tournament to be played in the UAE from 9th of next month. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the announcement today. India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill has made his return to the T20 International format after being appointed as Vice-Captain of the team. The other notable inclusions in the squad were top two T20 batters in the world rankings, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Meanwhile, 15-member squad was also announced today for ICC Women’s ODI World Cup to be held in India from 30th of next month. Senior batter Harmanpreet Kaur will lead India for the first time in the ODI World Cup, with star opener Smriti Mandhana appointed as her deputy. Opener Shafali Verma is a notable omission from the squad.

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In 16th Asian Shooting Championship, Rashmika Sahgal has won gold, India’s third individual yellow medal on day two of the competition at Shymkent in Kazakhstan. Rashmika clinched the junior women’s air pistol crown today.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :

Government approves development of Green Field Airport at Kota-Bundi in Rajasthan at cost of over 1,500 crore rupees; Also clears over 8,000 crore rupees six-lane Capital Region Ring Road project in Odisha.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stresses importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity on India-China border during meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi; China assures of addressing India’s requirement of fertilisers and rare earths.
Parliament passes Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill.
Heavy rainfall wreaks havoc in Maharashtra, crippling normal life across Mumbai as waterlogging disrupts movement.
In Cricket, India squad announced for upcoming Men’s T20 Asia Cup and Women’s ODI World Cup.