Evening News

THE HEADLINES:

ISRO successfully completes 1st Integrated Air Drop Test to ensure safe crew module recovery for Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
Maiden flight test of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System conducted successfully by DRDO to effectively intercept aerial threats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India has a great opportunity to become truly self reliant at a time when world is going through instability.
Home Minister Amit Shah says democracy flourishes only when legislatures follow the basic mantra of prudence, deliberation and legislation.
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi says more than one crore beneficiaries from Punjab will continue to get free foodgrains; Refutes allegations of Punjab Government in this regard.
And in sports, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar wins gold in the 50 meter rifle three position event at the Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan.

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ISRO has successfully accomplished first Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-01) for end to end demonstration of parachute based deceleration system for Gaganyaan missions. It was a critical exercise to validate the parachute system that will bring back astronauts safely under the mission, from its spaceport. This test is a joint effort of ISRO, Indian Air Force, DRDO, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. The Test was designed to evaluate full suite of parachutes that will slow down and stabilise the crew module during re-entry and splashdown of the actual human spaceflight mission. More from our correspondent:

“During the test demonstration today, a mock crew module was released from the Chinook helicopter and the parachute deployment was tested. It involved extraction, drogue chute activation and main parachute deployment. Today’s success highlights India’s growing technological capabilities and its position in the global space community. The unmanned Gaganyan mission is planned in December and manned mission in 2028. The Gaganyaan mission aims to carry a three member crew to an orbit of about 400 kms for up to three days before safely returning them back to Earth. Sudhindra, Akashvani News, Bengaluru.”

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the maiden flight Tests of the Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) off the coast of Odisha yesterday. IADWS is a multi-layered air defence system comprising all indigenous Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile, Advanced Very Short Range Air Defence System missiles and a high-power laser-based Directed Energy Weapon.

In a social media post, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the DRDO, the India Armed Forces and the Industry for successful development of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System.

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today said that India is fully prepared for its first-ever human spaceflight mission, named Gaganyaan, and this is not just a technological achievement, but a new chapter in the journey of a self-reliant India. The Defence Minister said this while addressing the felicitation ceremony in New Delhi of Gaganyatris Group Captains Shubhanshu Shukla, Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, Ajit Krishnan, and Angad Pratap, who have been selected for this mission.

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Speaking on the occasion, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla who recently made history by becoming the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station, reflected on his journey. He credited his training in the Indian Air Force for preparing him to face challenges with confidence.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the path to a developed India lies in building a self-reliant India. Virtually addressing the inauguration of Sardardham Phase-II Girls’ Hostel in Ahmedabad, the Prime Minister said that at a time when the world is going through instability, India has a great opportunity to become truly self-reliant. He called upon the youth, especially young boys and girls, to adopt Make in India products for securing a better future for the coming generations.

Emphasising India’s demographic strength, the Prime Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to empowering and skilling the youth. He noted that through various schemes such as the Mudra Yojana and the recently launched PM Viksit Bharat Yojana, the Union Government is creating new avenues of employment and entrepreneurship for young people.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Gujarat tomorrow. On the first day of his visit, Mr Modi is scheduled to inaugurate multiple development projects worth 5 thousand 400 crores rupees in Ahmedabad. Following the inauguration, he will also address a public gathering. On the second day of his visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate localised production of hybrid battery electrodes and flag-off Battery electric vehicle exports to 100 countries at Hansalpur in Ahmedabad.

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Union Minister JP Nadda called on visiting Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in Delhi this evening. The Prime Minister of Fiji arrived in New Delhi this morning on a three day visit to India. The Fijian Prime Minister is accompanied by his spouse Sulueti Rabuka. The delegation include Minister of Health and Medical Services, Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu and senior officials.

The Fiji Prime Minister is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow.

He will also call on President Droupadi Murmu.

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The Election Commission has said that documents of more than 98 percent electors have been received till now to file claims and objections to the draft electoral roll of Bihar. In a statement, the commission said that eight more days are still left for people to file claims and objections. The poll body also underlined that the claims and objections period allows the electors to not only rectify mistakes in the draft rolls, but also submit their requisite documents which they may not have provided while submitting their enumeration forms.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah today said democracy flourishes only when legislatures follow the basic mantra of prudence, deliberation and legislation. Inaugurating the two-day All India Speakers’ Conference at Delhi Assembly in Delhi, Mr Shah said democracy can reach its highest and dignified heights only when people rise above partisan interests and place national interest first.

He added that when discussions in the House are stalled, the role of the legislature in the nation’s development is greatly diminished. He remarked that without meaningful debate in the corridors of Parliament and Assemblies, they will become merely lifeless buildings.

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Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi has said that 1.41 crore beneficiaries from Punjab would continue to get free foodgrains. He said the Centre had not reduced even a single beneficiary under the National Food Security Act 2013.

Our Correspondent reports that he was reacting to the allegations made yesterday by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that the Central government is going to stop free food grains to 55 lakh poor Punjab residents. Addressing the media in New Delhi, Mr Joshi said that the allegations of punjab government are baseless and untrue.

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The Government has denied rumours that train tickets have been discontinued and now passengers will no longer get tickets. The Fact check unit of Press Information Bureau clarified no such order has been issued by the Railway Ministry and any rumour being circulated on social media is fake. It added that the train tickets are available at the counter of railway stations and official websites. It has urged people to not fall for such news and trust only information obtained from official sources.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today accused Western countries of trying to “block” peace negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict. This follows a flurry of diplomatic activity which appeared to stall the progress. Russia has blamed Western countries for not wanting the talks to come through. In an interview with state TV station Rossiya, Mr. Lavrov said, they are just looking for a pretext to block negotiations.

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Israeli warplanes have hit several sites in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, today including an area near the presidential palace and an oil depot. Explosions shook Sanaa, after Israeli airstrikes hit Houthi missile bases. Local officials say at least two people were killed. The strikes mark a sharp escalation in hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Houthis.

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Indian Shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar has won gold medal in the 50 meter rifle three position event at the 16th Asian Shooting Championship in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. He scored 462.5 points to finish on top. China’s Wenyu Zhao won silver medal with 462 points, while Japan’s Naoya Okada claimed bronze with 445.8 points.

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Anuskha Kumari fired a stunning hat-trick as India U17 Women maintained their perfect record in the SAFF U17 Women’s Championship 2025, thrashing hosts Bhutan 8-0 at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu today.

India now have nine points from three matches, ahead of Bangladesh and Nepal, who have three points each. Bhutan is still without a point.

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Indian badminton stars Lakshya Sen and P.V. Sindhu are set for tough opening matches at the BWF World Championships starting tomorrow in Paris.

Lakshya, ranked 21st, will face top seed Shi Yu Qi, who leads their head-to-head 3-1.

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Foreign investors pumped in 6,207 crore rupees into the Indian debt markets this month so far. However, as per the depositories data, foreign portfolio investors, or FPIs, have pulled out 22,040 crore rupees from the Indian equity markets till last week ending on 22nd of August.

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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall over Northwestern parts of the country for the next two days. According to the IMD, heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand till 26th of this month. Heavy rainfall is also very likely at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Konkan and Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim tomorrow.

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In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” tomorrow at 09.30 PM, we will bring an insightful discussion on Regulation of Online Gaming with S Krishnan, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

During the programme, the listeners will have an opportunity to ask our expert questions related to various aspects of New Law on Online Gaming, Curbing Addiction from Online Gaming, and how to ensure Safety from Financial Ruin

To participate, simply dial the telephone numbers 011 – 23717117 and 011 – 23314444, 9:30 PM onwards tomorrow.

Alternatively, you can also send your queries via WhatsApp to the number 9289094044 or post your questions on X with the hashtag AskAir

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.

ISRO successfully completes 1st Integrated Air Drop Test to ensure safe crew module recovery for Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
Maiden flight test of Integrated Air Defence Weapon System conducted successfully by DRDO to effectively intercept aerial threats.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India has a great opportunity to become truly self reliant at a time when world is going through instability.
Home Minister Amit Shah says democracy flourishes only when legislatures follow the basic mantra of prudence, deliberation and legislation.
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi says more than one crore beneficiaries from Punjab will continue to get free foodgrains; Refutes allegations of Punjab Government in this regard.
And in sports, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar wins gold in the 50 meter rifle three position event at the Asian Shooting Championship in Kazakhstan.

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