Midday News -

THE HEADLINES::

India rejects China’s attempt to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh; Says such actions stands in direct contradiction to India’s principled position.
Tri-Services Chiefs brief President Droupadi Murmu on Operation Sindoor; President says India’s response to terrorism a remarkable success.
BSF Jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw detained by Pakistan rangers returns to India.
World’s defence experts hail Operation Sindoor; Describe it as decisive military victory.
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai becomes 52nd Chief Justice of India.
And in Thailand Badminton Open, Indian shuttlers Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advance to Women’s singles pre-quarterfinals in Bangkok.

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India has categorically rejected China’s continued, unfounded, and absurd attempts to assign new names to locations within the State of Arunachal Pradesh. In response to media queries, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, reiterated that such actions are entirely unacceptable and stand in direct contradiction to India’s consistent and principled position.

He emphasised that no amount of creative renaming can alter the clear and indisputable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.

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India has blocked the X accounts of Global Times, Xinhua News Agency, and TRT World in the country. According to the sources, the action has been taken against them for allegedly disseminating false Pakistani propaganda in the country. Global Times is an English-language tabloid operated under the People’s Daily, owned by the Chinese Communist Party. Xinhua News Agency serves as the official state news agency of the People’s Republic of China, while TRT World is Turkiye’s public broadcaster.

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Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, along with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, and Navy Chief, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, today called on President Droupadi Murmu to brief her on Operation Sindoor. In a social media post, the President praised the valour and dedication of the Armed Forces, acknowledging their role in making India’s response to terrorism a remarkable success.

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Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, along with Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, and Air Force Air Marshal AP Singh shared insights from the highest levels of leadership within the Indian Armed Forces on the successful execution of Operation Sindoor.

The discussion highlighted the synergy among the Tri-Services, achieved through well-defined strategic guidance and the effective implementation of modern, multi-domain operations. The operation demonstrated a remarkable level of jointness and integration, which was further explored in deliberations with veterans and strategic think tanks.

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A Border Security Force (BSF) Jawan, Purnam Kumar Shaw, who was detained by Pakistan Rangers on April 23 after he inadvertently crossed the international border in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab, has returned to India this morning. BSF sources have confirmed the development to our Jalandhar Correspondent and said that he was handed over through the Attari Joint Check Post in Amritsar. The handover was conducted peacefully and by established protocols. He was part of a team protecting farmers working near the border fence when detained.

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The way the Indian Armed Forces struck terror launch pads and military targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Operation Sindoor, has attracted global attention. With the killing of over 100 terrorists and neutralising Pakistan’s escalation, the country’s new age Air Defence Ecosystem, Akashteer, has become the talk of the town. The fully AI-powered autonomous defence system, Akashteer, successfully did the real-time target interception and indulged in drone warfare. Its brilliance lies not in brute force but in intelligent warfare. A report from our Correspondent:

“How did India hit 13 targets, including eight air bases, with such precision deep inside various strategic locations in Pakistan and how Islamabad’s defence failed so miserably? These questions have left the global military experts stunned. The answer lies in Akashteer, the country’s next-generation Air Defence Ecosystem. On the night of the 9th and 10th of this month, when Pakistan unleashed its most aggressive, deadliest attack against Indian military and civilian targets, it was met with a formidable shield- Akashteer. This cutting-edge system successfully neutralised incoming air threats, including drones, missiles, micro UAVs and loitering munitions, preventing them from breaching Indian airspace. Akashteer is India’s first operational, indigenously built AI war-cloud which provides a real-time aerial combat picture and automates the detection, tracking and engagement of enemy aircraft, drones and missiles. Compared to Akashteer, Pakistan’s air defence system based on HQ- 9 and HQ-16 platforms proved to be an utter failure to detect India’s projectiles and intercept, resulting in heavy losses. Akashteer has added a new chapter to the country’s strategic doctrine, indicating a shift from defensive posturing to proactive retaliation against terror threats. With Diwaker, Bhupendra Singh, Akashwani News, Delhi. “

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India’s Operation Sindoor has been hailed as a decisive military victory by international defence experts, including John Spencer, a prominent U.S. military veteran and head of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute in New York.

Referring to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, Spencer described the campaign as swift and precisely calibrated, and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertive stance against nuclear blackmail, highlighting the message that India will not tolerate such threats and will respond with precision and resolve. He asserted ‘India was not fighting for vengeance. It was fighting for deterrence. And it worked. He added that India’s restraint is not weakness but it is maturity. He further added that It imposed costs, redefined thresholds, and retained escalation dominance.

Adding to the chorus of international praise, Austrian combat aviation analyst and author, Tom Cooper also described India’s response as a “clear-cut victory.” In a social media, Cooper asserted that Pakistan’s decision to move toward a ceasefire was a direct result of India’s superior military response.

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The Government of India has declared a Pakistani staff, 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. Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that the Pakistani staff has been asked to leave India within 24 hours. The Charge d’ Affaires of Pakistan High Commission was issued a demarche to this effect yesterday.

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Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai today took oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India. President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Gavai at a special ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning. Justice B R Gavai succeeded Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who demitted office yesterday. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union Ministers, and judges of the Supreme Court attended the ceremony, among others.

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President Droupadi Murmu has appointed Dr. Ajay Kumar as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission. According to an Order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, Dr. Kumar’s tenure will begin on the day he assumes charge as Chairman of the UPSC.

Dr. Kumar is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1985 batch of the Kerala cadre. He previously served as the Defence Secretary from August 2019 to October 2022.

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In Punjab, the toll in the hooch tragedy has climbed to 23 from yesterday evening’s 21. 13 more are still hospitalised but said to be stable. Amritsar Civil Surgeon, Dr Kirandeep, confirming the details, said that a door-to-door survey has been conducted in seven villages of the Majitha and Threwal areas. More from our correspondent:

““Ten persons, including the kingpin related to this unfortunate incident have been arrested. Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann who met the families of the deceased and had admitted that such cases of spurious sale of liquor cannot happen without political involvement, assured a stern action against the culprits. A compensation of Rs. 10 lakh each to the next of the kin was also announced. Meanwhile, a truck carrying 600 litres of Methanol, which was rounded up in Patiala, yesterday, was found to be meant for Amritsar. Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Varun Sharma has confirmed that the consignment, which was coming from Delhi, was meant for making more spurious liquor. One person was arrested. Further investigations are on. Rajesh Bali, Akashvani News, Jalandhar.”

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Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Dr. Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, has said that India has achieved one of the fastest 5G rollouts globally and deployed more than 4 hundred 70 thousand Base Transceiver Stations- BTS across the country in just two years. Dr. Pemmasani said, while addressing the BHARAT 6G 2025-3rd International Conference and Exhibition in New Delhi today. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has witnessed the 5G revolution.

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India’s wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation eased significantly to 0.85 per cent in April this year. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said this in the data released today. The WPI inflation was at 2.05 per cent in March. The data showed that the annual rate of inflation based on the WPI food index decreased to 2.55 per cent during the last month, from 4.66 per cent in the previous month.

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The Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar are drawing to a close. Today is the eleventh day of the Games, and the event, which began on the 4th of May, will conclude tomorrow. We have a report:-

“Today at the Khelo India Youth Games, a significant number of medals, including golds, are at stake across various sports categories. While track and field events are underway, a thrilling football final is expected this evening at the Yamuna Bhagat Stadium in Begusarai between Jharkhand and Odisha. In the martial art of Thang-Ta, Prerna from Bihar won a gold medal for her State today, while Lucky Kumar secured a bronze in the boys’ category. Dharmendra Kumar Rai, Akashvani News, Patna.”

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The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, along with very heavy rainfall over Assam and Meghalaya during the next 3 days. Talking exclusively to Akashvani News, Scientist at IMD Akhil Srivastava said that isolated light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds are expected over Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, and Marathawada during the next 3 days.

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In Badminton, Indian shuttlers Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the Thailand Open with impressive victories in Bangkok this morning.

Aakarshi Kashyap secured a hard-fought victory over Japan’s Kaoru Sugiyama in the women’s singles round of 32, winning 21-16, 20-22, 22-20. While, Unnati Hooda defeated Thailand’s Thamonwan Nithiittikrai in another intense three-game battle, triumphing 21-14, 18-21, 23-21.

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The Benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading with modest gains in the afternoon trade today.

The broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange were outperforming the frontline indices. The Mid-Cap index climbed over one per cent, and the Small-Cap index jumped 1.4 per cent, a short while ago.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

India rejects China’s attempt to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh; Says such actions stands in direct contradiction to India’s principled position.
Tri-Services Chiefs brief President Droupadi Murmu on Operation Sindoor; President says India’s response to terrorism a remarkable success.
BSF Jawan Purnam Kumar Shaw detained by Pakistan rangers returns to India.
World’s defence experts hail Operation Sindoor; Describe it as decisive military victory.
Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai becomes 52nd Chief Justice of India.
And in Thailand Badminton Open, Indian shuttlers Aakarshi Kashyap and Unnati Hooda advance to Women’s singles pre-quarterfinals in Bangkok.