THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chair a meeting of Union Council of Ministers in New Delhi today.
- Flood situation continues to remain grim in Assam; Over 6 lakh 30 thousand people affected in 21 districts.
- RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee begins its 3-day meeting to decide on repo rate cut.
- Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung sworn-in as the 21st President of South Korea; Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates him for his victory.
- About 1.8 million pilgrims from across the globe converge at Mina as Haj pilgrimage begins in Saudi Arabia.
- And Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi beat American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in Round 8 at Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger city.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of Union Council of Ministers in New Delhi today. It will be the first such meeting after the Pahalgam terror attack and retaliatory actions conducted by the country against Pakistan under Operation Sindoor.
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The Prime Minister will visit Jammu and Kashmir on the 6th of this month and dedicate multiple developmental projects worth over 46 thousand crore rupees to the nation. To boost rail infrastructure and connectivity in the region, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chenab rail bridge and the Anji Bridge. He will also flag off Vande Bharat Trains.
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A meeting was held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in New Delhi today. During the meeting, the Australian Deputy Prime Minister expressed solidarity with India against terrorism. He stressed that India and Australia are close partners in defence and maritime security.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh apprised his Australian counterpart on the challenges being faced by the country on the western front.
Earlier, Mr. Marles was accorded a Guard of Honour at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi. The Australian Minister also laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in Delhi.
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Out of seven multi-party delegations carrying the message of India’s principled and resolute stand against terrorism, four delegations have now returned to India after concluding their successful visit to respective countries. The all party delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde reached New Delhi this morning. They returned to India after visiting UAE, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.
The multi-party delegation, led by NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, is scheduled to return to the country this afternoon. The delegation is returning after visiting Qatar, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Egypt.
The Parliamentary Delegation led by BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad is currently on its visit to the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Meanwhile, the all party delegation led by Congress MP Dr Shashi Tharoor reached Washington DC to meet members of the US Congress and administration, think tanks, media and policymakers to brief them on Operation Sindoor and India’s strong stand against terrorism.
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The BJP today hit out at Congress and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi over the alleged criticism of Operation Sindoor. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said that the way Rahul Gandhi compared the Armed Forces’ success with surrender is a clear insult to their valour and sacrifice. He questioned the Congress Party saying that after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the UPA government stated that the composite dialogue with Pakistan would not be affected by terrorist activities.
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As we celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor, the Nation salutes the valour of the Indian soldiers. As a tribute to the Armed Forces, Akashvani News is presenting a special series. Today we remember Param Vir Chakra awardee Naik Jadunath Singh, who made supreme sacrifice during the India-Pakistan war of 1947-48.
“Born in 1916 in Uttar Pradesh, Naik Jadunath Singh was commissioned into 1 Rajput Regiment 1941. During the Indo-Pak war of 1947-48, following the capture of Jhangar on December 1947, Pakistani raiders gained a strategic advantage in the Naushahra Sector. Anticipating further attacks, Indian forces fortified key positions, including Tain Dhar ridge, where Naik Jadunath Singh commanded aforward post of nine men.On the foggy morning of February 6, in 1948, the enemy launched a massive assault on Tain Dhar. In the first wave, hundreds of raiders advanced toward Picket No. 2. Despite being outnumbered, Naik Jadunath Singh led a fierce resistance, forcing the enemy to retreat in confusion. When four of his men were wounded, he quickly reorganized the remaining soldiers. Though injured himself, he took over the Bren gun from the wounded gunner and delivered devastating fire, halting a second enemy wave and turning near-defeat into a desperate but determined defence. With all his comrades either killed or wounded, a third and final wave of attackers charged the post. Bleeding and alone, Naik Jadunath Singh emerged from his sangar with a sten gun and charged at the enemy. His fearless assault unnerved the attackers, who fled in panic. In this final act of valour, he was struck down by two bullets to the head and chest. Naik Jadunath Singh’s gallantry and unyielding leadership saved his post from being overrun. For his supreme sacrifice and extraordinary courage, he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra. Saklen Akhtar, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting began today to decide on the repo rate cut. Chaired by RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra, the committee’s decision will be announced on Friday. According to economists and industry experts, the Central Bank is likely to go for a third 25 basis point cut in the repo rate to 5.75 per cent.
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In Assam, flood situation continued to remain grim, affecting over 6 lakh 30 thousand people in 21 districts, with death toll rising to 12 in the state. During the last 24 hours, six people had lost their lives in flood-related incidents across the state. More than 1500 villages are affected by flood and over 14700 hectares of crop areas have been damaged across the state. The State Government has engaged SDRF and NDRF teams for rescue operations. More from our correspondent:
“Assam continues to reel under severe flood on the sixth day today. The river Brahmaputra, Barak and other tributaries are flowing above danger level. According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, nearly 40 thousand people are in the 223 relief camps. The Indian Meteorological Department has warned of continued heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places in the districts of Dhubri, South Salmara Mankachar, Goalpara, Dima Hasao, West Karbi Anglong, Lakhimpur, Demaji ,Cachar, Hailakandi and Kokrajhar districts. Meanwhile, Nagaon district administration has imposed several restrictions, including a speed limit of 40 kilometer per hour, along the entire stretch of national highway 715 passing through the Kaziranga National Park. Aminul Haque, AKashvani News, Guwahati.”
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In Sikkim, the air rescue operations from Pakyong airport was called off today due to the inclement weather. The IAF choppers did not operate this morning due to weather conditions. The District Collector said that two choppers had been put in standby mode to airlift over 110 stranded tourists at Lachen.
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Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was sworn-in as the 21st President of South Korea today. He will serve a five-year term. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Lee Jae-Myung on being elected as the President of the Republic of Korea. In a social media post, the Prime Minister said that he is looking forward to working together to further expand and strengthen the India-Korea Special Strategic Partnership. A report;
“South Korea’s National Election Commission held a meeting this morning and confirmed Lee’s win in the presidential polls held yesterday. His nearest rival was Kim Moon-soo of the conservative People Power Party. The snap poll was held after former conservative leader Yoon Suk-yeol was ousted over his failed bid to impose martial law. Mr Lee spoke to his supporters after he secured the win in the presidential race. He said his first mission will be to overcome the insurrection. He described the former president’s action as a military coup, and he said he never wants that to happen again. Mr Lee said his government will be a pragmatic pro-market government and promised deregulation to spur innovation and growth in business. He also pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea, while maintaining a strong security alliance with the United States and bringing balance to diplomacy. Jigyasa Pandey, AKashvani News, Delhi.”
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About 1.8 million pilgrims from across the world including India are converging at Mina in Saudi Arabia as the annual five day Haj pilgrimage which began today. The pilgrims began their journey from holy city of Mecca to assemble in the tent-city of Mina. They will spend the night there and move towards plains of Arafat at dawn tomorrow for the day’s main ritual of Haj, reciting prayers.
Earlier, the Ministry of Minority Affairs said in a social media post, that it is the constant endeavor of the Ministry to ensure a comfortable and dignified journey for every Indian Haj pilgrim.
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At the Norway Chess 2025, Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi got back to winning ways in Round 8 as he defeated American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in an intense time scramble last night. Arjun who was playing with White pieces, managed a critical win by turning a borderline lost position to a winning one.
On the other hand, World Champion D Gukesh suffered a loss against American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in Round 8 clash.
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In Football, India will take on Thailand in a FIFA International Friendly Match at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani, Thailand this evening. The match will kick off at 6 PM, Indian Time.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru have ended the 18 year wait for IPL title and finally clinched the trophy beating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in the final last night. The Rajat Patidar led side fulfilled the dream of every RCB fan along with that of franchise veteran Virat Kohli when they lifted the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium. After being invited to bat first, RCB scored 190 for 9 in stipulated 20 overs. In response, Punjab Kings could manage to score 184 in the stipulated 20 overs. For RCB, Krunal Pandya’s spell was the game changer, as he gave only 17 runs in his 4 overs and also picked up 2 crucial wickets. For his extraordinary bowling, Pandya got Player of the Match Award. Skipper Patidar said, Virat Kohli and all the fans deserved this win more than anyone else.
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The benchmark domestic equity indices, Sensex and Nifty, were trading higher in afternoon trade today, tracking positive cues from global markets. The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 221 points at 80,959 and the NSE Nifty50 had climbed 63 points to 24,606, when reports last came in.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to chair a meeting of Union Council of Ministers in New Delhi today.
- Flood situation continues to remain grim in Assam; Over 6 lakh 30 thousand people affected in 21 districts.
- RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee begins its 3-day meeting to decide on repo rate cut.
- Liberal Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung sworn-in as the 21st President of South Korea; Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates him for his victory.
- About 1.8 million pilgrims from across the globe converge at Mina as Haj pilgrimage begins in Saudi Arabia.
- And Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi beat American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana in Round 8 at Norway Chess tournament in Stavanger city.
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