Midday News -

THE HEADLINES:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires on the third leg of his five-nation tour; Delegation level talks to be held this evening to further strengthen bilateral strategic partnership.
India signs six agreements with Trinidad & Tobago to enhance cooperation in several sectors including infrastructure and pharmaceuticals.
IMD issues red alert for extremely heavy rainfall over Madhya Pradesh today.
US President Donald Trump signs his landmark policy bill ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ into law, providing for tax cuts and boosting Defence spending.
And in Badminton, Kidambi Srikanth storms into Men’s Singles semifinals of Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires this morning on the third leg of his five-nation tour that aims to reinforce India’s engagements with Global South.

He was given a warm welcome by the Indian community upon his arrival in the Argentinian capital with a special classical dance performance.

Prime Minister will hold delegation-level talks this evening to further strengthen the strategic partnership and open new avenues of cooperation between the two countries. A report;

“The official engagements for the Prime Minister begin at the statue of General José de San Martín, where the Prime Minister will pay his respects to Argentina’s revered freedom fighter and national hero, who was a key leader in South America’s independence, liberating Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule. Prime Minister Modi will then be accorded a ceremonial welcome; he will hold the delegation talks, followed by a lunch hosted by President Milei for him. The discussions are expected to focus on cooperation in critical minerals and energy security. Manish Shiva, Akashvani News, Buenos Aires.”

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Earlier, Prime Minister Modi held wide-ranging talks with his Trinidad & Tobago counterpart Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the iconic Red House in Port of Spain last evening. Following the talks, the two countries signed six agreements to enhance cooperation in several sectors including infrastructure and pharmaceuticals.

Prime Minister Modi also addressed the joint session of Parliament of Trinidad & Tobago. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said, India will work with its partners to give the Global South its rightful seat at the high table.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the BRICS Summit at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on 6th and 7th of this month. It will be the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brazil in nearly six decades. During his visit, Mr Modi will hold talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, along with several other global leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

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Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah today laid the foundation stone of the country’s first cooperative university, Tribhuvan Sahakari Vishwavidyalaya, at Anand, Gujarat. During the program, Mr. Shah said that in the last four years, the Ministry of Cooperation has launched 60 new initiatives. The Ministry of Cooperation was established to instill hope in the lives of crores of poor and rural people.

Besides, this university will not only prepare cooperative employees but also dedicated cooperative leaders like Tribhuvan Bhai, who will study and lead the cooperative sector.

During the event, Mr. Shah also unveiled a special bilingual module on cooperation prepared for school students in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation and NCERT.

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In Himachal Pradesh, the Meteorological Center Shimla has issued warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall for next 5 days due to increased monsoon activity. The monsoon which entered Himachal Pradesh on 20th of last month has severely disrupted normal life across the state. Our correspondent has filed this report;

In the last 24 hours, moderate rainfall has continued in many parts of Himachal Pradesh. The highest rainfall was recorded in Jogindernagar in Mandi district, with 52 millimeters. Over the past 15 days, 72 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents, 113 have been injured, and 37 people remain missing for several days. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu stated that the state has suffered a loss of rupees 700 crore due to heavy rains, landslides, and cloudbursts during this monsoon season. Meanwhile, the Meteorological Center, Shimla, has issued an alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall from today till July 9. Additionally, a flash flood warning has been issued for the next 24 hours in four districts, Mandi, Kangra, Chamba, and Sirmaur. Ritesh Kapoor, Akashvani News, Shimla.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued red alert of extremely heavy rainfall over Madhya Pradesh today. Orange and yellow alerts have also been issued for heavy to very heavy rainfall across parts of Central, North, and East India over the next three days.

According to the IMD, heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely at some places over Konkan and Goa, Maharashtra, Assam, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, East Rajasthan, West Bengal, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand till 8th of this month. Heavy rainfall is also very likely at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, , Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh,Karnataka, Kerala and Mahe, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, and West Rajasthan till Tuesday.

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In Odisha, the rituals for the world-famous ‘Bahuda Yatra’ of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra are going on in the holy city of Puri since this morning. More from our Correspondent:

The sacred ‘Bahuda Yatra’, the grand return journey of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, is going on in Puri. Bahuda Yatra is a significant part of the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra. The term “Bahuda” in Sanskrit means “return” and this event beautifully symbolises the gods’ return to their celestial abode after a spiritually charged stay at their maternal aunt’s house. Thousands of devotees have gathered in the holy city of Puri to witness this divine event, where mythology, rituals, and devotion come together in a spiritual pectacle.Prakash Dash,Akashvani, Bhubaneswar.

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In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami today flagged off the first group of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from Tanakpur in Champawat district.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that all arrangements have been made for the safety and convenience of the pilgrims.

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The fourth batch of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has reached Sherathang, Sikkim for acclimatization today. This batch had departed from Delhi on 2nd of this month and reached Bagdogra on the same day. The batch consists of forty Yatris, two Liaison officers, one official from Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and four support staff.

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National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two persons involved in illegal human trafficking from India to the United States (US) and other countries. The accused were arrested after searches at two locations in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The NIA in a statement said that one of the accused played a key role in facilitating the journey of the victims on the donkey route while another one was involved in transferring funds to donkers in Latin America.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the loss of lives in an accident in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister also announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh rupees from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and 50 thousand rupees for the injured.

As per the media reports, a road accident happened on the Meerut-Badaun highway in Sambhal district when a car carrying 10 people of a wedding party slammed into the wall of a college yesterday.

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US President Donald Trump has signed his landmark policy bill the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ into law. The legislation enacts key parts of President Trump’s agenda including tax cuts, spending boosts for defence and the immigration crackdown. The signing event held at the White House aligned with the Independence Day celebrations in Washington, DC yesterday. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Trump said, this is the biggest tax cut, the biggest spending cut and the largest border security investment in the American history.

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Global technology giant Microsoft has officially shut down its operations in Pakistan after 25 years, as part of its global restructuring plan. Former Microsoft Pakistan head Jawwad Rehman confirmed the closure and linked the decision to Pakistan’s challenging economic conditions, political instability, high taxes, currency issues, and trade restrictions.

Meanwhile, Former President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi called the move a troubling sign for Pakistan’s economy.

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In Badminton, India’s Kidambi Srikanth has reached in the men’s singles semifinals of the Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament. He secured a dominant straight-game victory over top seed and world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei, winning 21-18, 21-9 in just 43 minutes. Srikanth will now face Japan’s Kenta Nishimoto for a spot in the final tonight.

In women’s singles, India’s Shriyanshi Valishetty lost a close match to Denmark’s Amalie Schulz, after winning the first game.

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In Cricket, India will resume their second innings on day 4 of the second Test with an overnight score of 64 for 1 and a commanding overall lead of 244 runs against hosts England at Edgbaston, Birmingham this afternoon. The match is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM IST.

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In Boxing, India’s Nupur advanced to the 85 plus kg category finals of the World Boxing Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan with a commanding 5-0 victory over Turkey’s Seyma Dustaz in the semifinal.

In the men’s 65kg category, Abhinash Jamwal advanced to the semifinals after a strong win over USA’s Rene Camacho, securing at least a bronze medal.

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And, in some more international news;

In US, at least 24 people were killed and dozens are missing in Texas, after severe flooding hit the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster for several central Texas counties and said search and rescue operations will continue till tonight. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called the flooding terrible and promised federal support. Independence Day celebrations across Texas have also been canceled.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires on the third leg of his five-nation tour; Delegation level talks to be held this evening to further strengthen bilateral strategic partnership
India signs six agreements with Trinidad & Tobago to enhance cooperation in several sectors including infrastructure and pharmaceuticals.
IMD issues red alert for extremely heavy rainfall over Madhya Pradesh today.
US President Donald Trump signs his landmark policy bill ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ into law, providing for tax cuts and boosting Defence spending.
And in Badminton, Kidambi Srikanth storms into Men’s Singles semifinals of Canada Open Super 300 badminton tournament.

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