THE HEADLINES:
- At least 58 Pakistani soldiers killed and 25 captured after Taliban forces retaliate to Pakistani air strikes in Afghan territory; Kabul asks Islamabad to expel terrorists hiding in Pakistan.
- US President Donald Trump to visit Israel and Egypt today to participate in signing ceremony of Gaza peace deal.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Dr Patrick Herminie on winning Seychelles Presidential Election; Says bilateral relations will gain further momentum during his tenure.
- Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand to arrive on a three-day visit to India this evening.
- Three people arrested in connection with alleged gang rape of a medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal.
- In Cricket, India enforce follow-on on West Indies after dismissing visitors for 248 runs in first innings of second Test in Delhi.
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Taliban spokesperson Zabeehullah Mujahid today said Taliban has killed at least 58 Pakistani soldiers and over 30 were left wounded in retaliatory strikes near the Durand Line in Behrampur district. He also warned Pakistan of leaving no attack unanswered. Addressing a press conference in Kabul, Mujahid accused it of letting ISIS terrorists hide on their soil. He asked Islamabad to expel terrorists hiding in Pakistan. He said Afghanistan has the right to defend its air and land borders. According to the Taliban leader, anyone who shows aggression against their soil or violates their airspace will face a harsh response. Mujahid, said Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts. He also said that the situation on all official borders and de facto lines of Afghanistan is under complete control.
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US President Donald Trump is set to embark on a diplomatic visit to Israel and Egypt today, where he will address the Israeli parliament and participate in a signing ceremony of the Gaza peace deal. This is President Trump’s first visit to Israel after he announced the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. This visit also coincides with the implementation of the first phase of the Gaza Peace Plan. After Israel, Trump will head to Egypt, which held negotiations between Israel and Hamas after Trump unveiled the 21-point Gaza Peace Plan, which also included the disarmament of the Hamas group. More than 20 leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer would attend the summit in Sharm El-Sheikh.
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China has hit out at the US over its decision to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, calling Washington’s move a display of double standards. The reaction came after US President Donald Trump, announced additional levies set to take effect from November 1st, in retaliation for what he termed as China’s extraordinarily aggressive new export restrictions on rare-earth minerals. Washington also threatened to cancel a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. In a statement, China’s Ministry of Commerce said, China released export control measures on rare earths and related items, which are normal actions taken by the Chinese government in accordance with laws and regulations.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his wishes to Dr Patrick Herminie on his victory in the Presidential Elections in Seychelles. In a social media post, the Prime Minister noted that the waters of the Indian Ocean are a shared heritage and nurture the aspirations and needs of the people of both nations. He expressed confidence that the time-tested, and multi-faceted relations between the India and Seychlles will deepen and gain further momentum during Dr Herminie’s tenure as President.
Seychelles’s opposition leader, Patrick Herminie, has won the country’s presidential race, defeating incumbent leader Wavel Ramkalawan in a run-off vote. Herminie won 52.7 percent of the vote, while Ramkalawan took 47.3 percent. Mr Herminie represents the United Seychelles party, which led the country for four decades before it lost power in 2020.
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Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will arrive in New Delhi this evening on a three-day visit to India. She will hold talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar tomorrow and also meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The meetings come as both countries move toward establishing a framework for strategic cooperation on issues such as trade diversification, energy transformation and security. Ms Anand will also travel to Mumbai where she will meet with Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation and economic opportunity in Canada and India.
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The NDA allies are likely to finalise their seat sharing for Bihar Assembly elections today. Senior leaders of BJP, Janata Dal (United), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Hindustani Awam Morcha, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha are in New Delhi to resolve the seat sharing issue. Following this meeting, an announcement on seat sharing is likely to take place.
Earlier, Bihar BJP President Dr. Dilip Jaiswal had announced that a formal agreement on seat sharing would be finalized by Saturday.
BJP National President J.P. Nadda also held continuous deliberations with the party’s core committee members regarding seat allocation.
The opposition Grand Alliance is also facing a similar deadlock over seat sharing. The Congress is opposing the proposal to allot more seats to Mukesh Sahani’s Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) and has also raised objections regarding the claim for the Deputy Chief Minister’s post. Meanwhile, the Left parties have expressed dissatisfaction over the delay in finalizing seat sharing.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released a list of three candidates for the upcoming biennial Rajya Sabha elections from Jammu and Kashmir. The candidates include Ghulam Mohammad Mir, Rakesh Mahajan, and Satpal Sharma. The elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in the union territory are scheduled for the 24th of this month.
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Police have arrested three persons in connection with the gang rape case of a second-year private medical college MBBS student in Durgapur in West Bengal. They are from Bijra village. Our correspondent reports that they will be produced before the court today. A Massive search operation is underway involving drones at the Bijra village and adjoining areas to arrest the accused. Multiple teams of police are conducting the search operation. Police is also questioning the detained friend of the victim.
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Union Education Ministry has urged schools across States and Union Territories (UTs) to adopt the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for collecting admission and examination fees. The move is aimed at modernizing administrative processes and enhancing convenience for parents and students. In a letter addressed to States, UTs, and autonomous bodies such as NCERT, CBSE, KVS, and NVS, Department of School Education and Literacy emphasized leveraging digital payment platforms like UPI, mobile wallets, and net banking to streamline financial transactions in schools.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated the government’s commitment to empowering farmers through innovation, investment, and market access to make them key drivers of a self-reliant and developed India. Mr Modi was speaking after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of multiple projects and schemes worth over 42 thousand crore rupees in Agriculture and Allied Sectors in New Delhi yesterday. On the occasion, the Prime Minister launched two major schemes in the agriculture sector, PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses. Prime Minister Modi said, the two schemes are designed to usher in a new era of self-reliance, rural empowerment, and agricultural innovation.
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The GST Bachat Utsav, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and commenced on the 22nd of last month, is benefiting the country as a whole. Today, our correspondent brings a report on the GST reforms that will empower different industries of Uttar Pradesh.
The new GST reform is a major boost for Uttar Pradesh’s artisans, farmers, and small enterprises. Under the revised rates, many goods now attract reduced taxes, making local products more affordable and supporting traditional industries. The reform holds special importance for the state’s heritage crafts and textile sectors. The leather and footwear industries of Kanpur and Agra employing over a million workers will benefit as goods priced up to two thousand five hundred rupees will now attract just 5 percent GST. Likewise, hand embroidery works such as Chikankari of Lucknow will become more accessible to consumers as it has been placed under the 5 percent tax slab, offering relief to thousands of artisans dependent on these crafts for their livelihood.
Similarly Firozabad, the district registered with a GI tag for its glass craft, will see a major boost as GST on glassware and bangles has been reduced to 5 percent making these items 6 to 7 percent cheaper.
With the revised rates, the next generation GST reforms aim to enhance affordability for consumers and improve margins for artisans, ensuring growth in sales, jobs, and rural livelihoods during the festive season and beyond. With Samarth, Nitika Gupta, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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The 26 Special Composite Group (SCG) of the National Security Guard (NSG) today organised a cyclothon in Mumbai, in the memory of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, Ashok Chakra, recipient the valiant hero of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. The aim of the event to raise awareness about Cervical Cancer & Fit India camping, marking the ceremonial commencement of the NSG Raising Day celebrations. The event witnessed active participation from over 250 professional cyclists, alongside NSG personnel symbolizing physical fitness, unity, discipline, and a shared sense of national duty.
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In a significant breakthrough amid India’s long-standing battle against left-wing extremism, security forces in South Bastar’s Dantewada district arrested six suspected Maoists and safely defused an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near Manganar Road.The operation, conducted yesterday, underscores the intensifying efforts to eradicate Maoists influence in the region. Acting on intelligence about suspicious individuals near Manganar Road, a joint team comprising personnel from Barsoor Police Station, District Reserve Guard (DRG), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a swift operation led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumbhakar and Inspector Sanjay Ursa.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places over Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Mahe, Lakshadweep, Odisha, South Interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal today. The weather agency has also forecast thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds likely at isolated places over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana during the next three to four days.
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In Cricket, India had enforced a follow-on, on West Indies, after dismissing visitors at 248 runs in their first innings on Day 3 of the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi today. West Indies were trailing by 270 runs. West Indies were 35 for 2 in their second innings against India at tea. Kuldeep Yadav made a world record as he took 5 five-wickets in 15 Test matches while Ravindra Jadeja took 3 wickets and Mohd. Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah took one wickets each. Yesterday, India declared its innings on 518 for 5 with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Indian skipper Shubhman Gill scoring brilliant centuries.
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India will take on Australia in the ICC Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam today. The match will start at 3 PM Indian Standard Time. Last night, England defeated Sri Lanka by 89 runs at the R. Premdasa stadium in Colombo to register their third consecutive win in the tournament. Chasing a target of 254, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 164 runs in 45.4 overs.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- At least 58 Pakistani soldiers killed and 25 captured after Taliban forces retaliate to Pakistani air strikes in Afghan territory; Kabul asks Islamabad to expel terrorists hiding in Pakistan.
- US President Donald Trump to visit Israel and Egypt today to participate in signing ceremony of Gaza peace deal.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Dr Patrick Herminie on winning Seychelles Presidential Election; Says bilateral relations will gain further momentum during his tenure.
- Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand to arrive on a three-day visit to India this evening.
- Three people arrested in connection with alleged gang rape of a medical student in Durgapur, West Bengal.
- In Cricket, India enforce follow-on on West Indies after dismissing visitors for 248 runs in first innings of second Test in Delhi.
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