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March 4, 2025 9:05 AM

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Morning News

THE HEADLINES ::

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a post-budget webinar on MSME sector this afternoon.

 

  • Research and Development spending in the country doubled in the last decade, says Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

 

  • External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar to embark on 6-day visit to UK and Ireland from today.

 

  • US President Donald Trump halts military aid to Ukraine.

 

  • IMD forecasts widespread rainfall or snowfall in western Himalayan region today.

 

  • In Cricket, India to lock horns with Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai this afternoon.

 

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in three Post- Budget webinars via video conferencing today. These webinars are being held on MSME as an Engine of Growth, Manufacturing, Exports and Nuclear Energy Missions, and Regulatory, Investment and Ease of doing business Reforms. He will also address the gathering on the occasion.

Our correspondent reports, the webinars will provide a collaborative platform for government officials, industry leaders, and trade experts to deliberate on India’s industrial, trade, and energy strategies. The discussions will focus on policy execution, investment facilitation, and technology adoption, ensuring seamless implementation of the Budget’s transformative measures.

 

 

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Princess Astrid of Belgium who is on a visit to India, will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today. She is on a visit till the 8th of this month. Princess Astrid along with Belgium Defence Minister Theo Francken met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh yesterday. They discussed ways and means to enhance defense industrial cooperation between the two countries. The Defence Minister welcomed Belgian investments in the defense sector. He suggested that Belgian companies can play an important role by expanding their footprint in India and integrating Indian vendors into their supply chains.

 

 

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Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh has said that the country’s Research and Development spending has doubled in the last decade, from more than sixty thousand crore in 2013-14 to 1.27 Lakh Crore rupees. Speaking at the DISHA program event in New Delhi yesterday, Dr Singh said, the DISHA programme will propel the country’s knowledge economy and strengthen Atmanirbhar Bharat. Dr. Singh asserted that homegrown innovations in Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, and Quantum Computing will shape the country’s economic future.

 

 

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Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh presented the report of the Empowered Committee for Capability Enhancement of the lndian Air Force (IAF) to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi yesterday. The Committee has identified key thrust areas and made recommendations for implementation in the short, medium and long-term to achieve the desired capability enhancement goals of the lAF. Mr Singh appreciated the work of the Empowered Committee and directed that the recommendations to be followed up in a time bound manner.

 

 

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The Border Security Force (BSF) shot dead a Pakistani intruder at the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar yesterday. This marks the second such incident in recent days. On Wednesday, BSF troops shot dead another Pakistani intruder along the international border at Pathankot.

 

 

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Election Commission will organise a two-day conference with the Chief Electoral Officers of all States and Union Territories from today at India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management in New Delhi. This is the first such conference to be held since Gyanesh Kumar assumed charge as Chief Election Commissioner. During the conference several topics will be discussed on key areas of modern election management including IT Architecture, Effective Communication, enhancing social media outreach and statutory role of different functionaries in the electoral processes.

 

 

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The Election Commission has declared the election programme for the bye-election for five seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. The five vacancies have arisen due to the election of members to the State Legislative Assembly. The notification for the elections will be issued on 10th of this month, last date for filing of nominations will be 17th March. If required, the polling will be held on 27th March, with the counting of votes taking place on the same day.

 

 

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar will embark on an official visit to the United Kingdom and Ireland today. India and the UK share a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and the bilateral relations have strengthened across diverse areas, including defense, security, trade, economy, health, education, and people-to-people ties.

 

During the visit to the UK, Dr. S. Jaishankar will hold discussions with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and meet with other key dignitaries to further deepen cooperation. Following this, on his two-day visit to Ireland, he will engage in talks with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris and other dignitaries. During his visit, Dr. Jaishankar will also meet with members of the Indian community. India and Ireland share friendly bilateral relations based on shared democratic values, cultural ties, and growing economic engagements. PALLAVI PARMAR, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”

 

 

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India strongly rejected comments made by UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk in his global update at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Speaking at the UN, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Mr. Arindam Bagchi, called the remarks unfounded and baseless, saying they did not reflect the reality on the ground.

Bagchi criticized Turk’s reference to Kashmir and Manipur and using Kashmir instead of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

India also expressed concern over the UN report’s over simplifications and cherry-picking of issues.

Turk’s update covered various global conflicts, including Ukraine and Gaza, but did not mention Pakistan.

 

 

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US President Donald Trump has suspended military aid to Ukraine. A White House official reportedly told media that President Trump has been clear that US is focused on peace and needs its partners to be committed to that goal as well. According to reports, the official said, US is pausing and reviewing aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.
The move comes just days after a stunning public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump and his deputy at the White House. The development is expected to escalate pressure on Ukraine to agree to peace negotiations with Russia.

The US has been the biggest source of military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion three years ago.

 

 

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In another decision,President Trump has confirmed that tariffs on Canadian and Mexican products will be implemented as planned. He told reporters at the White House yesterday that 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico will start today. Trump also stated that there was no room left for Mexico or Canada regarding trade negotiations.

 

Initially the tariffs were supposed to take effect last month, until the US agreed to a one-month delay for Canada and Mexico, pulling its North American neighbours back from the brink of a potentially damaging trade war.

In addition, another 10 percent tax on goods from China is also expected to begin soon. Earlier, Trump went ahead with imposing 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports in February, meaning goods from the country will now face a levy of at least 20 per cent.

All three countries have already said that they will retaliate against the US in response to the tariffs, raising the prospect of a widening trade war.

 

 

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In Bolivia, at least 31 people were killed in a road accident when a truck traveling on a highway collided with a bus in the morning hours yesterday. Confirming the death toll, police spokesperson Limbert Choque said another 22 people suffered injuries. He said, the bus skidded off the road after collision adding that the driver of the truck has been arrested. Cause of the accident is under investigation.

 

 

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast fairly widespread to widespread rainfall or snowfall over Western Himalayan Region today. Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall or snowfall accompanied by isolated thunderstorms and lightning is very likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh today. The weather department also said that a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect this region from Sunday.
Hot and humid weather will prevail in Konkan and Goa until Thursday and in Coastal Karnataka until Friday.

 

 

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The Commission for Air Quality Management lifted the restrictions under stage one of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region. The decision came yesterday, after the air quality of Delhi improved considerably in the last few days due to the favorable meteorological conditions prevailing in Delhi-NCR. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the AQI of Delhi today has been recorded at 151 in the Moderate category.

 

 

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Moving on to the world of sports, India and Australia will clash in the first semifinal in Dubai, this afternoon. The Match is scheduled to begin at 2.30 pm IST.

 

The Indian bowling has been a strong point for India so far in the tournament as the spinners have been able to justify their selection in the squad. After convincing wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan, New Zealand proved to be a good test for India in the end. India topped Group A after winning all three of their group-stage matches. On the other hand Australia, have shown that their inexperienced side can set up as there have been some great performances. The likes of Josh Inglis, Alex Carey and Adam Zampa have continued their fine form as Steve Smith’s captaincy has got them into another semi-finals of a major tournament. The final will be held on Sunday. With Mayur Jain, Chirag Jha, sports desk.”

 

 

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In Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah launched the official website for Khelo India Winter Games 2025 at Civil Secretariat, Jammu. The Chief Minister extended his best wishes to the organizers. Secretary J&K Sports Council, Nuzhat Gull announced that the event will now take place from March 9-12 at Gulmarg.

 

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to share more inspiring life journeys on the NaMo App Open Forum. In a social media post, Mr. Modi informed that from the inspiring journeys shared on the NaMo App, a few women will be selected for a social media takeover of the Prime Minister’s digital social media accounts on the occasion of Women’s Day on the 8th of this month.

 

 

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,

 

  • The Tribune headlines “Maintain decency : Supreme Court allows Ranveer Allahabadia to resume podcast”. Hindustan Times headlines “Supreme Court allows podcast, wants new law for social media” and The Times of India headlines, “After 75 years of constitution, cops must understand free speech”.
  • On Kumbh, The Hindu Business line headlines “UP’s GST mop-up rises by 1000 crores rupees in Jan and Feb”. The paper adds that mahakhumb has been hugely rewarding for the economy of Uttar Pradesh.
  • The Pioneer carries a picture of PM Modi with a camera and captions it ‘A wildlife encounter’. “PM goes on safari at Gir says lion numbers rising”, states The Asian Age.
  • And finally, the film Anora bags best actress, best picture, best director best original screenplay and best editing awards at the oscars night at Hollywood in Los Angeles.

 

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,

 

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a post-budget webinar on MSME sector this afternoon.

 

  • Research and Development spending in the country doubled in the last decade, says Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh.

 

  • External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar to embark on 6-day visit to UK and Ireland from today.

 

  • US President Donald Trump halts military aid to Ukraine.

 

  • IMD forecasts widespread rainfall or snowfall in western Himalayan region today.

 

  • In Cricket, India to lock horns with Australia in the first semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai this afternoon.

 

 

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