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March 13, 2025 9:52 AM

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Morning News

THE HEADLINES :-

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns home after concluding his historic and fruitful two-day visit to Mauritius.
  • Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla says, India is always at forefront of offering help to neighboring countries, especially during disasters.
  • External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to reach out to global community in New Delhi today, ahead of WAVES 2025.
  • Pakistan Security forces claim, Jaffar Express train operation over; 346 hostages rescued.
  • In sports, Rinku Hooda leads India’s dominant show in Javelin Throw at World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi on Day 2.
  • In Women’s Premier League Cricket, Mumbai Indians to take on Gujarat Giants in Eliminator match at Mumbai this evening.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has returned home last night after concluding his historic and fruitful visit to Mauritius. India and Mauritius elevated their ties to an ‘enhanced strategic partnership’ and inked eight pacts to boost cooperation in several sectors, including maritime security, and promote trade in local currencies. The decision was taken during delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritius Prime Minister Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam at Port Louis.

 

Following the talks, Mr. Modi announced India’s new vision for the Global South, naming it “MAHASAGAR” or “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.”

 

In the meeting, Mr. Modi reiterated India’s continued support and assistance to Mauritius in strengthening its defense and security needs, given the shared objectives of the two nations in the region.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has emphasized that India is always at the forefront of offering help to neighboring countries, especially during disasters. Mr. Birla made these remarks during a bilateral meeting with a Parliamentary Delegation from Madagascar, led by the President of the National Assembly of Madagascar, Justin Tokely, in New Delhi. During the meeting, Mr. Birla highlighted that India holds Madagascar in the highest regard as a cherished and reliable friend, as well as a steadfast partner in its journey of progress.

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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will reach out to the global community in New Delhi today, ahead of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan and Chief Minister of the host state, Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, will also be present at the event. The first edition of the WAVES Summit is scheduled to be held from the 1st to the 4th of May in Mumbai.

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Union Minister for IT and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw has extended a warm welcome to SpaceX’s Starlink as it prepares to enter the Indian market. In a social media post, Mr Vaishnaw said, it will be useful for remote area railway projects. The Minister’s statement came amid major developments as two Indian telecom companies have announced partnerships with SpaceX to integrate Starlink’s services.

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The Ministry of Defence has signed a capital acquisition contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Ghaziabad, for the procurement of Low-Level Transportable Radar, Ashwini at a cost of 2,906 crore rupees. The radar has been indigenously designed and developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, DRDO to enhance India’s air surveillance capabilities. The contract was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, marking another step towards self-reliance in defence technology.

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SpaceX has postponed a scheduled flight to the International Space Station (ISS) due to a last-minute technical issue with the rocket’s launchpad. The mission was intended to send four replacement astronauts to the ISS, facilitating the long-overdue return of US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. Originally planned as an eight-day stay on the orbiting station, the two have been stranded in space for nine months after their trip aboard Boeing’s malfunctioning Starliner. 

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In Pakistan, the standoff between the fighters of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Pakistani military after the massive attack on Jaffar Express passenger train in Bolan district has reportedly finally ended after more than 24 hours. Security sources confirmed that the military operation to neutralise the attackers and rescue the hostages has concluded and a clearance operation has been successfully conducted in which at least 346 hostages have been rescued and around 50 attackers neutralised. The BLA also claimed to have killed at least 20 of the abducted security personnel.

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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Moscow will wait for further details from Washington regarding a recent ceasefire proposal discussed during talks between the United States and Ukraine. The Kremlin spokesman said, both US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that they would pass on detailed information about the conversations that took place in Jeddah through various diplomatic channels.

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The festival of Holi is being celebrated today across the nation. The festival is not just limited to  colours and Gujiya, but celebrated in different states with different names and unique traditions. Somewhere on this festival, Latthmar Holi is played and somewhere people celebrate Khadi Holi by singing folk songs.

 

In Uttar Pradesh, Celebration of Holi has begun in the Braj region and Varanasi. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will attend the Holika Dahan Shobhayatra in Gorakhpur today.

 

In Braj region, Holi is being celebrated with religious fervour. Different types of Holi including lattmaar Holi, phoolon ki Holi, laddu maar Holi is part of the month-long Holi celebration in Mathura-Vrindavan which starts from Vasant Panchami itself. Holika Dahan will be celebrated today and Huranga celebrations will take place at Baldev’s Dauji Temple and other locations from March 15th to 21st. CM Yogi Adityanath will attend the Holika Dahan Shobhayatra organised by Holika Dahan Utsav samiti at Pandey Hata in Gorakhpur today. CM Yogi has instructed officials to take special precautions for the security of Holika Dahan sites. Om Awasthi, Akashvani News, lucknow.”

 

In Rajasthan. Holika Dahan will take place at various places in cities and villages this evening.

 

Holika Dahan will take place at various places in villages and cities of the state this evening as per tradition. special prayers are being made at various temples. Devotees are reaching at Govinddevji temple in Jaipur and Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara to play Holi by flowers and gulaal. A special programme is being organized at Pushkar near Ajmer, where thousands of domestic and foreign tourists have arrived to celebrate the festival of colors. Tomorrow, on the occasion of Dhulandi, Holi will be celebrated with colors and gulaal in the entire state. Jitendra Dwivedi, Akashwani News, Jaipur.”

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In Kerala, the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, is about to witness  one of the largest  gatherings of women in the world today, for the  “Attukal Pongala”.  The ritual had made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 2009 for being the largest religious gathering of women on a single day when over 2.5 million took part in it.

 

 

Attukal temple is also known as  the “women’s Sabarimala”. Lakhs of Women prepares the Pongala  to appease their favorite  deity ,the Attukal Bhagavathy for the peace and prosperity of their family. In ‘pongala’, devotees prepare a mix of rice, jaggery and scrapped coconut in pots in makeshift brick stoves. Attukal pongala is not only a cherished tradition but also a testament of unity, faith, and collective devotion as every year the nearby churches, temples and mosques facilitate the ritual equally. As large number of devotees are expected to reach the city, authorities have made elaborate arrangements. Railways are also running special trains on the occasion.Mayusha for Akashvani News From THIRUVANANTHApuram.”

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India continued its dominant run on the second day of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2025, delivering several standout performances across multiple events at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi yesterday.

 

Rinku Hooda stole the spotlight in the men’s javelin throw F46 category, clinching gold with a throw of 60.26 meter. Ritender added another gold for India in the men’s javelin F40/F41 category with a best throw of 30.33 meter. In the men’s javelin F12/F37/F42/F43 combined category, Indian athletes swept the podium. Pushpendra Singh led the charge with a gold-winning throw of 57.57 meter, followed by Mohit, who secured silver, and Jaswant, who took bronze. India’s women athletes also impressed on Day 2. In the women’s javelin F34 category, Baghyashri Madhavrao Jadhav secured gold with a throw of 12.73 meter. After two days of competition, India leads the medal table with a total of 95 medals, including 33 gold, 29 silver, and 33 bronze. 

 

On the other hand, in the Women’s Premier League Cricket, Mumbai Indians will take on Gujarat Giants in the Eliminator match in Mumbai at 7:30 PM today. Delhi Capitals have already secured their place in the final of the tournament by topping the overall standings with 10 points. MANIK SHARMA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI. “

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In Jammu & Kashmir, most of the plains and upper reaches in Kashmir Valley including Srinagar city are witnessing continuous rains since late last night.

 

Heavy snowfall has been reported from upper reaches of North Kashmir’s border district Kupwara with plains receiving rains. Some main roads have been closed for vehicular traffic in the district. Despite rainfall in Ramban, Ramsoo, Banihal and Qazigund areas, the Srinagar Jammu national highway is open for vehicular traffic till now. In Southern parts, the rain in plains and light snowfall in upper reaches has been reported. The wet spell has plummeted the night temperature predicting decrease in day temperature also across Kashmir region. TARIQ RATHER, Akashvani News, Srinagar.”

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

  • India Mauritius sign 8 pacts as PMs decide to elevate ties headlines The Indian Express Sagar to Mahasagar: India upgrades it’s ties with Mautitius headlines the Times of India and The Hindustan Times headlines “India Mauritius ink slew of pacts, upgrade defence ties.”
  • All papers also report on BJP sweeping the haryana civic polls securing wins in 9 of the 10 centres including Gurgaon and faridabad.
  • Food prices cool Feb inflation to 3.61 percent headlines the Business Standard and the Hindu headlines “Retail inflation at 7 month low as food prices decline.”
  • and finally, in Karnataka district about 100 women turns businesswomen as roti is being prepared by machines to boost their productivity ushering a new business model with the Karnataka government’s initiative of branding the kalaburgi roti.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns home after concluding his historic and fruitful two-day visit to Mauritius.
  • Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla says, India is always at forefront of offering help to neighboring countries, especially during disasters.
  • External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to reach out to global community in New Delhi today, ahead of WAVES 2025.
  • Pakistan Security forces claim, Jaffar Express train operation over; 346 hostages rescued.
  • In sports, Rinku Hooda leads India’s dominant show in Javelin Throw at World Para Athletics Grand Prix in New Delhi on Day 2.
  • In Women’s Premier League Cricket, Mumbai Indians to take on Gujarat Giants in Eliminator match at Mumbai this evening.

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