Morning News -

THE HEADLINES:

BJP completely rejects and distances itself from controversial remarks made by two party MPs on Supreme Court.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose to submit report on Murshidabad violence to Centre; Also take up the issue with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
US Vice President JD Vance to arrive in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India beginning tomorrow; Also to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Second round of nuclear talks between US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program concludes with signs of cautious optimism.
Easter being celebrated across the world today; President and Vice President extend greetings on the occasion.
And in a thrilling IPL T20 Cricket match, Lucknow Super Giants beat Rajasthan Royals by just 2 runs.

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Bharatiya Janata Party has completely rejected and distanced itself from controversial remarks made by the party MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India. The two MPs have also been asked to refrain from making such remarks. In a social media post, BJP President JP Nadda said the Bharatiya Janata Party has nothing to do with the statements made by them. He said, these are their personal statements, but the BJP neither agrees with nor supports such statements.

Mr Nadda added, Bharatiya Janata Party has always respected the judiciary and gladly accepted its orders and suggestions. He said the party believes that all the courts of the country are an integral part of our democracy and are strong pillars of the protection of the Constitution.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party is launching a nationwide campaign- ‘Waqf Sudhar Janjagaran Abhyan’ from today to spread awareness about the benefits of the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The campaign will continue till 5th of next month. Under the campaign, BJP leaders and workers will visit Muslim communities and make them aware about the amended act.

BJP President JP Nadda had announced about this campaign in a workshop attended by party office-bearers and others from across the country at its headquarters in New Delhi on 10th of this month. Mr. Nadda had also accused the opposition parties of misleading Muslims over the provisions of the amended law as part of its vote-bank politics. He asserted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is determined to make welfare programmes of the Waqf with transparent and efficient management of its properties.

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West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose has said that he will take up the incident of communal violence at Murshidabad with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and also submit a report on his findings on the ground-level situations there to the Central government. The Governor talked to the mediapersons on his way back to Kolkata after completing his tour of the troubled areas in Murshidabad district. He said that what he learned from the affected people is that barbaric attacks have been conducted on them. He said such attacks are not acceptable in a civilised society.

He also said it is the responsibility of both the Union and state governments to protect the people.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Jeddah on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the city in over four decades.The visit highlights the remarkable transformation of India-Saudi Arabia relations, from modest beginnings to a comprehensive strategic partnership spanning economic, defence, and cultural cooperation. This visit is especially significant, as past Indian prime ministerial visits were confined to Riyadh. The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Jeddah was Indira Gandhi in 1982. Our correspondent has filed this report:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to Saudi Arabia in 2016 represented a turning point in bilateral relations. During this trip, King Salman conferred the Kingdom’s highest civilian honour, the ‘King Abdulaziz Sash,’ on PM Modi.

By 2019, the relationship had matured further when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited India in February, followed by Modi’s return visit in October of the same year. These exchanges culminated in the establishment of the Strategic Partnership Council, institutionalizing high-level engagement across multiple sectors.

Prime Minister Modi shares a strong personal rapport with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the Prime Minister of the Kingdom. Their bilateral relationship has been marked by warmth and high-level engagement, with the two leaders meeting five times prior to 2025. This is Vinod Kumar For Akashvani News from Jeddah.

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US Vice President J.D. Vance will be on a four-day official visit to India beginning tomorrow. External Affairs Ministry in a statement said, this will be Mr Vance’s first visit to India. During his stay, he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The Vice President and his delegation will have other engagements in Delhi and are also scheduled to visit Jaipur and Agra. The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to review the progress in bilateral relations and the implementation of the outcomes of the India-U.S. Joint Statement issued on 13th of February this year during the visit of the Prime Minister to the US. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.

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The Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium yesterday celebrated the 50th anniversary of India’s first satellite Aryabhata launch in Bengaluru. The Indian Space Research Organisation had launched its first satellite from Russian soil on April 19, 1975. Addressing the school children gathered at the planetarium to celebrate the 50th anniversary, former Chairman of ISRO A S Kiran Kumar explained how India began its space journey from Aryabhata and how initially learning from others, it has today become one among the top four countries to demonstrate its capabilities in developing space technologies within the country.

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The roar of cheetahs will now be heard far and wide in Madhya Pradesh. After Kuno National Park, cheetahs are now being relocated in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in Mandsaur. Two cheetahs will be released in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary today.

Madhya Pradesh is already famous in the country as the home of cheetahs. Now the home of cheetahs is being expanded.The climate and ecology of Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary located in Mandsaur district has been found to be suitable for cheetahs.Two cheetahs are being released in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary today. These cheetahs have been brought from Kuno National Park.The National Tiger Conservation Authority is actively pursuing plans to import additional cheetahs from South Africa, Botswana, and Kenya, with four expected to arrive from Botswana next month and more to follow. Currently, Kuno National Park is home to 26 cheetahs, with 16 roaming in the open forest and 10 housed in a rehabilitation centre.

Sanjeev Sharma, Akashvani News, Bhopal

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The second round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran over Iran’s nuclear program has concluded in Rome with signs of cautious optimism. Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said that there is a movement forward and that the two sides have reached an agreement on some principles yesterday. In a social media post, he said relatively positive atmosphere in Rome has enabled progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal.

A senior Trump administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said both sides made very good progress in their direct and indirect discussions.

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The festival of Easter is being celebrated across the world today. It signifies the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion and death at Calvary on Good Friday.

Reports of Easter celebrations have been received from different parts of the country and abroad. Special mass are being held at churches to mark the day.

President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar have extended their greetings to all citizens, especially the Christian community residing in India and abroad on the occasion.

In Mizoram, Easter Sunday is being observed with joy and full religious fervour in all parts of the state. Believers of Christian faith observed the solemn day with mass, prayers, singing the gospel hymns, presentation of choirs and biblical sermons. Our correspondent reports that large number of faithfuls congregated in their respective Churches in the morning to welcome the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“Easter Sunday is being celebrated in Mizoram with religious festivity and enthusiasm. The Presbyterian Synod, the biggest Christian denomination in the state, the Baptist Church of Mizoram and Salvation Army took to Sunrise Service in various parts of the state to mark the significance of the solemn occasion. The all-time inspirational Christian hymn “Up from the grave He arose” beautifully played by the band party of Salvation Army reverberated throughout the hills and valley of Mizoram. Community feast are also being arranged in some localities to welcome the resurrection of Christ” – Gin Gangte, Akashvani News, Aizawl.

Special Church services are being held in Tamil Nadu since wee hours to mark the celebrations today. More from our Chennai Correspondent:

Easter Sunday is also the completion of the forty days of fasting observed by many Christians all over the world. People express their happiness by celebrating with sumptuous food and all that they renounce for the past forty days. Churches are decorated with festoons signifying Christ’s victory over death. In Tamilnadu it is festivity with Easter eggs hot cross buns and the age old Biriyani at most of the houses along with the traditional payasam. Joy/ Chennai.

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Moving on to the world of sports. In IPL T20 Cricket, Lucknow Super Giants defeated Rajasthan Royals by just 2 runs in a close match in Jaipur last night. More from our Sports Desk:

Chasing a target of 181 runs, Rajasthan Royals fell short, finishing at 178 for 5 in the stipulated twenty overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal top-scored with 74 runs. For Lucknow Super Giants Avesh Khan took 3 wickets and was named Player of the Match. In the another match of the day, Gujarat Titans defeated Delhi Capitals by 7 wickets in Ahmedabad. Today, Punjab Kings will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chandigarh at 3:30 PM, and Mumbai Indians will take on Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai at 7:30 PM. Next we have from squash, where India’s Veer Chotrani and Anahat Singh are set to compete in the finals of the World Championship Qualifying Event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. Second seed Chotrani will face Malaysia’s third seed Ameeshenraj Chandaran in the men’s final after defeating Hong Kong’s Chi Him Wong 3-1 in the semifinals yesterday. In the women’s section, 17-year-old Anahat Singh, will go up against Hong Kong’s Toby Tse in the title clash today. RITU SRIVASTAVA,AKASHVANI NEWS, NEWS DESK

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast Light to moderate rainfall at most places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad till tomorrow. The same rainfall has been estimated for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh with gusty winds till tomorrow. IMD said that heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya during the next five days.

The weather agency said that heat wave conditions are very likely in Vidarbha during the next 3 days.

Meanwhile, the weather in the national capital Delhi and its adjoining areas were recorded as normal this morning.

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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE:

All the dailies lead with the headlines on the collapse of a Delhi building. The Pioneer says “Tragedy strikes Delhi’s heart, eleven dead; probe ordered.”
A headline in The Sunday Tribune writes “India- US trade talks from 23rd April, focus on early agreement amid tariff concerns.”
As the Delhi government prepares a new excise policy after nearly three years, Hindustan Times notes “25 and above: Delhi to retain alcohol age bar.”
Another headline in The Pioneer says “India rings in happiness, warmth for armymen at high-altitude Siachen” by providing round the clock seamless high speed mobile connectivity even in adverse and remote terrain, enabling them to stay in touch with each other.
And finally, The Times of India on its front page cites about the youngest player picked up at the IPL mega auction causing a stir. “Fearless @ 14! Youngest IPL player Vaibhav begins with first-ball six.”

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

BJP completely rejects and distances itself from controversial remarks made by two party MPs on Supreme Court.
West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose to submit report on Murshidabad violence to Centre; Also take up the issue with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
US Vice President JD Vance to arrive in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India beginning tomorrow; Also to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Second round of nuclear talks between US and Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program concludes with signs of cautious optimism.
Easter being celebrated across the world today; President and Vice President extend greetings on the occasion.
And in a thrilling IPL T20 Cricket match, Lucknow Super Giants beat Rajasthan Royals by just 2 runs.