THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold delegation level talks with President of Angola, Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço in New Delhi today; Several agreements likely to be signed between two countries.
- Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan to unveil white paper on India’s live events economy at Waves Summit in Mumbai.
- India’s total exports touch all-time high of nearly 825 billion dollars in financial year 2024-25.
- Indian Air Force conducts major exercise on Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, displaying emergency operational capabilities.
- Voting underway in Australia to elect new Parliament.
- In IPL T20 Cricket, Hosts Gujarat Titans beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 38 runs in Ahmedabad.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold delegation level talks with President of Angola, Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço in New Delhi today. Several agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries following the talks to boost bilateral cooperation in various fields. President of Angola arrived in New Delhi yesterday on a three-day State Visit to India.
President Laurenco will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan this morning. He will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu who will host a banquet in honour of the visiting dignitary. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will call on the President of Angola. A visit of the President of Angola to India is taking place after 38 years. The visit comes at a time when India and Angola are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. President Laurenco will participate in a business event in New Delhi tomorrow, aimed at promoting investment and commercial linkages between the two countries. India and Angola enjoy warm and friendly relations built over the years. With Suparna, Anupam Mishra, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the first National Mediation Conference in New Delhi today. Chief Justice of India Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal will also address the conference. The event is being organised by Office of the Attorney General of India in association with the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Talking to media in New Delhi, Attorney General R Venkataramani said that the conference will bring together a large number of mediation and arbitration institutions so that they can discuss and share best practices with regard to the mediation process.
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The National Sammelan on Community Radio will be held on the third day of the on-going World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 in Mumbai today. The deliberations at the event will focus on the latest trends, policies, and programs aimed at empowering individuals and enhancing their ability to engage more effectively with the local community. It also aims to provide a platform for Community Radio Stations to connect, learn, and share best practices.
We now go live to our correspondent Adarsh who is covering the WAVES summit.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan will unveil a first-of-its-kind white paper titled, “India’s Live Events Economy: A Strategic Growth Imperative” at the Summit today. The White Paper presents a comprehensive analysis of India’s rapidly expanding live entertainment industry, highlighting emerging trends, growth trajectories, and strategic recommendations for the sector’s continued evolution.
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At the WAVES summit, the Create in India Challenge (CIC) Season 1 concluded yesterday. The winners of 32 distinct challenges under the CIC were honoured at the Summit. Speaking on the occasion, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called it a historic moment, adding that for the first time, an award is being given purely for creativity.
Talking to Akashvani News, Abaad Ahmed, a winner under the Waah Ustad category of Music at the Summit, said, WAVES has provided a platform for the growth and promotion of Classical Music.
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The Indian Army effectively responded to firing by Pakistan military along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir last night. Defence sources said, the Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small‑arms fire across the Line of Control opposite the Kupwara, Uri, and Akhnoor areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately.
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The Indian Air Force conducted a major exercise on a 3.5-kilometer airstrip on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district yesterday, showcasing a spectacular display of its operational capacity. The event, a first of its kind, featured advanced fighter jets like the Rafale, Jaguar, Mirage 2000, SU-30 MKI, and MiG-29, alongside transport aircraft such as the C-130J Super Hercules and AN-32, as well as the versatile MI-17 V5 helicopter. The exercise took place in two phases, daytime and nighttime, aimed at testing the expressway’s airstrip as a viable runway for emergency operations during conflicts or natural disasters.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Danish Azad Ansari stated that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to hold a night landing facility for fighter jets on an expressway.
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Voting is underway in Australia to elect members of the 48th Parliament of the country. Polling is taking place for all 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate. The voting began at around 03:30 AM Indian Standard Time and will continue till 1:30 this afternoon.
Incumbent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the ruling Labor party, is seeking re-election for a second term. He is facing a strong challenge from leader of the conservative Liberal-National Coalition Peter Dutton. Moreover, Greens Leader Adam Bandt is making the contest tri-angular.
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People in Singapore are also casting their votes to elect the new Parliament of the country. The voting began this morning at 05:30 AM, Indian Standard Time and will continue till 5:30 in the evening. Voting is taking place on 92 seats across 32 constituencies. The ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) already has five seats, following a walkover in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights Group Representation Constituency.
This election marks the first time Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is leading the ruling PAP in an electoral contest. PAP has won every election since independence of Singapore in 1965.
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India’s total exports have touched an all-time high of 824.9 billion dollars in the financial year 2024-25, as per the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India which includes the services trade for March 2025. This marks a growth of 6.01 per cent over the previous year’s export figure of 778.1 billion dollars. Services exports led the surge, rising 13.6 percent to an all-time high of 387.5 billion dollars. In March alone, services exports grew 18.6 percent year-on-year to 35.6 billion dollars.
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India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by 1.98 billion dollars, reaching 688.13 billion dollars in the week ending 25th April. According to the Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the Reserve Bank of India, during the last week, foreign currency assets, a major component of the reserves, were up by 2.17 billion dollars to around 580.6 billion dollars. However, Gold reserves decreased by 207 million dollars, totaling to 84.37 billion dollars.
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In Goa, six persons lost their lives and over 50 others were injured in a stampede at the Shree Lairai fair Zatra festival in Shirgao village at Bicholim. The injured are undergoing treatment at Bicholim Health Centre in Mapusa District Hospital and Goa Medical College and Hospital. Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant met the injured people at the Mapusa District Hospital.
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In IPL Cricket, Hosts Gujarat Titans defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 38 runs in Ahmedabad last night. Put in to bat, Gujarat Titans posted 224 runs for the loss of six wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Today, hosts Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Chennai Super Kings at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The match is scheduled to begin at 07:30 PM.
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The India Meteorological Department, IMD has forecast rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms, and gusty winds over East and central India till Tuesday. Rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm or duststorm is likely to continue over northwest India till Wednesday.
Scattered to fairly widespread light or moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph is expected in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Sikkim today.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Most newspapers have carried pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi opening the Vizhinjam International Seaport in Kerala.
- “US tells Pak to assist in hunting down terrorists”, writes The Tribune. “NIA traces Pahalgam plot to ISI, LeT; Handlers across border gave instructions”, writes The Asian Age.
- Under the headline “2nd highest May day rain in 125 years leaves 5 dead in city”, The Times of India says that winds gusting up to 80 kmph and the heavy downpour left a trail of destruction in Delhi.
- “Row escalates as Centre advises Punjab to release 4500 cusecs of water to Haryana for 8 days”, reports The Hindu.
- “Manufacturing activity at 10-month high in April”, writes The Economic Times.
- And finally, the road transport ministry may bring in a negative points system on driving licences to rein in errant drivers, reports The Times of India.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold delegation level talks with President of Angola, Joao Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço in New Delhi today; Several agreements likely to be signed between two countries.
- Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L. Murugan to unveil white paper on India’s live events economy at Waves Summit in Mumbai.
- India’s total exports touch all-time high of nearly 825 billion dollars in financial year 2024-25.
- Indian Air Force conducts major exercise on Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, displaying emergency operational capabilities.
- Voting underway in Australia to elect new Parliament.
- In IPL T20 Cricket, Hosts Gujarat Titans beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 38 runs in Ahmedabad.
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