THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs meeting of Committee to appoint CBI Director.
- Union Home Secretary to hold meeting with Chief Secretaries of States today, on mock drill to evaluate civil defence preparedness.
- UN Secretary General strongly condemns Pahalgam terror attack; Says targeting of civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be brought to justice.
- New Delhi lodges protest with Canada over effigies of Indian leaders; Asks Canada to act against extremists.
- Indian women archers to lead country’s challenge at Archery World Cup, stage 2 in Shanghai.
- In IPL Cricket, Mumbai Indians to face Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium this evening.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Committee for the appointment of the CBI Director.The meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi yesterday. It was attended by Chief Justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Leader of the Oppostion in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
During the meeting, the discussion took place about the appointment of the next CBI Director.
The meeting comes ahead of the end of the two-year term of incumbent CBI Director Praveen Sood on 25th of this month. The appointment of the CBI Director is done by the Central Government on the recommendation of a three-member appointment committee, which is headed by the Prime Minister and comprises the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.
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The Union Home Ministry has asked the states to conduct mock drills tomorrow to evaluate civil defence preparedness. It has decided to organize the Civil Defence Exercise and Rehearsal across the 244 categorized Civil Defence Districts of the country. The conduct of the exercise is planned up to the village level.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan is also scheduled to hold a meeting today with Chief Secretaries of States through video-conferencing on Civil Defence Mock Drill. Our Correspondent reports that the Civil Defence Exercise is aimed to assess the operational efficacy and coordination of various Civil Defence measures.
“This exercise aims to assess and enhance the readiness of Civil Defence mechanisms across all States and Union Territories. Its primary objective is to assess the effectiveness of air raid warning systems, operationalization of Hotline or Radio Communication Links with the Indian Air Force, as well as to test the functionality of control rooms. The exercise also includes training of civilians and students, on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of hostile attack. Besides the provision of crash blackout measures, provision for early camouflaging of vital installations and update of the evacuation plan and its rehearsal are also included in the Mock Drill. Saklen Akhtar for Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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The Indian Army effectively responded to firing by Pakistan military along 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 Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajauri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian troops responded promptly and proportionately. There are no reports of any casualties.
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UN Secretary-General António Guterres has strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and extended condolences to the families of the victims. He said that targeting civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible lawful means. He told this to journalists at the UN Headquarters in New York, ahead of a closed-door Security Council meeting to address rising tensions between India and Pakistan. He noted that relations between the two South Asian neighbors were at their ‘highest in years.’ Mr.Guterres assured that the United Nations is ready to support any initiative that fosters de-escalation, diplomacy, and a renewed commitment to peace.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam. During the telephonic conversation yesterday, Mr Putin conveyed his deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice.
In a social media post, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Prime Minister Modi conveyed greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the Annual Summit to be held in India later in the year.
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Leading global airlines including Air France and Lufthansa, have stopped flying over Pakistani airspace to ensure the safety of their flights. German airline Lufthansa, in a statement, said that its aircraft are avoiding Pakistani airspace until further notice. The flight tracking data showed that flights operated by British Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, and Emirates have been turning away from Pakistani airspace, opting for longer routes to reach their destinations.
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Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh underscored the importance of building an indigenous India AI Open Stack foundational AI architecture embedded with science and engineering models tailored for Indian researchers. Chairing a comprehensive review of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in New Delhi yesterday, he called for new and bold directions in science-driven growth, including AI-led innovations, deep tech startups, and enhanced infrastructure sharing.
The Ministry of Science and Technology, in a statement, said that during the meeting, Dr. Singh particularly focused on the evolving role of the newly constituted Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), as well as ongoing national missions like the Geospatial Initiative. The Minister further asked the ANRF to explore the possibility of helping medical colleges in establishing their own medical research parks with an aim to boost clinical innovation and local biotech entrepreneurship.
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The Government of India has conveyed its concerns in the strongest terms to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi regarding the parade held in Toronto where unacceptable imagery and threatening language were used against its leadership and Indian citizens residing in Canada. Sources said that India has once again called on the Canadian authorities to act against anti India elements who spread hatred and advocate extremism and separatist agenda. On Sunday, a rally was taken out in Toronto that depicted several leading figures in a derogatory manner.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met her Italian counterpart Giancarlo Giorgetti, on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank in the Italian city of Milan. Both the leaders explored ways to strengthen India-Italy economic ties and enhance cooperation in global and multilateral platforms on issues of mutual interest. The meeting highlighted implementation of the Joint Strategic Action Plan 2025-2029 announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in November 2024, which will add depth and momentum to in priority domains.
The Indian Finance Minister also met Japan’s Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and discussed the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two nations. Ms Sitharaman emphasised that the India-Japan partnership, based on shared values of democracy and rule of law, is vital for promoting peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
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In the United States, the Donald Trump administration has announced that it will pay illegal immigrants 1,000 dollars plus their travel expenses if they leave voluntarily, in an effort to step up its mass deportation. The Department of Homeland Security announced a historic opportunity for illegal aliens to receive both financial and travel assistance to facilitate travel back to their home country.
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Ukraine has launched an overnight drone attack targeting Moscow for the second night in a row. Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said that all four of the capital’s major airports have been closed temporarily to ensure safety. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin said on social media that at least 19 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed before they reached the city from different directions. He said some of the debris had landed on one of the key highways into the city, but there were no casualties. Ukraine has not yet commented. But the mayor of Kharkiv said Russia had also carried out drone strikes in the city overnight, as well as in the Kyiv area.
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Israel’s military has carried out airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen’s Red Sea city of Hodeida, a day after the rebels fired a ballistic missile that hit Israel’s main airport.
Houthi media reported that at least six strikes hit the key Hodeida port, with other strikes targeting a cement factory in the Bajil district. Israeli media said dozens of Israeli Air Force jets participated in the operation.
Meanwhile, the US military carried out multiple strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Houthi media warned of escalating attacks, vowing to continue targeting shipping routes and Israel until it halts its actions in Gaza.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth 2 thousand 348 crore rupees belonging to the WTC Faridabad Infrastructure Private Limited and other entities in connection with a massive real estate fraud. The agency, in a statement said that these assets include land and unsold properties in Delhi-NCR, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, and Goa.
It alleged that Ashish Bhalla, the head of the group, duped over 12 thousand investors by promising assured returns on investments, but instead, he diverted and siphoned off funds, transferring some abroad to entities owned by his family members. Bhalla was arrested on the 6th of March after attempting to influence witnesses. The ED is continuing its investigation in the case.
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Now the news from the world of sports:-
“The Archery World Cup 2025 Stage 2 will begin in Shanghai, China today. Top-ranked Indian women archers, Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Deepika Kumari, will lead the country’s challenge. A 16-member Indian squad, comprising eight men and eight women, will compete in compound and recurve events from today until the 11th of this month
In IPL cricket, the match between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad was abandoned due to heavy rain at the innings break in Hyderabad last night. Both teams received one point each, resulting in Sunrisers Hyderabad being officially eliminated from playoff contention, while Delhi Capitals remained in fifth place. Today, hosts Mumbai Indians will face Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium at 7:30 PM. And in Badminton, Former world No. 1 shuttler Kidambi Srikanth, along with rising stars Anmol Kharb and Unnati Hooda, will lead India’s campaign at the Taipei Open 2025 tournament, starting today in Chinese Taipei. WITH BIMAL’S REPORT MANIK SHARMA, AKASHVANI NEWS, Delhi”
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Rayalaseema today. The weather agency has predicted similar conditions over Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, Kerala and Mahe tomorrow. IMD has predicted scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds over Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh during this week.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Most newspapers today open with civil defence drills to be held in the country tomorrow. “Activate air raid sirens, rehearse blackouts, safety drills: Government instructs all states, UTs” is the lead headline in the Indian Express.
- “Putin dials Modi, gives full support to ‘fight against terror’ is the front page headline in The Hindu.
- “Orders reserved for eternity’: SC asks HCs for pending cases data” mention the Times of India.
- “India offers zero-for-zero tariffs on select US items” notes The Financial Express.
- “From the creator of tariffs, another big hit, Proposed Trump levy on non-US films would double costs for Indian distributors, force rethink” says The Economic Times.
- And finally, in the wake of impending seasonal downpour, “311: One helpline to ease Delhiites’ woes during monsoon season” is the headline in the Statesman.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs meeting of Committee to appoint CBI Director.
- Union Home Secretary to hold meeting with Chief Secretaries of States today, on mock drill to evaluate civil defence preparedness.
- UN Secretary General strongly condemns Pahalgam terror attack; Says targeting of civilians is unacceptable and those responsible must be brought to justice.
- New Delhi lodges protest with Canada over effigies of Indian leaders; Asks Canada to act against extremists.
- Indian women archers to lead country’s challenge at Archery World Cup, stage 2 in Shanghai.
- In IPL Cricket, Mumbai Indians to face Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium this evening.
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