THE HEADLINES:
- India forces repulse and give befitting reply to multiple attacks launched by Pakistan using drones and other munitions along entire western border last night.
- India intercepts and blocks 8 Pakistani missiles aimed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia of Jammu and Kashmir.
- BSF foils major infiltration bid along International Border in Samba district.
- Kishangarh, Bhuntar and Ludhiana airports closed.
- US President Donald Trump announces a breakthrough trade deal with United Kingdom.
- American prelate Robert Prevost elected new Pope.
- IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala called off midway as precautionary measure.
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Indian armed forces thwarted all attempts by Pakistan to target northern and western cities using drones and other munitions last night. Pakistan troops also resorted to numerous ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army asserted that it remains committed to safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation. It said that all nefarious designs will be responded with force. According to the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff, Pakistan also attempted to target military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur and locations near the International Border. However, the Indian Armed Forces successfully neutralised the attack, and no loss of life has been reported.
We spoke to defence analyst, Lt. Gen Rajeev Chopra about the Pakistani firing.
Eight missiles from Pakistan were directed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia of Jammu and Kashmir. Defence sources said all missiles were intercepted and blocked by Air Defence Units. The sources added that the visuals over Jammu remind of exactly HAMAS style attack on Israel. They said, Pakistan Army is operating and behaving like the terror organisation HAMAS. The Defence Ministry also rejected the reports claiming a suicide attack by terrorists at Pathankot or Rajouri. Meanwhile, Border Security Force also foiled a major infiltration attempt at the International Boundary in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district last night.PALLAVI PARMAR, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI
In Punjab, Armed forces have thwarted multiple attempts by Pakistan to target some locations including in Pathankot, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bhatinda last night.
Now we go over live to our Jaladhar correspondent Rajesh Bali for latest update on firing from Pakistan.
Rajesh, what latest update you have for our listeners ?
Amid escalating tensions, Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the Director Generals of Border Secruity force to take stock of the border situation. He also spoke with the Director Generals of CISF regarding airport security.
Meanwhile, in a special joint briefing yesterday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that New Delhi’s intention has not been to escalate matters, and only terrorist infratsructure in Pakistan has been hit. He also stressed that the Pahalgam terror attack of 22nd April is the original escalation and India is only responding to it.
During the briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi said, Indian Armed Forces targeted Air Defence Radars and systems at a number of locations in Pakistan yesterday and Air Defence system at Lahore was neutralized.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh reiterated India’s commitment to non-escalation on the only condition that Pakistan respects it.
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The Rajasthan government has initiated a series of measures amid tensions at Indo-Pak border following Pakistan’s attempted attack at different locations in the state. These include Blackout in border districts, suspension of leaves for government employees and closure of schools.
District Administrations in Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Phalodi and Sri Ganganagar have enforced a nightly blackout from 9 PM to 4 AM, which will continue till further notice. Residents in these areas have been instructed to remain indoors, turn off lights, and to avoid any outdoor movements during the blackout period. SDRF teams have also been deployed in Border areas to deal with any emergency situation. Meanwhile, the home department has issued emergency response guidelines to all districts. With Jitendra Dwivedi, AISHWARYA RAI NIGAM, Akashwani News, DELHI.
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A high-level meeting was held at State Emergency Operation Centre in Gandhinagar Gujarat to review the current situation along the international border. Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghvi, held a telephonic meeting with district collectors of Kutch, Patan, and Banaskantha to assess security measures.
As a precautionary measure, six airports in the state, including Bhuj and Rajkot, have been temporarily closed to civilian traffic. Additionally, the state government has imposed restrictions on fishing activities in designated sea areas near Narayan Sarovar, Jakhau, and Lakhpat fish landing centres in Kutch district.
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In view of recent aggression from Pakistan side, authorities have ordered the closure of airports in Kishangarh, Bhuntar, and Ludhiana. Earlier, flight operations had already been suspended at several key airports across Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh as a precautionary measure to ensure civilian safety.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry has dismissed media reports claiming that airports across the country have been closed, calling them incorrect.
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After India’s retaliatory strikes, a seemingly nervous Pakistan has resorted to spreading fake news and misinformation in digital space. It is fabricating stories of miraculous military victories which reflect Islamabad’s deliberate attempt to mislead the media, distort the global narrative, and manipulate public perception.
Desperate Pakistan has shared a video claiming drone attack in Jalandhar on social media which is an unrelated video of a farmfire. Laughably, it is also surfacing a video of an explosive attack that tookplace in Lebanon in 2020. This is in attempt to claim that Pakistan haslaunched a missile attack on India in retaliation. One more false claim isrelated to Ambala Airbase is surfacing online where Islamabad notoriously claimed that the Indianmilitary used Ambala Airbase to attack Amritsar and its own citizens. Akshit Vedyan, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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US President Donald Trump has announced a ‘breakthrough’ trade deal with the United Kingdom yesterday, calling it the ‘first of many.’
The deal includes reduced import taxes on select British cars and tariff-free imports of some steel and aluminium, though a 10% tariff on most UK goods remains in place.
President Trump described the agreement as a significant step in strengthening US-UK relations, with the final details still being worked out.
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American prelate Robert Francis Prevost has been elected the new Pope, becoming the first American pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church. He will take the pontifical name of Pope Leo XIV.
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Moving on to the world of sports, the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala was called off last evening as a precautionary measure. We have more from our sports desk:
“Punjab Kings were 122 for 1 in 10.1 overs, when stadium’s floodlights were turned off. A total of three light towers at the stadium went off, forcing a stoppage in play and then subsequently forcing the players off the field. Moreover, the match between Punjab Kings and Mumbai Indians, originally scheduled to be played in Dharamshala on Sunday afternoon has been relocated to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile today, hosts Lucknow Super Giants will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru from 7:30 PM.
In Badminton, Indian shuttlers Ayush Shetty and Unnati Hooda have advanced to the quarterfinals of the men’s and women’s singles events at the Taipei Open yesterday. Ranked 44th in the world, Ayush Shetty defeated senior compatriot Kidambi Srikanth, while 17-year-old Unnati Hooda triumphed over Chinese Taipei’s Lin Sih Yun.
At the World Squash Championships, starting today in Chicago, USA, Teenage squash player Anahat Singh will lead India’s campaign. Ranked 62nd globally, Anahat is India’s No. 1 female player. In the first round, she will face world No. 28 Marina Stefanoni of the USA.
In the Khelo India Youth Games, Maharashtra has maintained its top position in the medal tally with 55 medals, including 21 Gold and 18 Silver. With 11 Gold, Rajasthan is at second position, followed by Karnataka with 10 Gold. On the 6th day of games today, several medals will be decided in Basketball, Shooting, Rugby and Kho-Kho. With inputs from Bimal and Dharmendra, Chirag Jha, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- The top headliine in The Asian Age reads, “Pakistan fires drones, missiles at Jammu, many other Indian cities, escalating crisis”. “India hits back after intercepting Pak strikes”, headlines The Hindu. “Conflict widens, India targets Lahore, Pindi, Karachi after foiling multiple Pak attackes” is The Times of India
- Blackouts were imposed in 15 cities, from Srinagar to Chandigarh to Bhuj, as Indian Armed Forces began a counter-offensive Thursday night after Pakistani drones and missiles attempted to hit Indian cities, writes The Indian Express.
- India neutralised one of its most wanted terrorists, Abdul Rauf Azhar, mastermind of Kandhar hijacking, in Operation Sindoor, reports The Pioneer.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has informed an all party meet that at least 100 terrorists have been killed in Operation Sindoor. writes The Tribune.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- India forces repulse and give befitting reply to multiple attacks launched by Pakistan using drones and other munitions along entire western border last night.
- India intercepts and blocks 8 Pakistani missiles aimed at Satwari, Samba, RS Pura and Arnia of Jammu and Kashmir.
- BSF foils major infiltration bid along International Border in Samba district.
- Kishangarh, Bhuntar and Ludhiana airports closed.
- US President Donald Trump announces a breakthrough trade deal with United Kingdom.
- American prelate Robert Prevost elected new Pope.
- IPL match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals in Dharamsala called off midway as precautionary measure.
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