THE HEADLINES:
- Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas being observed today to pay homage to those who suffered excesses during Emergency; Book written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Emergency to be released on the occasion.
- Axiom-4 mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to space, to be launched today at 12:01 PM IST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.
- Prime Minister Modi speaks to Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Invites him to visit India.
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal says, India on track to become 5 trillion dollar economy by 2027 despite global turbulence.
- Neeraj Chopra wins Men’s javelin throw title at Golden Spike 2025 athletics in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
- In Anderson-Tendulkar Cricket Trophy, England beat India by 5 wickets to take 1-nil lead in five-match Test series.
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Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas is being observed today. It serves as a reminder of what happened when the Constitution of India was trampled over on 25th June 1975. It is also a day to pay homage to each and every person who suffered due to the excesses of the Emergency.
“On this day in 1975, the then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed issued the Emergency proclamation under Article 352, citing threats from internal disturbance. The Emergency was declared in a backdrop of mounting political unrest and judicial developments that shook the legitimacy of the ruling leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The executive acquired overriding powers, and state authority was brought under central control. Following the proclamation, constitutional safeguards were systematically suspended. Article 358 suspended protections under Article 19, affecting freedom of speech, expression, assembly, and movement. Citizens were barred from approaching courts for redress. Pre-censorship was imposed on all newspapers. Even the statutory watchdog, Press Council of India was abolished. Sharing his thoughts in the Mann Ki Baat programme of Akashvani, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Emergency was a darkest era in the country’s history when atrocities were committed on those supporting democracy.
Eminent Journalist Ram Bahadur Rai who was jailed during emergency spoke to Akashvani and shared about the atrocities committed during the period.
Constitutional Amendments during that period barred the courts from questioning the President’s decision to declare Emergency and excluded the election of the Prime Minister and Speaker of the Lok Sabha from judicial scrutiny. ANUPAM MISHRA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI. “
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has criticized Congress for imposing emergency in 1975 saying that the reason was not to protect the country’s security but to save the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s power. Mr Shah said this while addressing a commemoration event ‘Aapatkaal Ke 50 Saal’ in New Delhi. He urged everyone to remember that lakhs of people sacrificed their lives, careers, and families to fight for the democracy of this country. Mr Shah noted that the country won this fight because the people will never tolerate dictatorship.
Mr Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written a book on Emergency and it will be launched today. He added that the book is based on the struggles and the developments that took place during and after the emergency.
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In Madhya Pradesh, Samvidhan Hatya Diwas is being observed on the 50th anniversary of the Emergency. Various programs will be organized over the course of a year starting today. During this period, seminars, dialogues, essay competitions, rallies, and other activities will be held across all districts of the state, with participation from youth, students, intellectuals, and public representatives.
Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav will take part in the Samvidhan Hatya Diwas programs in Indore today and in Bhopal tomorrow. Describing the Emergency as a dark chapter and a blot on democracy, Dr. Yadav said that those who imposed it are responsible for this stigma in the whole world.
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Axiom-4 mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to space, will be launched today at 12:01 PM IST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, United States. In a social media post, ISRO said, that the Axiom-4 will dock with the International Space Station (ISS) tomorrow at 4:30 PM IST, about 28 hours after launch. The launch of the Axiom-4 mission, which was initially scheduled to take off on May 29, has been repeatedly delayed due to technical issues, weather conditions and leaks on the ISS.
“This historic mission will carry four astronauts from the US, India, Poland, and Hungary to the ISS for a 14-day scientific mission in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The four astronauts on the Axiom-4 (AX-4) mission are Subhanshu Shukla from India, Sławosz Uznański from Poland, Tibor Kapu from Hungary, and Peggy Whitson from the US. Whitson, a NASA astronaut, will serve as Mission Commander, while Shukla becomes India’s second astronaut to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission. Uznański and Kapu represent Poland and Hungary, marking their countries’ second human spaceflight missions in history.
Once they reach the ISS, the astronauts will spend about two weeks on the space station, where they will conduct microgravity research, technology demonstrations, and outreach events. The astronauts will carry out around 60 scientific studies from 31 countries, including several groundbreaking research projects led by ISRO.
Peggy Whitson, Mission Commander, described the mission as a leap forward in advancing scientific knowledge and fostering global space cooperation. The AX-4 mission is set to further deepen the partnerships between NASA, ISRO, and other international space agencies, paving the way for future space exploration. “WITH ASHOK SHUKLA, AKHILA, AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI.”
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam. In a social media post, the Prime Minister said that both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepen the enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries. Mr. Modi also reiterated India’s steadfast commitment to the development priorities of Mauritius in line with Vision MAHASAGAR and India’s Neighbourhood First policy. Both leaders also discussed the ongoing cooperation across a broad range of areas, including development partnership, capacity building, defence, maritime security, digital infrastructure, and people-to-people ties.
Prime Minister Modi also extended an invitation to Dr. Ramgoolam to visit India.
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Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said that India is firmly on track to become a 5 trillion US dollar economy by 2027, despite global turbulence, driven by a collective national effort. Speaking at a virtual session organised by the Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) yesterday, the minister said that the government has focused on calibrated growth tailored to the Indian narrative, built on Seva, Sushasan, and Navachar, that is, Service, Good Governance, and Innovation. Mr. Goyal said that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused on quantum change over mere incremental progress. He added that all stakeholders including government, business community, industry, trade, and 140 crore countrymen are deeply aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision for Viksit Bharat 2047.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead a high-level Indian delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting, in Qingdao, China from today. During the two-day meeting, Defence Ministers of SCO member states are expected to discuss key issues, including regional and international security, counter-terrorism efforts, and enhanced cooperation among their defence ministries.
Rajnath Singh is expected to underscore India’s steadfast commitment to the principles and mandate of the SCO.
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Moving on to the world of sports, two-time Olympic medallist, Neeraj Chopra has clinched the Javelin Throw title in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet in Czech Republic.
“The 27-year-old star Indian clinched the yellow metal with a best throw of 85.29 metres in the one-day competition last night. The victory marked Neeraj’s second consecutive top finish, following his impressive performance at the Paris Diamond League last week.
Moving on to Test cricket, England defeated India by five wickets in the opening match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Cricket Trophy at Headingley, Leeds. Chasing the target of 371, England reached 373 for 5 on the final day yesterday, pulling off one of the greatest run chases in Test history. A superb 149 runs from the English opener Ben Duckett, along with a steady 53 from Joe Root and a breezy 44 from Jamie Smith, powered the hosts to an early 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The second match of the series will be played in Birmingham starting from the 2nd of next month.
And in Hockey, the inaugural edition of the India Masters Cup 2025 has reached its semifinal stage, with exciting clashes lined up in both men’s and women’s categories. In the men’s section, Tamil Nadu will face Chandigarh, while Odisha will take on Maharashtra, today. In the women’s category, Tamil Nadu will play against Odisha while Hockey Haryana will be against Punjab tomorrow. With Neelam Kaushik, Jigyasa Pandey, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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A massive fire broke out last evening at a factory near Rithala Metro Station in New Delhi. According to the Delhi Fire Services, 16 fire tenders were promptly deployed to the spot to control the blaze. The Delhi Fire Services reported that the situation is under control but firefighting operations are still ongoing.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Coastal Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Uttar Pradesh today. The weather agency also predicted light to moderate rainfall conditions over Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha during the next 5 days. According to the IMD, Northeast and Northwest part of the country along with Chhattisgarh, Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha are also expected to witness light to moderate rainfall conditions during the next 5 days.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- “After initial jolts, Trump anger, shaky Iran-Israel truce kicks in” headlines Hindustan Times, on what it calls, “a fragile ceasefire” between the two nations. Air travel chaos begins to ease and oil prices fall as risk abates, adds the paper.
- India has evacuated 2,576 Indians from Iran and 594 from Israel so far, reports The Asian Age.
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has taken strong exception to several defects at major airports and airlines and directed them to rectify the flaws within seven days, reports The Pioneer.
- In a sad reflection of the times, a study reveals that for 2 decades, suicide is among the top 2 causes of death of young Indians in the age group, 15 to 29 years, reports The Times of India.
- And finally, fearing extreme weather events, the over 1,000-year-old Tabo Monastery in the spiti Valley has sent an SOS to ASI for steps to save mud structures from damage, writes The Tribune.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas being observed today to pay homage to those who suffered excesses during Emergency; Book written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Emergency to be released on the occasion.
- Axiom-4 mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to space, to be launched today at 12:01 PM IST from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.
- Prime Minister Modi speaks to Mauritian counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Invites him to visit India.
- Union Minister Piyush Goyal says, India on track to become 5 trillion dollar economy by 2027 despite global turbulence.
- Neeraj Chopra wins Men’s javelin throw title at Golden Spike 2025 athletics in Ostrava, Czech Republic.
- In Anderson-Tendulkar Cricket Trophy, England beat India by 5 wickets to take 1-nil lead in five-match Test series.
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