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Category: Government of India

  • Stock markets rally nearly 1% backed by strong domestic indicators

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Indian equity markets ended the week on a positive note, with key indices registering sharp gains on Friday amid firm global cues and robust domestic macroeconomic indicators.

    The BSE Sensex surged 769.09 points, or 0.95 per cent, to close at 81,721.08. The index touched an intraday high of 81,905.17 and a low of 80,897.00 during the session. The NSE Nifty also saw notable gains, climbing 243.45 points, or 0.99 per cent, to settle at 24,853.15.

    Market analysts attributed the uptrend to buying in IT, FMCG, banking and financial stocks, as well as renewed optimism over India’s fiscal outlook.

    “The index has moved higher after finding support at the 21-day exponential moving average (EMA). Broadly, the Nifty appears to be consolidating within the 24,700 to 25,000 range,” said Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities. He added that the short-term trend remains positive and momentum could pick up further if the index crosses the 25,000 mark.

    The broader markets also mirrored the upbeat sentiment. The Nifty Midcap100 rose by 0.64 per cent, while the Nifty Smallcap100 gained 0.80 per cent—indicating strength across the board.

    On the Sensex, 29 of the 30 constituents ended in the green. Sun Pharma was the sole laggard, falling 2.14 per cent after the company reported a dip in net profit for the fourth quarter.

    Among the top gainers were shares of Eternal, Power Grid, ITC, Bajaj Finserv, and Nestle India, which advanced between 1.83 per cent and 3.6 per cent.

    Sector-wise, Nifty FMCG and Nifty Private Bank led the gains, rising 1.63 per cent and 1.08 per cent, respectively. Other sectors including IT, financial services, metal, PSU bank, oil & gas, and realty also closed in positive territory with gains of up to 0.95 per cent.

    On the other hand, Nifty Pharma and Nifty Healthcare were the only two indices that ended in the red, with marginal declines of 0.41 per cent and 0.01 per cent, respectively.

    Experts said investor sentiment was supported by optimism over ongoing US-India trade negotiations and expectations of a record-high dividend payout by the Reserve Bank of India, which could aid fiscal consolidation efforts.

    “Investor attention is revolving around US-India trade talks and the strength of domestic economic indicators,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.

    (IANS)

  • Astronomers spot galaxy shaped like the Milky Way but is far more massive

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Astronomers have observed a galaxy dating to an earlier epoch in the universe’s history that surprisingly is shaped much like our Milky Way – a spiral structure with a straight bar of stars and gas running through its center – but far more massive, offering new insight into galactic formation.

    The distant galaxy, called J0107a, was observed as it appeared 11.1 billion years ago, when the universe was about a fifth of its current age. The researchers used data from the Chile-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study the galaxy.

    They determined that the galaxy’s mass, including its stars and gas, was more than 10 times greater than that of the Milky Way, and it was forming stars at an annual rate approximately 300 times greater. J0107a was more compact than the Milky Way, however.

    “The galaxy is a monster galaxy with a high star formation rate and plenty of gas, much more than present-day galaxies,” said astronomer Shuo Huang of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, lead author of the study published this week in the journal Nature.

    “This discovery,” said study co-author Toshiki Saito, an astronomer at Shizuoka University in Japan, “raises the important question: How did such a massive galaxy form in such an early universe?”

    While a few galaxies that are undergoing star formation at a similar rate to J0107a exist in today’s universe, almost all of them are ones that are in the process of a galactic merger or collision. There was no sign of such circumstances involving this galaxy.

    J0107a and the Milky Way have some commonalities.

    “They are similarly huge and possess a similar barred structure. However, the Milky Way had plenty of time to form its huge structures, while J0107a didn’t,” Saito said.

    In the first few billion years after the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago that initiated the universe, galaxies were turbulent entities and were much richer in gas than those existing currently – factors that fostered extreme bursts of star formation. While galaxies with highly organized structures like the barred spiral shape of the Milky Way are common now, that was not the case 11.1 billion years ago.

    “Compared to other monster galaxies in the distant universe (dating to an earlier cosmic epoch) whose shapes are usually disturbed or irregular, it is unexpected that J0107a looks very similar to present-day spiral galaxies,” Huang said.

    “Theories about the formation of present-day galactic structures may need to be revised,” Huang added.

    The Webb telescope, as it peers across vast distances back to the early universe, has found that galaxies with a spiral shape appeared much earlier than previously known. J0107a is now one of the earliest-known examples of a barred spiral galaxy.

    About two thirds of spiral galaxies observed in the universe today possess a bar structure. The bar is thought to serve as a form of stellar nursery, bringing gas inward from the galaxy’s spiral arms. Some of the gas forms what are called molecular clouds. Gravity causes the contraction of these clouds, with small centers taking shape that heat up and become new stars.

    The bar that is part of J0107a measures about 50,000 light years in length, Huang said. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

    The Webb telescope “has been studying the morphology of early massive galaxies intensely recently. However, their dynamics are still poorly understood,” Saito said.

    (Reuters)

  • Reliance, Adani, Vedanta pledge massive investments to transform Northeast

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    In a major boost to the economic development of India’s northeastern states, corporate giants Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and Vedanta Group have announced massive investment commitments in the region.

    The announcements were made at the Rising Northeast Investors Summit 2025, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on Friday.

    The two-day summit aims to project the Northeast as a land of opportunity and attract both global and domestic investors.

    Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said the group will invest Rs 75,000 crore in the region over the next five years, in sectors ranging from telecommunications and retail to bioenergy and healthcare. He said the investment is expected to create over 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs.

    Ambani noted that Jio’s 5G network already covers 90% of the region’s population and pledged to double its subscriber base this year.

    The company will also set up 350 compressed biogas plants, build FMCG manufacturing units, and expand cancer care and genomic research initiatives in collaboration with institutions like Mizoram University.

    He also announced the establishment of Olympic training centres across all eight Northeastern states through the Reliance Foundation.

    Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal announced a Rs 80,000 crore investment focused on oil and gas, critical minerals, refining, power, renewables, and digital infrastructure. The investment, he said, would help generate up to 1 lakh jobs.

    Agarwal also detailed Vedanta’s plans to expand its social initiatives, including Nand Ghars, handloom skill centres, and digital education platforms for women and children. “Under the Prime Minister’s leadership, this region has become a key engine of growth for Viksit Bharat. The private sector is ready to be a partner in its prosperity,” he said.

    Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani announced a doubling of the group’s earlier commitment, bringing its total planned investment in the Northeast to Rs 1 lakh crore over the next decade. The group will focus on green energy, smart meters, pumped storage, infrastructure development, and capacity building.

    “More than infrastructure, we will invest in people,” Adani said. “Every initiative will prioritize local jobs, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.”

    According to Adani, the group has already invested Rs 6.2 lakh crore in the region since 2014.

    (ANI)

  • India’s GDP growth projected at 6.8 pc in Q4, overall consumption healthy

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India’s GDP growth in Q4 is projected at 6.8 per cent which brings FY25 growth at 6.3 per cent, supported by strong momentum in sectors such as agriculture, hotels and transport and construction, according to a new report.

    While overall consumption growth is likely to remain healthy, supported by rural demand, the mixed outlook of urban demand needs monitoring, according to the CareEdge Ratings report, titled ‘The Economic Meter and GDP Preview for Q4FY25’.

    “Strong central capex disbursement towards the end of Q3 will support investment growth in Q4,” the report mentioned.

    Going forward, factors such as recovering rural demand, a lower tax burden, policy rate cuts, falling inflation, and expectations of a good monsoon should support an improvement in economic activity.

    A sustained recovery in consumption will be critical to drive a meaningful uptick in corporate capex. However, global uncertainties pose a headwind. We expect the FY26 GDP growth at 6.2 per cent, said the report.

    Agricultural activities have remained strong, with Rabi sowing of foodgrains surpassing last year’s level by 2 per cent. Domestic tractor sales increased by 23.4 per cent YoY in Q4 FY25, outperforming the 13.5 per cent YoY growth in Q3.

    Additionally, fertiliser sales grew by 5.4 per cent in January-February 2025, higher than a growth of 0.4 per cent in Q3 FY25.

    Domestic air passenger traffic grew by 12 per cent YoY in Q4 FY25, higher than 11.4 per cent YoY in Q3. IIP mining expanded by 2.1 per cent in Q4 FY25, higher than 1.8 per cent in Q3.

    “Although central capex contracted by 4 per cent in Jan-Feb 2025, robust spending toward the end of Q3 FY25 is expected to support construction activity in Q4, given the typical lag in its impact,” the report mentioned.

    IIP infrastructure and construction goods also showed improvement in Q4 FY25 growing by 7.6 per cent, higher than 7 per cent in Q3. However, highway construction and bitumen consumption contracted by 8.4 per cent YoY and 3.8 per cent YoY, respectively in Q4, said the report.

    (IANS)

  • How Pakistan Undermines Judicial Process and Denies Justice from being Served

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India defines any act as terrorism under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA): “Whoever does any act with intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, security (including economic security), or sovereignty of India or with intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any foreign country.” Whoever is involved in these activities is a terrorist, including Pakistan-based terrorists Hafiz Saeed and Sajid Mir (Lashkar-e-Taiba), Masood Azhar (Jaish-e-Mohammed) and others from Pakistan on India’s most-wanted list.

    The United Nations defines it, “Terrorism involves the intimidation or coercion of populations or governments through the threat or perpetration of violence. This may result in death, serious injury or the taking of hostages.”

    Definition of terrorism as accepted in the United States follows the pattern. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) divides it into “international” and “domestic” terrorism. International terrorism means “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups who are inspired by, or associated with, designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored)”, whereas domestic terrorism pertains to violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.

    Threatening unity, integrity, security or sovereignty of a nation, intimidating its people or the governing machinery, by individuals, or designated foreign terrorists – the core of these definitions – applies to all of the terrorists and their terror groups operating from Pakistan.

    For this, they have been designated as terrorists not just by India but by the United States, the United Nations and many other countries, including Pakistan.

    The United States designated LeT and JeM as foreign terrorist organisations in December 2001. UN sanctions for JeM came in October 2001; for LeT, they came in May 2005. Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), another Pakistan-based terrorist organisation targeting India, was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in August 2017.

    Hafiz Saeed was sanctioned as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the United States in May 2008 with a USD 10 million bounty after the Mumbai terror attack which killed 166 people including six Americans. Saeed was seen as the main perpetrator. Over the next few years, many other terrorists from Pakistan were also included as SDGT: Masood Azhar in November 2010, Sajid Mir in August 2012, and Syed Salahudeen in June 2017. Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, LeT’s operations commander and another key perpetrator behind the Mumbai 26/11 attack, was also designated as a global terrorist. Except Syed Salahudeen, who heads the HM, all others are banned under the ISIL/Al-Qaeda Committee sanctions by the United Nations as well.

    These designated terrorists were living a free life in Pakistan, raising funds, radicalising and recruiting terrorists more and more, linking with other terror groups and launching terror attacks against India and other places across the world.

    After overwhelming international pressure and financial sanctions, Pakistan was forced to jail some of them, but under much-diluted charges. The way Pakistan has made a mockery of the judicial process becomes evident from how these terrorists were always given the upper hand of supportive governance machinery.

    The jail-in and jail-out of LeT chief Hafiz Saeed is a case in point here.

    Pakistan was forced to arrest LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 13 December 2001 terror attack on the Indian Parliament. LeT and JeM jointly carried out this attack. After international pressure, Saeed was briefly detained, for three months, but no formal charges were filed against him and a Pakistan court ordered his release.

    The mastermind of the terror operations at the sovereign sign of a nation’s identity, its Parliament, was let off without charge, for an incident that got wide condemnation from across the world.

    He was again detained in May 2002 after two terror attacks killed 30 people and soldiers in Jammu & Kashmir. In October 2002, Saeed was shifted to his house and kept under house arrest. No charges were filed and the court ordered his release in November 2002.

    Saeed was detained for the third time in 2006, reports available show. This time, he was detained after the July 2006 Mumbai train bombing attack. Put under house arrest in August 2006 for badly affecting Pakistan’s ties with other governments through his activities, a court order released him in December 2006.

    He was detained for the fourth time in 2008, after the Mumbai terror attack on 26 November, after the United Nations listed him as a terrorist under the resolutions on the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List. LeT was blamed for the multiple terror acts in Mumbai that killed 166 people including six Americans and under United States pressure, Pakistan cracked down on Jamaat-ud-Dawa, LeT’s front that called itself a religious charity and that was headed by Saeed. He was again detained (placed under house arrest). The JuD was sanctioned by the United Nations.

    What was the end result? Pakistan again failed to provide any evidence and Saeed was released from jail by an order of the Lahore High Court in June 2009.

    The international voices post-the Mumbai 26/11 outrage though forced Pakistan to file terror charges against Hafiz Saeed this time, in September 2009, though his formal arrest was years away, past developments show. Also, he was not charged for the Mumbai terror attacks case. The charges filed were for inciting riots through his speeches and terror financing through JuD. Saeed went to court and petitioned against them. Next month, in October 2009, the Lahore High Court quashed those terror charges. The court said as his outfit JuD was not banned in Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed could not be charged as a terrorist. Before it, Pakistan had claimed that JuD was banned inside the country but the high court order clarified it was not.

    His next sham arrest came after eight years, in 2017. Pakistan slapped a case against him under the anti-terrorism act, again under international pressure, but diluted it by placing him under house arrest on 30 January 2017. Like in the past, Pakistan again failed to collect and present evidence and the Lahore High Court released him on 24 November 2017. He was put under house arrest after US President Donald Trump called Pakistan a terror haven with his strong anti-terrorism response. The United States government vehemently criticised his release, appealing to Pakistan to re-arrest Saeed again for the terror crimes he committed.

    In July 2019, Hafiz Saeed was arrested again, booked under the anti-terrorism laws for terror financing. The trigger this time was from multiple fronts. Global attention, including the pressure put by the United States, initially failed to check the terror tentacles in the country unless it was put under stricter norms of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines. It was coupled with the deteriorating economy of the nation and its rising external debt. Pakistan was inching towards economic default and only IMF loans were its lifeline as being on the FATF Grey List meant a difficult flow of external money and investment to Pakistan, either by other countries or by many other multilateral lending institutions. External loans from some friendly countries were not able to help much. Also, these loans were raising Pakistan’s external debt even more.

    For Pakistan, it needed to come out of the FATF Grey List, as its repeated inclusion in the Grey List was giving it a bad reputation, with misguided economic governance and endemic corruption factors pushing money-laundering and terror financing, the lifeline of terror networks like LeT, JeM and many others existing in Pakistan. No investor, be it an organisation, or a country, would like to loan such a nation or invest there.

    Saeed was charged with collecting funds that were routed through religious charities to recruit and fund terrorism. It coincided with the next FATF meeting slated to happen soon on Pakistan’s performance on the corrective guidelines given by the financial watchdog.

    The October 2019 FATF Plenary retained Pakistan on the Grey List. Post that, Saeed was formally indicted just within two months, in December 2019, unusually fast for the terrorist who roamed freely in Pakistan in spite of committing grave terror offences. He was jailed for 11 years in a February 2020 verdict for two terror financing cases. The verdict came just one week before the FATF Plenary which again retained Pakistan on the Grey List. In another terror financing case, he was sentenced to fifteen and a half years’ imprisonment in a court verdict in December 2020. It was followed by another two separate five-year prison terms given to him in two more terror finance cases in November 2020.

    On 7 April 2022, he was sentenced to 31 years in prison in two other terror finance cases. According to the United Nations Security Council, the terrorist has been handed down a cumulative prison term of 78 years in different terror finance cases. All of these prison terms will run concurrently, but so far he has not been convicted for perpetrating the Mumbai 26/11 terror case, despite India’s innumerable calls, the USD 10-million bounty by the United States and the continued global outrage. Three years are now over and there has been no update on it while Hafiz Saeed, earlier this month, challenged his convictions in a petition filed in the Lahore High Court.

    And Hafiz Saeed is not alone. There are many other similar examples that show how Pakistan undermines the judicial process to save terrorist groups and their members operating from its soil. Before the FATF Plenary in March 2021, Pakistan saw another high-profile terrorist, LeT’s Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, convicted in January 2021. He was jailed for three concurrent five-year terms, again for terror financing. As LeT’s operations commander, he was one of the main perpetrators behind the 26/11 terror strike.

    Lakhvi was out on bail. He was arrested in December 2008, under intense international pressure, after Ajmal Kasab, the sole surviving terrorist of the Mumbai terror attack, identified Lakhvi as the one who indoctrinated him and other terrorists. He got bail in April 2015 and remained on bail, in spite of the grave charges against him. According to a BBC report, while in jail, he was given more luxurious facilities than a common prisoner. Just next to the office, he was given several rooms, television, mobile phone and internet access with dozens of visitors daily visiting him, day or night.

    LeT terrorist Sajid Mir, who planned the outfit’s external terror operations and was one of the handlers sitting in Pakistan operating terrorists during the Mumbai 26/11 terrorist attack, was first declared missing and then dead by Pakistan. Before the FATF Plenary in Berlin in June 2022, Sajid Mir was quietly arrested in April 2022 and sentenced to 15 years in prison in May 2022, again for terror financing. Pakistan claimed it had taken effective measures to meet all of the FATF corrective measures, including these high-profile arrests. FATF, after the Plenary, decided to visit Pakistan to verify its claims.

    All delayed convictions, under unrelated charges, on terror financing, and not for masterminding and implementing the Mumbai terror attack or other such similar barbaric attacks – the United Nations, the United States, the FATF, the IMF, and the other global community at large – should raise questions and look into it. HM is not even proscribed in Pakistan even if the United States calls it a foreign terrorist organisation and Syed Salahudeen a specially designated global terrorist.

    The heinous Pahalgam terror attack of 22 April is a living example – of the audacity shown by Pakistan’s state-supported terror groups, in spite of the country’s claims of successfully curbing money-laundering and terror financing and imprisoning big terror names. Twenty-six innocent civilians were killed and many others injured and a LeT proxy, the Resistance Front (TRF), was behind the attack. The global community needs to see how Pakistan keeps on distorting and undermining the judicial process and keeps on denying the justice India and the world community need.

     

  • Russia and Ukraine start prisoner exchange, but not yet completed

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Russia and Ukraine began a major prisoner swap on Friday that was agreed on at their first direct talks in more than three years, a Ukrainian military source said on Friday.

    U.S. President Donald Trump said the prisoner exchange had already been completed but Kyiv and Moscow did not confirm this and the military source said the swap was still under way.

    Russia and Ukraine each agreed at two hours of talks in Istanbul last week to swap 1,000 prisoners, but failed to agree to a ceasefire proposed by Trump. Previous prisoner swaps have been mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

    The prisoner swap was the only concrete step towards peace the two sides agreed at their talks in Istanbul.

    “Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

    Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been wounded or killed in Europe’s deadliest war since World War Two, although neither side publishes accurate casualty figures. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have also died as Russian forces have besieged and bombarded Ukrainian cities.

    Ukraine says it is ready for a 30-day ceasefire immediately, but Russia, which launched the war by invading its neighbour in 2022 and now occupies about a fifth of Ukraine, says it will not pause its assaults until conditions are met first. A member of the Ukrainian delegation called those conditions “non-starters”.

    Trump, who has shifted U.S. policy from supporting Ukraine towards accepting some of Russia’s account of the war, had said he could tighten sanctions on Russia if Moscow blocked a peace deal. But after speaking to Putin on Monday he decided to take no action for now.

    Moscow says it is ready for peace talks while the fighting goes on, and wants to discuss what it calls the war’s “root causes”, including its demands Ukraine cede more territory, and be disarmed and barred from military alliances with the West. Kyiv says that is tantamount to surrender and would leave it defenceless in the face of future Russian attacks.

    (Reuters)

  • US and Iran to resume nuclear talks amid clashing red lines

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Iranian and U.S. negotiators will resume talks on Friday in Rome to resolve a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, despite Tehran’s supreme leader warning that clinching a new deal might be insurmountable amid clashing red lines.

    The stakes are high for both sides. President Donald Trump wants to curtail Tehran’s potential to produce a nuclear weapon that could trigger a regional nuclear arms race. The Islamic Republic, for its part, wants to be rid of devastating sanctions on its oil-based economy.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoySteve Witkoff will hold a fifth round of talks, through Omani mediators, despite both Washington and Tehran taking a tough stance in public over Iran’s uranium enrichment.

    Although Iran insists the talks are indirect, U.S. officials have said the discussions – including the latest roundon May 11 in Oman- have been both “direct and indirect”.

    Araqchi, who arrived in Rome with his two deputies, wrote

    on X: “…Zero nuclear weapons = we Do have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. Time to decide”.

    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump believes negotiations with Iran are “moving in the right direction”.

    Tehran and Washington have both said they prefer diplomacy to settle the impasse, but remain deeply split on several red lines that negotiators will have to circumvent to reach a new nuclear deal and avert future military action.

    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington is working to reach an accord that would allow Iran to have a civil nuclear energy programme but not enrich uranium, while admitting that achieving such a deal “will not be easy”.

    Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last say on Iran’s state matters, rejected Washington’s demands that Tehran stop refining uranium as “excessive and outrageous”, warning that the talks are unlikely to yield results.

    Among remaining stumbling blocks is Tehran’s refusal to ship abroad all of its highly enriched uranium stockpile – possible raw material for nuclear bombs – or engage in discussions over its ballistic missile programme.

    Iran says it is ready to accept some limits on enrichment, which it maintains is for civilian nuclear energy uses only – but needs watertight guaranteesthat Washington would not renege on a future nuclear accord.

    Trump, who has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran since February, ditched the 2015 nuclear pact in 2018 during his first term and reimposed sweeping U.S. sanctions that continue to hobble the Iranian economy.

    Iran responded by escalating enrichment far beyond the 2015 pact’s limits.

    Wendy Sherman, a former U.S. Undersecretary for Political Affairs who led the U.S. negotiating team that reached the 2015 agreement, said it was impossible to convince Iran to scrap enrichment – which Tehran touts as a matter of sovereignty.

    “I don’t think it is possible to get a deal with Iran where they literally dismantle their programme, give up their enrichment, even though that would be ideal,” she told Reuters.

    The cost of failure of the talks could be high. While Tehran says its nuclear activity is for peaceful ends, Iran’s arch-foe Israel discounts this,saying it would never allow Iran’s clerical establishment to obtain nuclear weapons.

    Israel’s strategic affairs minister and the head of its foreign intelligence service Mossad will also be in Rome for talks with the U.S. team that is negotiating with Iran, a source aware of the matter told Reuters.

    Araqchi said on Thursday Washington would bear legal responsibility if Israel attacked Iranian nuclear installations, following a CNN report that Israel might be preparing strikes.

    While rising U.S.-Iran tensions over enrichment have put the nuclear talks in doubt, three Iranian sources said on Tuesday that the clerical leadership lacks a clear fallback plan if efforts to overcome the standoff collapse.

    (Reuters)

  • PM Modi inaugurates Rising North East Investors Summit 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi today, reaffirming the government’s commitment to the holistic development of the North Eastern region. Addressing a gathering of dignitaries, industry leaders, and stakeholders, the Prime Minister expressed pride and confidence in the region’s vibrant future.
     
    Welcoming participants to the summit, the Prime Minister recalled the recently held Ashtalakshmi Mahotsav at the same venue, saying that today’s event is not just a meeting of minds but a celebration of investment and opportunity in the Northeast.
     
    Highlighting the enthusiastic participation of industry leaders, PM Modi praised the collaborative efforts of ministries and state governments in creating an investor-friendly environment. “The presence of so many industry leaders reflects the growing interest in the Northeast’s potential,” he said, extending his best wishes to all stakeholders involved.
     
    Describing India as the world’s most diverse country, the Prime Minister said that the Northeast represents the most diverse part of this diversity. He underlined the region’s strengths across sectors—trade, tradition, textiles, and tourism—and identified it as a hub of bio-economy, bamboo, tea, petroleum, sports, skill development, eco-tourism, organic products, and energy.
     
    Referring to the Northeast as Ashtalakshmi, symbolising prosperity and opportunity, he said that each Northeastern state is now asserting itself as ready for investment and leadership.
     
    Underscoring the strategic importance of Eastern India in the mission to build a Viksit Bharat (Developed India), the Prime Minister said, “For us, EAST is not just a direction—it is a vision: Empower, Act, Strengthen, and Transform. This is the guiding framework of our policy for Eastern India.”
     
    The Prime Minister also highlighted the transformation witnessed in the Northeast over the past 11 years. He stressed that this progress is not confined to statistical achievements but is visible in real, on-ground development. He said the government’s engagement with the region goes beyond policy—it is rooted in an emotional connection with its people.
     
    “Infrastructure projects in the region are not just about roads and bridges; they are about emotional connectivity,” he said.
     
    He further stated that the government’s transition from a “Look East” to an “Act East” policy has brought tangible results. “The Northeast was once seen as a frontier region; today, it is emerging as a front-runner in India’s growth story,” the Prime Minister concluded.
     
    The Rising North East Investors Summit 2025 is a two-day event being held on May 23 and 24. The agenda for the two-day summit includes ministerial sessions, Business-to-Government (B2G) and Business-to-Business (B2B) meetings, and a dedicated exhibition zone. 
     
    Key sectors identified for focused investment promotion include Tourism and Hospitality, Agro-Food Processing and allied industries, Textiles, Handloom and Handicrafts, Healthcare, Education and Skill Development, IT and IT-enabled Services, Infrastructure and Logistics, Energy, as well as Entertainment and Sports.

  • PM Modi highlights infrastructure revolution in Northeast, positions region as gateway to ASEAN

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the inaugural session of the Rising North East Summit on Friday, underscored the transformative role of infrastructure in boosting tourism, trade, and investment in the North Eastern region. 
     
    He said the government has launched an “Infrastructure Revolution” in the North East, aimed at addressing historical challenges and transforming the region into a “Land of Opportunities.” “Well-developed roads, reliable power infrastructure, and efficient logistics networks are essential to the growth of any industry,” PM Modi said, adding that thousands of crores have been invested to enhance connectivity across the region.
     
    Among key projects mentioned were the Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh and the Bhupen Hazarika Bridge in Assam, which are improving both mobility and economic integration. He also cited major achievements of the past decade, including the construction of 11,000 kilometers of highways, new railway lines, the doubling of airports, development of waterways on the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, and the installation of hundreds of mobile towers to strengthen digital connectivity.
     
    The Prime Minister highlighted the commissioning of the 1,600-kilometer-long Northeast Gas Grid, which will ensure a steady energy supply to support local industries.
     
    “The synergy between highways, railways, waterways, and digital infrastructure is creating a fertile ground for industries to take the First Mover Advantage,” he said.
     
    Touching upon India’s growing trade relations with ASEAN nations, the Prime Minister said that the country’s trade volume with the bloc currently stands at $125 billion, with projections to cross $200 billion in the near future. He positioned the North East as a strategic trade bridge and gateway to the ASEAN region.
     
    He emphasized the strategic importance of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, which aims to connect India directly with Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. He also mentioned the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Project, which will link Kolkata Port with Myanmar’s Sittwe Port, further connecting to Mizoram, thereby significantly reducing the travel time and boosting trade between West Bengal and the North Eastern states.
     
    Further developments include the transformation of Guwahati, Imphal, and Agartala into Multi-Modal Logistics Hubs, alongside the establishment of Land Custom Stations in Meghalaya and Mizoram, designed to expand cross-border trade.
     
    “These advancements are not only accelerating the growth of the North East but also positioning it as a rising force in India’s trade with the Indo-Pacific region,” PM Modi said.

  • PM Modi: ₹21,000 crore invested in education sector in North-East over last decade

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the Rising North East Summit in New Delhi, underscored the pivotal role of skill development in accelerating growth and shaping a secure future for the region. He said the North-East offers a conducive environment for progress in this direction, with the central government consistently investing in education and capacity-building efforts.
     
    The Prime Minister informed that over the last ten years, ₹21,000 crore has been allocated to the education sector in the North-East. This has led to the establishment of more than 800 new schools, nine new medical colleges, two new Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and the region’s first All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
     
    Further emphasizing the region’s growing educational infrastructure, he said a new campus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has been set up in Mizoram. In addition, nearly 200 skill development institutes have been established across the region to support youth empowerment and employment.
     
    The Prime Minister also highlighted major strides in the field of sports. He said the country’s first Sports University is being developed in the North-East, supported by significant investment under the Khelo India initiative. So far, eight Khelo India Centres of Excellence and over 250 Khelo India Centres have been set up to nurture sports talent across the region.
     
    He said the North-East is now emerging as a hub of top-tier talent across various sectors and urged industries and investors to explore the vast opportunities the region presents.

  • North-East to lead ‘heal in India’ mission: PM Modi

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday outlined a comprehensive vision for the North-East region as a global hub for wellness, tourism, and digital innovation.
     
    Speaking at the Rising North East Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of the Heal in India initiative, which aims to establish India as a global provider of health and wellness solutions. He highlighted the North-East’s natural advantages—its rich biodiversity, pristine environment, and organic way of life—as ideal for wellness tourism and urged investors to see the region as an integral part of the Heal in India mission.
     
    “The North-East offers the perfect climate and ecological diversity for wellness-driven industries. This makes it a critical component of India’s global health and wellness roadmap,” he said.
     
    Emphasizing the region’s vibrant cultural heritage, the Prime Minister praised its deep-rooted traditions in music, dance, and festivals, positioning the North-East as a complete tourism destination. He noted that the area is well-suited for international conferences, concerts, and even destination weddings.
     
    “As development reaches every corner of the North-East, the tourism sector has experienced a surge in growth. Tourist numbers have doubled, leading to a rise in homestays, employment for young guides, and a thriving travel ecosystem,” he added.
     
    He called for greater investment in eco-tourism and cultural tourism, stating that the region holds vast untapped potential.
     
    Touching upon security, the Prime Minister emphasized that peace and stability are vital for sustained development. “Our government follows a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and insurgency,” he said. He recalled the earlier perception of the North-East as a conflict-prone area, plagued by blockades and unrest. “That image has changed. In the last 10–11 years, over 10,000 youth have shunned violence and embraced peace through several landmark peace agreements,” he said.
     
    This, he said, has opened new avenues for employment and entrepreneurship in the region.
     
    Highlighting the impact of the MUDRA Yojana, PM Modi said that financial support worth thousands of crores has been extended to lakhs of young entrepreneurs in the North-East. He also pointed to the growing network of educational institutions that are skilling the youth for future challenges.
     
    “The youth of the North-East are not just consumers of the internet—they are becoming digital innovators,” he said, adding that over 13,000 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid in the region, alongside the expansion of 4G and 5G coverage.
     
    He remarked that the North-East is fast emerging as India’s digital gateway, with young entrepreneurs launching impactful startups across sectors.
     
    The Rising North East Investors Summit, being held on May 23–24, is aimed at attracting both domestic and international investment to unlock the region’s potential as a driver of economic growth and innovation.
     

  • Taliban in talks with Russia, China for trade transactions in local currencies

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The Taliban administration is in advanced talks with Russia for banks from both sanctions-hit economies to settle trade transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars in their local currencies, Afghanistan’s acting commerce minister said.

    The Afghan government has made similar proposals to China, the minister, Haji Nooruddin Azizi, told Reuters on Thursday. Some discussions have been held with the Chinese embassy in Kabul, he said.

    The proposal with Russia, Azizi said, was being worked on by technical teams from the two countries. The move comes as Moscow focuses on using national currencies to shift reliance away from the dollar and as Afghanistan faces a stark drop in the U.S. currency entering the country due to aid cuts.

    “We are currently engaged in specialised discussions on this matter, considering the regional and global economic perspectives, sanctions, and the challenges Afghanistan is currently facing, as well as those Russia is dealing with. Technical discussions are underway,” Azizi said in an interview at his office in Kabul.

    The Chinese foreign ministry and the Russian central bank did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    Azizi added that annual bilateral trade between Russia and Afghanistan was currently around $300 million and that was likely to grow substantially as the two sides boost investment. His administration expected Afghanistan to buy more petroleum products and plastics from Russia, he said.

    “I am confident that this is a very good option…we can use this option for benefit and interests of our people and our country,’ Azizi said.

    “We want to take steps in this area with China as well,” he said, adding Afghanistan had around $1 billion in trade with China each year. “A working team composed of members from the (Afghan) Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese embassy which is an authorized body representing China in economic programmes has been formed, and talks are ongoing.”

    Afghanistan’s financial sector has been largely cut off from the global banking system due to sanctions placed on some leaders of the ruling Taliban, which took over the country in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew.

    Rivalry with China and fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine have put the dollar’s status as the world’s dominant currency under fresh scrutiny in recent years.

    In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the need to hold state reserves in foreign currencies since they could easily be confiscated for political reasons, saying that domestic investment of such reserves was more attractive.

    The dollar has had a lock on commodity trading, allowing Washington to hinder market access for producer nations from Russia to Venezuela and Iran.

    Afghanistan since 2022 has imported gas, oil and wheat from Russia, the first major economic deal after the Taliban returned to power facing international isolation following 20 years of war against U.S.-led forces.

    Billions of dollars in cuts to aid to Afghanistan, accelerated this year by the United States, have meant far fewer dollars, which are flown in cash for humanitarian operations, are entering the country.

    Development agencies and economists say the Afghani currency has so far remained relatively stable but may face challenges in future.

    Azizi said that the stability of the currency and his administration’s efforts to boost international investment including with the Afghan diaspora, would prevent a shortage of U.S. dollars in the country.

    (Reuters)

  • Northeast emerges as investment hub with Rs 6.75 lakh crore boost in a decade: Scindia

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, on Friday lauded the remarkable transformation of the north eastern states over the past decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Addressing the inaugural session of the Rising North East Investors Summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, Scindia underlined the government’s unwavering commitment to the region’s progress. He announced that gross budgetary support for the northeast has surged dramatically, enabling investments worth nearly ₹6.75 lakh crore in the past ten years.

    “This significant allocation has been a game changer in redefining the region’s growth trajectory, turning it into a land of opportunity,” the minister said.

    The summit, which aims to attract both domestic and international investors, seeks to highlight the untapped economic potential of the northeast.

    Scindia highlighted the region’s historical importance, particularly the areas surrounding the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers, describing it as a cradle of India’s ancient culture and commerce. “There was a time when these eight states served as South Asia’s global trading hubs, playing a vital role in linking the East and West through both land and water routes,” he noted.

    Despite this legacy, he lamented that the region had been neglected for nearly seventy years after India’s independence. “In the past ten years, the destiny and story of this entire region have transformed. And the architect of that transformation stands before us today in the form of our esteemed Prime Minister, Narendra Modi ji,” Scindia said, crediting PM Modi for spearheading the region’s revival.

    Recounting the region’s past infrastructure challenges, the minister pointed out that the northeast previously had only nine airports, and two states had no airport facilities at all. Today, that number has risen to seventeen, significantly enhancing connectivity and economic integration.

    ANI

  • North-East emerging as organic farming hub, says PM Modi

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday underlined the growing global demand for organic food and said his vision is to see Indian food brands on dining tables across the world. 
     
    Speaking at the Rising North East Summit, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, the Prime Minister said that over the past decade, the scope of organic farming in the region has more than doubled. He noted that the North-East is producing a wide range of high-quality products such as tea, pineapples, oranges, lemons, turmeric, and ginger.
     
    “The exceptional taste and quality of these products have led to increasing international demand,” he said, urging stakeholders to tap into this opportunity and recognize the region as a key driver of India’s organic food exports.
     
    Prime Minister Modi also reiterated the Centre’s commitment to strengthening food processing infrastructure in the North-East. He said that enhanced connectivity is already aiding the initiative, while additional steps are being taken to develop mega food parks, expand cold storage networks, and establish testing lab facilities.
     
    Referring to the recently launched Oil Palm Mission, the Prime Minister highlighted the North-East’s favourable soil and climate for palm oil cultivation. He said this initiative not only offers farmers strong income potential but also reduces the country’s dependence on imported edible oils.
     
    “Palm oil farming in the North-East is a significant opportunity, and I encourage industries and stakeholders to actively participate in harnessing the region’s agricultural potential,” he added.

  • Explained: All you need to know about Amrit Bharat Stations inaugurated by PM Modi

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 103 redeveloped railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme on Thursday, marking a historic leap towards modernizing Indian Railways.

    Amrit Bharat Station Scheme

    The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is a long-term plan to redevelop and modernize railway stations across India in a phased manner in order to elevate the travel experience for millions of passengers. Under this scheme, detailed plans are made for each station and the work is done in phases, based on what each station needs.

    The origin of the Amrit Bharat Stations scheme can be traced back to 2021, when Gandhinagar became the first Railway station to undergo modernization, replete with all modern facilities and a five star hotel. Later on in the same year, Rani Kamalapati Railway Station, formerly known as Habibganj wore a new look.

    The goal of the scheme is to make stations cleaner, more comfortable, and easier to use. Local products will be sold at kiosks under the ‘One Station One Product’ scheme, and efforts will be made to make stations look greener and more attractive.

    The Amrit Bharat Mission scheme also focuses on upgrading the station buildings, connecting both sides of the city through the station, and linking stations with other transport options like buses and metros. Special care is being taken to make stations friendly for Divyangs. Eco-friendly solutions, noise-free tracks, and better planning are also part of the improvements.

    Key features of Amrit Bharat Stations

    Equipped with modern amenities, these stations have been upgraded and redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme as city centres, showcasing regional culture and heritage.

    The scheme envisages building modern passenger amenities like aesthetically designed façade, resurfaced platforms, beautiful landscaping, roof plaza, kiosks, food courts, kids play area among others.

    The designs of redeveloped station buildings is inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture. While the Ahmedabad station draws inspiration from the Modhera Sun Temple, Dwarka station is inspired by the Dwarkadheesh Temple. While Gurugram station will carry the IT theme, the Baleshwar station in Odisha will be designed on theme of Bhagwan Jagannath Temple. The influence of the Chola architecture will reflect in the Kumbhakonam Station in Tamil Nadu. Deshnoke railway station, which serves tourists and pilgrims visiting the Karni Mata Temple among others, is inspired with temple architecture and arch and column theme. Begumpet railway station in Telangana is inspired by the architecture of the Kakatiya empire. Thawe station in Bihar incorporates various murals and art works representing Maa Thawewali, one of the 52 Shakti Peethas and depicting Madhubani paintings. Dakor station in Gujarat is inspired by Ranchhodrai Ji Maharaj.

    Some key features of these stations include enhanced passenger information systems, free Wi-Fi, wider roads, well-constructed underpasses, foot overbridges, modern waiting areas, executive lounges, spacious circulating areas, grand porches, enhanced parking facilities, alongside improved lighting arrangements, modern restrooms, and lifts, all designed to be disability-friendly.

    Over 1,300 stations are being redeveloped with modern facilities, designed to reflect regional architecture and enhance passenger amenities under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

    The 103 stations inaugurated by PM Modi on May 22 are spread across 86 districts in 18 states and union territories and were developed at a cost of over Rs 1,100 crore. Out of these 19 are in Uttar Pradesh; 18 in Gujarat; 15 in Maharashtra; 9 in Tamil Nadu; 8 in Rajasthan; 6 in Madhya Pradesh; 5 each in Karnataka and Chhattisgarh; 3 each in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Telangana; 2 each in Bihar and Kerala; 1 each in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry.

  • Netanyahu accuses France, Britain and Canada of ’emboldening’ Hamas

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the leaders of France, Britain and Canada of wanting to help the Palestinian militant group Hamas after they threatened to take “concrete action” if Israel did not stop its latest offensive in Gaza.

    The criticism, echoing similar remarks from Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday, was part of a fightback by the Israeli government against the increasingly heavy international pressure on it over the war in Gaza.

    “You’re on the wrong side of humanity and you’re on the wrong side of history,” Netanyahu said, accusing the three countries of supporting “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers” in reference to the Oct 2023 attacks on Israel.

    As the flow of images of destruction and hunger in Gaza has continued, fuelling protests in countries across the world, Israel has struggled to turn world opinion, which has increasingly shifted against it despite the Hamas attacks.

    Israeli officials have been particularly concerned about growing calls for European countries including France to follow others such as Spain and Ireland in recognizing a Palestinian state, as part of a two-state solution to resolve decades of conflict in the region.

    Netanyahu argues a Palestinian state would threaten Israel and framed the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington on Tuesday by a man who allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” as a clear example of that threat.

    He said “exactly the same chant” was heard during the attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023.

    “They don’t want a Palestinian state. They want to destroy the Jewish state,” he said in a statement on the social media platform X.

    “I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others,” he said, adding that any moves by Western countries to recognize a Palestinian state would “reward these murderers with the ultimate prize.”

    The Israeli leader, whose government depends on far-right support, said Hamas had thanked French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canada’s Mark Carney over what he said was their demand for an immediate end to the war.

    The leaders’ statement on Monday did not demand an immediate end to the war, but a halt to Israel’s new military offensive on Gaza and a lifting of its restrictions on humanitarian aid.

    Hamas did issue a statement welcoming the move but Netanyahu gave no evidence of any direct contact with the three countries, which all describe the group as a terrorist organisation which should not have any role in running Gaza after the war.

    “By issuing their demand – replete with a threat of sanctions against Israel, against Israel, not Hamas – these three leaders effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power,” Netanyahu said.

    “And they give them hope to establish a second Palestinian state from which Hamas will again seek to destroy the Jewish state.”

    French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said France was “unwaveringly committed to Israel’s security”.

    He said it was determined to combat antisemitism and that it was “absurd and slanderous” to accuse supporters of a two-state solution of encouraging antisemitism or Hamas.

    Asked about Netanyahu’s remarks, Britain’s armed forces minister Luke Pollard said London stood with Israel in their right to self defence, “but that self defence must be conducted within the bounds of international humanitarian law.”

    “At this moment, we stand fast against terrorism, but we also want to make sure that the aid is getting into Gaza,” he told Times Radio.

    (Reuters)

  • Amit Shah chairs high-level meeting on Yamuna clean-up and Delhi water infrastructure

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah chaired a high-level meeting in New Delhi on Thursday to address the long-standing issues of pollution in the Yamuna River and the challenges facing Delhi’s water infrastructure. The meeting focused on formulating strategies for cleaning the Yamuna, ensuring a reliable drinking water supply, and upgrading the capital’s sewage and drainage systems.

    Addressing the meeting, Shah underscored the cultural and spiritual significance of the river, describing it not merely as a waterbody but as a “symbol of faith.” He reiterated the Modi government’s commitment to restoring the river’s sanctity and ecological balance.

    The home minister directed the Ministry of Jal Shakti to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), focusing on consistent standards for quality, maintenance, and discharge. He also suggested that the SOP be shared with other states to promote a unified approach to sewage management across the country.

    Emphasizing the need for forward-looking governance, Shah called for all planning related to the Yamuna, drinking water, and drainage in Delhi to be guided by a 20-year vision. He identified the Delhi Jal Board as a critical player in the clean-up effort and directed that all vacant posts within the organization be filled without delay to enhance its operational capacity.

    The home minister also highlighted the pressing need to improve Delhi’s water distribution efficiency, noting that proper water management is vital to ensure a reliable drinking water supply for all residents. He instructed the Delhi Jal Board to prioritize modernizing the water distribution network and to take urgent steps to prevent pipeline leakages.

    Furthermore, the home minister called for the use of world-class technology in desilting the city’s drains—an often overlooked but essential part of urban water and waste management.

  • Kidambi Srikanth storms into quarterfinals; HS Prannoy bows out of Malaysia Masters 2025

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth advanced to the quarter-finals of the men’s singles event at the Malaysia Masters 2025 badminton tournament in Bukit Jalil, while HS Prannoy lost his pre-quarterfinals clash, according to Olympics.com.

    Former world No. 1 Srikanth, currently ranked 65th in the badminton world rankings, endured a tough battle against Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen before securing a 23-21, 21-17 win at the Axiata Arena in KL Sports City. The contest lasted nearly an hour.

    Nhat Nguyen, ranked world No. 33, dominated the early exchanges and led 11-4 at the interval of the first game. However, the Indian shuttler flipped the script completely to register a thrilling victory.

    Srikanth’s opponent in the quarter-finals of the BWF Super 500 tournament will be France’s Toma Junior Popov, who defeated Indian player Ayush Shetty 21-13, 21-17 in another round of 16 fixture.

    India’s Sathish Karunakaran also bowed out after losing 21-14, 21-16 to Christo Popov, Toma’s brother and doubles partner.

    World No. 35 HS Prannoy’s run at the Malaysia Masters ended in the pre-quarterfinals with a 21-9, 21-18 defeat to Japan’s 23rd-ranked Yushi Tanaka in a 39-minute encounter.

    The three exits leave Srikanth as India’s lone remaining singles contender at this year’s Malaysia Masters.

    None of the Indian women’s singles players, including two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu, managed to cross the opening round hurdle.

    Meanwhile, India’s doubles challenge will also continue on a single front, with Tanisha Crasto and Dhruv Kapila reaching the top eight in the mixed doubles category.

    The Indian duo beat France’s Lea Palermo and Julien Maio 21-17, 18-21, 21-15 in a hard-fought match to set up a quarter-final encounter against the People’s Republic of China’s Jiang Zhenbang and Wei Yaxin, bronze medalists from the 2023 World Championships.

    Prerana Alvekar and Mrunmayee Deshpande’s journey in women’s doubles ended after a 21-9, 21-14 defeat to Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Yin-Hui and Lin Jhih-Yun, the world No. 17 pair and eighth seeds. (ANI)

    ANI

  • Jitendra Singh unveils cutting-edge polar, ocean research hubs in Goa

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Tuesday inaugurated Sagar Bhavan and Polar Bhavan at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) in Goa. These are the first-of-their-kind integrated facilities in India and among the few such infrastructures globally dedicated to polar and ocean research.
     
    The inauguration comes at a time when global discourse on ocean geopolitics is intensifying. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Singh expressed confidence that the enhanced capabilities at NCPOR would strengthen India’s role in global ocean governance and scientific collaboration. “Institutions like NCPOR will be pivotal in positioning India as a key player in ocean geopolitics,” the Minister said.
     
    He added that the new facilities would also enhance India’s capacity to monitor weather patterns and respond to climate change challenges effectively.
     
    The newly inaugurated Polar Bhavan is the largest building on the NCPOR campus, spread across 11,378 square metres and constructed at a cost of ₹55 crore. It houses cutting-edge laboratories for polar and ocean research, 55 accommodation units for scientists, conference and seminar halls, a library, and a canteen. It is also home to the “Science On Sphere (SOS)” platform – a state-of-the-art 3D visualization system for displaying climate and earth system data – and will soon host India’s first Polar and Ocean Museum.
     
    Sagar Bhavan, built over 1,772 square metres at a cost of ₹13 crore, includes ultra-low temperature laboratories with -30°C ice core storage and +4°C sample preservation units. It features 29 specialised rooms, including a Class 1000 clean room for trace metal and isotope studies.
     
    During his visit, Dr. Singh, dressed in Antarctica-specific cold weather gear, also toured the Minus 20°C lab section of the facility.
     
    The inauguration coincided with the Silver Jubilee of NCPOR. As part of the celebrations, the Minister unveiled a documentary chronicling the institute’s 25-year journey and participated in a virtual walkthrough of the upcoming science museum.
     
    Dr. Singh underscored the significance of polar research in the context of global climate change. He cited expert assessments indicating that nearly 70% of the world’s freshwater is stored in polar ice. “Uncontrolled melting could lead to rising sea levels, posing serious threats to low-lying coastal areas, including India’s extensive coastline of over 1,000 km,” he said.
     
    Highlighting the importance of ocean sciences in national development, the Minister referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s consistent focus on the Blue Economy. He noted that the Deep Ocean Mission, led by NCPOR, aligns with the government’s broader “Viksit Bharat by 2047” vision.
     
    Dr. Singh also referenced India’s policy initiatives such as the Arctic Policy (2022) and the Indian Antarctic Act (2022), which provide a structured legal and ethical framework for India’s polar engagement, ensuring adherence to international standards.
     
    India maintains a robust research presence in polar and high-altitude regions through its permanent stations in Antarctica (Maitri and Bharati), the Arctic (Himadri), and the Himalayas (Himansh). Recent Indian scientific expeditions have also extended to the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and the Central Arctic Ocean.

  • Build future-ready workforce for manufacturing growth: Ashwini Vaishnaw

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Union Minister of Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw has called for concerted action to build talent and capacity in support of the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ mission.

    Addressing a roundtable attended by industry leaders and academia, Vaishnaw called on stakeholders to accelerate the development of a future-ready workforce to drive manufacturing growth in India.

    The roundtable discussion focused on talent development and capacity building for sustainable manufacturing, combining a global perspective with local action.

    Vaishnaw praised the emergence of a new sector, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology (MET), an initiative by NAMTECH (New Age Makers Institute of Technology), the MET Innovation School, which aims to meet the demands of Industry 4.0 and beyond, specifically by addressing the talent gap in emerging technologies and preparing a highly-skilled workforce and future leaders capable of driving transformative change in India.

    Vaishnaw welcomed MIT delegation at the event, calling them one of the best institutes globally for advanced manufacturing.

    He also recognized Indian industry leaders such as Suzuki, Siemens, ABB, Inox and others, emphasising that their participation is necessary to make NAMTECH truly impactful and aligned with ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ mission.

    Vaishnaw highlighted the success of Gati Shakti platform as a model for industry-academia collaboration, where companies co-created job-ready curriculums without any financial investment just by sharing knowledge. He called for replicating such models across sectors to ensure employability from day one, stating that the opportunity for the stakeholders to build something truly transformative is now. He noted that NAMTECH aims to skill talent across all levels – shop floor, design, and research with full government support and MIT’s mentorship to drive innovation and mindset change.

    NAMTECH has previously signed MoUs with other partners such as Siemens India, Analog Devices Inc, and Applied Materials Inc to develop laboratories, training centres, skilling infrastructure, and scholarships in priority sectors such as semiconductors, smart manufacturing, and robotics.

    The government has launched several pioneering missions, including the India Semiconductor Mission, AI Mission, National Robotics Strategy, Mobility Manufacturing Mission, and National Hydrogen Mission, which reflect the priority placed on advanced technology development and adoption.

    The National Education Policy 2020 also emphasises holistic development and the integration of vocational and digital education into mainstream schooling.

    Complementing these are talent-oriented frameworks such as the Skill India Digital Hub, ITI Upgradation Scheme, Chip to Startup, and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) — all of which emphasise industry-aligned, inclusive skilling models.

    The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) continues to support such ecosystem-driven initiatives that bridge critical skill gaps, democratise access to advanced technology education, and contribute to India’s global competitiveness in the electronics and manufacturing domains.

     

    A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed at the event between NAMTECH and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), Vadodara.

  • Operation Sindoor Outreach: Delegation meets Japanese leaders, reiterates India’s stance against terrorism

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    An all-party parliamentary delegation led by Janata Dal (United) MP Sanjay Jha held a meeting on Friday with Yasuhiro Hanashi, Acting Chairperson of the Research Committee on Counter-terrorism of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former Minister of Justice, to highlight India’s firm stance against terrorism as part of a global outreach campaign.

    “All-party delegation from India met Yasuhiro Hanashi, Acting Chairperson of the Research Committee on Counter-terrorism of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and former Minister of Justice. India’s unified and determined stance against terrorism in all its forms was highlighted. Both sides reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism,” the Embassy of India in Japan said in a post on X.

    Earlier in the day, the delegation engaged with the diplomatic corps in Tokyo at the Indian Embassy, underscoring India’s steadfast commitment to combating terrorism.

    “Proactive engagement by the all-party delegation from India with the diplomatic corps in Tokyo at the Embassy of India in Japan reaffirms India’s unwavering national resolve against terrorism. United in voice, firm in action,” the Embassy of India in Japan said.

    The delegation, led by Sanjay Jha, includes BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi and Brij Lal, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Barla, and senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid.

    Their visit marks the beginning of India’s unprecedented diplomatic campaign to expose Pakistan’s continued role in cross-border terrorism, following the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

    On Thursday, the Indian delegation attended the inaugural session of Raisina Tokyo 2025, joining leaders and experts from India, Japan, and across the Indo-Pacific region. Speakers at the session reiterated Japan’s support for India’s fight against terrorism.

    The delegation also held key talks with Takashi Endo, Chairman of the Japanese House of Representatives Committee on National Security, and conveyed India’s unified and resolute stance against terrorism in all its forms. Endo expressed Japan’s strong solidarity with India in its fight against terror, according to the Indian Embassy.

    Expressing solidarity with India, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya praised New Delhi’s restraint and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to counter-terrorism cooperation

    Iwaya emphasized the need to bring the perpetrators of terror to justice and voiced strong support for India’s response to the Pahalgam attack.

    The delegation also interacted with prominent Japanese think tanks, briefing them on India’s zero-tolerance policy and presenting detailed accounts of Pakistan’s support for terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

    The session saw strong expressions of support for India’s stance on regional security and combating state-sponsored terrorism.

    —IANS

  • Bangladesh’s Yunus could quit over lack of reform progress, student leader says

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Bangladesh’s de-facto prime minister has threatened to step down if political parties cannot agree on reforms that citizens await with growing impatience, a top student leader has said, deepening uncertainty in the wake of deadly protests last year.
     
    Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84, took over as interim head of the South Asian nation of 173 million last August after a student-led uprising forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.
     
    Nahid Islam, the head of the newly-formed National Citizen Party (NCP), which wants national elections held only after the completion of reforms, said Yunus was finding it difficult to work without the backing of political parties.
     
    “He was visibly upset,” Islam told reporters after meeting the leader on Thursday.
     
    “He said if he cannot do the work he was asked to do – reform the system and prepare for fair elections – then he may have to leave. He feels trapped between demands from different political camps and growing public impatience.”
     
    Yunus promised major reforms in various sectors after Hasina’s exit, but a lack of progress and growing political disagreement have put his administration in a tight spot.
     
    “We told him clearly that people didn’t rise up just to switch governments, but to change the system,” said Islam, whose party emerged from last year’s student-led protests. “Elections without reform will only take us back to the same problems.”
     
    He gave no further details.
     
    With the interim government caught between competing demands for swift general elections and reforms, such a resignation could lead to further uncertainty. Yunus has said the elections could be delayed until 2026.
     
    The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, has been pushing for polls by December. On Wednesday, BNP leaders said it would be “difficult” to continue supporting the interim government without a firm election plan.
     
    Yunus’ press wing and the BNP did not immediately respond to telephone calls and messages requesting comment.
     
    Adding to the pressure, Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, also called for elections in December in a speech at Dhaka cantonment this week, expressing his dissatisfaction over the political situation.
     
    The registration of Hasina’s Awami League party was suspended this month, effectively barring the party from contesting the next elections.
     
    (Reuters)

  • White House ‘MAHA’ report calls out food, chemicals impact on children’s health

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    A commission led by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday issued a report that said processed food, chemicals, stress and overprescription of medications and vaccines may be factors behind chronic illness in American children.

    The report, from the commission named after the Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, social movement aligned with Kennedy, is focused on what he says is a national crisis of increasing rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, cancer, mental health disorders, allergies and neurodevelopmental conditions like autism.

    “MAHA is hot,” President Donald Trump said during a press event. “We will not allow our public health system to be captured by the very industries it’s supposed to oversee.”

    Kennedy said there was consensus among the commission’s members to prioritize what he called the ultra-processed food crisis and to work to improve the food American children eat.

    The report also highlighted studies linking health disorders in humans and animals to the weed killers glyphosate and atrazine, but did not call for specific regulatory changes or restrictions on pesticides used in farming. It said the chemicals should be further researched.

    It criticized the U.S. approach to vaccines in children, saying European children are recommended to receive fewer. He called for study of the impact of vaccines on childhood chronic disease and of vaccine injuries.

    Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has for many years pushed debunked theories about the safety of vaccines contrary to scientific evidence. As head of the agency, he has overseen cuts of about 20,000 of 80,000 employees due to layoffs and departures.

    Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food and health watchdog, said the report recycles longtime concerns of Kennedy, from vaccines to seed oils.

    “To the extent that they come up with good ideas, they’re going to run into the self-inflicted wound of their own decimation of the federal workforce. Many of their better ideas will not be doable,” Lurie said.

    Many of the MAHA activists that surround Kennedy were present in Washington for the release of the report, which they largely applauded as a vindication of their work.

    But, one such activist, Kelly Ryerson, who campaigns against the use of glyphosate-based pesticides, called the report “very cautious on the subject of pesticides,” adding that she’d like to see more Environmental Protection Agency action on the topic.

    Bayer BAYGn.DE, which is involved in thousands of lawsuits surrounding its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup, said some details around pesticides in the report were not “fact based.”

    “We believe a fact and data-driven approach with robust science that follows international gold standards is necessary to support these important initiatives,” Bayer said.

    As an environmental lawyer, Kennedy was associated with three lawsuits related to Roundup, which is owned by Bayer after its acquisition of Monsanto.

    ULTRAPROCESSED FOOD

    The food industry has said that additives in packaged food have been thoroughly reviewed by regulators and help it remain shelf stable.

    The American Soybean Association was critical of the report, which they said was “drafted entirely behind closed doors” and inaccurately suggests that pesticides and soy oils contribute to negative health outcomes.

    “We’re discouraging people from consuming heart-healthy oils and driving them to instead use fats that will make them less healthy and cost them more in the process,” said ASA Director Alan Meadows, a soybean farmer.

    Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, told Reuters the report was “a devastating critique of what’s happened to America’s children.”

    But she said, “to deal with the root causes of the conditions detailed here, this administration will have to take on Big Food, Big Pharma, Big Agriculture, Big Chemical, and get coal-burning plants to clean up their emissions. A lot of this is counter to the MAGA agenda, and the decimation of federal agencies can’t help.”

    The report called for enhanced surveillance and safety research into drugs and childhood health outcomes and clinical studies comparing whole-food to processed-food diets in children.

    The definition of ultra-processed food is hotly debated, while the report describes it as industrially manufactured products.

    The report says that core products of so-called “Big Food”, which typically references companies such as Kraft Heinz KHC.O, Nestle NESN.S and PepsiCo PEP.O, are ultra-processed.

    Kraft Heinz manufactures Heinz Ketchup and Kraft mac & cheese, Nestle produces frozen pizzas and dinners under the Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine brands, while PepsiCo owns Frito-Lay, a salty snacks business.

    The report also cites infant formula as an ultra-processed food that is concerning.

    FARM LOBBY PRESSURE

    Thursday’s report will be followed by policy prescriptions due in August. Trump signed an executive order in February establishing the commission whose members include Kennedy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, other cabinet members and senior White House officials.

    Before the report’s publication, farm lobby groups had warned that criticizing specific farm practices could impede collaboration on the administration’s health agenda and put food production at risk.

    According to a source familiar with the matter, the lobby groups had strongly pressured the administration to not mention pesticides in the report.

    EPA head Lee Zeldin said on a call with reporters that farmers are key partners in enacting the MAHA agenda and that any changes to pesticide regulations would need careful consideration.

    REUTERS

  • Trump administration blocks Harvard from enrolling international students, threatens broader crackdown

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students on Thursday, and is forcing current foreign students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, while also threatening to expand the crackdown to other colleges.

    Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification effective for the 2025-2026 school year, the department said in a statement.

    Noem accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”

    Harvard said the move by the Trump administration – which affects thousands of students – was illegal and amounted to retaliation.

    The decision marked a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent institutional targets. The move came after Harvard refused to provide information that Noem demanded about some foreign student visa holders at Harvard, the department said.

    Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in the 2024-2025 school year, amounting to 27% of its total enrollment, according to university statistics.

    In 2022, Chinese nationals were the biggest group of foreign students at 1,016, university figures showed. After that were students from Canada, India, South Korea, Britain, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan.

    The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem said in a statement.

    In a letter to the university, Noem gave Harvard “the opportunity” to regain its certification by turning over within 72 hours a raft of records about foreign students, including any video or audio of their protest activity in the past five years.

    Harvard called the government’s action “unlawful” and said it was “fully committed” to educating foreign students.

    “This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the university said in a statement.

    Congressional Democrats denounced the revocation, with U.S. Representative Jaime Raskin calling it an “intolerable attack on Harvard’s independence and academic freedom” and saying it was government retaliation for Harvard’s previous resistance to Trump.

    Trump has already frozen some $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard in recent weeks, leading the university to sue to restore the funding.

    In a separate lawsuit related to Trump’s efforts to terminate the legal status of hundreds of foreign students across the U.S., a federal judge ruled on Thursday that the administration could not end their status without following proper regulatory procedures. It was not immediately clear how that ruling would affect the action against Harvard.

    During an interview with Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum,” Noem was asked if she was considering similar moves at other universities, including Columbia University in New York.

    “Absolutely, we are,” Noem said. “This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together.”

    TRUMP TARGETS UNIVERSITIES

    Trump, a Republican, took office in January pledging a wide-ranging immigration crackdown. His administration has tried to revoke student visas and green cards of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

    He has undertaken an extraordinary effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the U.S., claiming they foster anti-American, Marxist and “radical left” ideologies. He has criticized Harvard for hiring prominent Democrats for teaching or leadership positions.

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Monday that it was terminating a further $60 million in federal grants to Harvard because it failed to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination.

    In a legal complaint filed earlier this month, Harvard said it was committed to combating antisemitism and had taken steps to ensure its campus is safe and welcoming to Jewish and Israeli students.

    Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy group, said the action against Harvard’s student visa program “needlessly punishes thousands of innocent students.”

    “None of them have done anything wrong, they’re just collateral damage to Trump,” he said on the social media site Bluesky.

    (Reuters)

  • Qatar boosts FIFA Arab Cup prize fund to record $36.5 million

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The 2025 FIFA Arab Cup will have a record prize fund of more than $36.5 million, Qatar’s Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the regional tournament announced on Thursday.

    The competition, which features senior men’s national teams from the 22-member Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA), representing both Asia and Africa, takes place from December 1 to 18.

    “This announcement further elevates the stature of the FIFA Arab Cup, a tournament we reinstated in 2021, and reflects Qatar’s leading role in developing football across the region and beyond,” said Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, Minister of Sports and Youth and LOC Chairman in a statement.

    Having taken over the organisation from UAFA, which initially ran the event, FIFA has been in charge since the tournament’s revival in 2021, when it had a reported prize fund of $25.5 million.

    The draw will be held in Doha on Sunday, with defending champions Algeria among the favourites.

    -Reuters

  • Djokovic within two wins of 100th title as he turns 38

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Novak Djokovic marked his 38th birthday in style on Thursday, defeating Matteo Arnaldi 6-4 6-4 to reach the Geneva Open semi-finals and continue his pursuit of a 100th career title.

    The 24-time Grand Slam champion avenged last month’s Madrid Open loss to the Italian and will next face Britain’s Cameron Norrie, who rallied to defeat Australian Alexei Popyrin 7-6 (8-6) 6-4.

    “It’s great to be in the semi-finals again. Hopefully this year I can go at least a step further, that’s the goal,” said Djokovic, who lost to Tomas Machac in last year’s quarter-finals.

    “I think I’m playing really good tennis. A straight-sets win, but it was much closer than the score indicates.”

    After taking the first set, Djokovic trailed 4-1 in the second but stormed back with five consecutive games to seal the win in one hour and 40 minutes.

    The former world No. 1 admitted that smashing his racket in frustration helped him reset mentally and close out the match in straight sets.

    “After the racquet breaking I kind of found my optimal state and balance mentally and emotionally to be able to play my best tennis when it was most needed,” Djokovic, who was presented with a birthday cake on court, said.

    Djokovic is bidding to become only the third man in history to win 100 ATP titles, after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103).

    -Reuters

  • Markets open higher; Nifty crosses 24,700 mark on broad-based buying

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Indian equity markets opened on a firm note on Friday, with benchmark indices trading higher amid mixed global cues and strong domestic macroeconomic fundamentals. Early gains were led by buying interest in FMCG, IT, and auto stocks.

    At 9:29 AM, the BSE Sensex was up by 281.75 points, or 0.35%, at 81,233.74, while the NSE Nifty climbed 109.75 points, or 0.45%, to trade at 24,719.45.

    The Nifty Bank index was also in the green, rising 69.85 points, or 0.13%, to 55,011.15. Broader markets mirrored the positive trend, with the Nifty Midcap 100 gaining 258.10 points (0.46%) to 56,582.95 and the Nifty Smallcap 100 advancing 58.30 points (0.33%) to 17,561.40.

    Market experts attributed the upbeat sentiment to India’s robust economic indicators, including steady GDP growth and declining inflation and interest rates.

    Top gainers in the Sensex included ITC, Adani Ports, Infosys, PowerGrid, Tech Mahindra, Tata Steel, SBI, HCL Tech, UltraTech Cement, Tata Motors, and L&T. On the flip side, Sun Pharma, M&M, NTPC, Bajaj Finance, Bharti Airtel, Maruti Suzuki, and ICICI Bank were among the major laggards.

    In Asia, major markets such as China, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Seoul, Jakarta, and Japan were trading in the green, providing a supportive backdrop to Indian equities.

    Overnight in the US, key indices posted a mixed close. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended almost flat at 41,859.09, down 1.35 points. The S&P 500 slipped 2.60 points to 5,842.01, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 53.09 points to 18,925.74.

    Experts noted that US equities were volatile following the retreat of Treasury yields after the passage of tax and spending legislation by the US House of Representatives.

    On the institutional front, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net sellers to the tune of ₹5,045.36 crore on May 22, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought equities worth ₹3,715.00 crore.

    “Even when the market turns weak, domestic demand-driven segments like financials, telecom, and aviation remain resilient. This is evident in the strength of stocks like ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, and InterGlobe Aviation. The market is sending a clear signal,” said Dr. V.K. Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

    -IANS

  • Death toll in Australia floods rises to four, tens of thousands stranded

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    The body of a man was found in a car trapped in floodwaters in Australia’s southeast on Friday, raising the death toll to four, after three days of incessant rain cut off entire towns, swept away livestock and destroyed homes.

    Police said the man was found near Coffs Harbour, around 550 km (342 miles) north of Sydney. The search continued for a person missing since the deluge began early this week.

    Around 50,000 people are still isolated, emergency services personnel said, while residents returning to their flooded homes were warned to watch out for dangers.

    “Floodwaters have contaminants, there can be vermin, snakes … so you need to assess those risks. Electricity can also pose a danger as well,” state Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Damien Johnston said during a media briefing.

    Television videos showed submerged intersections and street signs, cars up to their windshields in water, after fast-rising waters burst river banks in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions of New South Wales, Australia’s most populous state.

    Debris from the floods, and dead and lost livestock, have washed up on the coast.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had to cancel his planned visit to Taree, one of the worst-hit towns, due to floodwaters.

    “We did try … but that was not possible due to the circumstance, which I’m sure people understand,” Albanese told reporters from the town of Maitland in the Hunter region.

    “But our thoughts are with communities that are cut off at this point in time. And we’re here to basically say, very clearly, and explicitly you’re not alone.”

    Australia has been enduring more extreme weather events that some experts say are happening because of climate change. After droughts and devastating bushfires at the end of last decade, frequent floods have wreaked havoc since early 2021.

    “What once were rare downpours are now becoming the new normal – climate change is rewriting Australia’s weather patterns, one flood at a time,” Davide Faranda, weather researcher at ClimaMeter, said in a statement.

    DISRUPTIONS IN SYDNEY

    A wild weather system that dumped around four months of rain over three days shifted south towards Sydney on Thursday bringing heavy rain overnight, though the weather bureau, in its latest update, said it is expected to ease by Friday evening.

    Water on rail tracks impacted some suburban train lines in Sydney, including its airport line services, while Sydney Airport was forced to shut down two of its three runways for one hour on Friday morning due to strong winds, delaying flights.

    Warragamba Dam, which supplies 80% of Sydney’s water supply and is currently at around 96% of capacity, could spill over, officials said.

    REUTERS

  • UK signs Chagos deal with Mauritius, India welcomes move

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    Britain signed a deal on Thursday to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after a London judge overturned a last-minute injunction and cleared the way for an agreement the government says is vital to protect the nation’s security.
     
    The multibillion-dollar deal will allow Britain to retain control of the strategically important U.S.-UK air base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease.
     
    India has welcomed the signing of the treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius on the return of Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including the strategic island of Diego Garcia. 
     
    “India has consistently supported Mauritius’s legitimate claim over the Chagos Archipelago. This is in keeping with our principled position on decolonization, respect for sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of nations,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.
     
    “As a steadfast and longstanding partner of Mauritius, India remains committed to working closely with Mauritius and other like-minded countries to strengthen maritime security and regional stability,” the MEA added.
     
    The signing went ahead after a carefully choreographed ceremony was postponed when lawyers representing a British national born in the Chagos Islands were granted an interim injunction at the High Court in the early hours of Thursday.
     
    Judge Martin Chamberlain then lifted that injunction following a hearing, saying Britain’s interests would be “substantially prejudiced” if the injunction were to continue.
     
    The government, which has been criticised by opposition parties for pursuing a deal they say is overly costly and would play into the hands of China, has long said the agreement is essential to secure the future of Diego Garcia.
     
    “The strategic location of this base is of the utmost significance to Britain, from deploying aircraft to defeat terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan to anticipating threats in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer told a news conference.
     
    “By agreeing to this deal now, on our terms, we’re securing strong protections, including from malign influence, that will allow the base to operate well into the next century.”
     
    The signing ends months of wrangling over the deal, the details of which were first announced in October, after the then-Mauritian leader Pravind Jugnauth was replaced by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam, who raised concerns about it.
     
    It was further delayed after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in January, with London wanting to give the new administration time to examine the details of the plan. In February, Trump indicated his backing for the deal.
     
    Ramgoolam welcomed the deal, saying it had been a long fight to get to this point.
     
    “With this agreement, we are completing the total process of decolonization,” Ramgoolam said in a televised broadcast, speaking in the local Creole language.
     
    “It’s total recognition of our sovereignty on the Chagos, including Diego Garcia.”
     
    U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the deal saying it “secures the long-term, stable, and effective operation of the joint U.S.-UK military facility at Diego Garcia”.
     
    LATEST LEGAL CHALLENGE
     
    The injunction was the latest legal challenge to the deal in the last two decades brought by members of the wider Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up in Britain after being forcibly removed from the archipelago more than 50 years ago.
     
    It was granted following action by Bertrice Pompe, a British national who was born in Diego Garcia and has criticised the deal for excluding Chagossians.
     
    James Eadie, the government’s lawyer, said the delay was damaging to British interests and “there is jeopardy to our international relations … (including with) our most important security and intelligence partner, the U.S.”
     
    It is one less headache for Starmer, who is under fire from his own governing Labour Party for implementing welfare cuts to try to better balance Britain’s books.
     
    But Starmer’s political opponents were again critical of the accord, arguing it was both costly and by ceding sovereignty, China could further deepen its ties with Mauritius, benefiting Beijing’s influence in the Indian Ocean.
     
    “Labour’s Chagos Surrender Deal is bad for our defence and security interests, bad for British taxpayers and bad for British Chagossians,” Conservative Party foreign affairs spokeswoman Priti Patel said on X.
     
    The financial component of the deal includes 3 billion pounds to be paid by Britain to Mauritius over the 99-year term of the agreement, with an option for a 50-year extension and Britain maintaining the right of first refusal thereafter.
     
    The base’s capabilities are extensive and strategically crucial. Recent operations launched from Diego Garcia include bombing strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024-2025, humanitarian aid deployments to Gaza and, further back, attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan in 2001.
     
    (Reuters)

  • “They have to be held accountable for terror attacks against India”: MEA exposes Pakistan

    Source: Government of India

    Source: Government of India (4)

    India on Thursday reiterated its resolve to fight terrorism and called on the world to hold Pakistan accountable for the terror attacks that they have carried out against India.

    In the weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reminded the world about the need to “come together to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

    Replying to a query on the multi-party delegation, Randhir Jaiswal said, “There are seven delegations. Three delegations have departed…This is a political mission. We want to make a stronger outreach to the world to convey our resolve to fight terrorism. We want the world to come together to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We want to exhort the world to hold those responsible for cross-border terrorism accountable. Those have been practising it for the last 40 years against India, that is, Pakistan. Their actions need to be called out. They have to be held accountable for the terror attacks that they have carried out against India…”

    “So, that is the larger message. The unity of India, the purpose of India,” the MEA Spokesperson said.

    India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 as a decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed. Indian Armed Forces targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, leading to the death of over 100 terrorists affiliated with terror outfits like the Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

    After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan.

    After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced.

    An All-Party Parliamentary Delegation, led by Sanjay Kumar Jha, includes Ambassador Mohan Kumar, BJP MP Hemang Joshi, CPI(M) MP John Brittas, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, BJP MP Brij Lal, and BJP MP Pradan Baruah, reached Tokyo today.

    The delegation aims to brief international partners on India’s response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and its broader fight against cross-border terrorism while engaging with leaders in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore.

    (ANI)