THE HEADLINES:
Government imposes restrictions on manufacturing, sale and distribution of all fixed dose combinations containing Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride for children aged below four years.
India to host BRICS Youth Minister’s Meeting at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh this evening.
India raises with Somalia, issue of hijacking of two foreign-flagged commercial vessels with 22 Indian sailors onboard.
US imposes 50 percent tariffs on 20 billion dollars worth of Canadian products after trade talks with US fail; Canada says it will retaliate.
IMD issues orange alert for very heavy rainfall over East Madhya Pradesh today.
And in BWF Badminton World Championships, Indian Women’s Doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to be up against China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in semifinals this afternoon.
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The government today imposed restrictions on the manufacturing, sale and distribution of all fixed dose combinations (FDCs) containing Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride for children below four years of age. The Health Ministry, in a notification, mandated a clear warning that these medicines shall not be used in children below four years of age, in a significant step to safeguard the health and safety of young children. The government directed manufacturers to clearly display the warning, “Fixed Dose Combination shall not be used in children below four years of age,” on the label, package insert and promotional literature associated with these formulations. The government said that the use of such combinations may pose risks to children below four years of age and that safer alternatives are available.
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Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, along with ministers and senior delegates from the BRICS countries, today visited the historic Thotlakonda Buddhist heritage site near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The delegates visited the ancient Buddhist remains, including the Mahastupa, meditation centres, wells and kitchen areas. Dr Mandaviya also planted a sapling at Thotlakonda as part of the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign. The visit is part of the programmes being held in Visakhapatnam under India’s BRICS Presidency 2026. The BRICS Youth Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Visakhapatnam this evening. The meeting, chaired by Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in youth development and empowerment, with a focus on education, skill development, entrepreneurship, wellbeing and sustainable development.
The BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting will be held in Visakhapatnam tomorrow, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in sports.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah holds an important meeting with allied Gorkha Leaders, today at Sukna in Darjeeling, West Bengal. The Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal, Hill Affairs State Minister Bishal Lama, Gorkha Leaders Bimal Gurung, Man Ghishing, Loke Sabha MP Raju Bist along with other four Gorkha MLAs were present in the meeting. Later today, the Union Home Minister will Chair a high-level Siliguri Corridor Meeting with Top BSF, SSB, IB, Police and other State and Central officials.
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The BJP today passed a resolution regarding the honour and protection of the historical legacy of Vande Mataram. In a social media post, BJP President Nitin Nabin said that the party strongly condemned and unequivocally opposed the Congress Working Committee’s decision to sing only first two stanzas of Vande Mataram in the party programmes. He added that the BJP is resolved to reject every attempt to subordinate the National Song to communal pressure, political appeasement or narrow vote-bank considerations.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India has fundamentally changed its approach from punishing production during the Licence Raj to rewarding it with the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Addressing the Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2026 yesterday, Mr Modi juxtaposed the destructive Production Linked Punishment model with the current PLI scheme, demonstrating how a reform in thinking fundamentally changes economic outcomes. He also presented the success of the PLI scheme, which alone has attracted 2.5 lakh crore rupees in actual investments, driven 22 lakh crore rupees in production and sales, generated 15 lakh crore rupees in exports, and created over 14 lakh jobs.
Addressing widespread global concerns regarding growth, resource weaponization, and mounting distrust, the Prime Minister highlighted that the international community increasingly views India as a bright spot for growth and hope.
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India has raised with Somalian authorities the issue of the hijacking of two foreign-flagged commercial vessels with 22 Indian sailors onboard. The vessels, carrying 16 Indian seafarers onboard MT Sibu and six Indian seafarers onboard MV Lutuf were hijacked by armed pirates in separate incidents off Yemen and Somalia. In a social media post, the Indian High Commission in Kenya said, all Indian seafarers are reportedly safe. Yesterday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in response to a query during his bi-weekly media briefing also addressed growing safety concerns regarding Indian mariners operating in volatile waters, reiterating New Delhi’s commitment to prioritizing the welfare of its seafaring community.
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The United States has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on 20 billion dollars worth of Canadian products. The tariffs came into effect early today. Canada immediately said it would retaliate after failure of last-minute talks to ease tensions between the two historic allies. The new US tariffs will affect about five per cent of Canada’s annual exports to the United States. The products include hockey sticks and tongue depressors. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would match the tariffs dollar for dollar.
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A major industrial accident has been reported from Jharkhand. Three engineers were killed and one person was seriously injured after a turbine exploded and triggered a massive fire at a cement and steel power plant in Ramgarh, late last night. A report:
A massive fire broke out late last night following a powerful explosion in a turbine at the Maa Chhinnamastika Cement and Steel Power Plant in Hehal, under the Barkakana OP area of Ramgarh district. Three engineers were killed in the incident, while one person sustained serious injuries. The deceased have been identified as Sanjeev Kumar Kesari of Ranchi, Vineet Mahto of Bokaro, and Abhishek Pandey of Garhwa. According to preliminary information, the plant’s protection system failed due to excessive temperatures, causing the turbine to overspeed and resulting in the explosion. Plant employees have alleged that the management had already been informed about excessive temperatures in the control room and inadequate cooling arrangements, but no timely action was taken. Several fire trucks rushed to the site after receiving information about the explosion and fire and after considerable efforts, firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control. Angered by the incident, villagers and local residents blocked the Ramgarh–Patratu road today, demanding compensation and jobs for the affected families. Mahvish Rahman, Akashvani News, Ranchi.
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NEWS JUST IN,
After a long meeting headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Siliguri with all the stakeholders of the hill areas of West Bengal today, a decision has been made to form an intermediary committee headed by former IPS officer Pankaj Singh to solve all the problems permanently in connection with the hills in North Bengal. The committee will give report to the Centre.
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A major explosion occurred at Hazelo Labs Private Limited in Dhotigudem village, located in the Pochampally Mandal of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, leaving two workers dead and nine others injured. The incident took place late last night when a chemical reactor suddenly exploded, triggering a massive blast and a severe fire across the industrial unit.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange colour warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall over East Madhya Pradesh today. IMD said that heavy rainfall conditions are also expected to prevail over Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, East Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for the day. Similar weather conditions have also been forecast for Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Uttarakhand and the North Eastern part of India during the next two to three days.
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The monsoon remains active over Madhya Pradesh, with heavy rain continuing in several districts. A report;
A strong weather system is active over Madhya Pradesh due to the monsoon trough, a cyclonic circulation and a low-pressure area. As a result, heavy rain has been lashing the eastern parts of the state for the past two days, and several rivers are in spate. The weather department has issued an orange alert for extremely heavy rain in Seoni and Balaghat today. A heavy rain alert has also been issued for 12 districts, including Datia, Bhind, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Sagar and Damoh. Light to heavy rain is also expected in several other parts of the state. Abhinav Goel, Akashvani News, Bhopal.
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In Odisha, flood situation is showing signs of improvement, but large pockets of north and coastal Odisha remain inundated, with about 14 lakh people affected across several districts. While rivers are gradually receding, thousands of people remain marooned and cut off from road connectivity, with residents in some areas complaining of inadequate relief supplies. More from our Correspondent:
The flood crisis continues to test Odisha, with more than 13 lakh people affected across seven districts. Although major rivers are showing a falling trend, many villages remain surrounded by water. In Balasore, residents in several inundated villages are still dependent on boats and have complained of shortages of cooked food, dry food and drinking water. Reports from flood-hit pockets also highlight the prolonged hardship of families who have remained cut off for days. So far 13 people have lost their lives in the current flood. Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast very heavy rainfall in Odisha today till 26th of this month, with heavy rain continuing thereafter, posing a fresh challenge to already waterlogged areas. Prakash Dash for Akashvani News, Bhubaneswar.
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In the BWF Badminton World Championships, India’s women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will take centre stage in the semifinals today. The Indian duo will face top seeds Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning of China at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. More from our correspondent.
The Indian duo stormed into the semifinals yesterday, defeating fourth seeds Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian of China, 16-21, 21-15 and 21-13. With this victory, Treesa and Gayatri have assured India of a coveted medal at the prestigious championship. Treesa and Gayatri also became only the second Indian Women’s Doubles duo to win a World Championships medal. Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa were the first Indian combination to achieve this feat when they clinched the bronze in London 15 years ago. With Vishnu P S, this is Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
Government imposes restrictions on manufacturing, sale and distribution of all fixed dose combinations containing Chlorpheniramine Maleate and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride for children aged below four years.
India to host BRICS Youth Minister’s Meeting at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh this evening.
India raises with Somalia, issue of hijacking of two foreign-flagged commercial vessels with 22 Indian sailors onboard.
US imposes 50 percent tariffs on 20 billion dollars worth of Canadian products after trade talks with US fail; Canada says it will retaliate.
IMD issues orange alert for very heavy rainfall over East Madhya Pradesh today.
And in BWF Badminton World Championships, Indian Women’s Doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand to be up against China’s Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning in semifinals this afternoon.
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