Midday News

THE HEADLINES::

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to embark on a two day visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
India’s pharmaceutical exports surge over 9 percent to reach 30 billion dollars in last financial year.
Four people killed and 12 feared trapped under debris in a building collapse in Mustafabad area of Delhi.
Joint Entrance Examination Main session II results declared; 24 students obtain perfect 100 NTA score.
And In IPL T-20 Cricket Gujarat Titans to face Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad this afternoon.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two day visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday at the invitation of the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The External Affairs Ministry in a statement today said that this will be PM Modi’s third visit to the Kingdom after his previous visits in 2016 and 2019. The visit follows the State Visit of Prince Salman to New Delhi in September 2023 to attend the G20 Summit and co-chair the first meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council.

India and Saudi Arabia share close and friendly ties with a long history of socio-cultural and trade contacts. As strategic partners, the two countries share strong bilateral relations across various areas including political, defence, security, trade, investment, energy, technology, health, education, culture and people-to-people ties.

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India’s pharmaceutical exports surpassed 30 billion dollar in the last financial year, with the United States remaining a key market, accounting for more than one-third of the country’s total pharma exports. According to official trade data, pharmaceutical exports reached over 30 billion dollar in Financial Year 2024-25, marking an increase of over 9 per cent compared to nearly 27.5 billion dollar in Financial Year 2023-24. In March 2025, pharma exports registered a year-on-year surge of over 30 per cent, rising to 3,681 million dollar from 2,806 million dollar in the same month of the previous fiscal year, as per the data last fiscal.

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West Bengal Governor Dr C V Ananda Bose has assured all help to the family of the persons killed during violent protest against the Waqf Amendment Act . The Governor visited the violence affected areas of Samsherganj of Murshidabad district of West Bengal and met the family members of the father son duo who were killed by an unruly mob on 12th of this month.

Police arrested 3 persons in connection with the killing including the key accused Inmajul Haque.

The Governor also visited the violence hit village of Jafrabad. People demanded Border Security Force BSF camps for their protection. It is alleged that local are receiving threats of attack after central forces leave the violence affected areas.

Meanwhile, a five members team led by National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya K Rahatkar visited the family of Hargobind Das and Chandan Das who were killed by an unruly mob on 12th of this month during protest against the Waqf Amendment Act in Samsherganj, Suti of Murshidabad district of West Bengal. NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said:

A team of National Human Rights Commission left Malda for the violence hit areas of Murshidabad.

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Four people have been killed and 12 are feared trapped under the debris after a four-storey building collapsed in the Mustafabad area of Delhi during the early hours today. Talking to media, DIG NDRF Mohsen Shahedi said the NDRF team and other agencies are engaged in rescue work. He mentioned that the area is congested, making it difficult to move heavy machinery.

Additional DCP of the North East District Sandeep Lamba said, the incident took place at around 3 am in the morning. He added that 14 people were rescued, but four among them succumbed to their injuries.

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India has strongly condemned the abduction and brutal killing of the Hindu minority leader Bhabesh Chandra Roy in Bangladesh. In a social media post, Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal stated that the incident reflects a continuing pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government in Bangladesh, while those responsible for similar past crimes continue to evade justice. New Delhi reiterated its call for the interim government to uphold its responsibility to protect all minority communities, including Hindus, urging it to do so without offering excuses or drawing distinctions.

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The National Testing Agency (NTA) released the results for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main Session II of 2025 this morning. This time, a total of 24 students have obtained a perfect NTA score of 100 in JEE Main 2025 Paper 1 (BE/BTech). The result, along with the cut-off, is now available on the official JEE Main website – jeemain.nta.nic.in.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said that the government is working with a holistic approach to health care in the country. Mr Shah made these remarks while addressing the Healthy Liver – Healthy India event organized by the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences in New Delhi to commemorate World Liver Day. Mr Shah said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, health infrastructure has seen significant growth in the last 11 years. He mentioned that the health budget has increased from 37 thousand crore rupees in 2014 to one lakh 27 thousand crore rupees. He said that there were 7 AIIMS in India In 2014, which increased to 23 today. Mr Shah mentioned that the number of medical colleges has increased from 387 to 780.

Highlighting the importance of raising awareness about liver diseases among citizens, Mr Shah put special thrust on a wholesome diet, adequate sleep, and regular exercise for maintaining good health. .

Delhi L-G VK Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also attended the event

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Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda urged everyone to take a pledge to reduce their edible oil intake by at least 10 percent and adopt a healthier lifestyle. In a social media post, he emphasized that small changes can lead to significant results when food is treated as medicine.

Responding to Mr Nadda’s post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the initiative as a commendable effort to mark World Liver Day with a focus on mindful eating and healthier living. He highlighted that simple actions, such as cutting down on oil consumption, can have a substantial impact. The Prime Minister called on everyone to join in building a fitter, healthier India by spreading awareness about obesity.

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The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs today issued a public alert regarding online booking frauds, particularly those targeting religious pilgrims and tourists across the country. It advised people to exercise extreme caution and always verify the authenticity of websites before making any payments. People are warned to exercise caution while clicking on sponsored or unknown links on Google, Facebook, or WhatsApp. More from ourcorrespondent:

Home Ministry said that the frauds are being perpetrated through fake websites, deceptive social media pages, Facebook posts, and paid advertisements on search engines like Google. These scams involve the creation of professional-looking but fake websites and social media profiles and WhatsApp accounts offering services suchas helicopter booking for Kedarnath and Char Dham. The Ministry urged the public to cross-check bookings only through official government portals or trusted travela gencies. It also advised to report such incidents immediately on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal www.cybercrime.gov.in or by calling the helpline number 1930. To contain such scams, Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre is taking multi-prolonged strategy. This includes regularly sharing scam signals with IT intermediaries such as Google,WhatsApp, and Facebook for proactive detection. The Centre is also identifying cybercrime hotspots and sensitizing the concerned States and Union Territories. Fake websites, advertisements, and impersonating social media accounts are being disabled to protect citizens. WITH PALLAVI PARMAR, SAKLEN AKHTAR AKASHVANI NEWS, DELHI

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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that a new sports culture has developed in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After inaugurating the Sansad Khel Mahakumbh in Lucknow today, Mr. Singh said the central and Uttar Pradesh governments have adopted sports-friendly policies. As a result, youth from small towns are getting a chance to showcased their talent.

Mr. Singh said the government is making every effort to organize the Olympic Games to be held in 2036 in Gujarat, while efforts are also being made to organize other world-class games in India.

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In Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 148 people were found dead after a motorised wooden boat caught fire and capsized. Officials informed that the boat was carrying as many as 500 passengers, including women and children, when it overturned in the Congo River located in the country’s northwest region

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The United States and Iran are set to hold a new round of nuclear talks in Rome today to resolve their decades-long standoff over Tehran’s atomic ambitions. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, will negotiate indirectly through mediators from Oman.

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A 21-year-old Indian student, Harsimrat Randhawa, was killed in Hamilton, Canada after being struck by a stray bullet while waiting at a bus stop. The Consulate General of India in Toronto expressed deep sorrow over her death and is in contact with her family, offering support. Meanwhile Police are investigating the case as a homicide.

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Veer Chotrani and Anahat Singh advanced to the finals of the World Championship Qualifying Event (Asia) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today. The second-seeded Chotrani prevailed 3-1 against Chi Him Wong, his eighth-seeded opponent from Hong Kong. The Indian will now be up against either Muhammad Asim Khan, the top seed from Pakistan, or Ameeshenraj Chandran, the third seed from Malaysia, in the final tomorrow.

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In IPL T20 Cricket, Gujarat Titans will face Delhi Capitals in a top-of-the-table clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad today. The match is set to begin at 3:30 PM IST. Axar Patel led Delhi Capitals have only lost one match out of the six match played so far.

Later in the evening, Rajasthan Royals will aim to return to winning ways as they take on the Lucknow Super Giants at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. This match is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST.

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In Himachal Pradesh, the Meteorological Department has issued an alert of heavy rain, hailstorm and thunderstorm at some places in the state during the next 24 hours. Our Correspondent reports that there is news of rain accompanied by storm in Chamba, Kinnaur and Kullu districts of the state last night, while most of the areas are cloudy today.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to embark on a two day visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
India’s pharmaceutical exports surge over 9 percent to reach 30 billion dollars in last financial year.
Four people killed and 12 feared trapped under debris in a building collapse in Mustafabad area of Delhi.
Joint Entrance Examination Main session II results declared; 24 students obtain perfect 100 NTA score.
And In IPL T-20 Cricket Gujarat Titans to face Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad this afternoon.

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