THE HEADLINES:
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds discussion with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides in New Delhi; Says India and Cyprus aim to double investment flows in next five years.
- Election Commission announces biennial elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats from ten States on 18th of next month.
- Supreme Court to hear plea against CBSE’s three-language study compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1.
- IMD issues red alert for severe heat wave over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha till tomorrow.
- In IPL cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Hyderabad this evening.
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India and Cyprus exchanged several agreements in different areas, including establishing a joint working group on counter terrorism, innovation and technology, higher education and research and cultural cooperation in New Delhi today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held discussion with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides on strengthening bilateral cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas. They also exchanged views on issues of regional and global importance including cooperation in multilateral fora.
In his joint statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the friendship between India and Cyprus is not only strong but also future-oriented. He said, over the past decade, investment from Cyprus to India has nearly doubled. He said, with the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement, numerous new possibilities have emerged and the trust between the two countries has increased. Mr Modi added that India and Cyprus aim to double investment flows again in the next five years.
Prime Minister Modi said during the meeting they also discussed global issues.
President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides said the bilateral relations between the two nations and the European Union-India relations have made leaps of progress over the last year.
Earlier in the morning, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar called on the President of Cyprus. In a social media post, Dr. Jaishankar said, he appreciated the positive sentiments and guidance for strengthening the bilateral ties between the two nations and India – EU cooperation.
The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides is on a four days visit to India.
He will meet President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan this evening.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Council of Ministers in New Delhi yesterday . In a social media post Mr Modi said that the meeting involved exchange of perspectives and best practices related to boost Ease of Living, Ease of Doing Business and further reforms in order to realise the shared dream of a Viksit Bharat.
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The Election Commission today announced the schedule for the biennial elections to 24 seats of the Rajya Sabha from ten States. Former Prime Minister H D Devegowda, Union Ministers George Kurian and Ravneet Singh are among the Members who are completing their terms next month. Four seats each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Karnataka, three seats each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two seats in Jharkhand, and one seat each in Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram will fall vacant. According to the Commission, the notification will be issued on the 1st of next month and the polling will be held on the 18th of June. The counting of votes will take place on the same day.
The Commission also announced the Rajya Sabha bypoll for one seat each in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The Bypoll will also be held on the 18th of next month.
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The Supreme Court today agreed to hear next week a plea challenging the new CBSE policy making three-language study compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi mentioned the matter before a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi. He said the PIL had been filed by students, teachers and parents. He said the new CBSE policy made two additional languages compulsory in Class 9 and will create chaos. He urged the Court to list the matter on Monday. The Chief Justice said the case would be taken up next week during the miscellaneous hearing week.
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The Union Health Ministry has notified the inclusion of the drug Pregabalin under Schedule H1 of the Drugs Rules to strengthen regulation and prevent misuse particularly among youth. The decision has been taken in view of reports received from certain States regarding the misuse and abuse of Pregabalin. The drug, which is prescribed for the treatment of chronic pain, neuropathies and certain neurological conditions, has reportedly been misused for its sedative and dissociative effects. The Ministry stated that recent seizures of illegally stocked and unauthorizedly sold Pregabalin have been reported from some parts of the country. The revised classification mandates that Pregabalin can be sold only against a valid prescription issued by a Registered Medical Practitioner.
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In Keralam, seven-time Congress MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan has been elected Speaker of the 16th Kerala Legislative Assembly in a historic three-cornered contest. The election saw candidates from the ruling UDF, the Left and the BJP-led NDA for the first time in the Assembly’s history. More from our Thiruvananthapuram Correspondent :
“Ruling UDF candidate Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan was elected as Speaker with 101 votes in the 140 member Assembly. Opposition LDF candidate A. C. Moideen secured 35 votes, while BJP candidate B. B. Gopakumar got three votes. This is the first time the BJP has contested the Speaker election in Keralam. The election for Deputy Speaker will be held on June 1. Smithy M Palluruthy, Akashvani News, Thiruvananthapuram.”
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government will launch the Smart Border Project to make the entire border even more impregnable. Addressing the investiture ceremony of BSF in New Delhi today, Mr Shah said, the project will be equipped with drones, radars, cameras, and other technical resources. He said, the work is progressing towards developing an impregnable border security framework by integrating all types of technologies into the Border Security Force’s security system under the Smart Border Concept within the coming one year. Mr Shah said that despite vulnerabilities and multiple challenges, the force has consistently upheld the nation’s pride.
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West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari today met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr Adhikari also met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. In a social media post, Mr Singh said the West Bengal’s Chief Minister is a person of rich political and legislative experience. He expressed confidence that Mr Adhikari will work towards taking West Bengal to greater heights.
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Minister of State in the Department of Space Dr Jitendra Singh has expressed happiness as India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission has been honoured with the 2026 Goddard Astronautics Award by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In a social media post, Dr Singh said the Chandrayaan-3 mission continues to make the nation proud. He noted that the mission has received the highest recognition in astronautics for its historic soft landing near the Moon’s south pole and its contribution to future lunar exploration.
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A Delhi court today deferred its decision till 9th June on framing charges against Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others in the alleged money laundering case linked to the IRCTC hotel scam. The case is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate and is based on a predicate offence registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
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The Delhi High Court today granted three-day interim bail to Umar Khalid in the UAPA case linked to the alleged larger conspiracy behind the 2020 North East Delhi riots. A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Madhu Jain allowed his release from June 1st to June 3rd on strict conditions. The High Court said it was taking an empathetic view of the matter and granted interim bail for three days to allow Khalid to spend time with his mother.
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The Quad Foreign Ministers’ meeting will be held in New Delhi on the 26th of this month. At the invitation of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, Foreign Minister of Australia Penny Wong, Foreign Minister of Japan Toshimitsu Motegi and Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio are arriving in New Delhi to participate in the meeting. The Ministry of External Affairs said, in keeping with the Quad vision for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, the Ministers will build on discussions held in Washington, D.C. on the 1stof July last year.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red colour warning for heat wave to severe heat wave conditions over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha till tomorrow. An orange colour warning for Heat wave conditions has been issued over Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh. Heat Wave conditions are also expected over Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh during the next two days. IMD has forecast hot and humid weather over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha till tomorrow.
The Weather Agency also forecast heavy rainfall in parts of North east India, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and South Interior Karnataka till tomorrow.
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The weather in Himachal Pradesh has changed its course today, and intermittent rainfall has been continuing at several places across the state since morning. This change in weather has brought some relief to people from the intense heat.
“Light rainfall has been recorded in various districts including the state capital Shimla, as well as Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Hamirpur, and Lahaul-Spiti, leading to a slight drop in temperatures across the state. According to the Meteorological Centre Shimla, this change in weather is due to the activation of a western disturbance. The centre has issued an orange alert for heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds at multiple locations in seven districts; Kullu, Shimla, Chamba, Una, Hamirpur, Mandi, and Bilaspur over the next 48 hours. Ritesh Kapoor, Akashvani News, Shimla.”
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In Malaysia Masters, Indian shuttler Ashmita Chaliha’s campaign came to an end after she lost to former European Games champion Line Kjaersfeldt of Denmark in the women’s singles quarterfinals today. With Chaliha’s exit, India’s challenge also concluded at the BWF Super 500 tournament. Chaliha, 71st in the badminton rankings, won the opening game but eventually went down against the 23rd-ranked opponent 23-21, 18-21, 11-21 in 61 minutes.
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In IPL Cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Hyderabad today. The match will start at 7.30 PM.
Earlier, Gujarat Titans defeated Chennai Super Kings by 89 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad last night. Chasing a target of 230 runs set by Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings were all out for 140 in 13.4 overs.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices were trading around 0.7 per cent higher in the afternoon session today. The Sensex climbed 535 points to 75 thousand 718, while the Nifty rose 154 points to 23 thousand 808, when reports last came in. In the broader market at the National Stock Exchange, Midcap 100 index as well as the Smallcap 100 index gained around 0.3 per cent, a short while ago.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds discussion with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides in New Delhi; Says India and Cyprus aim to double investment flows in next five years.
- Election Commission announces biennial elections for 24 Rajya Sabha seats from ten States on 18th of next month.
- Supreme Court to hear plea next week against CBSE’s three-language study compulsory for Class 9 students from July 1.
- IMD issues red alert for severe heat wave over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha till tomorrow.
- In IPL cricket, Sunrisers Hyderabad to take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Hyderabad this evening.
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