THE HEADLINES:
21 people killed in a massive fire at a hotel in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar; Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief, announces an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees to next of kin of each deceased.
Trinamool Congress faces turmoil as expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claims support of nearly 60 MLAs in West Bengal assembly.
Supreme Court forms high-powered expert panel to re-examine Aravalli definition.
Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar to be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Karnataka this afternoon.
India becomes world’s 2nd largest solar growth market, surpasses USA in annual solar capacity additions.
And in Indonesia Open Badminton, HS Prannoy and Ayush Shetty to play in men’s singles this afternoon.
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Twenty one people lost their lives and 40 others were rescued after a fire broke out at a hotel in Malviya Nagar in Delhi, this morning. DCP of South Delhi, Anant Mittal said the fire has been successfully extinguished with the assistance of eight fire tenders. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the fire incident. In a social media post, the prime minister said that authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected. He also wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Mr Modi also announced an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given 50 thousand rupees.
Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, Home minister Amit Shah and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta have also extended condolence over the loss of lives. More from our correspondent;
A fire incident occurred at 8:48 this morning. Soon after the incident, teams from Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, the District Disaster Management Authority, CATS Ambulance Services, and other emergency response agencies were swiftly mobilised and launched rescue and relief operations. More than 40 people have been rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment. The fire has been brought under control with the help of eight fire tenders. Rescue and search operations are still underway, and all concerned agencies remain deployed at the site to provide every possible assistance to those affected. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with the incident. With Dipendra Kumar, Ankit Kumar, Akashvani News Delhi.
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West Bengal’s former ruling party, the Trinamool Congress, is in turmoil and on the verge of split. Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claims the support of nearly 60 MLAs, a number that could decisively shift the control in the Assembly. His faction has already written to Speaker Rathindra Bose, asking to be recognized as the “real TMC.” In a counter move, TMC announced Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the House, with Ashima Patra and Nayana Bandopadhyay as deputies, and Firhad Hakim as the chief whip. Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a rally in Kolkata, accused the BJP of orchestrating the split.
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The Supreme Court has constituted a high-powered expert committee to conduct an independent review of the Centre’s report on the definition and delineation of the Aravalli hill range. The committee will be headed by Kanchan Devi, Director General of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education. The panel has been asked to submit its report by August 31 this year. The apex court said an impartial and scientific assessment is needed to address key issues related to the protection of the Aravalli ecosystem. The court had earlier stayed the implementation of an Environment Ministry report submitted in October last year and called for a fresh review by independent experts.
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India has surpassed America in annual solar capacity additions to become the world’s 2nd largest solar growth market in 2025. India has crossed a remarkable 155 Giga Watt of installed solar capacity, helping achieve country’s 50 percent non-fossil fuel capacity target and fulfill its Nationally Determined Contributions ahead of schedule. Highlighting the remarkable achievement, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi today said the country’s solar growth story is setting global benchmarks and driving record capacity additions through strong policy support, innovation and world-class infrastructure.
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The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has said that nearly 40 thousand students have successfully submitted their re-evaluation applications and completed the application process without facing any issues. CBSE had yesterday opened the online portal for verification of issues observed in scanned copies of answer books and re-evaluation of answers for Class 12th students. The facility is available only to those students who have obtained the scanned copies of their evaluated answer books.
In a social media post, CBSE informed that payment gateways of SBI, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank are available on the Verification and Re-evaluation portal for students applying for post-result services. CBSE has clarified that students are not required to hold accounts with any of these banks to complete the payment process.
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Karnataka Congress Legislature party leader D K Shivakumar will be sworn in as the 25th Chief Minister by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot at 4.05 pm in Bengaluru today. Former Home minister Dr G Parameshwar will be sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister. Along with them 12 legislators are to be sworn in as ministers today. More from our correspondent;
“After Siddaramaiah stepped down as CM on May 28th, the Congress Legislature party had elected 64 year old D K Shivakumar as its leader paving the way for him to assume the office. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, national President Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress General Secretaries K C Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala, religious leaders, labourers, writers, actors and prominent businessmen and industrialists have been invited for the swearing in ceremony. The students of the Doddalahalli Government school have also been called for the ceremony as it is the place from where Shivakumar hails from. SUDHINDRA FOR AKASHVANI NEWS, BENGALURU.”
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Acting President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, will be on a five-day visit to India from today. During the visit, she will hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the full spectrum of India-Venezuela relations. The two countries will explore avenues for cooperation in key sectors including trade, investment, energy, renewable energy, healthcare and pharmaceutical.
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President Droupadi Murmu today inaugurated the National Conclave on Strengthening of Integrated Tribal Development Agencies and Integrated Tribal Development Projects in New Delhi. Addressing the occasion, the President said that tribal society living across the country is culturally very rich, and efforts must be made to bring the tribal community forward. She said development must reach the last home and the last village. Ms Murmu expressed concern that there are still some sections of tribals who are unaware of the various schemes of the government.
The President called upon all the agencies and stakeholders to ensure the development of every aspect of Tribal welfare including dignified job for youth and school for every tribal child.
She stressed that tribal youths must be encouraged to participate in sports activities.
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Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya has urged India’s youth to embrace cycling and lead the movement for a fitter, healthier, and greener nation. Sharing a video message on the World Bicycle Day, the Minister noted that adopting cycling as a regular habit can encourage a balanced and disciplined lifestyle while also supporting environmental sustainability and cleaner mobility. He added that cycling not only helps individuals maintain physical and mental well-being but also contributes towards building a healthier and greener nation.
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In Mizoram, Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs, Dr L. Murugan, has called upon the people to actively participate in the nation-building process and contribute towards the vision of a developed India by 2047 under the Viksit Bharat initiative. During an interaction with government officials at Kolasib district, the Minister emphasised that the Central Government places high priority on the development of the North East region.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today shared an article authored by Union Minister Chirag Paswan highlighting the unlocking of new opportunities in Ladakh. In a social media post, the Prime Minister noted that a berry native to Ladakh is scripting a story of innovation and opportunity. He observed that the article presents a compelling reflection on how entrepreneurship and value addition are opening new avenues of prosperity in Ladakh.
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The Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee began its three-day policy meeting in Mumbai today, with experts widely expecting the central bank to maintain the status quo on interest rates amid volatile global conditions driven by the ongoing tensions in West Asia. The policy decision will be announced on Friday. The June review comes amid sustained geopolitical tensions and volatile global crude oil and gas prices, which have complicated the outlook.
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Debunking reports of gold sales, the Reserve Bank of India today said there has been no change in its physical gold stock, which remains steady at 880.52 tonnes. The clarification comes after reports suggested that the central bank may have sold gold worth approximately 12 billion US Dollars to shield its foreign exchange reserves from the impact of the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
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The United Nations weather agency has warned that a moderate to possibly strong El Nino is likely to develop in the coming months, raising concerns over higher global temperatures and more extreme weather events. According to the World Meteorological Organization, warming sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean are driving the phenomenon. The agency has forecast above-average temperatures across most parts of the world from June to August and said El Nino conditions are likely to persist until November.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast Hot and Humid weather over Parts of the North Eastern Region and Odisha, Konkan, Goa and Sub Himalayan West Bengal today. The Met Department has also predicted thundersquall conditions over Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for today.
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In Indonesia Open Badminton, HS Prannoy will face Ireland’s Nhat Nguyen and Ayush Shetty will meet China’s Weng Hongyang in the men’s singles this afternoon. In men’s doubles, pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered a setback after losing to Malaysia’s Khai Xing Kang and Aaron Tai by 6-11 in their match today.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices were trading over half a per cent lower in afternoon trade today amid geopolitical jitters. The Sensex lost 524 points to 74 thousand 125 while the Nifty fell 147 points to 23 thousand 336, when reports last came in.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
21 people killed in a massive fire at a hotel in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar; Prime Minister Narendra Modi expresses grief, announces an ex-gratia of two lakh rupees to next of kin of each deceased.
Trinamool Congress faces turmoil as expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claims support of nearly 60 MLAs in West Bengal assembly.
Supreme Court forms high-powered expert panel to re-examine Aravalli definition.
Senior Congress leader DK Shivakumar to be sworn-in as Chief Minister of Karnataka this afternoon.
India becomes world’s 2nd largest solar growth market, surpasses USA in annual solar capacity additions.
And in Indonesia Open Badminton, HS Prannoy and Ayush Shetty to play in men’s singles this afternoon.
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