THE HEADLINES::
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi warns against illegal immigration which is threatening demography of the country; Announced demography mission to protect citizens.
- NHAI successfully implements FASTag Annual Pass nationally.
- Festival of Janmashtami being celebrated across the country today.
- IMD issues red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Konkan and Goa today.
- India’s merchandise exports show strong performance in July; Register an increase of around 7.3 percent to 37.24 billion dollars.
- Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ends without deal on war in Ukraine.
- In Chess, M Pranesh wins Challengers title at Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters Championship.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned against illegal immigration, which is threatening the demography of the country. In his Independence Day address, Mr Modi announced a high-powered demography mission to protect the country from the dangers posed by illegal immigrants. The Prime Minister said, he would like to alert the nation about the concern, which has now become a challenge. He said, under a well-thought-out conspiracy, the country’s demography is being changed, and seeds of a new crisis are being sown. The Prime Minister said that the infiltrators are snatching the livelihood of the youth of the country. He said that the demographic changes in border areas pose a threat to national security.
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The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has successfully implemented the ‘FASTag Annual Pass’ facility at 1 thousand 150 Toll Plazas across the country on the 79th Independence day yesterday. According to the Road Transport and Highways Ministry, around 1 lakh 40 thousand users have purchased and activated the annual pass till 7 PM, on the first day of implementation. It added that almost 1 lakh 40 thousand transactions were recorded on toll plazas.
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Festival of Janmashtami, which marks the birth of Lord Krishna, is being celebrated across the country today. Devotees throng to the temples to offer prayers to Lord Krishna.
In Uttar Pradesh, Mathura and Vrindavan are fully geared to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. A Large number of people have reached Mathur to celebrate the 5252nd birth anniversary of Lord Krishna at Krishna Janmabhoomi temple.
“On the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami, the city of Shri Krishna, Mathura is witnessing the colours of devotion, faith and joy. All important temples in Mathura have been decorated with colourful lights and flowers. This year Janmashtami has become even more special, because Lord Krishna will give divine darshan from Sindoor Phool Bangla to honour the bravery of the Armed Forces for the success of Operation Sindoor. A member of the Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan, Gopeshwar Nath Chaturvedi informed that the abhishek of lord Krishna will be performed in the midnight. LED screens have been installed to make darshan accessible for large number of devotees. High security arrangements have been made for the safety of devotees. Om Awasthi, Akashvani News, Lucknow.”
In Gujarat, Janmastami is being celebrated at all the Shrikrishna temples including the most revered Dwarkadhish temple, Dakor and Shamlaji temple with grandeur and deep devotion today.
“Devotees from across the country and around the world have already begun arriving at the holy city Dwarka to witness the sacred rituals that began early this morning with Mangala Aarti The rituals will continue throughout the day with various offerings and darshan and will culminate in a spectacular midnight aarti tonight when the temple will erupt in joyous chants ‘Jai kanhaiya lal ki’ welcoming the birth of the divine Lord Krishna. The temple is beautifully decorated with flowers, vibrant lights, and traditional adornments, while the idol of Lord Shri Krishna is adorned with elegant attire and divine ornaments. The atmosphere in the temple, is filled with bhajans, aartis, and Krishna leela kirtans. Along with Dwaraka, grand celebrations will also take place in Dakor and Shamlaji temples. All the temple authorities have made elaborate arrangements to accommodate the surge of pilgrims and ensure a smooth flow of devotees through the day and night. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad.”
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President Droupadi Murmu has extended warm greetings and wished Indians living in the country and abroad on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami.
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The nation pays homage to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his seventh death anniversary today. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid floral tributes to Vajpayee at his memorial Sadaiv Atal in the National capital. Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, Kiren Rijiju, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were also present on the occasion.
“Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who is considered the most eminent leaders of BJP, left behind a rich legacy which will be remembered as well as cherished for years to come. As a parliamentarian and particularly as Prime Minister, he made innumerable important contributions which paved the way for a stronger economy through bold reforms and rapid development of infrastructure. His legacy comprises forward-looking economic policies, massive infrastructure projects and development of national highways. It was under his leadership that India successfully conducted Pokhran-II nuclear tests and cemented its position as a nuclear state in 1998. Born on 25th December 1924, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, he rose to prominence as an erudite politician. As a foreign minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first person to speak in Hindi in the United Nations in 1977. His personality had many facets – he was a forceful orator, a writer, poet, a selfless social worker, journalist, but more than anything else, he was a leader among leaders. Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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In Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has reached Kishtwar to meet residents affected by the devastating Chisoti cloudburst, which has claimed at least 60 lives and left over 100 injured. Omar Abdullah interacted with locals who shared first-hand accounts of the destruction and ongoing challenges on the ground. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the Chief Minister and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, assuring them of all possible assistance from the Centre.
The Prime Minister also took stock of the situation and emphasised swift relief and rehabilitation efforts.
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The Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ended without a deal on Ukraine-Russia conflict. The talks were characterized as a progress but did not emerge with an agreement on the war in Ukraine. Addressing the joint conference after the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the central issue of their discussion was the Ukraine conflict. Putin said he is sincerely interested in putting an end to the conflict and he described it as a tragedy. Mr Putin also floated a different location for his next meeting with President Donald Trump in Moscow.
Speaking at the press conference, Mr Trump called the meeting extremely productive and many points were agreed to. He added that US- Russia didn’t get there, but they have a very good chance of getting there. He said US and Russia have a “very good chance” of further progress.
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India’s merchandise exports showed a strong performance in July, registering an increase of around 7.3 per cent to 37.24 billion dollars on an annual basis. According to provisional data by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, major drivers of goods exports growth were engineering goods, gems and jewellery, electronics, pharmaceuticals and organic and inorganic chemicals. Among these, electronic goods exports increased around 34 per cent from 2.81 billion dollars in July 2024 to 3.77 billion dollars last month. However, the merchandise trade deficit increased to an eight-month high of 27.35 billion dollars in July. This was due to sharp rise of 8.6 per cent in imports which stood at 64.59 billion dollars during the month.
According to the estimates, in the April to July period of current financial year, merchandise exports increased to 149.20 billion dollars, while imports rose 244.01 billion dollars. The total exports of goods and services during the same period is estimated at 277.63 billion dollars, registering a growth of 5.23 per cent as compared to corresponding figure last year.
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News from the world of sports:
“In Chess, Indian Grandmaster M Pranesh bagged the Challengers crown at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, earning the opportunity to compete in Masters section next year. German Vincent Keymer capped a memorable triumph in the tournament with a convincing win in the final round of the Masters section over American GM Ray Robson. Keymer’s triumph earned him 25 lakh rupees, a leap into the world’s top 10 ranking, and 24 FIDE Circuit points towards the 2026 Candidates.
The Asian Shooting Championship 2025 will begin today at the Shymkent Shooting Plaza in Kazakhstan. Two-time Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker will lead India’s campaign at the event. As many as 734 shooters from 28 countries will compete in Kazakhstan. India has sent the largest contingent, comprising 164 shooters across senior and junior events. The Indian senior shooting squad for the Asian competition comprise 35 members competing for medals in 15 events. Indian shooters will also compete in the junior events. Manu Bhaker will compete in both the women’s 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events. SANYUKTA YADAV, Akashvani News, Delhi.
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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over Konkan and Goa today. The Met Department also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall over Assam, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Madhya Maharashtra, Telangana, West Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat Region. Heavy rainfall is also expected over Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Chhattisgarh, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe, and Marathwada.
Similar conditions are likely to prevail over East Madhya Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh , Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Saurashtra, Vidarbha and West Uttar Pradesh. The IMD also forecast thunderstorms with gusty winds and lightning over Andaman and Nicobar Islands today. In National Capital Delhi, heavy rainfall is likely to prevail during the day.
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Red Alert for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai for today. Intermittent rains have been lashing the city since yesterday morning, with intense showers reported in several areas during the early hours today.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Independence Day is summarised in Hindustan Times headline as “Sindoor to Sudarshan Chakra, PM draws Atmanirbhar vision”.
- The Hindu quotes the Prime Minister as saying that India will build indigenous air defence system called Sudarshan Chakra, by 2035.
- “Centre proposes 2-tier GST slab structure of 5% and 18%”, headlines the Hindu Businessline. The paper further informs of a special slab of 40% for sin goods and a rollout expected by Quarter 3.
- Thursday’s flash flood in Kishtwar has been covered on the front pages of dailies. “All over within minutes’: Survivors recall Kishtwar flash flood horror” reads The Indian Express
- Six persons were killed when a portion of a mosque near Humayun’s tomb collapsed yesterday, writes The Times of India.
- And finally, The Pioneer in an article reminisces about how 50 years after the release of the iconic film Sholay, Karnataka’s Ramanagar district is still carved into our collective memory as Ramgarh.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi warns against illegal immigration which is threatening demography of the country; Announced demography mission to protect citizens.
- NHAI successfully implements FASTag Annual Pass nationally.
- Festival of Janmashtami being celebrated across the country today.
- IMD issues red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Konkan and Goa today.
- India’s merchandise exports show strong performance in July; Register an increase of around 7.3 percent to 37.24 billion dollars.
- Alaska Summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ends without deal on war in Ukraine.
- In Chess, M Pranesh wins Challengers title at Quantbox Chennai Grandmasters Championship.
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