THE HEADLINES ::
- Repolling begins in 15 polling stations of two Assembly Constituencies in West Bengal.
- Field operations for Houselisting and Housing Census under Phase 1 commence in five states and one Union Territory.
- IMD forecasts very heavy rainfall over Northeast region and Southern peninsula today.
- US President Donald Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to end ongoing conflict, says Iran is seeking concessions they cannot accept.
- In Badminton, Indian men’s team to take on France in semifinals of Thomas Cup in Denmark.
- And in Football, Indian women team all set to play in AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup after 21 years in China.
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Repolling has started in 15 booths in two constituencies in West Bengal from 7:00 in the morning today.
“Among these Eleven are in Paschim Magrahat and four booths in Diamond Harbour assembly constituency. Election Commission has ordered re-polling after irregularities were reported. Meanwhile in another development a special bench has been set up by Supreme Court to urgently hear the Trinamool Congress’s appeal against the Calcutta High Court order that restricted counting center staff to central government employees only.The bench, comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi, will take up the matter today. Since vote counting is scheduled for Monday, the Trinamool Congress requested an urgent hearing. Day before yesterday, Calcutta High Court Justice Krishna Rao dismissed the Trinamool Congress’s petition, stating that the court cannot interfere in the Election Commission’s decisions on recruitment of counting personnel. In response, the party rushed to the Supreme Court. Despite today being a holiday, the apex court has constituted this special bench to ensure the matter is heard without delay. Sandipon Dasgupta, AKASHVANI NEWS, Kolkata.“
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Field operations for Houselisting and Housing Census, under Phase 1 of Census 2027, have commenced from yesterday in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. This follows the completion of the notified 15-day Self-Enumeration period in these States and Union Territories.
“Ministry of Home Affairs said that the exercise will continue till 30th of this month, during which trained Enumerators will undertake house-to-house visits for data collection. Meanwhile, Self-Enumeration facility under Census 2027 has commenced in Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Meghalaya and Jharkhand yesterday. The online facility will remain available till 15th of this month, after which corresponding house-to-house Houselisting Operations in these States and UTs will be conducted between May 16th to June 14th. The Self-Enumeration facility, introduced for the first time in Census 2027, has received an encouraging response from the public. As part of the digital approach adopted for Census 2027, so far around 82 lakh households have successfully availed the facility through the official portal se.census.gov.in. The initiative marks a significant milestone in digitising Census operations and has been widely appreciated for offering flexibility, convenience and ease of participation. SHIVANG MISRA, AKASHVANI NEWS , DELHI”
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Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has said India expanded its crude oil sourcing base to 41 countries from 27 earlier, as part of efforts to strengthen energy security during the global energy crisis. While speaking at the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in South Gujarat, he said long-term planning played a key role in managing the crisis. On boosting domestic production, the Minister said, orders were issued to maximise LPG yield at refineries, and the domestic production has been increased by 60 percent.
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The Reserve Bank of India has said that 98.47 per cent of the 2,000 rupees denomination banknotes in circulation have been returned, nearly three years after it announced their withdrawal. The central bank had declared the withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes from circulation on May 19, 2023, as part of its currency management exercise. The RBI however clarified that despite their withdrawal and return, the 2,000 rupees banknotes continue to remain legal tender.
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The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has issued permission for major equipment erection at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Units 5 and 6. The permission, granted, allows the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to undertake installation of major equipment of the plant including Reactor Pressure Vessel, Steam Generators, Coolant Pumps etc.
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US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal to end the ongoing conflict, casting doubt on prospects for a negotiated settlement and warning of the risk of further escalation. Iran submitted its revised offer through mediators, with state media confirming the handover. Trump acknowledged that Tehran had made strides in negotiations but said he remains dissatisfied with the terms on the table, stating that Iran is seeking concessions he cannot accept. He also described Iran’s leadership as very disjointed, signalling continued mistrust between the two sides.
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The US blockade in the Gulf of Oman and maritime routes has been costing Iran nearly 4.8 billion dollars in oil revenue, according to a report by Axios citing Pentagon. Highlighting the report, Sean Parnell assistant to the secretary of war for public affairs said the US operation is intended to maintain sustained economic pressure on Tehran. The enforcement actions targeting sanctioned Iranian shipping have reduced Iran’s energy exports amid heightened tensions near the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil chokepoint. US officials said the operation aims to continue economic pressure on Iran and disrupt funding for its regional activities.
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Ministry of Panchayati Raj will organize an outreach workshop on Atmanirbhar Panchayat Initiative in Hyderabad today. The outreach workshop will introduce participants to the vision, objectives and operational framework of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, an initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.
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The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Sub Himalayan West Bengal today. The Met Department has predicted heavy rainfall over Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal Kerala and Mahe. IMD has also predicted thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and gusty winds over Jammu and Kashmir, East Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Coastal Andhra Pradesh. The weather agency has said that Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Coastal Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are likely to experience hot and humid weather conditions today.
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The Meteorological Department has said Jammu and Kashmir is likely to witness generally cloudy sky, with spells of light to moderate rainfall and thundershowers next three days, accompanied by gusty winds of 40-50 kmph at a few locations. The weather agency also issued an advisory, asking farmers to suspend farm operations during the period, in view of the expected rain and gusty winds.
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The Vande Bharat Express has officially commenced its regular service between Jammu and the Kashmir Valley today. The train departed at 6:20 AM from Jammu, marking a significant step in enhancing rail connectivity in the region. The service was inaugurated on Thursday by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw who flagged off the train and described it as a major milestone for Jammu and Kashmir.
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In Badminton, Indian men’s badminton team will face France in semifinals of the Thomas Cup 2026 at Horsens in Denmark today. India advanced to the semifinals of the tournament after dominant 3-nil win over Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals. Lakshya Sen gave India the perfect start, saving two match points to beat world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen 18-21, 22-20, 21-17 in a thrilling opener.
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In football, India will mark their first appearance at the AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup since 2005, ending a 21-year wait at this level as the U-17 national team kick off their campaign against Australia in China today. The match is scheduled to start at five PM India standard time. It is another landmark moment for Indian women’s football.
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In Tennis, in the women’s singles final Mirra Andreeva will face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the Madrid Open today. The ninth seed Mirra Andreeva defeated US’s Hailey Baptiste in the semi-finals on last Thursday, sealing her spot with a 6-4, 7-6 victory in the Spanish capital. Whereas Marta Kostyuk defeated Anastasia Potapova by 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 victory send herself into her first WTA 1000 final in Madrid.
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In IPL cricket, Delhi Capitals defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur last night. Batting first, Rajasthan Royals posted 225 for six in 20 overs, with skipper Riyan Parag scoring 90. In reply, Delhi Capitals overhauled the target for the loss of three wickets in 19.1 overs, riding on KL Rahul’s 75 off 40 balls. He was named Player of the Match.
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TODAY’S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE,
- Most newspapers today open with surge in fuel costs. The Pioneer, notes “Steep LPG price hike to hurt all sections”. The Indian Express writes, Polls over, energy prices soaring due to West Asia crisis, fuel rate hike on table.
- Talking about the April highs, “GST revenue hits record rupees 2.43 lakh crore in April” writes The Hindu.
- Lockdown in strongroom areas after TMC, BJP clash, writes The Times of India.
- The Hindustan Times under the caption ‘Labour Day‘, ‘Heat awareness, ‘the cost of labour in a simmering city’, carries a picture of “Workers creating murals depicting problems they face while working in the heat.”
- The Asian Age mentions, “Trump says Iran ‘dying to make a deal’, rules out fresh airstrikes.”
- The Economic Times on its editorial page talks of, A ‘cobot’ experiment in Japan. Travellers with poor experience of airport baggage handling will be particularly interested in Japan Airlines’ experiment with giving jobs to robot at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. Trials beginning this month will use Unitree’s humanoid robots to move baggage, cargo and equipment across the airport. Depending on how they perform, their role could be widened to other ground-handling services like cleaning aircraft cabins. If the experiment is successful, it will offer a solution to Japan’s ageing population and a surge in tourism.
- And finally, The Financial Express takes note, ‘Placement season seeing higher number of new-age companies as traditional tech firms scale down recruitment.’ “Startups cushion IT hiring slowdown.”
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Repolling begins in 15 polling stations of two Assembly Constituencies in West Bengal.
- Field operations for Houselisting and Housing Census under Phase 1 commence in five states and one Union Territory.
- IMD forecasts very heavy rainfall over Northeast region and Southern peninsula today.
- US President Donald Trump rejects Iran’s proposal to end ongoing conflict, says Iran is seeking concessions they cannot accept.
- In Badminton, Indian men’s team to take on France in semifinals of Thomas Cup in Denmark.
- And in Football, Indian women team all set to play in AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup after 21 years in China.
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