From high-stakes political sparring in Kashmir to major developments in diplomacy, defense, and trade, Friday's top storiesoffers a sharp snapshot of India’s shifting landscape.
With tensions brewing at the border, fresh debates over historic treaties, and big moves in global partnerships, the day also brought a dose of nostalgia and disappointment from Bollywood.
A fierce political exchange erupted in Jammu and Kashmir amid the suspended Indus Waters Treaty , while Donald Trump's controversial claims about brokering peace between India and Pakistan raise questions and criticisms. India's free trade agreementwith the UK remains steady. Meanwhile, Indian precision strikes under Operation Sindoor have exposed cracks in Pakistan’s military defenses. Lastly, in the world of cinema, Hera Pheri movie fans were dealt a blow.
Here are top 5 news of the day:
''I’ll rise above the gutter ... ' : Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti spar over 'Tulbul project' resumption
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti gaged in war of words over reinstating the Tulbul Navigation Project after the suspension of Indus Waters Treaty.
"The Wular lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan citing the Indus Water Treaty. Now that the IWT has been 'temporarily suspended' I wonder if we will be able to resume the project," Abdullah posted on his personal X handle.
Then, taking to X, Mufti shared Abdullah's post and reacted, "At a time when both nations have just stepped back from the brink of war—with Jammu and Kashmir once again paying the highest price through loss of innocent lives, destruction, and suffering—such provocative statements are deeply irresponsible." Read full story
Trump bragging about brokering ceasefire between India-Pakistan, may cause US billions: Former Pentagon official
US President Donald Trump may have sought to showcase his peacemaking credentials by claiming to broker the ceasefire between India and Pakistan but according to former Pentagon official Michael Rubin, the cost of his boasts could be measured in billions of dollars and years of strategic trust.
“By bragging about how he could leverage trade to stop fighting,” Rubin wrote in the Washington Examiner, “not only did Trump draw moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India, but he signaled to India that the whims of US leaders would endanger its defense supply chain into the future.” Read full story
India's trade surplus with UK remains steady; FTA expected to boost bilateral trade: Icra
India's trade surplus with the United Kingdom has seen a slight increase over the past decade, and the newly agreed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to significantly enhance overall trade between the two nations, according to a report by rating agency Icra.Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, merchandise trade between India and the UK grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1 per cent. While imports from the UK rose at a CAGR of 6 per cent, exports to the UK grew at a slower pace of 4 per cent. As a result, India’s trade surplus with the UK increased marginally from USD 4.3 billion in 2014-15 to USD 4.5 billion in 2023-24, as reported news agency ANI. Read full story
On-camera confession: Pakistan’s ex-air marshal admits AWACS damaged in Operation Sindoor
Pakistan’s retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar publicly admitted on camera that the country's vital Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft sustaine damage during India’s recent precision strikes under Operation Sindoor.“They [Indian forces] fired four back-to-back BrahMos missiles—surface-to-surface or air-to-surface, I’m not sure,” Akhtar said in a TV interview that later went viral on social media. “Our pilots rushed to secure the aircraft, but the missiles kept coming. Unfortunately, the fourth one hit the hangar at Bholari airbase, where one of our AWACS was standing. It was damaged.” R ead full story
Paresh Rawal quits 'Hera Pheri 3' co-starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty
Paresh Rawal is almost synonymous with his character Baburao from the 'Hera Pheri' franchise. As things seemed to be on track for the third installment, after delay due to legal issues, rumours of Akshay Kumar not reutrning, fans finally had breathed a sigh of relief as Akshay announced that Priyadarshan will direct the film. But now as per the latest update, Paresh Rawal has quit 'Hera Pheri 3'. Read full story
With tensions brewing at the border, fresh debates over historic treaties, and big moves in global partnerships, the day also brought a dose of nostalgia and disappointment from Bollywood.
A fierce political exchange erupted in Jammu and Kashmir amid the suspended Indus Waters Treaty , while Donald Trump's controversial claims about brokering peace between India and Pakistan raise questions and criticisms. India's free trade agreementwith the UK remains steady. Meanwhile, Indian precision strikes under Operation Sindoor have exposed cracks in Pakistan’s military defenses. Lastly, in the world of cinema, Hera Pheri movie fans were dealt a blow.
Here are top 5 news of the day:
''I’ll rise above the gutter ... ' : Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti spar over 'Tulbul project' resumption
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and former CM Mehbooba Mufti gaged in war of words over reinstating the Tulbul Navigation Project after the suspension of Indus Waters Treaty.
"The Wular lake in North Kashmir. The civil works you see in the video is the Tulbul Navigation Barrage. It was started in the early 1980s but had to be abandoned under pressure from Pakistan citing the Indus Water Treaty. Now that the IWT has been 'temporarily suspended' I wonder if we will be able to resume the project," Abdullah posted on his personal X handle.
Then, taking to X, Mufti shared Abdullah's post and reacted, "At a time when both nations have just stepped back from the brink of war—with Jammu and Kashmir once again paying the highest price through loss of innocent lives, destruction, and suffering—such provocative statements are deeply irresponsible." Read full story
Trump bragging about brokering ceasefire between India-Pakistan, may cause US billions: Former Pentagon official
US President Donald Trump may have sought to showcase his peacemaking credentials by claiming to broker the ceasefire between India and Pakistan but according to former Pentagon official Michael Rubin, the cost of his boasts could be measured in billions of dollars and years of strategic trust.
“By bragging about how he could leverage trade to stop fighting,” Rubin wrote in the Washington Examiner, “not only did Trump draw moral equivalence between terror-sponsoring Pakistan and terror-victim India, but he signaled to India that the whims of US leaders would endanger its defense supply chain into the future.” Read full story
India's trade surplus with UK remains steady; FTA expected to boost bilateral trade: Icra
India's trade surplus with the United Kingdom has seen a slight increase over the past decade, and the newly agreed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is expected to significantly enhance overall trade between the two nations, according to a report by rating agency Icra.Between 2014-15 and 2023-24, merchandise trade between India and the UK grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1 per cent. While imports from the UK rose at a CAGR of 6 per cent, exports to the UK grew at a slower pace of 4 per cent. As a result, India’s trade surplus with the UK increased marginally from USD 4.3 billion in 2014-15 to USD 4.5 billion in 2023-24, as reported news agency ANI. Read full story
On-camera confession: Pakistan’s ex-air marshal admits AWACS damaged in Operation Sindoor
Pakistan’s retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar publicly admitted on camera that the country's vital Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft sustaine damage during India’s recent precision strikes under Operation Sindoor.“They [Indian forces] fired four back-to-back BrahMos missiles—surface-to-surface or air-to-surface, I’m not sure,” Akhtar said in a TV interview that later went viral on social media. “Our pilots rushed to secure the aircraft, but the missiles kept coming. Unfortunately, the fourth one hit the hangar at Bholari airbase, where one of our AWACS was standing. It was damaged.” R ead full story
Paresh Rawal quits 'Hera Pheri 3' co-starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty
Paresh Rawal is almost synonymous with his character Baburao from the 'Hera Pheri' franchise. As things seemed to be on track for the third installment, after delay due to legal issues, rumours of Akshay Kumar not reutrning, fans finally had breathed a sigh of relief as Akshay announced that Priyadarshan will direct the film. But now as per the latest update, Paresh Rawal has quit 'Hera Pheri 3'. Read full story
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