05 May 2025 | 04:55:07 PM IST
Synopsis
Breaking News Updates: India has demanded that the Asian Development Bank cut funding for Pakistan, as New Delhi continues to extend its punitive moves against Islamabad in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Breaking News Updates: India has demanded that the Asian Development Bank cut funding for Pakistan, as New Delhi continues to extend its punitive moves against Islamabad in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a meeting with Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda on Monday, demanded that the bank cut its funds to Pakistan, sources said.
According to sources, the demand for cutting the fund to Pakistan was one of the agenda of the meeting among various other issues.
Nirmala Sitharaman met with ADB President Masato Kanda during the 58th ADB Annual Meeting in Italian city of Milan.
India has sharply downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan after the April 22 terrorist attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, leading to the death of 26 individuals and several other injured, mostly tourists.
Show more Show less
Warren Buffett to remain board chair at Berkshire Hathaway when vice-chairman Greg Abel takes over as CEO to start 2026.
Taiwan rattled by quake off east coast, no immediate reports of damage
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the sea off the east coast of Taiwan on Monday, the island’s weather administration said, with no immediate reports of damage.
The quake briefly shook buildings in the capital, Taipei. The quake, some 30 km (18.6 miles) offshore, had a depth of 6.6 km (4.1 miles), the weather administration said.
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes.
More than 100 people were killed in a quake in southern Taiwan in 2016, while a 7.3 magnitude quake killed more than 2,000 people in 1999.
Sitharaman meets ADB president, highlights India’s focus on private sector-led growth
Ministry of Finance tweets, “Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Masato Kanda, president of Asian Development Bank during the 58th ADB Annual Meeting in Milan, Italy, today. The Union Finance Minister reiterated that India focuses on private sector-led economic growth and has been consistently creating a conducive policy and regulatory ecosystem through bold initiatives such as the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code IBC, Corporate Tax Rate Reduction & GST implementation, Production-Linked Incentives PLI, National Infrastructure Pipeline NIP, Gati Shakti National Master Plan, and Startup India, among others, for greater Ease of Doing Business. FM Sitharaman emphasised that India offers opportunities for ADB to pilot new, innovative financing products and models. Mr. Kanda expressed ADB‘s full support to India’s development priorities, guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.”
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.2 on the Richter Scale hit Pakistan at 16:00:05 (IST) today: National Center for Seismology
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi to visit India on May 8, says Embassy of Iran in India
Delhi: BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal and other leaders arrive to attend meeting of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Standing Committee at Parliament annexe
A three-member Committee set up for conducting an inquiry into the allegations of the recovery of a stash of cash from official residence of sitting High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, submitted its report to the Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on May 4
Russian President Vladimir Putin called PM Narendra Modi and strongly condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam, India. He conveyed deepest condolences on the loss of innocent lives and expressed full support to India in the fight against terrorism. He emphasised that the perpetrators of the heinous attack and their supporters must be brought to justice. Both leaders reiterated their commitment to further deepen India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. PM conveyed greetings to President Putin on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory Day and invited him for the Annual Summit to be held in India later in the year
– MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal
Here’s what Congress leader and advocate Salman Khurshid said on petitions challenging Waqf Amendment Act 2025 to be heard by Justice BR Gavai on May 15
“Chief Justice is getting retired very soon on May 13. He said that he has reviewed everything that both sides have filed. So we’ll need to hold a more detailed hearing on this. He asked what day would be suitable… Eventually, it was decided that the hearing would be held on the 15th. The assurance will remain in effect until the hearing is completed.”
When you are in chair, you cannot divide people on religious lines, claims Mamata Banerjee in apparent dig at BJP-led Centre
Instead of inciting communal violence, efforts must be taken to protect our borders: Mamata Banerjee to BJP-led Centre
The Bengaluru District Police has issued a notice to singer Sonu Nigam, asking him to appear before the investigation officer within a week
This action follows an FIR registered against him at the Avalahalli Police Station in Bengaluru Rural District, based on a complaint filed by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike.
Waqf Act: CJI Khanna, who retires on May 13, says he does not want to reserve order on pleas challenging validity of law
Pakistan PM says defence ‘in strong hands’ after missile test
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said the country was prepared “for national defence” after the military conducted a second missile test since a fresh stand-off with India. “The successful training launch clearly shows that Pakistan’s defence is in strong hands,” the prime minister said in a statement, adding that he was satisfied with the army’s “full preparedness for national defence”.
SC seeks presence of 5 influencers, including Samay Raina, on NGO’s plea alleging they ridiculed disabled and persons with rare disorder
SC fixes pleas challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act’s constitutional validity before bench headed by Justice B R Gavai on May 15
Supreme Court begins hearing of pleas challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025
Allahabad High Court’s Lucknow Bench dismisses PIL filed alleging Rahul Gandhi’s dual citizenship
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad HC had directed the Central Government to submit details of the action taken so far in this case, after which the case has now been dismissed. The petition claimed that Rahul Gandhi is a citizen of Britain as well as India, so he is ineligible to contest elections under Article 84 (A) of the Constitution.
Pakistan’s defence ‘in strong hands’, says PM after second missile test – AFP
KIIT student death: Nepal to send team
Nepal Parliament orders Government to advance high-level diplomatic dialogue with India to probe the death of a KIIT student. The first-year BTech, Computer Science student who was said to be planning to return back home for vacation in mid of this month, was found dead inside her hostel room on May 1. This is the second incident of the death of a Nepali female student at the same university reported within a span of three months.
Iranian FM to visit India
Iran Embassy in India tweets “Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is scheduled to visit India this Thursday (8th May, 2025), after holding talks with Pakistani officials in Islamabad.”
Israeli ministers have approved plan to capture all of Gaza and remain there: AP
Pakistan conducts 2nd missile test since renewed stand-off with India
Pakistan’s military on Monday said it had conducted another missile test — the second in two days and since tensions with India have soared over disputed Kashmir.
“The launch was aimed at ensuring the operational readiness of troops and validating key technical parameters, including the missile’s advanced navigation system and enhanced accuracy,” the military said in a statement, adding that the surface-to-surface missile had a range of 120 kilometres (75 miles).
Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking safety of tourists in view of Pahalgam terror attack
BJP workers hold a protest in Kalaburagi demanding the Karnataka Government to take quick action to deport Pakistani nationals from the state
Fire breaks out in device of pollution control board at the facility centre of Mahakal Temple in Ujjain. The ‘darshan’ at temple was halted for some time. More details are awaited
Israel campaign group says government’s new Gaza plan ‘sacrificing’ hostages
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh meets PM Modi against backdrop of increasing tensions between India and Pakistan over Pahalgam attack
Defence Secretary is meeting PM Modi: Sources
Supreme Court issues notice to Union of India, National Medical Commission and National Board of Examination on United Doctors Front’s (UDF) plea challenging NEET PG exam 2025 which is slated to take place in two separate shifts. A bench led by Justice BR Gavai listed the matter to be heard next week
The plea sought that the NEET PG exam 2025 be conducted in one shift to ensure transparency, uniformity in difficulty levels and equal standards of evaluation.
Supreme Court says it will pass a short order on a plea seeking direction to initiate suo moto contempt case against the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for allegedly making derogatory and scandalising remarks against the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India
SC voices concern over Jharkhand HC not pronouncing verdicts for months in 67 criminal appeals where judgement has been reserved
Israel approves possibile ‘humanitarian distribution’ in Gaza: political source – AFP
Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Verma visits the NDMC control room and reviews operations
Maharashtra Board declares Class 12 results; 91.88% students pass exams, girls outshine boys
Delegation-level talks underway between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese counterpart Gen Nakatani in Delhi
Delhi: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar interacts during the 4th Kautilya Fellows Program.
Delhi | Union Minister and BJP National President JP Nadda chairs the party’s general secretaries’ meeting at the party headquarters
SC trashes plea of woman seeking possession of Red Fort on account of being legal ‘heir’ of last Mughal emperor
SC terms woman’s plea seeking to reclaim Red Fort as misconceived, meritless
Gaza civil defence says 19 killed in Israeli strikes
Former AAP MLA Naresh Balyan MCOCA case
The Rouse Avenue court supplied copies of the supplementary charge sheet to Naresh Balyan and the other accused. The court has listed the matter for scrutiny of documents. The next date of hearing is May 19.
The INDI alliance is speaking the language of ‘Rawalpindi’ Alliance. After the all-party meeting, a competition has started between Congress, SP and RJD as to who will sympathise with Pakistan more and who will hurt the morale of the Army more…It means that they still have some doubts that Pakistan is behind this terrorism
– On Opposition’s remarks on Pahalgam terrorist attack, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla
Jammmu and Kashmir: The Chenab River witnessed a significant drop in water levels in the Reasi district after the closure of gates at the Salal Dam
Russia’s air defence systems destroy 66 Ukrainian drones, TASS reports
Rupee rises 19 paise to 84.38 against US dollar in early trade
Hideout busted in Hari Marote village in Surankot sector of Poonch district with recovery of five IEDs, say Poonch Police.
Gaza war
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet has approved a gradual expansion of the offensive against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday, citing sources with knowledge of the details.
Israel’s security cabinet has approved expansion of Gaza offensive
Oil prices fall over 3% after OPEC+ output hike
Oil prices slumped on Monday after eight OPEC+ members announced a sharp increase in production, adding to fears of over-supply of crude.
In morning trade in Asia, West Texas Intermediate was down 3.8 percent at $56.08 per barrel while Brent North Sea Crude slid 3.5 percent at $59.17.
Oil prices fall over 3% after OPEC+ output hike
Malaysia PM says ASEAN-China free-trade deal to be finalised soon
Russia says repels four drones flying towards Moscow
ussian authorities on Monday said defence forces had repelled four drones heading towards Moscow, days before foreign leaders are due to gather for a military parade on the capital’s Red Square.
Defence forces in the district of Podolsk “repelled an attack of four drones flying towards Moscow”, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in a post on Telegram.
There were no initial reports of damage or casualties at the site where the debris had fallen, Sobyanin said, adding that emergency services specialists were working at the scene.
Fire breaks out at garments showroom in south Mumbai: Civic officials.
Important matters listed in Supreme Court on May 5
* SC to hear batch of pleas challenging validity of Waqf Amendment Act of 2025
* SC to hear plea challenging Delhi HC order dismissing plea by a woman claiming to be the descendant of last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and seeking possession of Red Fort by virtue of her lineage.
* SC to hear plea of NGO for regulation of online content and action against “India’s Got Latent” host Samay Raina and others for allegedly ridiculing the disabled, including a person with visual disability and those suffering from a rare disorder like Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
* SC to hear pleas of doctors association alleging exploitative and unconstitutional working conditions for resident doctors.
* SC to hear plea of journalist Sanjay Sharma against the blocking of his YouTube news channel ‘4PM’ on purported grounds of national security and public order.
* SC to hear PIL for direction and implementation of land pooling and green development area policies in Delhi.
FM Nirmala Sitharaman arrives in Milan to attend ADB’s 58th annual meeting
Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman has arrived in Milan, Italy, to attend the 58th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), scheduled from May 4 to 7.
Sitharaman is leading the Indian delegation comprising officials from the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
Pakistan again resorts to unprovoked firing
During the night of 04 -05 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked small arms fire across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajauri, Mendhar, Naushera, Sunderbani, and Akhnoor in J&K. The Indian Army responded promptly and proportionately, Indian Army said today.
Adani reps meet Trump officials in push to end US bribery cases, Bloomberg News
Representatives for Indian billionaire Gautam Adani and his companies met officials from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to seek dismissal of the criminal charges against him in an overseas bribery probe, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru
35 injured in bus accident in Maharashtra
Maharashtra: Atleast 35 people were injured after a private bus overturned in Karnala, Raigad district last night. No casualties have been reported.
Fire breaks out in Kanpur building, five sent to hospital
Ukraine launches drone attack targeting Moscow, mayor says
Russia’s air defence units destroyed four Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow, the mayor of the Russian capital said early on Monday.
According to preliminary reports, there were no injuries or damage from the falling debris, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app. Russia’s aviation watchdog, Rosaviatsia, announced on Telegram a temporary halt to flights at Domodedovo airport, one of the key airports serving Moscow, from around 2:38 a.m. local time (2328 GMT), to ensure air safety.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to visit Murshidabad today
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Murshidabad on Monday.
West Bengal Agriculture Minister Shobandeb Chatterjee said the Chief Minister was unable to go to the place because of the unrest.Earlier in April, Murishdabad witnessed massive violence on April 11, during a protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
The protest had turned violent and resulted in two deaths, several injuries and property damage. Thousands of people had fled their homes in search of safety.
Defence Minister Rajanath Singh to hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart today
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart General Nakatani in New Delhi on Monday. Both sides will exchange views and ideas on the current regional & international security situation and discuss ways to further deepen the bilateral defence cooperation, according to the Ministry of Defence.
SC to hear batch of pleas challenging Waqf (Amendment) Act
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas challenging the Waqf (Amendment) Act’s constitutional validity, weeks after the government paused two central aspects of the contentious law in the face of probing questions by the top court. The Centre assured the apex court on April 17 that it would neither denotify waqf properties, including “waqf by user”, nor make any appointments to the Central Waqf Council and boards till May 5.
Excise policy: Delhi HC to hear on Monday Kejriwal, Sisodia’s pleas challenging charge sheet cognisance
The Delhi High Court on Monday will hear petitions by AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia against the trial court’s decision to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s charge sheet filed in alleged excise policy scam. The petitions, filed in 2024, are listed for hearing before Justice Ravinder Dudeja.According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to the licence holders.
The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, and scrapped it by September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.