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In a covert strike reminiscent of the infamous “Red Wedding” from Game of Thrones, Israeli military generals executed a meticulously planned operation on June 13th to eliminate Iran’s top military commanders. Running parallel was Operation Narnia, a deadly mission that successfully assassinated nine of Iran’s most prominent nuclear scientists – right at their homes in Tehran.

These twin operations have now cemented Israel’s standing as the undisputed military powerhouse in the region.

“When we started to plan this thing in detail, it was very difficult to know that this would work,” said Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, head of the Israeli military Operations Directorate and a key architect of the assault, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The groundwork for this mission wasn’t laid overnight. It dates back to the mid-1990s when Israeli intelligence first flagged Iran’s clandestine efforts to develop nuclear weapons. What started with a vast web of spies evolved into a sabotage campaign – two bombings at enrichment facilities, and a string of targeted assassinations of Iranian scientists. But as Iran’s nuclear ambitions persisted, Israel concluded that mere sabotage wasn’t enough; the entire program had to be dismantled.

Several times, Israel came close to launching a full-scale attack. Yet, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was repeatedly overruled by his own cabinet and security chiefs-fearing a direct war with Iran could rupture ties with the US, which then preferred diplomacy over military strikes.

New Delhi:

The wait for Mirzapur‘s next season just got a little more intriguing. Ali Fazal, who plays Guddu Pandit in the hit Prime Video series, recently hinted at the upcoming season being its last. In an interview with Hindi Rush, the actor shared his excitement about the Mirzapur film and suggested that the show might wrap up after the fourth season.

Ali Fazal said, “We are all very excited and the original cast is coming back for it and just last week, I heard the script. It’s very nice. It’s going to be a big surprise for everyone.” 

He further shared that they are not just turning the series into a film, it is going to be something unique. “Peaky Blinders has done the same format. They are making a film out of that,” the actor said. 

Ali Fazal did not make any revelations about the final cast of the film and said that the makers will soon make an announcement. Talking about the series, Ali said, “That (the new season) is still being written because… I don’t know… It will probably be the last season.”In the same conversation, Ali shared his thoughts on violence, nudity and obscene language in OTT shows. The actor said, “When it was new, people were just abusing in all the OTT shows. All the OTT shows were just about crass language and sex, it was heightened, I think. It just felt like people were venting but slowly, everything has been normalised.” 

He added, “If you are on OTT or elsewhere, the responsibility is on you. Responsible viewing, responsible making, however you define that.”

New Delhi:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday met his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao. The bilateral conversation, India’s highest-level military dialogue with China in recent months, centred around maintaining peace along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and charting a roadmap for long-term border stability.

A Four-Point Roadmap

During the meeting, Mr Singh proposed a four-point plan designed to prevent further deterioration in India-China relations:

1. Strict Adherence to the 2024 Disengagement Agreement: Both sides are expected to honour and implement the disengagement pact signed in October last year, covering the remaining friction points in Eastern Ladakh, particularly Demchok and Depsang.

2. De-escalation Measures: Mr Singh called for continuous efforts to de-escalate tensions and avoid any flare-ups along the LAC.

3. Demarcation and Delimitation: Mr Singh urged for fast-tracked negotiations towards finalising the boundary delineation process. ” Mr Singh stressed on border management and to have a permanent solution of border demarcation by rejuvenating the established mechanism on the issue,” a government statement read. 

4. Addressing Trust Deficit: The Defence Minister stressed the need to create good neighbourly conditions to achieve the “best mutual benefits” as well as to cooperate for stability in Asia and the world. He also called for bridging the “trust deficit” created after the 2020 border standoff

New Delhi:

The Adani Group has emerged as the fastest-growing Indian brand this year, with its brand value up by 82 per cent, according to a new report.

The Group’s growth is attributed to aggressive and integrated infrastructure focus, surge in green energy ambitions, and increased brand equity across key stakeholders, said the ‘Most Valuable Indian Brands 2025’ report by London-based Brand Finance.

The value of the Adani brand surged from $3.55 billion in 2024 to $6.46 billion, marking a substantial gain of $2.91 billion — a testament to the Group’s strategic clarity, resilience and commitment to sustainable growth.

The increase in value this year is greater than the entire brand valuation reported in 2023, helping the Adani Group climb to rank 13 from 16 last year, according to the report.

The company has seen record-breaking revenue, unprecedented growth and historic profitability.

Addressing the 33rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) this week, Gautam Adani, the Chairman of the Adani Group, said “In FY25, our numbers were strong. Across all our sectors, we did more than just scale. We created impact, inspired change, and most importantly, deepened our national commitment”.

In terms of consolidated numbers, at the Group level, revenues grew by 7 per cent, EBITDA by 8.2 per cent, and Net Debt-to-EBITDA ratio remained healthy at 2.6x. Total revenues were Rs 2,71,664 crore, and adjusted EBITDA was Rs 89,806 crore.

“Our capital investment across businesses is set to break all records. We anticipate an annual CAPEX spend of $15-20 billion for the next five years. These are not just investments in our Group, but investments in the possibilities for doing our part to build India’s infrastructure,” said Gautam Adani.

Adani Power crossed 100 billion units of generation — a scale never before matched by any private sector company. It is now well on track to reach 31 GW capacity by 2030.

Meanwhile, showcasing a resilient economy amid robust policies, the collective brand value of the top 100 Indian companies reached $236.5 billion in 2025 to date. The Brand Finance ranking report results remained stable, reflecting a year of steady gains for major Indian brands across sectors.

Ahmedabad:

One person was injured on Friday during the Rath Yatra procession in Ahmedabad, when a male elephant, agitated by excessive noise, broke a barricade and rushed into a narrow lane, officials said.

The mahouts on two other elephants followed the jumbo and controlled it, ensuring that the procession proceeded smoothly on its designated route, said RK Sahu, superintendent of Kankaria Zoo in the city.

“One bystander was injured after an elephant got disturbed and entered a narrow lane in the Khadia area. The injured person has been shifted to a nearby hospital. The procession is going ahead as scheduled,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Control Room) Komal Vyas.

The 148th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath began in Ahmedabad on Friday morning, with thousands of devotees joining the annual event.

The grand procession, which rolled on from the 400-year-old Jagannath temple, is expected to return by 8 pm after making its way through the old city.

The procession usually has 17 elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 akhadas (local gymnasiums). It covers 16 km during the day.

Only one among these elephants is male, said Sahu, who is responsible for checking the health of these elephants and issuing fitness certificates ahead of the event.

“When the procession reached Khadia Gate, the male elephant suddenly got agitated due to loud music and whistle sounds. It started running and veered off the designated path,” said Sahu. The mahouts on two female elephants followed the male elephant and controlled it, he said.

Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus will visit the UK from June 9-13, meeting King Charles III and PM Keir Starmer. He plans to discuss elections with BNP’s Tarique Rahman and receive the Harmony Award 2025 for promoting peace and sustainability.

Bangladesh’s Interim Government’s Chief Advisor Muhammud Yunus will leave for what will be his 11th official visit abroad during his ten months in charge of the country’s government.

Yunus will meet His Majesty King Charles III and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the visit which is scheduled from June 9-13.

Reports suggest that Muhammad Yunus could hold a confidential political dialogue with Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, whose party has been demanding elections by December this year to install an elected government with a political mandate.

On Friday, Muhammad Yunus announced that elections will be held in the country in the first half of April this year, ignoring advice from the military and political parties like the BNP to hold elections by December.

Amid the ongoing Operation Sindoor against Pakistan, the Defence Ministry is going to take up Rs 10,000 crore proposal to buy three sophisticated spy planes to help Indian Air Force get a clear air-to-ground picture to carry out precision strikes against enemy ground targets like radar stations, air defence units and other mobile objects.

The Rs 10,000 crore project for the Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (I-STAR) is expected to be taken up for clearance at a high-level defence ministry meeting scheduled to be held in the fourth week of June, defence officials told ANI.

The ISTAR provides air-to-ground surveillance to the forces to help them in carrying out precision strikes.

The spy aircraft project being developed by the Defence Research and Development includes the acquisition of three aircraft through an open tender from foreign manufacturers, including Boeing and Bombardier.

The onboard systems on the aircraft would be completely indigenous, as the DRDO’s Centre for Airborne Systems has already successfully developed them, they said.

The systems have already been proven and developed by the CABS and they will just have to be integrated with the three aircraft which would be acquired and modified for the purpose, they said.

The development of an ISTAR system would also add India to a select club of nations with such a capability, including the US, UK, Israel and a few others.

ISTAR thus provides dynamic and time-sensitive targeting capability and contributes significantly to meeting the nation’s security goals.

It will aid in limiting the scale and complexity of undetected hostile threats. It has multi-spectral surveillance capability to detect, locate and monitor irregular forces.

The I-STAR system shall be for carrying out intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting by day and night from stand-off ranges.

The ISTAR systems are operated at high altitudes from large stand-off ranges and will be used for intelligence processing, exploitation, dissemination and generation of the common operating picture.

The ISTAR aircraft will be a system comprising airborne and ground segments.

The India Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for Idukki, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts and orange alerts for the remaining districts.

Heavy rain lashed many districts of Kerala on Friday, disrupting normal life and causing waterlogging.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts for Idukki, Kannur, and Kasaragod districts and orange alerts for the remaining districts today.

Authorities in several districts have declared holidays for educational institutions under their jurisdiction.

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), strong westerly winds are likely to persist at lower tropospheric levels over Kerala and the Lakshadweep region for the next two to three days, resulting in widespread rainfall.

The IMD stated, “Strong westerlies likely to continue at lower tropospheric levels over Kerala and the Lakshadweep region during the next 2-3 days. Under the influence of these, widespread rainfall activity with scattered Heavy rainfall to Very Heavy rainfall with isolated Extremely Heavy rainfall is very likely to occur over Kerala on 29th & 30th May 2025. Heavy rainfall is very likely to occur at isolated places over Kerala on 31st May, 1st and 2nd June 2025.”

District administrations across Kerala have declared a holiday for all educational institutions in several districts on May 30 (Friday).

The precautionary measure applies to professional colleges, anganwadis, tuition centers, madrassas, and special coaching classes.

The action was taken against the advisory committee of the Kottukkal Manjippuzha temple in Kollam, which is managed by the TDB.

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the top temple body in Kerala’s Travancore region, dissolved the advisory committee of a temple following the rendition of the RSS ‘gana geetham’ (prayer song) during a recent musical concert held there.

The action was taken against the advisory committee of the Kottukkal Manjippuzha temple in Kollam, which is managed by the TDB.

A TDB statement issued on Tuesday said the decision followed an inquiry into the rendition of the ‘gana geetham’ and the erection of flags belonging to political and communal outfits on the temple premises.

The Board found that the advisory committee had committed serious lapses in connection with both incidents.

It added that an existing order strictly prohibits the erection of flagpoles of political and communal organisations in temples and on temple premises under the TDB’s control.

Authorities said that some containers have been found along the coasts of southern Kollam and coastal Alappuzha districts.

Containers from a Liberian cargo ship that sank off the Kerala coast have started washing ashore, while the oil spill spreading from the vessel has prompted authorities to issue a high alert along the state’s coastline, officials said on Monday.

Authorities said that some containers have been found along the coasts of southern Kollam and coastal Alappuzha districts.

In the wake of the sinking of the ship off the Kerala coast, a high-level meeting was convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to assess the situation.

An advisory has been issued urging coastal residents and fishermen to remain vigilant.

So far, nine containers have washed ashore, and an advisory has been reiterated for coastal residents and fishermen to remain alert, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

The cargo ship capsized and sank early on Sunday, leading to a significant oil spill. According to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the sunken vessel had 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil in its tanks.