Top news of the day: July 4, 2025

The Hindu

14 hours ago

Monsoon ravages: 43 dead in Himachal Pradesh in 2 weeks, 37 missing
At least 43 people have been killed and 37 gone missing in Himachal Pradesh due to the ravages of weather — cloudburst, flash floods, landslide — since the onset of the monsoon last month, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Friday (July 4, 2025). Addressing the media in Shimla after a high-level review meeting with the deputy speaker and other ministers, the Himachal CM stated that the State is facing 'disaster like a war'. He also said, 'Till now, approximately 69 (43 deaths due to rain fury and 26 due to road accidents since June 20) people have lost their lives, 37 are missing, and 110 have been injured. The total damage has been estimated at around ₹700 crore'.
Pune cops detain man in rape case of techie in Kondhwa area
Two days after an unidentified man allegedly raped a 22-year-old IT professional after entering her flat in Pune city by posing as a courier delivery person, police on Friday (July 4, 2025) said they had detained a suspect. The suspect's past connections with the woman, if any, were being investigated, said a senior official. According to the police, the accused clicked a selfie using the woman's phone in which her back and a part of his face are seen, and left a message warning that he had taken her pictures and would release them on social media if she reported the incident.
Manipur organisations urge Centre to end SoO agreements with Kuki groups
Four Manipur organisations representing the Meitei, Naga, and Thadou communities have appealed to the Centre not to renew the Suspension of Operations agreements with Kuki extremist groups, citing alleged repeated violations of the conditions and a failure to maintain law and order. These organisations are the Indigenous Peoples' Forum Manipur, Meitei Alliance, Foothill Naga Coordination Committee, and Thadou Inpi Manipur. They submitted a joint memorandum to Home Minister Amit Shah on July 3, justifying their demand for scrapping the peace deals with the Kuki groups. A section of the Thadou tribe, represented by the TIM, resents being clubbed under the 'Kuki' nomenclature.
DGCA warned Air India Express about delay on Airbus engine fix, forging records
Aviation watchdog, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), reprimanded Air India's budget carrier in March for not timely changing engine parts of an Airbus A320 as directed by the European Union's aviation safety agency, and falsifying records to show compliance, a government memo showed. In a statement, Air India Express told Reuters it acknowledged the error to DGCA and undertook 'remedial action and preventive measures'. The engine issue in the Air India Express' Airbus was raised on March 18, months before the crash. But the regulator has this year also warned parent Air India for breaching rules for flying three Airbus planes with overdue checks on escape slides and in June warned it about 'serious violations' of pilot duty timings.
Supreme Court refuses plea to reconsider NEET-UG results, says lives and careers of students at stake
The Supreme Court on Friday (July 4, 2025) refused a plea by a National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2025 exam candidate to 'correct' the final answer key in accordance with the authoritative National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) standards and declare results afresh. A Bench of Justices PS Narasimha and R. Mahadevan dismissed the plea made by Shivam Gandhi Raina, represented by senior advocate R. Balasubramanium and advocate Sriram Parakkat, for an interim stay on the commencement or continuation of the counselling process. 'We cannot tackle individual grievances like this,' Justice Narasimha remarked.
National Herald case: ED case very strange, Sonia Gandhi argues in court
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Friday (July 4, 2025), argued that the Enforcement Directorate's National Herald case was 'truly a strange' one. Mr. Singhvi began his rebuttal after additional solicitor general S.V. Raju for ED on July 3 concluded his arguments on the point of cognisance of the chargesheet filed in the case. 'This is truly a strange case. More than strange. Unprecedented. This is an alleged case of money laundering, without any property, without use or projection of property,' Mr. Singhvi argued.
Nipah virus: Kerala Health department sounds alert in three districts
The Kerala Health department on Friday (July 4, 2025) issued an alert in three districts – Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad – after two cases of the Nipah virus have been reported from Palakkad and Malappuram districts. Preliminary tests done at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and Malappuram have turned out to be positive for Nipah. An official statement from the Health department said directions have been issued to districts to immediately launch preventive and control measures as per the State Nipah protocol, without waiting for confirmation from NIV.
Supreme Court agrees to examine T.N.'s plea against Madras HC stay on 9 Acts on V-C appointments in universities
The Supreme Court on Friday (July 4, 2025) agreed to examine a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government against an interim order of the Madras High Court on May 21 staying nine Acts which vest with the State, and not the Governor, the authority to appoint Vice-Chancellors in State-run universities. The Bench observed that a transfer petition filed by the State, to shift the case from the Madras High Court to the top court, was already pending and scheduled to be listed soon after the summer vacations in mid July.
Operation Sindoor was 'finest example' of commitment to defend 'Swaraj': Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday (July 4, 2025) said India's armed forces and the leadership are committed to defend `Swaraj' or sovereignty of the country, and it was demonstrated very well during Operation Sindoor. Speaking after the unveiling of an equestrian statue of Maratha statesman and general Peshwa Bajirao I at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, the BJP leader also said whenever he is plagued by negative thoughts, he thinks of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Bajirao. 'When it was time to put up a fight to establish a Swaraj, we did it. When fighting will be required to defend the Swaraj, our forces and leadership will definitely demonstrate it, and Operation Sindoor was its finest example,' he said.
Russia hammers Ukraine with 550 missiles and Shahed drones overnight; 23 people injured in Kyiv
Waves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday (July 4, 2025) in the largest aerial attack since Russia's war in Ukraine began, injuring 23 people and inflicting damage across multiple districts of the capital. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country's Air Force said. The majority were Shahed drones, while Russia used 11 missiles in the attack. Throughout the night, Associated Press journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault. Kyiv was the primary target of the attack. At least 23 people were injured, with 14 hospitalised, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Trump says he expects Hamas decision in 24 hours on 'final' peace proposal
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (July 4, 2025) it would probably be known in 24 hours whether the Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a 'final proposal' for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. The President also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding the Abraham Accords, the deal on normalisation of ties that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. He was asked on Friday (July 4, 2025) if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework and said, 'We'll see what happens; we are going to know over the next 24 hours.'
Donald Trump says he is disappointed in Vladimir Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters early on Friday (July 4, 2025) that he is disappointed in Russian President Vladimir Putin and does not think Mr. Putin will stop the war in Ukraine. Mr. Trump also said he will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday (July 4, 2025). Earlier, Mr. Trump said that a phone call with Mr. Putin resulted in no progress at all on efforts to end the war in Ukraine. 'It was a pretty long call, we talked about a lot of things, including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine. And I'm not happy about that,' Mr. Trump told reporters.
North Korean crosses heavily fortified border to South Korea
'An unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas and is in South Korean custody,' the South Korea's military said on Friday (July 4, 2025). South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a 'guiding operation' before taking the person into custody on Thursday night (July 3, 2025.) According to the Joint Chiefs, a South Korean military team approached the unarmed North Korean man after detecting him and, after identifying themselves as South Korean troops, guided him safely out of the mine-strewn Demilitarised Zone that divides the two Koreas.
Hunt for new Indian men's football coach begins as AIFF opens application process after Marquez's exit
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday (July 4, 2025) began the process to find a new head coach for its under-fire men's national team, setting July 13 as the last date for interested applicants, who must have at least 10 years of experience and 'cultural sensitivity', among other qualifications. 'The 'Head Coach - Senior Men's National Team' will report to the AIFF Secretary General and is accountable for the performance of the team in all matches and competitions it participates in during the term of the coach's contract,' the AIFF stated on its website and added that the duration and remuneration for the new appointee will be decided later.