A look at the headlines today:
1. Defence min Rajnath Singh to fly in Tejas fighter jet today
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will fly in an indigenously-built light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas from the HAL airport in Bengaluru. He will be the first defence minister to fly in the aircraft. A defence ministry official said the minister is "taking a sortie" in order to boost the morale of officers who have been involved in the development of "indigenously-made Tejas". The IAF has already inducted a batch of Tejas aircraft. The naval version of the LCA is in development stage.
2. PM Modi to address rally in Nashik; ECI could announce poll dates today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kickstart the BJP campaign for Maharashtra assembly elections at Nashik today. Modi will be on a one-day visit to Nashik, in north Maharashtra, where he will address the concluding rally of 'Mahajanadesh Yatra' undertaken by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis toured the state ahead of the next month's polls to highlight his government's performance in the last five years. Party leaders are also expecting some announcement for rural Maharashtra such as crop loan waiver. India Today reported that the ECI will announce the poll dates for Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand today. However, there has been no independent confirmation of the same.
3. Amid heavy rain warning, Mumbai schools to remain shut today
Citing chance for extremely high rainfall, all schools and junior colleges in Mumbai will remain closed over the next 48 hours. "In view of heavy rainfall forecasts, a holiday is declared for all schools & junior colleges in Mumbai, Thane and Konkan region today. District collectors in other parts of Maharashtra to decide, based on local conditions," Maharashtra Minister Ashish Shelar tweeted. The met department on Wednesday forecast "extremely heavy rainfall" on Thursday in Mumbai and adjoining Raigad district. This indicates a precipitation of more than 204 mm in 24 hours starting today morning.
4. Israel election: Netanyahu trails by a seat with majority votes counted
With more than 90 percent of votes counted, Netanyahu's Likud Party is almost neck and neck with the centrist grouping led by his chief rival, the former general Benny Gantz, Reuters reported. If this is the case, Netanyahu could be denied a record fifth term in office. Likud party and allies could control 55 of parliament's 120 seats, with 56 going to Gantz's Blue and White Party. The majority is 61 seats. It will need deft political manoeuvring for Netanyahu to ascend the throne again; else, a stalemate is the biggest possibility. The big winner of the repeat polls seems to be the Arab population-backed Joint Unity List which is expected to win between 10 and 12 seats with the voter turnout in the Arab sector, registering a significant increase from April 9 polls. A little less than 50 per cent of the eligible Arab voters had participated in the previous elections, but with unity forged between various Arab factions, it soared by almost 13 per cent this time.
5. India-South Africa Second T20I results; Champions League
T20I: India skipper Virat Kohli had a near-perfect day in the field as he scored a fifty and took an all-important brilliant catch to power India to a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the second T20I, in Mohali on Wednesday. Kohli anchored the chase with a 52-ball 72, after India restricted the Proteas to 149/5 in their 20 overs. Skipper Quinton de Kock top-scored with 52, before he fell to a brilliant overhead catch by Kohli off Navdeep Saini. It was India's first win over South Africa in a T20I on home soil, having lost their first two T20Is against them in 2015.
Champions League: Paris St Germain registered a 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League match, on the back of a double by Angel Di Maria. The iconic front three of Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani and Neymar were absent, with the first two injured and the third suspended. Atletico Madrid made a scrappy comeback at the home stadium of Wanda Metropolitano, tying 2-2 with Italian giants Juventus.
