India Emerges as a Space Power: Agnikul's Breakthrough Rocket Test

Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos successfully executed a sub-orbital test flight of its semi-cryogenic 3D-printed rocket, Agnibaan. Conducted from its launch pad at Sriharikota, this milestone makes Agnikul India's second private entity to achieve such a feat, marking a significant advancement in India's private space sector.

Following are the top stories at 6 pm: NATION: ELN46 ELECTION-PB LD-MODI **** Cong 'strangled'€™ Constitution during Emergency: PM Modi Hoshiarpur (Punjab): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress for ''ranting'' about the Constitution when it was the one that ''strangled'' it during the Emergency and not care about it when Sikhs were killed in the 1984 riots. **** ELN47 ELECTIONS-RAMESH-LD INTERVIEW **** INDIA bloc to pick PM within 48 hrs, party with max seats 'natural claimant' to leadership: Ramesh New Delhi: The INDIA bloc will get a ''decisive mandate'' in the Lok Sabha polls and may take even less than 48 hours to decide on its prime ministerial pick, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday, asserting that it stands to reason that the party which gets the maximum seats in the alliance will be a ''natural claimant'' for its leadership. By Asim Kamal **** DEL51 JK-2NDLD ACCIDENT **** 21 killed, 47 injured as bus falls into gorge in Jammu Jammu: Twenty-one people were killed and 47 injured after a bus carrying pilgrims skidded off the road and rolled down into a gorge in Jammu district on Thursday, officials said. **** ELN29 ELECTIONS-MANMOHAN-MODI **** Modi first PM to 'lower dignity' of public discourse: Manmohan Singh New Delhi: In a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday accused him of lowering the dignity of public discourse and the gravity of the office of the PM by giving ''hateful speeches'' during the poll campaign. **** DEL47 MEA-INDIA-PAK-NAWAZ **** Objective view emerging in Pak: India on Nawaz Sharif's comments that Islamabad violated Lahore pact New Delhi: Days after former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif admitted that Islamabad had violated the Lahore pact, India on Thursday said an objective view is emerging on the issue in the neighbouring country. **** ELN53 ELECTIONS-UP-2NDLD RAJNATH **** Repeated polls not good for country: Rajnath Kushinagar (UP): Union minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said frequent elections are not good for the country and efforts will be made to install the ''one nation, one election'' system in the next five years. **** DEL31 JK-POLICE-ARMY-ASSAULT **** Kupwara police station incident: 3 Lt Colonels among 16 booked for attempt to murder, dacoity Kupwara (J-K): A case of attempt to murder and dacoity has been registered against three army lieutenant colonels and 13 others for their alleged involvement in a violent attack on the Kupwara police station, according to the FIR. **** DEL30 SPACE-2NDLD AGNIKUL **** Agnikul carries out successful sub-orbital test flight of Agnibaan rocket New Delhi: Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos on Thursday successfully carried out a sub-orbital test-flight of its home-built 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket -- Agnibaan -- from its own launch pad at Sriharikota, making it India's second private entity to do so. **** BOM15 MH-BJP-LD-AWHAD **** BJP protests in Maharashtra against NCP (SP) MLA Awhad for tearing up posters with Ambedkar pic Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party workers held protests in parts of Maharashtra on Thursday against NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad, accusing him of insulting Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. **** LEGAL: LGD12 DL-COURT-2NDLD KEJRIWAL **** Excise case: Delhi court issues notice to ED on Kejriwal's regular bail plea New Delhi: A Delhi court on Thursday issued notice to the ED on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea seeking regular bail in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam. **** LGD9 DL-COURT-HOSPITAL FIRE **** Delhi hospital fire: Court sends owner, doctor to 14-day judicial custody New Delhi: A metropolitan court here on Thursday sent to 14 days judicial custody the owner and on-duty doctor of the private hospital where a blaze on May 25 killed seven newborns and injured five. **** LGD10 UP-COURT-AZAM KHAN **** SP leader Azam Khan gets 10 years of jail in 2016 forced eviction case Rampur (UP): A court here on Thursday sentenced Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan to 10 years of imprisonment in an eight-year-old case of forcibly vacating a house and beating the owner. **** BOM8 MH-COURT-LD CHHOTA RAJAN **** Gangster Chhota Rajan gets life sentence in 2001 case of murder of Mumbai hotelier Jaya Shetty Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai on Thursday sentenced gangster Chhota Rajan to life imprisonment in the case of murder of hotelier Jaya Shetty here in 2001. **** BUSINESS: DEL43 BIZ-LD RBI **** India to grow 7 pc in FY25, says RBI whose balance sheet alone is 2.5X of Pakistan GDP Mumbai: Indian economy is projected to grow at 7 per cent -- the fastest among major economies across the world -- in the current fiscal year, underpinned by a sustained strengthening of macroeconomic fundamentals, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its latest annual report on Thursday. **** DEL34 BIZ-POWER DEMAND **** Peak power demand hits all-time high at 246 GW New Delhi: India's peak power demand hit a record high of 246.06 GW per day after mercury touched highest-ever levels in Delhi and other places, prompting use of air-conditioners and other electricity-consuming cooling devices, the power ministry said on Thursday. **** DEL27 BIZ-MITTAL-PM **** Airtel tycoon Mittal lauds PM Modi as 'solid leader' running a solid, stable economy New Delhi: The massive valuations of Indian corporates, including the USD 100 billion of his own company, are the result of a stable and solid economy under ''a very solid leader,'' Airtel founder Sunil Mittal has said. **** FOREIGN: FGN36 PAK-EXPERT-NUCLEAR **** Pakistan does not adhere to 'no first use' of nuclear weapons policy: ex-Army official Islamabad: Pakistan does not follow the ''no first use'' policy on nuclear weapons and the country's deterrence capabilities can respond to all threats from the enemy, a former senior military officer has said, as he clarified Islamabad's stance on the use of atomic weapons. By Sajjad Hussain ****