International

Trump Hot-Mic: “Putin Wants to Make a Deal for Me”

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

U.S. President Donald Trump was caught in an unexpected hot-mic moment during a high-level meeting at the White House. Just before formal talks began, Trump leaned towards French President Emmanuel Macron and whispered, “I think he [Putin] wants to make a deal for me… as crazy as it sounds.” The remark quickly drew attention as […]

International

Navarro Warns India to Act Like a Strategic Partner

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

Peter Navarro, senior trade adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, has warned India that it must behave like a genuine strategic partner if it wishes to be treated as one by Washington. Navarro criticized New Delhi’s decision to continue importing large volumes of discounted Russian crude oil, calling it “opportunistic” and inconsistent with the expectations […]

Business Finance

Government May Slash GST on Health and Term Insurance

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

The Indian government is considering a cut in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on health and term insurance premiums, potentially reducing it from the current 18% to 5% or even zero. This move is part of a broader GST restructuring—dubbed “GST 2.0”—aimed at simplifying tax slabs and easing the tax burden on citizens and […]

National

India Spent ₹548 Crore on Astronaut Shukla’s Axiom-4 Mission

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

India’s government has confirmed that it spent approximately ₹548 crore on the Axiom-4 mission that carried Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS). This total includes costs for training, logistics, spacecraft seat reservation, and scientific activities. Shukla, an Indian Air Force test pilot and ISRO astronaut, spent 18 days aboard the

National

Rahul Gandhi Challenges EC Over ‘Vote Theft’ Claims

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing supporters during his Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, launched a direct attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI). He alleged that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls is being misused to enable large-scale “vote theft.” According to Gandhi, the SIR process has opened the door […]

International

Zelenskyy Opens to Peace Talks at Trump Summit

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump and leading European figures at the White House. Zelenskyy signaled his readiness to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin directly as part of efforts to peacefully end the war in Ukraine. All European leaders present backed the call for stronger security guarantees during the Oval Office […]

International

China Resumes Critical Supplies to India

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

China has agreed to lift export restrictions and resume the supply of fertilizers, rare-earth minerals, and tunnel boring machines to India. This development follows discussions between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar last month. Supply Resumption Confirmed During Wang Yi’s two-day visit to India, he assured that

International

China-India Seek Stability in Diplomatic Talks

By BPN News Desk August 19, 2025

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in New Delhi, marking Wang’s first visit to India in more than three years. Both leaders emphasized the need for candid and constructive talks to repair ties. Jaishankar stressed that maintaining peace and de-escalation at the border is critical for progress. He […]

International

China Labels Taiwan “Internal Matter” After Trump Claims

By BPN News Desk August 18, 2025

China’s Foreign Ministry stated that Taiwan remains an internal matter and an inalienable part of Chinese territory. Officials reiterated that the country seeks peaceful reunification but warned that no external force would be allowed to interfere or encourage separation. Context of U.S. Comments The statement followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Chinese

Technology Telecom

Airtel Network Disrupted Across India, Services Down

By BPN News Desk August 18, 2025

On Monday afternoon, a major network outage affected Airtel subscribers across India. Around 3:30 PM, reports began to flood outage trackers like Downdetector, indicating that thousands of users were unable to make voice calls or access mobile internet. Scope and Scale of Impact At peak, the outage impacted an estimated 2,500 to 3,600 users across […]