New Delhi, July 30: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday listed out several Congress-era errors, leading to the formation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and loss of vast swathes of land to enemy nations and also tore into the grand old party’s appeasement politics for political gains.

Speaking on Operation Sindoor debate, the Home Minister held Congress’ policies responsible for multiple acts of terror in the country, while categorically stating that Hindus can never be terrorists.

HM Shah said that the desperation of the Congress party for a certain vote bank, in all these years, emboldened the terrorists and their motives.

Blasting the previous Congress regimes for coining ‘saffron terror’, he said that the grand old party demonised the majority community i.e. Hindus for its myopic political gains.

Recalling the Batla House encounter, he said that the Congress party abandoned its own forces and stood with Pakistan-sponsored terrorists for appeasing a certain community.

“When the country mourned the demise of brave cop Mohan Sharma in Batla House encounter, Sonia Gandhi wept for the Batla House shooters,” he said, questioning the absurd politicking of Congress party.

The Home Minister also rebutted Congress’ China jab and spoke about instances when the latter’s conduct looked dubious and diabolical.

“When our forces were engaging with enemy forces during Doklam face-off, the Congress leaders were clandestinely meeting Chinese officials. What kind of politics is this?” he questioned.

Responding to Chidambaram’s charge that Operation Sindoor was not decisive, he asked the principal opposition party whether the 1965, 1971 battles were final and decisive and if Pakistan stopped spreading terror after being then taught a lesson.

He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has instilled fear in the minds and hearts of terrorists across the border and whenever the terror elements will rear its head, “our Army will crush them again”.

New Delhi, July 30: Cutting short the five-day losing streak, gold prices rebounded by Rs 700 to Rs 98,520 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday due to fresh buying by stockists, according to the All India Sarafa Association.

On Tuesday, the precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 97,820 per 10 grams.

In the national capital, gold of 99.5 per cent purity increased Rs 650 to Rs 98,200 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes) on Wednesday. The yellow metal had settled at Rs 97,550 per 10 grams in the previous market close.

“Gold prices in the domestic market showed healthy gains on the back of a sharp fall in the rupee. The rupee depreciated due to a jump in crude oil prices and uncertainty about the US-India trade deal,” Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst – Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.

On Wednesday, the rupee depreciated 52 paise to close at 87.43 (provisional) against the US dollar on uncertainty over the India-US trade deal after US President Donald Trump hinted at tariff rates of around 20-25 per cent ahead of the August 1 deadline.

Additionally, silver prices climbed by Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,14,000 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes) on Wednesday. It had traded flat at Rs 1,13,000 per kg on Tuesday, as per the Sarafa Association.

On the global front, spot gold is trading flat at USD 3,330.33 per ounce.

“Gold is trading flat…as investors await a slate of key US macroeconomic data, including Q2 GDP, ADP employment, pending home sales, and Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) interest rate decision.

“While the Fed is widely expected to keep rates unchanged, markets are closely watching for guidance on the policy outlook, especially amid intense political pressure and mixed economic signals,” Kaynat Chainwala, AVP-Commodity Research at Kotak Securities, said.

However, spot silver is trading lower at USD 38.09 per ounce in the overseas markets.

“Investors will also be closely watching for US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s commentary for any forward-looking cues.

“Further, the GDP data will offer fresh insight into the strength of the American economy and potentially influence the Fed’s tone going forward,” Abans Financial Services’ Chief Executive Officer Chintan Mehta said.

New Delhi, July 30: The government issued directions for blocking over 1,400 URLs on digital media during ‘Operation Sindoor’, as their content included false, misleading, anti-India news content, communally sensitive content — primarily from Pakistan-based social media accounts, and inciteful content against Indian Armed Forces, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Union Railways and Electronics and IT Minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw, said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that it was observed that certain social media handles, many operating from outside India, were actively propagating false and potentially harmful information during the Pahalgam terror attack and ‘Operation Sindoor.’

“Under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000, the government issued necessary orders to block websites, social media handles and posts in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, and public order,” he said.

On April 26, 2025, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had issued an advisory to all media channels to refrain from showing live coverage of defence operations and movement of security forces in the interest of national security.

During ‘Operation Sindoor’, a centralised Control Room was established for interdisciplinary and inter-departmental coordination. This Control Room functioned 24×7 and facilitated real-time information dissemination to all media stakeholders.

The minister further informed that this Control Room comprised nodal representatives from the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with officers from various government media units, and officials from the Press Information Bureau (PIB). Social media handles and posts spreading fake news and misinformation were actively identified.

“Fact Check Unit under the PIB actively monitored social media platforms and online news sources in real time to detect fake images, edited videos, misleading narratives, and any manipulated content targeting the operation’s objectives, government agencies, or security forces,” said Vaishnaw.

The Unit debunked Pakistani propaganda against India and the Indian armed forces and fact-checked many posts countering such content. Additionally, the links related to disinformation or false news concerning ‘Operation Sindoor’, fact-checked by the FCU, were promptly shared with concerned intermediaries for appropriate action.

Washington, July 30: US President Donald Trump has announced a 25 per cent plus tariff on India from Aug 1.

Trump, describing India as a “friend”, said the US has done relatively “little business” with the country because its high tariffs.

India’s tariffs are far too high, and they have the “most strenuous” and “obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers”, he said in a social media post.

India will be paying 25 per cent plus penalty starting August 1.

“Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country. Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE — ALL THINGS NOT GOOD! INDIA WILL THEREFORE BE PAYING A TARIFF OF 25%, PLUS A PENALTY FOR THE ABOVE, STARTING ON AUGUST FIRST. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. MAGA!,” Donal Trump said on Truth Social.

New Delhi, July 30: In a major step forward for India-US space cooperation, the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite was successfully launched today from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota aboard India’s GSLV-F16 rocket.

The mission marks the first joint Earth observation venture between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the United States’ National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), blending the technical expertise and resources of both nations.

NISAR will play a key role in monitoring environmental changes and natural disasters across the globe. It is designed to track movements of the Earth’s surface, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and landslides. It will also assist in monitoring agricultural activity, soil moisture, sea ice, storm systems, and shoreline changes.

NASA contributed the L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), GPS receivers, a high-rate telecom subsystem, and a 12-meter deployable antenna. ISRO provided the S-Band SAR payload, the satellite bus that houses both payloads, the GSLV-F16 launch vehicle, and launch services.

The NISAR mission is not just a scientific milestone, it’s a strategic symbol of growing India-US collaboration in the space sector. It reflects the vision set out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, who, during their February 2025 summit in Washington DC, declared 2025 as a breakthrough year for bilateral civil space cooperation.

Today’s launch follows another significant achievement earlier this year: the joint NASA-ISRO initiative that sent the first Indian astronaut to the International Space Station. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla flew to the ISS aboard a private Axiom Space mission from June 25 to July 15, underscoring India’s growing role in human spaceflight efforts.

During their summit, PM Modi and President Trump also committed to deepening cooperation on long-duration human spaceflight, space safety, and planetary protection. They called for expanded commercial collaboration across areas like satellite technology, connectivity, advanced launch systems, sustainable space operations, and even space tourism and manufacturing.

NISAR stands as a testament to the strength of Indo-US scientific collaboration and the promise of future joint missions that aim to benefit not just both countries, but the wider world.