Rain lashed parts of Delhi-NCR and Kerala as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared the onset of the southwest monsoon on Thursday.
The monsoon arrived on June 4 this time, three days later than the normal onset date of June 1.
The IMD has forecast below-normal rainfall this year at 90% of the long-period average, largely due to the developing El Niño weather pattern, which typically weakens monsoon rains and pushes temperatures higher.
The monsoon is now expected to advance towards Goa, Maharashtra and more parts of southern India over the next few days.
With that, let’s move on to the top stories from today’s edition:.
Diversifying oil needs: India and Venezuela are exploring a long-term energy partnership as New Delhi looks to diversify its oil sources amid growing uncertainty in West Asia.
During talks with Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who is currently in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed deeper cooperation in energy, critical minerals, technology and healthcare.
Venezuela, home to the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has emerged as one of India’s top crude suppliers in recent months, informed Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
He said an Indian technical team will visit Venezuela soon to “further explore this potential”.
Rodriguez, who has been to India at least six times in the past, is expected to travel to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai.
No accountability on paper leaks: More than 3.86 crore students and job aspirants have been affected by major examination paper leaks over the past two decades.
An Indian Express investigation found that among 45 major exam leak cases since 2002, only two have resulted in convictions, despite over 1,650 arrests.
The fallout is huge: cancelled exams, delayed careers and years of uncertainty.
