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[00:00:09] Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. These are the major news stories of Sunday April 20, 2025. Three people were killed, and several residential and commercial buildings were destroyed after a cloudburst triggered heavy rainfall, strong winds, and hail across Ramban Taiseel in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning. The extreme weather also forced the relocation of hundreds of residents and disrupted transportation.
[00:00:33] The district administration, which had issued an alert in anticipation of the adverse weather based on the med department's forecast, used loudspeakers in temples and mosques to warn the public. The emergency control center, set up in the deputy commissioner's office, coordinated rescue operations by mobilizing revenue and police teams to evacuate people from low-lying areas to safer locations. Nearly 500 people were relocated during overnight operations.
[00:00:59] The Maharashtra government's language consultation panel has opposed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavi's decision to make Hindi compulsory from the first standard in schools. Panel chief Lakshmikan Deshmukh has written to Fadnavi's requesting the reversal of the decision, which mandates Hindi as a third language from classes 1 to 5, alongside Marathi and English. The decision, announced in a government resolution on April 17, will see the implementation of the new syllabus under the national education policy from the 2025-26 academic year.
[00:01:28] The move faced criticism from opposition parties, with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thakari opposing the decision, stating that his party will not allow it. Defending the decision, Fadnavi's clarified that while Marathi is non-negotiable, learning additional languages, including Hindi, is a personal choice. Parts of India are continuing to battle intense heat waves, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting similar conditions for several areas in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Vidarbha over the next few days.
[00:01:56] In Delhi, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 38 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius, respectively, while a partly cloudy sky and light rainfall are predicted to provide some relief. On Saturday, Nagpur in Maharashtra recorded the highest temperature in the country at 44.7 degrees Celsius, marking the city's hottest day of the season. In Jammu and Kashmir, the IMD has issued an advisory for severe weather due to a western disturbance, with heavy rain, thunderstorms, and hailstorms expected from April 18 to 20.
[00:02:26] Similarly, Uttarakhand is likely to experience heavy rainfall or snowfall, with isolated hailstorms in several regions. In Uttar Pradesh, the maximum temperatures are expected to rise gradually by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius over the coming days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday he had instructed the military to intensify pressure on Hamas after the Palestinian militant group this week rejected an Israeli proposal for another temporary truce, instead demanding a deal to end the war in exchange for the release of hostages.
[00:02:56] In a late-night televised address, Netanyahu said that while war came with a heavy price, Israel had no choice but to continue fighting for our very existence, until victory. Egyptian mediators have been working to restore the ceasefire, which Israel abandoned last month after seeking to extend a temporary truce that had seen 38 hostages released. Kerala BJP President Rajiv Chandrasekhar on Sunday reiterated that the implementation of the VUKF Amendment Act could open the way to resolving the Munambam land issue.
[00:03:24] After meeting Cardinal Mar George Alan Cherry, Chandrasekhar told reporters that a resolution could be expected once the act is implemented. He questioned what the ruling and opposition parties in Kerala had done over the past 35 years regarding the issue. Chandrasekhar also referred to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiran Rijiju's recent comments, stating that Rijiju's remarks were well-intentioned and suggested that the implementation of the act, once it passes through the Supreme Court, could help resolve the matter. That brings us to the end of this episode.
[00:03:54] Thanks for listening to Daily News Doze from OnManorama. This newscast is produced using AI Voice Tools. Follow OnManorama.com for detailed updates on the latest news, and be sure to come back tomorrow.