A festive atmosphere filled Katra railway station as local school students celebrated the launch of the Jammu-Kashmir rail link project. They waved national flags and chanted slogans while taking a ride on the new Vande Bharat train. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that services will expand to Jammu station in September. Students expressed excitement about the opportunity to travel to Srinagar. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Chenab and Anji Khad bridges, inspecting the projects and engaging with engineers and workers.

Elon Musk has unfollowed key Trump allies, including Stephen Miller and Charlie Kirk, amid a public feud with Trump over the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Musk criticized the bill for contradicting his budget-cutting goals during his time with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In response, Miller defended the bill's provisions, while Trump expressed disappointment in Musk's sudden opposition. Musk claimed he was not adequately informed about the bill's details, which he argued was passed too quickly for Congress to review.

** Shaquille O'Neal recently criticized Jayson Tatum's Hall of Fame prospects during an episode of The Big Podcast. While discussing Tatum's achievements, including All-Star selections and a championship, O'Neal expressed skepticism about the criteria for induction into the Hall of Fame. He referenced Isiah Thomas's distinction between two types of Hall of Fames and suggested that current players like Stephen Curry are more deserving. O'Neal's comments sparked debate about Tatum's status and the evolving standards for Hall of Fame recognition in the NBA. **

A Delhi court acquitted former coal ministry officials H C Gupta, K S Kropha, and K C Samaria in a case concerning irregularities in the allocation of the Mahuagarhi coal block to JAS Infrastructure Capital Pvt Ltd. The court convicted the company and its director, Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, for misrepresenting facts to obtain the allocation. The CBI had previously filed a closure report, but the court found sufficient grounds for prosecution. The officials had faced previous convictions related to coal block allocations, with 19 convictions achieved by the CBI in total.