THE HEADLINES:

 

 

• Lok Sabha faces disruption over electoral roll revision drive in Bihar; Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after paying tributes to Senior JMM leader Shibu Soren.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pariksha Pe Charcha initiative conferred with Guinness World Record for most registrations in one month.

•  Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr arrives in New Delhi on a five-day State Visit to India.

• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar inaugurates first-ever BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival in National Capital.

•  Five former Punjab police officials sentenced to life imprisonment in ‘1993 Tarn Taran fake encounter case’.

• And, India pull off a thrilling six-run win against England in final Cricket Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in London to level five-match series 2-2.

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Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned for the day. The Rajya Sabha was adjourned as mark of respect after paying tributes to Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and sitting MP Shibu Soren who passed away in New Delhi this morning, while the proceedings of the Lok Sabha was marred following opposition protest over Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of Bihar’s electoral rolls.

 

 

When the Lok Sabha assembled after the first adjournment at 2 PM, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju expressed displeasure over the protest of opposition MPs, saying that it was decided in the Business Advisory Committee meeting to have a discussion on the National Sports Governance Bill 2025 and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill 2025.

 

 

As the ruckus continued, the Chair adjourned the House for the day.

 

 

In the Rajya Sabha, when the House met at 11 AM, the members paid tribute to former Jharkhand Chief Minister and founder of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, and sitting MP Shibu Soren. Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh said, Shibu Soren was a senior and distinguished tribal leader who played a prominent role in the movement for the rights and upliftment of tribal communities.

 

 

Later the House observed silence for a while, as a mark of respect to the departed leader before being adjourned for the day.

 

 

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren was suffering from a kidney ailment, and was on life support system for the last one month at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the National Capital after suffering a stroke. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other dignitaries have expressed grief over the demise of the veteran leader. The President and Prime Minister paid tribute to the departed soul at the hospital. In Jharkhand, a three-day state mourning will be observed till Wednesday.

 

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship initiative, Pariksha Pe Charcha has been conferred with the Guinness World Record for the ‘Most people registered on a Citizen Engagement Platform in one month’. This recognition is a testament of achievement made with three crore 53 lakh registrations during the eight editions of the programme, hosted on the MyGov platform.

 

 

Pariksha Pe Charcha is a unique platform conceptualised and led by Prime Minister Modi wherein he directly interacts with students, teachers, and parents. The official Guinness World Record certificate was formally presented at a ceremony held in New Delhi today. The event was graced by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Electronics and Information Technology, Railways and Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and others.

 

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President of the Philippines Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr arrived in New Delhi today on a five day State visit to India. Upon arrival Mr. Marcos was accorded a warm welcome. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar called on the President of the Philippines this evening. He expressed confidence that Mr. Marcos scheduled talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will significantly deepen bilateral partnership between the two sides.

 

 

“Both the nations will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations by focussing on trade and investment, defence and security, maritime cooperation, agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and digital technologies. Several MoUs in different sectors are also expected to be signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Philippine Ferdinand Marcos. Defence, Security and Maritime cooperation between the two countries have expanded in recent times. As far as the bilateral trade is concerned, India is the largest exporter of pharmaceuticals to the Philippines. With Anand Kumar, Bhupendra Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.”

 

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A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali sentenced five former Punjab police officials to rigorous life imprisonment in over three decade old case of fake encounter of seven persons of Tarn Taran district in 1993. Five other accused police officials passed away during the trial.

 

 

Those sentenced to life imprisonment include a former Bathinda Senior Superintendent of Police, former Deputy Superintendent of Police, former Inspector and two former Assistant Sub Inspectors. The court also imposed a fine of three lakh fifty thousand rupees on each of the convict. The fine will be given to the families of the deceased as compensation.

 

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The Supreme Court today expressed displeasure with the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over alleged derogatory comments about the Indian Army in the context of the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with China. During the hearing, the court made oral remarks expressing disapproval of Mr Gandhi’s statements. The court observed that, being the Leader of the Opposition, he should raise such concerns in Parliament, not on social media. While staying the criminal defamation case, the court issued a notice on Mr. Gandhi’s plea against the Allahabad High Court’s refusal to quash the proceedings. An interim stay was granted for three weeks.

 

 

Reacting to Apex Court’s observation, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju while talking to media in New Delhi, said that this kind of strong observation from the Supreme Court is befitting and timely.

 

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today announced the implementation of domicile policy for the fourth phase of the upcoming Teacher Recruitment Examination. The Chief Minister made this announcement through a social media post. Under this policy, only residents of Bihar will be eligible to apply for the fourth phase of the teacher recruitment examination which will be conducted this year by Bihar Public Service Commission.

 

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The first-ever BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival was held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi this evening. Inaugurating the event External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said that music serves both as a bridge between nations and is also a powerful way for countries to express their heritage and identity.

 

 

Artistes from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand performed at the musical evening. The festival called ‘SaptaSur: Seven Nations, One Melody’, witnessed the celebration of the distinct musical traditions of the seven BIMSTEC countries.

 

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Sports –

India today pulled off a thrilling six-run win against Hosts England in the final Cricket Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at the Oval in London to level the five-match series 2-2. Chasing a target of 374 set by India, the Hosts were all out for 367 in their second innings on Day 5 this afternoon.

 

 

“Visitors began the day on the offensive with Mohammed Siraj striking twice and Prasidh Krishna bagging another wicket to put the game on a knife’s edge. Ultimately, it was Siraj who picked up the last wicket as India snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in one of the most dramatic conclusions in Test Cricket history.

Siraj was the star of the match with a nine-wicket haul, including five in second innings. The hosts had resumed their second innings today at 339 for 6. Riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s impressive 118, Team India had posted 396 in their second innings. In the first innings, England were bowled out for 247 in reply to India’s 224. Indian skipper Shubman Gill thanked Siraj and Prasidh for their excellent bowling performance.

Mohammed Siraj was declared the player of the match. He became the top wicket-taker with 23 wickets in the series. Shubman Gill and  Harry Brook were both named the players of the series. Shubman finished as the top run-scorer of the series. He scored 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40, with 4 centuries and a double century. With report of Paras Chouhan, Swati Rakheja for Akashvani News from Sports Desk.”

 

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In our bilingual live phone-in programme “Public Speak” tonight, we will bring an insightful discussion on Ways to stay safe from Cyber Frauds.

Priyanshu Dewan, ACP, Cybercrime Gurugram and Dr Pavan Duggal, Cyber Security Expert will participate in the discussion.

Listeners can ask questions to the experts on telephone numbers 011 – 23717117 and 011 – 23314444, from 9:30 PM onwards tonight.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Extremely heavy rainfall over Kerala and the ghat areas of Tamil Nadu for next two days. The Met Department said heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places over Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rayalaseema, South Interior Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand tomorrow.

 

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In Uttar Pradesh, continuous rainfall has led to a sharp rise in water levels of major rivers. The Ganga, Yamuna, and Ghaghra are flowing above the danger mark in several areas, triggering floods in 17 districts.

 

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Intermittent rain continues in several parts of Uttarakhand, leading to a rise in the water levels of major rivers. Authorities have stepped up safety measures along riverbanks, and residents living in low-lying areas are being alerted.

 

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Benchmark domestic equity indices today ended with gains of over half per cent. Sensex jumped 419 points, to close at 81 thousand 19. Nifty rose 157 points, to settle at 24 thousand 723.

 

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.

 

• Lok Sabha faces disruption over electoral roll revision drive in Bihar; Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after paying tributes to Senior JMM leader Shibu Soren.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Pariksha Pe Charcha initiative conferred with Guinness World Record for most registrations in one month.
• Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr arrives in New Delhi on a five-day State Visit to India.
• External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar inaugurates first-ever BIMSTEC Traditional Music Festival in National Capital.
• Five former Punjab police officials sentenced to life imprisonment in ‘1993 Tarn Taran fake encounter case’.
•  And, India pull off a thrilling six-run win against England in final Cricket Test of Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in London to level five-match series 2-2.

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