THE HEADLINES:
- Polling underway smoothly in 121 constituencies for first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections; over 42 per cent voting recorded till 1 pm.
- Campaigning for second phase heats up; NDA and Mahagathbandhan leaders tour poll-bound Constituencies.
- INS Ikshak to be commissioned at Kochi Naval Base this afternoon.
- Israel says it will continue eliminating Hamas fighters and dismantling tunnels in areas of Gaza under its control.
- Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declares emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves 114 people dead and hundreds go missing.
- And in Cricket, hosts Australia win the toss and elect to field first against India at Queensland in the fourth T-20 International of five-match series.
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Polling is progressing smoothly in 121 constituencies spread over 18 districts in the first phase of Bihar Assembly Election. 42.31 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 1 PM with the maximum turnout of 46.73 per cent in Gopalganj district.
Several prominent leaders including, JD(U) President and Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan, and VIP chief and Mahagathbandhan’s Deputy Chief Minister face Mukesh Sahani cast their votes.
Voting is underway in Patna, Vaishali, Nalanda, Bhojpur, Munger, Saran, Siwan, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Gopalganj, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Madhepura, and Saharsa. Polling started at 7 AM, and it will continue till 6 in the evening. However, due to security reasons, voting will conclude at 5 PM in Simri Bakhtiyarpur, Mahishi, Tarapur, Munger, Jamalpur, and in 56 polling booths of the Suryagarha Assembly segment. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure free, fair, and peaceful polling.
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Sixteen delegates of seven countries witnessed the poll arrangements made for the Bihar Assembly Election by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The visit of these delegations from Indonesia, Colombia, Philippines, France, Belgium, South Africa and Thailand is facilitated under the International Electors Visitor Programme of ECI. A delegation from Thailand visited a polling booth in Patna.
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The Chief Electoral Officer of Bihar today dismissed the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD’s) allegations of deliberate power cuts at certain polling stations during the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections. The Chief Electoral Officer termed the claims completely baseless and misleading.
Meanwhile, Campaigning for the second phase has picked up pace. Leaders of NDA and Mahagathbandhan are engaged in campaigning in support of their candidates. Addressing a rally in Araria, Bihar, Senior BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today accused RJD for lawlessness and lack of development in Bihar during its tenure.
Later the Prime Minister also addressed a rally in Bhagalpur.
Union Minister Amit Shah will be in West Champaran, East Champaran and Madhubani districts today, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will be in East Champaran and Sitamarhi districts.
Chief Ministerial candidate of Mahagathbandhan, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav is scheduled to address 18 election rallies today covering Madhubani, Supaul, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnea districts.
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The Indian Navy will formally commission the Ikshak ship into the service at Naval Base in Kochi, today. The commissioning ceremony will be held in the presence of Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi. The Ministry of Defence said, the vessel is designed to undertake full-scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, and navigational channels. The data generated will be vital for ensuring safe navigation at sea, strengthening India’s maritime safety framework.
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In a step to strengthen people-to-people ties between India and Mauritius, Indian Naval Ship (INS) Savitri today hosted visitors during its port call at the Mauritian capital Port Louis, showcasing the operational capabilities, cutting-edge technology, and rich heritage of the Indian Navy. During her Port Call at Port Louis, Mauritius, INS Savitri welcomed visitors on board. The initiative offered a unique opportunity to showcase the operational capabilities, technological advancements, and rich traditions of the Indian Navy.
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An Indian delegation, led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, today visited key Israeli defence companies in Israel to explore avenues for co-production and co-development. The Defence Ministry said in a social media post that visit is aimed at strengthening existing partnerships and advancing the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
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Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said that the army would continue to eliminate Hamas operatives and destroy their tunnels within the Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza without any limitation. His comments came amid reports that the US is urging Israel to allow Hamas terrorists trapped in Rafah to return to areas of the Strip still under the group’s control. Katz said Israel’s objective remains to disarm Hamas and demilitarise Gaza, alongside recovering the bodies of fallen hostages.
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US will reduce flight operations by 10 per cent at 40 major airports beginning tomorrow, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said yesterday, citing mounting strain on air traffic control operations as the government shutdown entered its 36th day. The move, described as a precautionary measure, is expected to affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights daily, including commercial and cargo operations. Officials did not immediately specify which airports would be subject to reductions, though further details are expected today.
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Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of emergency today after Typhoon Kalmaegi left at least 114 people dead and hundreds missing in central provinces in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year. The deaths were mostly from drowning in flash floods, and 127 people were still missing, many in the hard-hit central province of Cebu. The tropical cyclone blew out of the archipelago yesterday into the South China Sea. The typhoon’s onslaught affected nearly 2 million people and displaced more than 560,000 villagers, including nearly 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters.
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Prime Modi Narendra Modi hosted the champions of the Women’s World Cup at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg yesterday. Mr. Modi congratulated the women cricket team on their victory and praised their remarkable comeback in the tournament after a string of three defeats.
Prime Minister also urged the players to take forward the message of Fit India, especially for girls across the country.
During the meeting, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur recalled meeting Mr Modi in 2017, when they had met him without the trophy.
Deepti Sharma recalled her 2017 meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when the Prime Minister had advised to keep working hard.
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In the fourth T20 International between India and Australia, the hosts have won the toss and opted to field first at Carrara Oval in Queensland. India were 45 for no loss in 5.5 overs, when reports last came in. The five-match series levelled at 1-1.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, were trading mixed in afternoon trade today. The Sensex gained 40 points to 83 thousand 499, while the Nifty lost 26 points to 25 thousand and 571, when reports last came in. The broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange was trading in negative territory.
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently rated Khangchendzonga National Park as “good” in its latest global review of natural World Heritage sites. It is the only Indian park to receive this rating, while other important areas like the Western Ghats and Sundarbans are facing serious concerns.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:
- Polling underway smoothly in 121 constituencies for first phase of Bihar Assembly Elections; Over 42 per cent voting recorded till 1 pm.
- Campaigning for second phase heats up; NDA and Mahagathbandhan leaders tour poll-bound Constituencies.
- INS Ikshak to be commissioned at Kochi Naval Base this afternoon.
- Israel says it will continue eliminating Hamas fighters and dismantling tunnels in areas of Gaza under its control.
- Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declares emergency after Typhoon Kalmaegi leaves 114 people dead and hundreds go missing.
- And in Cricket, hosts Australia win the toss and elect to field first against India at Queensland in the fourth T-20 International of five-match series.
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