BJP, Congress clash over Rahul Gandhi's 'Smash Patriarchy' pitch, rising sugar prices

The Election Commission has issued notices to several high-profile figures in Delhi over electoral roll discrepancies during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Those flagged include External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, former Army Chief Upendra Trivedi, CBI Director Praveen Sood, and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Discrepancies involve unmapped entries, name mismatches, and parental age inconsistencies. The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer clarified that issuing notices does not mean deletion from electoral rolls, stating the exercise aims to correct data with due opportunity to be heard. Meanwhile, political parties exchanged barbs, with opposition leaders alleging a conspiracy to disenfranchise voters, while others defended the SIR as a transparent, constitutional process applied equally across all citizens.

In an interview, Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan outlines his administration's economic and educational roadmap, addressing youth unemployment, migration, and demographic transitions. Acknowledging the challenge of brain drain, he details plans to restructure university curricula, launch a Knowledge Valley, establish a global job watchtower, and adopt a silver economy model for an ageing population. Addressing industrial and infrastructure growth, he highlights single-window approval reforms across nineteen legislations and the promotion of port-led development under Mission Samudra. Responding to queries regarding Adani group investments in the Vizhinjam seaport, he clarifies that while the Adanis serve as concessionaires, the state government remains the ultimate owner and must advance development without conflict while securing the state's strategic interests. Furthermore, he explains his government's conditional approach to the PM SHRI scheme, emphasizing that curriculum control and school selection must remain under state authority.

I paid ₹1,500 to rent a human for an hour and see if it really eases loneliness

Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan reflected on opening India's medal account at the Asian Games with two silver medals in the team and individual ten-meter air rifle events in an interview with India Today. She described her journey since the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games as pleasant, emphasizing the value of continuous learning. Speaking about her performance, Valarivan admitted, "I did fumble a bit in the end" and noted that she must work on her pace for the final shots. She credited the Indian shooting contingent's success to strong team confidence, mutual support, and inspiration drawn from younger athletes. Valarivan also highlighted the importance of mental focus in the sport, explaining that success relies on tuning out external distractions and concentrating fully on executing one single shot at a time.