Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will visit Ayodhya tomorrow. On his one-day visit to Ayodhya, the Vice President will visit Shri Ram Lala Temple, Hanumangarhi Temple and Kuber Tila in Ayodhya and he will also participate in the Aarti at Saryu Ghat.

In Punjab, the wheat harvesting is going on at a rapid pace. The incidents of burning wheat residue left after harvesting are also increasing day by day in various districts. Due to which, the environment is being affected.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan will chair a two-day conference, ‘Parivartan Chintan-2’ on the jointness and integration of the Armed Forces in New Delhi, beginning today. Parivartan Chintan, a pioneering conference for the heads of all Tri-Services Institutes and aims at generating novel reformative ideas and initiatives. Members from all the subcommittees of the apex Chiefs of Staff Committee; the CDS as its permanent chairman, and the three Service Chiefs, shall review the progress made in multiple domains, and ideate on the necessary reforms to achieve the desired end state towards transformation through jointness and integration.

In boxing, the Indian contingent wrapped up their electrifying journey at the ASBC Asian U-22 and Youth Boxing Championships with a remarkable haul of 43 medals in Astana, Kazakhstan. This includes 12 gold, 14 silver, and 17 bronze medals from both categories. The Indian U-22 team finished with 21 medals, including seven gold, five silver, and nine bronze medals, yesterday, while the youth section bagged 22 medals, including five gold, nine silver, and eight bronze medals, on Monday. India finished with the second-highest medal count, only behind the hosts, Kazakhstan, who have won 48 medals.

The Indian Navy delegation led by Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankar visited Information Fusion Singapore yesterday. The visit aims to enhance maritime security cooperation and strengthen bridges of friendship between India and Singapore. During the visit, the delegation held deliberations on the current maritime security landscape in the region and ways to mitigate emergent threats. They also discussed the cross-pollination of ideas between IFC Singapore and the Indian Navy-hosted IFC_IOR, fostering a collaborative approach to maritime challenges.

In Kerala, several flights of Air India Express were cancelled following a lightning strike by employees of the Air India Engineering Services last night. Passengers were caught unawares and many came to know about the strike only after reaching the airport. Air India Express flights bound for Sharjah, Bahrain, Dammam and Muscat were cancelled from the Cochin International Airport. At Kannur International airport, over 400 passengers were stranded as the flights to Sharjah, Muscat and Abu Dhabi were cancelled.

Prashant Bunde, hailing from Maharashtra State, boasts an impressive 25 years of experience in the field of education. Throughout this extensive period, he has assumed various roles within the educational sector, showcasing his versatility and dedication. His journey commenced in 1999 when he embarked on his educational career as an assistant teacher at a middle school. As he honed his skills and expertise, he ascended to the position of principal at a diploma college of education. Currently, Prashant Bunde serves as a junior college lecturer at the English high school and junior college near Yavatmal, Maharashtra. One of Prashant Bunde's notable contributions lies in his commitment to instilling social responsibility in his students. He firmly believes that education is not solely about academic knowledge but also about fostering a sense of duty towards society. This philosophy has earned him numerous accolades and recognition as an exceptional educator. Moreover, Prashant Bunde actively supports underprivileged children in their pursuit of higher education. By providing guidance and assistance, he ensures that these students have equal opportunities to succeed. In terms of his teaching responsibilities, Prashant Bunde has covered a wide range of subjects and grade levels. He has taught mathematics and science to students in grades 8, 9, and 10, while also instructing D.Ed students in mathematics, science, and psychology. Additionally, he imparts his knowledge of physics to students in grades 11 and 12. Beyond the classroom, Prashant Bunde goes above and beyond to support his students in their preparation for competitive exams such as MH CET, JEE, and NEET. Remarkably, he offers his guidance and mentorship to underprivileged and needy students free of charge. Furthermore, Prashant Bunde takes on the responsibility of supporting five students each year by providing them with educational resources, including books, and offering financial assistance. Over the course of his illustrious 25-year career, he has had the privilege of teaching and guiding more than 5000 students. His dedication and commitment have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by the prestigious prize of 21 lakh that his college received in a competition organized by the state government of Maharashtra under his guidance. Prashant Bunde's impact on the educational landscape is truly commendable, and his contributions continue to shape the lives of countless students.

A voter turnout of 64.58 per cent was recorded in the third phase of the Lok Sabha election. In this phase, which concluded yesterday, 93 Lok Sabha seats from ten states and one Union Territory went to the polls. Polling remained largely peaceful, with voters from all walks of life participating enthusiastically despite the heat wave conditions in several parts of the country. According to the Election Commission, Assam recorded approximately 81.61 per cent of voting. While Bihar witnessed a voting percentage of 58.18 per cent, 71.06 per cent was recorded in Chhattisgarh, 69.87 per cent in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. Goa recorded 75.20 per cent voting, Gujarat 58.98 per cent, Karnataka 70.41 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 66.05 per cent, Maharashtra 61.44 per cent, Uttar Pradesh 57.34 per cent, and West Bengal 75.79 per cent. With the conclusion of the third phase, polling is now over in 20 states, UTs, and 283 parliamentary constituencies for the 2024 general elections. A total of 1331 candidates were in the electoral fray in this phase. In the third phase, the fate of prominent candidates, including senior BJP leaders Amit Shah, Mansukh Mandaviya, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Pralhad Joshi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Basavaraj Bommai, Congress leader Digvijay Singh, Samajwadi party leader Dimple Yadav, and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule, was sealed in the EVMs. Polling was held smoothly and peacefully in all states and UTs across the three phases, which covered the entire north-eastern part of the country. Left-wing extremism affected vulnerable areas in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.

BJP President J P Nadda chaired a meeting of the party’s national general secretaries at the party headquarters in New Delhi yesterday. During the meeting, BJP’s General Secretaries Vinod Tawde, Arun Singh, B L Santosh, and senior party leader Ashwini Vaishnaw were present.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has expressed concern over the alleged doctoring of voter turnout results. In a letter to the I.N.D.I. Alliance leaders, Mr. Kharge said that the inordinate delay in the release of the final voting percentages for the First and Second phases by the Election Commission of India (ECI) raises serious doubts on the quality of data. He said that to alleviate the doubts raised in the public domain, the Commission should have not only released the data per Parliamentary Constituency but it should have also released the voter turnout data in each polling station. Mr. Kharge alleged that BJP is concerned about the receding electoral fortunes in the first two phases. He urged all the I.N.D.I. Alliance to safeguard democracy and protect the independent functioning of the ECI.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Beijing of “unacceptable” conduct after reports a Chinese fighter jet fired flares in the flight path of an Australian navy helicopter over international waters. The MH60R Seahawk helicopter was flying above the Yellow Sea on Saturday as part of the United Nations’s efforts to enforce sanctions on North Korea when a Chinese Air Force J-10 jet dropped flares above and several hundred metres ahead of it, Australia’s Department of Defence said late on Monday evening. “We’ve just made it very clear to China that this is unprofessional and that it’s unacceptable,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Australia’s Nine Network on Tuesday. Albanese said Australia has raised its concerns through diplomatic and military channels, although Beijing had yet to respond. The Australian Defence Force personnel were “in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behaviour, are enforced,” he said. “They shouldn’t have been at any risk,” he added. This is the second such incident in six months after Canberra in November said a Chinese destroyer had injured Australian Navy divers in Japanese waters by deliberately blasting them with sonar pulses. Beijing’s foreign ministry denied deploying the sonar, and said no harm had been caused. Albanese made a breakthrough trip to China last year, hailing improved economic ties after years of bickering and reprisals. But tensions remain when it comes to security, as Australia moves closer to the United States in an effort to counter China’s expanding influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to visit Australia next month, Albanese noted. “We will make our position clear as well in discussions,” he said. ‘Breach of international law’ On Monday, Defence Minister Richard Marles said the flares were 300 metres (986 ft) in front of the helicopter and 60 metres (197 ft) above it, forcing the pilot to “take evasive action in order to not be hit by those flares.” The minister said the consequence of being hit by the flares would have been significant. In the event, no injuries or damage were reported. Australian National University navy expert and former naval officer Jennifer Parker told the public broadcaster ABC that the Chinese use of flares was “incredibly dangerous” and could have led the engines to shut down. “This isn’t normal by any stretch of the imagination,” she said. “Impeding its flight path I would interpret as a breach of international law.” In 2022, Australia lodged a protest after a Chinese navy vessel pointed a laser at an Australian military aircraft close to Australia’s northern coast. In a separate incident in 2022, Australia said a Chinese fighter aircraft “dangerously intercepted” an Australian military surveillance plane above the disputed South China Sea, releasing a “bundle of chaff” containing pieces of aluminium that were ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engine. Chinese navy ships have been tracked off Australia.’

The United States and most European Union nations have said they will not send envoys to Tuesday’s inauguration of Vladimir Putin as Russian president. Putin, 71, secured a fifth term in office in a March election that critics said lacked democratic legitimacy. He gained 87.28 percent of the vote, weeks after the sudden death of his most vocal critic, Alexey Navalny, in an Arctic prison. “We will not have a representative at his inauguration,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters. “We certainly did not consider that election free and fair but he is the president of Russia and he is going to continue in that capacity.” The United Kingdom and Canada said they would not send anyone to the ceremony, while a spokesperson for the European Union told the Reuters news agency the bloc’s ambassador to Russia would not attend the inauguration, in keeping with the position of most of the EU’s member states. The three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – which have withdrawn their ambassadors from Moscow – ruled out attending the inauguration. “We believe that the isolation of Russia, and especially of its criminal leader, must be continued,” Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said. “Participation in Putin’s inauguration is not acceptable for Lithuania. Our priority remains support for Ukraine and its people fighting against Russian aggression.” The Czech Republic is also expected to snub the ceremony, while Germany’s Foreign Office said its representative would not attend – it earlier recalled its ambassador over alleged Russian cyberattacks. An aide to Putin said the heads of all foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow including those from “unfriendly states” had been invited to attend the inauguration, which starts at noon (09:00 GMT) and will be broadcast live on Russian television. Putin is due to arrive in a luxury motorcade – state-run RT reported modifications to his armoured Aurus limousine including improved sound insulation and all-round cameras – at the Grand Kremlin Palace. The one-time KGB spy will then walk through the palace corridors to the ornate Saint Andrew Hall, where he will take the presidential oath and make a brief address. He will also received a blessing from the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The ceremony is taking place a day after Russia announced plans for a tactical nuclear weapons drill, blaming what it said were “provocative” moves by Western countries over Ukraine. Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. “Ukraine sees no legal grounds for recognising him as the democratically elected and legitimate president of the Russian Federation,” Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony, it said, sought to create “the illusion of legality for the nearly lifelong stay in power of a person who has turned the Russian Federation into an aggressor state and the ruling regime into a dictatorship”. Despite the apparent boycotts, France, Hungary and Slovakia are all expected to send representatives to the ceremony, Reuters reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources. Speaking alongside China’s president on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “We are not at war with Russia or the Russian people, and we have no desire for regime change in Moscow.” The source said France had previously condemned the context of repression in which the election was held, depriving voters of a real choice, as well as the organisation of elections in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia, which France considers a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter. Franco-Russian relations have deteriorated in recent months as Paris has increased its support for Ukraine. Last week, Macron said it would be legitimate for France to send troops to Ukraine if Russia broke through the Ukrainian front lines and Kyiv requested assistance.