BHUBANESWAR  THURSDAY  JUNE 26, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 16  LATE CITY EDITION QATAR, U.S. CLAIM MOMENTUM IN GAZA DEAL AFTER ISRAEL-IRAN CEASEFIRE Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said informal talks between Israel and Hamas could begin in the next two days VERY CLOSE TO REACHING A DEAL: TRUMP US President Donald Trump claimed there has been “great progress” in efforts to end the Gaza conflict, adding that his special envoy Steve Witkoff has told him “Gaza is very close”. He linked his optimism about imminent “very good news” for the Gaza Strip to a ceasefire agreed on Tuesday between Israel and Hamas’s sponsor Iran to end their 12-day war | P11 BIBI MAY SOFTEN STAND, CALL SNAP POLLS ■ However, neither Israel nor Hamas has confirmed any truce deal yet ■ Israel’s official position is it will eliminate Hamas and its leaders, while the outfit demands complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza ■ Reports said Netanyahu is ready to cut a deal with Hamas, call snap polls, and seek to retain power on the back of the victory over Iran SEVEN ISRAELI TROOPS KILLED IN ONE OF THE DEADLIEST ATTACKS AGAINST IDF IN GAZA CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI EMERGENCY ANNIVERSARY Democracy placed under arrest by Cong govt 50 yrs ago: Modi NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER Today marks 50 years since one of the darkest chapters in India’s democratic history, the imposition of the Emergency... No Indian will ever forget the manner in which the spirit of our Constitution was violated Union home minister Amit Shah addresses an event on Emergency in Delhi | PTI Shah went ballistic against the Congress on the Emergency, saying it was imposed to PRIME Minister Narendra preserve dynastic politics. As Modi on Wednesday set the for Bihar Chief Minister Nittone for the commemoration ish Kumar, he said Emergenthe 50th anniversary of Emer- cy symbolised Indira’s dictagency describing it as one of , torial streak, adding its the darkest chapters in India’s imposition marked a “black democratic history . day in history”. Attacking the then Con“The anti-Emergency movegress government led by In- ment was a learning experidira Gandhi, he said it was as ence for me. It reaffirmed the if it had placed devitality of preservmocracy under aring our democratic rest. All values enframework. At the shrined in the same time, I got to Constitution were learn so much from set aside, fundamenpeople across the potal rights were suslitical spectrum,” pended, press freeModi said in his post dom extinguished on X. In his foreword and several political to the book, former leaders, social workPM H D Gowda said ers, students and orpeople like Modi dinary citizens were built a strong netThe cover of The jailed, he pointed work of communicaEmergency Diaries out in a post on X. tion and resistance. Later in the day, Modi urged others The Emergency Diaries — who still remember the tyrYears that Forged a Leader, a anny of Emergency, to share book that chronicles Modi’s their experiences on social journey during that time, media so as to enhance awarewhen he was a RSS prachar- ness of those dark days. ak, was released by Union In his reposte, Congress home minister Amit Shah. chief Mallikarjun Kharge Shah said Modi, then 25, used charged that there was an unto work underground at that declared emergency in India time against Emergency, since the last 11 years. He acsometimes as a saint, some- cused the BJP of staging a times as a Sardarji, sometimes ‘drama’ of observing Samvidas a hippie, sometimes as an han Hatya Diwas to mark the incense stick seller or some- proclamation of Emergency times as a newspaper seller. to hide governance failure. RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi MALLIKARJUN KHARGE, CONG PRESIDENT These people failed in governance. People are concerned over inflation. The govt has no answer to unemployment, corruption and economic failure. To hide their lies and failure they have staged this drama 2-minute silence, resolution The Union Cabinet on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning the proclamation of Emergency 50 years ago and observed a twominute silence to pay tributes to those whose constitutionally guaranteed democratic rights were taken away and were then subjected to “unimaginable horrors” | P9 KULDIP NAYAR’S CAUTION THE DAY BEFORE EMERGENCY I EDIT PAGE CBSE to conduct Class 10 board exams twice a year from 2026 I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi STARTING next year, Class 10 students will be allowed to take CBSE board exams twice year —in February and again in May . The first attempt in February will be mandatory. Taking the second chance in May is optional and is mainly for those wishing to improve their scores. The move, recommended in the new National Education Policy (NEP), is expected to reduce stress among students over annual exams and give them an opportunity to score better marks. “The first phase will be conducted in February and second in May. The results for the two phases will be announced in April and June, respectively,” said Sanyam Bhardwaj, Examination Controller, Central Board o f SECOND S e c o n d a r y SHOT Education. In the second In the second phase of exami- attempt in nation in May, May, students students will be can improve allowed to im- their scores in prove their per- any three formance in any subjects out of three subjects science, out of science, mathematics, mathematics, social science social science and languages and languages, he added. Class 10 students from winterbound schools will be allowed to appear for exams in any of the phases. Internal assessments will be conducted only once during the academic session. Exams under the first phase will begin on February 17, 2026 and the results will be declared in April. The second exam is scheduled to commence on May 5, 2026 and the results will be out in June. The Ministry of Education said the new system will reduce pressure on students, offer flexibility, and promote stress-free learning. “It is a landmark shift towards competency-based assessments that value understanding over rote learning. This reform empowers students with choice, confidence, and second chances,” it stated. BHARATIYA RAIL AT THE SERVICE OF RATH YATRA PILGRIMS With the spirit of Seva Parmo Dharma, Bharatiya Rail ensures dignity, comfort, and security of the pilgrims during the Rath Yatra, writes Ashwini Vaishnaw | P2 25-yr-old woman abducted, Police summons to gangraped in Mayurbhanj lawyers a threat to justice, says SC EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Baripada IN yet another incident of sexual assault, a 25-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped after being abducted by three persons in a village under Mayurbhanj’s Karanjia police limits late on Tuesday evening. The victim was en route to her uncle’s house when she was abducted by three persons and raped in a forested area, police said. After receiving a formal complaint, Karanjia police arrested prime suspect Bikash Patra (28) while hunt for his two associates is on. Police said Patra was main perpetrator while the other two assisted him in the crime. Investigation revealed, the woman was returning from a temple when Patra offered her a lift which she accepted because she had previous acquaintance with him. However, the 28-year-old youth along with his associates kidnapped the woman and committed the crime. After committing the offence, the three threatened her against disclosing the matter and left the place. The woman returned to her relative’s place and narrated the entire incident. She then lodged a complaint with Karanjia police late in the night after which police swung into action and arrested Patra. Based on the complaint, police have registered a case of gangrape and abduction. Mayurbhanj SP Varun Guntupalli said efforts are on to arrest the co-accused very soon. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday said probe agencies cannot directly summon lawyers over matters involving their clients, calling such actions a direct threat to the administration of justice. A bench comprising justices K V Viswanathan and N Kotiswar Singh took suo motu cognizance of the matter while hearing a plea by a lawyer who had been summoned by the Gujarat police in connection with a case involving his client. “Permitting the investigation agencies/police to directly summon defence counsel or lawyers who advised parties in a given case would seriously undermine the autonomy of the legal profession and would even constitute a direct threat to the independence of the administration of justice,” the CONTINUED ON P7 court said. What a ride! India re-enters space odyssey after 41 years B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru NAMASKAR to all my countrymen. What a ride! After 41 years, we are back in space and what a ride it has been.” These were the first words of Axiom-4 mission pilot and the first Indian to travel to space in 41 years, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (nicknamed Shux), when the mission was launched at 12.01 pm Wednesday from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, after six postponements since May 29. The commercial space mission by Axiom Space was launched in collaboration with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), and the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft is now scheduled to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, 4.30 pm, 28-and-half-hours after launch. After acclimatising with the environment in space, the mission’s fourmember crew comprising Shukla, mission commander Peggy Whitson from the US, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu will carry out 60 experiments; seven of them will be done by Shukla. As part of their 14-day mission, the astronauts will hold live classes and interactive sessions with students, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (second from left) and the three others aboard the SpaceX Dragon bound for the ISS | PTI Second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma Shukla is the second Indian in space after Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, who was a crew member of the Soyuz T-11 in April 1984, and will be the first Indian to pilot a spacecraft. Shukla is carrying a ‘surprise’ for Sharma to the ISS, which will be known only later experts and VIPs from the ISS, using Amaetur Radio on the ISS. Before heading to his designated seat inside the spacecraft attached at the top of the two-stage Falcon 9 launcher, Shukla listened to his favourite song Vande Mataram from the movie Fighter, starring Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, and Deepika Padukone. Ahead of the takeoff, the astro- nauts are allowed to listen to their favourite music and say goodbyes to their dear ones. After lift-off, Peggy revealed the name of the Dragon Spacecraft: Grace. She also released a baby swan soft toy named Joy, which was seen bobbing up and down in zero-gravity . Ten minutes after the launch, when the pilots were in the designated low earth orbit, they changed their space suits and had their first meal in space. Before reaching the ISS, the Dragon will orbit the earth and the astronauts will have at least three interactive checks with the base stations. The four astronauts had been in a four-week quarantine since May 25, the longest in any modern space missions. The longest ever before was three-weeks-long, ahead of the Apollo Moon Mission.