THURSDAY SEVEN 26 ISRAELI TROOPS KILLED IN ONE OF THE DEADLIEST ATTACKS AGAINST IDF IN GAZA JUNE, 2025 epaper.morningstandard.in facebook.com/TheMorningStandard X.com/TheMornStandard QATAR, U.S. CLAIM MOMENTUM IN GAZA DEAL AFTER ISRAEL-IRAN CEASEFIRE US INTEL PARTIAL SETBACK TO IRAN N-PLAN 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 A US intel report suggests that Iran’s nuclear programme has been set back only a few months after US strikes and was not “fully obliterated”. VERY CLOSE TO REACHING A DEAL: TRUMP A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 9 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, respectivel y, ” s a i d S a n ya m Bhardwaj, Examination Controller, CenSECOND SHOT tral Board of Secondary Education. In the second In the second phase attempt in May, of examination in students can May, students will be improve their scores allowed to improve in any three subjects their performance in out of science, any three subjects out mathematics, social of science, mathematscience and ics, social science and languages languages, he added. Class 10 students from winter-bound 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 phase of exams 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 learn, ing. “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. EXPRESS READ Badal kin Majithia arrested for laundering `540 cr of drug money The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday raided the residence of Akali leader and Sukhbir Badal’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia in Amritsar and arrested him on charges of alleged laundering of drug money worth over `540 crore. He spent more than five months in Patiala jail and was released in 2022. | P8 4 dead, 3 injured in massive fire in residential building at Rohini A devastating fire at a multi-storey building housing several manufacturing units near Rithala metro station in Rohini claimed four lives and left three others injured on Tuesday. The fire was massive, starting from the lower floor and rapidly engulfing the upper portions of the building, according to witnesses. | P4  NEW DELHI  J8.00  PAGES 12 What a ride! India re-enters Democracy placed space odyssey after 41 years under arrest by Cong govt 50 yrs ago: Modi EMERGENCY ANNIVERSARY @ 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 Second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma B O S K Y K H A N N A @ Bengaluru 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 riposte, 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 to times as a newspaper seller. hide governance failure. P7 RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi MALLIKARJUN KHARGE, CONG PRESIDENT 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 four-member 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 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” | P7 KULDIP NAYAR’S CAUTION THE DAY BEFORE EMERGENCY I EDIT PAGE 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 court said. The court framed two questions: When an individual is involved in a case solely as a lawyer advising a client, can the investigating agency, prosecution, or police directly summon the lawyer? And even if the agency believes the individual’s role goes beyond that of legal counsel, should such instances still require judicial oversight before any summons is issued? It sent the matter to the CJI for appropriate directions. A N U P V E R M A @ New Delhi CHIEF Minister Rekha Gupta has announced the formation of the Delhi Traders Welfare Board, a platform dedicated to making the city more traderfriendly It was a key promise in . the BJP manifesto during the Assembly polls. The CM described the move, approved by her cabinet, as a significant step toward empowering the city’s trading community ensuring their social secu, rity, and streamlining their businesses for sustainability . She stated that the board, announced in the 2025–26 budget, is now being implemented. The initiative is expected to benefit more than eight lakh registered 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 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon capsule lifts off | PTI 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, 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 twostage 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 as- tronauts 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. 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 Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (second from left) and the three others aboard the SpaceX Dragon bound for the ISS | PTI | P8 NYCWINS MIRA NAIR SON MAYORAL PRIMARY Zohran Mamdani declared victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary after former governor Andrew Cuomo conceded the race. | P9 Police summons to lawyers BJP keeps poll promise as CM sets up a threat to justice, says SC traders welfare board, 8L to get benefits EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE 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 | P9 traders in the national capital. She said that it will be a statutory body serving as a communication bridge between the government and traders, simplifying trade-specific issues, implementing social security and welfare schemes, and promoting “ease of doing business.” In addition, the board will boost employment and investment and will also manage a Trader Welfare Fund. The CM said that the minister for industries will chair the board, with the commissioner of the industries department acting as member secretary A . nominated deputy commissioner-level officer will serve as treasurer. The board will comprise 15 members, including six representatives from government departments, such as MCD, labour, and trade and taxes, and nine members, including the vice-chairman, who will represent the trading community The board will make deci. sions regarding relief and compensation during natural disasters, fires, or floods. Chapters on Pak, China, Islam to be reworked as part of DU syllabi rejig I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi EXTENSIVE CHANGES A Standing Committee meeting of Delhi University held to review postgraduate syllabi across multiple departments on Wednesday kicked off a debate after several courses were either altered or dropped altogether, prompting concerns about academic freedom and the narrowing of pedagogical scope. While scrutinising the Geography syllabus, the committee recommended the removal of Unit 3—“Internal Conflicts and Problems of Nation Building”— from the Discipline Specific Elective (DSE) course Territorial Bases of Politics in India (Semester 1). The Social Geography DSE course (Semester 2) also faced objections, with the Chair advising caste-related topics, particularly the unit on “Distribution of SC Population,” be deemphasised, calling them “controversial.” The DSE course on Vulnerability and Disaster was scrapped entirely . In Urban Sociology violence, focused units were flagged for removal—including work on Muharram processions in Mumbai, caste and nationalism in Chennai, and Dalit religion and resistance. The most sweeping changes took place in Political Science department, where multiple DSE courses were dropped outright, including Pakistan and Maximum changes occurred in the political science department with many courses being dropped outright, including Pakistan and the World; China’s Role in the Contemporary World; Islam and International Relations and Pakistan: State and Society ACADEMIC FREEDOM The Delhi University Standing Committee meeting to review PG syllabi triggered a debate after several courses were either altered or dropped, prompting concerns about academic freedom and the narrowing of pedagogical scope. the World; China’s Role in the Contemporary World; Islam and International Relations; Pakistan: State and Society and lastly Religious National, ism and Political Violence. Readings by scholars such as Blom Hansen and studies on Buddhist monastic politics in Sri Lanka were also removed. Several committee members, including Monami Sinha, a member of the Academic Council, opposed the move. “It is imperative to study Pakistan and China. These are critical players in India’s foreign policy landscape,” she said. Revised drafts will be presented at the next committee meeting on July 1.