| | | | 5 THINGS FIRST | Vice President Dhankhar on a two-day visit to Kerala; Euro 2024: Quarter Finals - France v Portugal and England v Switzerland Tomorrow: President Murmu to attend Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath at Puri; France's snap legislative elections round two; Euro 2024 – Quarter Final -Netherlands v Turkiye
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| | 1. Sinking feeling for Sunak, Downing St for Starmer |  | Clean slate- Change came to the UK on Friday in the form of a Labour landslide under 61-year-old Keir Starmer’s (pic) leadership.
- The Opposition party that was said to be in tatters, needing “at least 10 years to fix”, swept the polls with 410 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.
- It’s the biggest majority in the British Parliament since at least 1997.
- Just five years ago, Labour had suffered its worst defeat in a century.
- This time, former PM Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives (Tories) have been routed with 118 seats after 14 years in office.
Labours ahead- The landslide means a happy weekend for Labour, but they have serious work ahead.
- The country’s electorate is impatient for change against a gloomy backdrop of economic malaise, mounting distrust in institutions and a fraying social fabric.
- In fact, economic troubles led the Tories to the slaughter this time.
Sunak safe- Sunak, who resigned on Friday, kept his Richmond and Northallerton seat comfortably with 47.5% of the vote, but Tory colleague and Britain’s shortest-serving PM Liz Truss lost her seat in Parliament.
- Sunak accepted the responsibility for his party’s loss and said voters had delivered a “sobering verdict”.
- In a post on X Indian PM Narendra Modi thanked Sunak for deepening ties with India.
‘Decent public-spirited man’- Sunak described PM-elect Starmer, a human rights barrister, as a “decent public-spirited man”.
- PM Modi congratulated Starmer on social media and said, “I look forward to our positive and constructive collaboration to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.”
- Starmer also said he wants a “new strategic partnership” with India.
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| | | 2. Hunt on for Baba and his chief aide; Rahul reaches Hathras |  | Look out- Uttar Pradesh government agencies have launched intensive searches across the state and in neighbouring Rajasthan and Haryana to trace Hathras stampede key accused Devprakash Madhukar.
- A senior government official told PTI that they are also looking for preacher Surajpal (alias Narayan Sakar Hari / Bhole Baba) for questioning in the case.
Crackdown- While Madhukar, the ‘mukhya sevadar’ (chief organiser of the satsang), is the only named accused in the FIR, Bhole Baba was not mentioned as accused.
- Besides Madhukar, “several unidentified organisers” were also booked in the case, lodged at the Sikandra Rao Police Station and six suspects have been arrested so far.
- “No one has been given a clean chit. The investigation is on and government agencies are searching for the main accused and the preacher to question them,” the official told PTI.
What we know so far- The stampede occurred after Bhole Baba left the event venue as his devotees rushed to collect the dirt around his feet.
- The administration has alleged that 2.5 lakh people congregated at the venue against the permitted limit of 80,000.
- Locals say his team members triggered the stampede by not allowing the followers to leave even when they complained of suffocation.
- Some of them claim they were pushed and beaten when they asked for help.
- Police say the Baba is not in the ashram.
To console- Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi met the families of victims who lost their lives in the stampede.
- “A lot of families have been affected and many people have died. I don't want to politicise this. There have been deficiencies in the system. I think they should get more compensation as these are very poor families. I request the CM of UP to provide compensation open-heartedly. They need it now, more compensation should be given as soon as possible. The family members said that the police arrangement was not enough,” he said.
- Rahul was accompanied by state Congress chief Ajay Rai, state Congress in-charge Avinash Pande, party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate and other office bearers during the visit.
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| | TOI EXPLAINS | | 3. Will ‘distributed exams’ help prevent paper leaks? |  | De-centralise the process
- Advocating for “distributed exams”, the new president of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Vinay Pathak, has emphasised that “over-centralisation” of any test can lead to significant adverse issues and a single exam should not determine the future of a student.
Concerns
- Citing issues like the NEET-UG paper leaks and the decision to revert to pen-and-paper exams for UGC-NET and CUET-UG, Pathak, also the vice-chancellor of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, warned in an interaction with TOI about the dangers of centralising exam systems.
- “Over-centralising exams, where a single test determines a student’s future, is fraught with risks. In engineering, for instance, moving from single-threaded to distributed systems improved reliability because if one part fails, others can still function,” he said.
Tech-driven adaptive testing
- Pathak proposed technology-driven adaptive testing, akin to the GRE and TOEFL, which adjusts in real time to a test-taker’s ability level, offering a secure and fair assessment as a forward-thinking solution.
- “AI-driven adaptive tests can create personalised and secure exams, minimising leaks and offering a more accurate measurement of student abilities,” he noted.
Comprehensive evaluation
- Pathak argued for a holistic approach to university admissions by integrating multiple evaluation methods, such as Board exam scores, group discussions, and personal interviews, beyond just entrance tests.
- Pathak noted that exams like JEE-Mains, which offer multiple attempts, allow students to perform to their potential and mitigate the impact of a bad day.
Addressing student stress
- Limiting students to a single exam can be detrimental, leading to undue stress and even mental health issues, Pathak pointed out.
- “That’s why you’re seeing lots of depression during medical entrance tests and many suicides. While multiple exams have their own pressures, they also release pressure differently,” he added.
Ensuring fairness and integrity
- Regarding the recent issues of paper leaks and irregularities in major exams, Pathak emphasised the importance of maintaining the integrity of the exam process. For more
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| | 4. ‘NEET-UG retest not needed, would adversely impact candidates’ |  | No go- The Centre has filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court on Friday, arguing against scrapping an entire NEET UG 2024 examination held on May 5, due to the absence of proof of any large-scale breach of confidentiality.
- The affidavit states that invalidating the exam would "seriously jeopardise" the efforts of lakhs of honest candidates who appeared in the exam.
Promises- In its affidavit, the Centre has spoken of its commitment to conducting all competitive examinations in a fair and transparent manner.
- “The Union of India duly appreciates that the confidentiality of the question papers is the utmost priority in any examination and that if, due to some criminality at the behest of some criminal elements, the confidentiality has been breached, the Union of India submits that the said person must be dealt with sternly and with the full force of law to ensure that they are punished,” the affidavit reads.
- The government also stressed the need to balance competing rights, mentioning the importance of protecting the interests of the majority of students who did not engage in unfair practices.
- The Centre has further stated that the CBI has been tasked with investigating the full range of allegations regarding alleged irregularities, including conspiracy, cheating, impersonation, and breach of trust.
Awaited- A bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions seeking a re-test on July 8.
Meanwhile- The National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences has announced that the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test-Post Graduate (NEET-PG) 2024 will be conducted on August 11.
- The exam will be conducted in two shifts.
- The cut-off date for the purpose of eligibility to appear in the NEET-PG would continue to be August 15.
- Further details regarding the conduct of examination in two shifts will be published on the NBEMS website.
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| | NEWS IN CLUES | | 5. Can you guess this singer? | Clue 1: His song ‘Baby’ was the first to get 500 million views on YouTube
Clue 2: He famously dated actor and singer Selena Gomez
Clue 3: At 21, he was the youngest to have five number-one albums in the US
Scroll below for answers
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| | 6. Notice to CBI on Kejriwal's bail plea in excise policy case |  | Response required- The Delhi High Court on Friday asked the CBI to respond to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bail plea in the corruption case registered by the CBI in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
- Justice Neena Bansal Krishna issued a notice to the CBI on the bail plea and listed it for further hearing on July 17.
Kejriwal’s plea
- Kejriwal has applied for bail, arguing that his arrest by the CBI was unwarranted and that his detention is unlawful.
- Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, said the AAP leader is not a flight risk and not a terrorist, and the CBI arrested him after he got bail in the ED's money laundering case.
- Singhvi highlighted Kejriwal’s strong societal ties and advocated for interim relief in this matter.
CBI’s objection
- Advocate DP Singh, representing the CBI, objected to Kejriwal's direct appeal to the high court without first seeking bail from the trial court.
- The high court took note of the objection and said "the contention shall be considered at the time of arguments".
- "Higher courts often advise going back to lower courts when an alternative remedy is available. This prevents clogging higher courts and allows us to review the trial court's decision first" Justice Krishna said.
Background of the arrest
- Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 while he was already in Tihar Jail under judicial custody in a related money laundering case filed by the ED.
- Previously, Kejriwal was granted bail by the trial court in the ED's case on June 20, but this decision was subsequently stayed by the high court.
Alleged scam
- The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving the formulation and execution of the policy.
- According to the CBI and ED, there were irregularities in the modifications of the excise policy and undue advantages were granted to certain licence holders, prompting extensive legal and judicial scrutiny.
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| | | 8. Why Airtel is denying data breach of 37.5 crore users |  | ‘Not hacked’- Bharti Airtel on Friday said reports claiming the data of 37.5 crore subscribers has been hacked are false.
- Unverified reports had said Airtel user data, including phone number, email, address, date of birth, father’s name and Aadhaar number, was up for sale on the dark web.
- The company said, “This is nothing short of a desperate attempt to tarnish Airtel’s reputation by vested interests”.
News source- The breach was claimed by X user ‘Dark Web Informer’.
- The handle identified ‘xenZen’ as the seller of Airtel user data on a community called BreachForums.
- It said xenZen was demanding $50,000 for the information.
Happened before- This is not the first time Airtel has been hit with claims of a data breach.
- In February 2021, independent cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia had claimed that the personal data of 26 lakh Airtel subscribers in J&K was up for sale.
- While Airtel had denied the 2021 breach, in 2019 a security flaw in its mobile app had exposed the details of more than 30 crore users. Airtel had confirmed this breach and assured users that it had been fixed.
Not alone- Airtel is not alone in being the target of hackers.
- Shortly after Reliance Jio’s launch in 2016, its consumer data was allegedly hacked.
- Subscribers’ name, number, email, activation date and activation circle were available on a website called Magicapk in 2017.
- In 2022, call logs – including call location and duration – of 30 crore Vi (formerly Vodafone Idea) users had been leaked.
- Vi had acknowledged a flaw in its billing communication system but denied a data breach.
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| | 9. Was there no centipede in the Amul ice-cream tub? |  | Court intervenes- The Delhi High Court has asked a Noida-based social media user to remove posts claiming a centipede was found in a tub of Amul ice-cream after the customer remained absent in the court proceedings.
- The court also cited non-cooperation on their front, PTI reported.
- The court has prohibited the customer from posting or uploading any similar content on social media platforms until further notice.
The case- On June 15, Deepa Devi shared a photo on social media platform 'X' claiming to find a centipede in her Amul ice-cream tub from an instant delivery app.
- The plaintiff argued in court that the claim was false and that it is impossible for any foreign substances to be present in the ice cream packed at its facility.
No show- In an order dated July 4, the court noted the customer's non-cooperation and absence in proceedings, supporting the company's case.
- It noted that the customers were given an opportunity to participate in the court proceedings and make good the claim that they canvassed in their social media post but they "elected not to appear".
- They also refused to hand over the ice-cream tub to the company for the purpose of the investigation, PTI added.
Verdict- The court specified that if the defendants do not remove the social media posts within three days, the company may request 'X' to delete them from their platform.
- Represented by senior advocate Sunil Dalal and lawyer Abhishek Singh, the plaintiff company, submitted that while the company was willing to investigate the matter and had even contacted the customers on June 15, they refused to make available the ice-cream tub to the officials.
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| | | ANSWER TO NEWS IN CLUES |  | Justin Bieber. Pop sensation Justin Bieber arrived in Mumbai on Friday morning to perform at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's sangeet ceremony. The singer was spotted at a private airport, surrounded by his team and tight security cover. This would be his first live gig following a prolonged recovery from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which had left part of his face paralysed. This is Justin's second visit to the city after he last performed at a sold-out concert back in 2017. As an aside, Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey, are expecting their first child. The couple announced the pregnancy earlier this year, with the baby expected to arrive later in 2024. | |
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