**Notable Features**

DEL58 LDALL EVMS SC rejects pleas to revive paper ballots, 100 pc cross-verification of votes cast on EVMs PM Modi hails verdict New Delhi The Supreme Court on Friday rejected pleas for reviving paper ballots and also 100 per cent cross-verification of votes cast on EVMs with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail VVPAT, holding that suspicions regarding tampering of the voting machines were unfounded.

Following are the top stories at 9.40 pm: NATION ELN235 LDALL ELECTIONS **** Nearly 61 per cent turnout in phase 2 of LS polls; Tripura records 78.53 pc, Manipur 77.18 New Delhi: Nearly 61 per cent polling was reported in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections covering 88 seats across 13 states amid few complaints of EVM glitches and bogus voting in some states. **** DEL58 LDALL EVMS **** SC rejects pleas to revive paper ballots, 100 pc cross-verification of votes cast on EVMs; PM Modi hails verdict New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected pleas for reviving paper ballots and also 100 per cent cross-verification of votes cast on EVMs with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), holding that suspicions regarding tampering of the voting machines were "unfounded". **** ELN215 ELECTIONS-BH-2NDLD MODI **** SC verdict on EVMs has shattered dreams of opposition: PM Araria/Munger (Bihar): Hailing the Supreme Court judgement on EVMs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday dubbed the verdict as a ''tight slap'' in the face of parties opposed to the BJP and claimed ''their dreams have been shattered into pieces''. **** DEL10 BJP-NADDA-LD CONG **** Nadda says Cong seeks to give Muslims quota meant for SCs, OBCs New Delhi: BJP president J P Nadda on Friday accused the Congress of seeking to snatch the rights of SCs, STs and OBCs to benefit Muslims, alleging that it is the hidden agenda of the opposition party. **** ELN245 ELECTIONS-CONG-PM-LD MINORITIES **** No Modi wave in this election, only poison: Congress hits out at PM New Delhi: The Congress on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleging that there is no 'Modi wave' in the country, but only poison spread by him. **** DEL43 CBSE-BOARD-EXAMS **** Board exams twice a year from 2025: MoE asks CBSE to work out logistics, no plan for semesters New Delhi: The Ministry of Education has asked the CBSE to work out logistics for conducting board exams twice a year from the 2025-26 academic session, according to sources. **** ELN231 CONG-CEC-CANDIDATES **** Congress to discuss candidates for Amethi, Raebareli seats on Saturday New Delhi: The top Congress leadership will discuss and finalise the party candidates for the remaining Lok Sabha seats, including Amethi and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday evening, sources said on Friday. **** ELN219 ELECTIONS-AAP-LD SUNITA **** Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita to spearhead AAP's LS campaign in Delhi and other states New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal will spearhead AAP's Lok Sabha campaign in the national capital and other states, which begins with her maiden roadshow on Saturday in support of party's East Delhi candidate Kuldeep Kumar, senior party leader Atishi said. **** DEL57 CBI-4THLD SANDESHKHALI **** Arms including police revolver and foreign-made guns seized by CBI in Sandeshkhali raids New Delhi/Kolkata: The CBI on Friday seized arms and ammunition, including a police service revolver and foreign-made firearms, during searches at two premises of an associate of now-suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali, officials said. **** LEGAL LGD41 SC-EVM-CROSS VERIFICATION-HIGHLIGHTS **** Highlights of SC verdict in EVM-VVPAT case New Delhi: Following are the highlights of the Supreme Court's verdict on Friday that rejected pleas seeking complete cross-verification of votes cast using electronic voting machines (EVMs) with a Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT). **** LGD39 DL-HC-STUDENTS-KEJRIWAL **** Kejriwal as CM even after arrest puts political interest over national interest: Delhi HC New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the city government over the issue of non-supply of books to the children studying in MCD schools, saying the continuation of Arvind Kejriwal as the chief minister even after his arrest puts political interest over national interest. **** FOREIGN FGN49 CHINA-BLINKEN-LDALL XI **** China is not afraid of competition, Xi tells Blinken as they spar over Beijing's backing to Russia's Ukraine war Beijing: Sparring over a host of differences, including China's support to Russia over the Ukraine war and mounting US pressure on Beijing to stop flooding global markets with cheap goods, China and the US on Friday managed to reach a five-point consensus to stabilise strained ties after a testy meeting between President Xi Jinping and Secretary of State Antony Blinken here. By K J M Varma **** FGN48 CHINA-TIBET-LD TALKS **** China: Talks on Tibet only with Dalai Lama's representatives; open to discuss his personal future, not autonomy Beijing: China on Friday said it will talk only with the representatives of the Dalai Lama and not the officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in India but ruled out dialogue on the highest Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader's long-pending demand for autonomy for his remote Himalayan homeland. By K J M Varma **** FGN10 US-INDIAN-ARREST-ISRAEL-PROTEST **** Indian-origin student in US arrested, barred from varsity for taking part in anti-Israel protests on campus New York: An Indian-origin female student studying at the prestigious Princeton University is among two students who have been arrested and barred from the campus for staging pro-Palestine protests on the campus. ****

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