Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday said that the Sikhiya Kranti initiative, launched by his government to revitalize the education sector, is once again enabling the state to produce achievers on a daily basis.

Addressing a gathering while felicitating 44 students from government schools who cleared the prestigious JEE Advanced examination, the Chief Minister said that the students of Punjab possess an indomitable spirit to succeed. He added that the Sikhiya Kranti has provided them with the necessary support to excel in various fields. “These students are now scripting new success stories every day and bringing laurels to the state,” Bhagwant Singh Mann said.

The Chief Minister emphasized that the primary aim of Sikhiya Kranti is to make Punjab a frontrunner in the field of education. He expressed immense pride and satisfaction that the initiative is yielding outstanding results, with students proving their mettle across domains. Bhagwant Singh Mann assured that Punjab will continue to introduce educational reforms to further empower the youth.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Thursday exhorted the newly selected candidates of Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) to lead by example and become the brand ambassadors of the rich culture and heritage of the state across the country.

Interacting with 26 newly selected candidates here at his official residence today, the Chief Minister congratulated the candidates for their resounding success, which he attributed to their hard work, commitment and perseverance. He said that now when these candidates have been selected they will be allotted cadres and postings as per their merit. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that wherever these candidates should go and get postings they must spread the fragrance of their native state at their workplace.

Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir are embarking on their first tour of England on Thursday night -- Gill on his maiden tour as Test captain, while Gambhir will be going there for the first time as head coach. And to make matters worse for both of them, Team India is taking up the big challenge of a five-Test tour without players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, both of whom have announced their retirement from Test cricket just before the tour.

So, the first question thrown at the new India captain was whether he is facing any extra pressure because it is his first tour as captain, and that too without stalwarts like Rohit and Virat.

But Gill met it with a straight bat. He said he is not under any extra pressure and expressed confidence that his team will do well on the tour, which starts with the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, while expressing profound grief over the death of seven persons in Rewa, has announced a financial support of Rs 2 lakh each to the family of the deceased.

He has also announced financial support of Rs 50,000 to each of the injured persons in the accident.

He announced the support through his X handle, “Tragedy struck near Sohagi village in Rewa district when a truck carrying cement pillars overturned onto an auto carrying devotees from Nai Garhi, Mauganj district. The group had been returning from Prayagraj after performing a sacred Ganga bath. The devastating accident claimed seven lives and left three others injured. In response to this heart-breaking accident, the Madhya Pradesh government has extended its support to the affected families. Authorities have directed that financial aid be provided—Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those who sustained serious injuries.”

Sudhakar, also known as Nar Singhachalam, a central committee member of the group, has been killed in a fierce gun-battle in the dense forest of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh on Thursday.

He was a highly wanted Maoist figure in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra, with authorities having placed Rs 1 crore bounty on him.

Confirming his death, officials said he was eliminated in a fierce battle against Maoists which is going on in the dense forests of Bijapur, Chhattisgarh.

Gunfire has been raging since Thursday morning, with forces having moved in on intelligence indicating the presence of top Maoist leaders in the National Park region.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) achieved another major boost before the Ludhiana West Assembly by-election today, while the Congress Party suffered a significant setback. On Thursday, about two dozen Congress families, including Independent candidate Chandan Chhanaliya, joined AAP.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally inducted all the leaders and families into the party in the presence of Ludhiana West AAP candidate Sanjeev Arora and party MP Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal and extended them a warm welcome.

Among those who joined the party were educationist Simmi Chopra Pashan, Vinayak Pashan, Chanderjit Karan, Ranbir Singh (retired police officer and former international volleyball player), Advocate Jeevanjot, Advocate Mamta Arora, and Manish Aggarwal.

Riding on a dominant all-round display from Sairaj Patil, Eagle Thane Strikers continued their dominant run in the T20 Mumbai League 2025 with a commanding 97-run victory over Bandra Blasters at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

After powering Thane to a formidable total with a brisk unbeaten half-century, Patil returned to make an impact with the ball, picking up two key wickets in a superb all-round display. His efforts proved decisive as the Strikers decimated the Blasters’ batting line-up to seal their second straight victory, building on their opening-day win over Triumph Knights Mumbai North East.

The police have filed an FIR against the management of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), DNA event management company, and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), naming them as accused regarding the stampede incident near the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on June 4 which resulted in deaths of at least 11 people.

The development has come 24 hours after the tragic incident and amid criticism from the opposition and activists who questioned the government’s move to register only an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) instead of filing an FIR.

The Cubbon Park police in the Central Division of Bengaluru city has filed the FIR. The RCB management is named as the first accused in the case. DNA Event Management Company has been named as the second accused, and the KSCA has been named as the third accused party in the case.

the Ukrainian forces on Thursday struck a unit of Russian missile forces in Russia's Bryansk region, hitting Iskander launchers, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement.

The strike was launched as a unit of Russia's 26th missile brigade attempted to fire at a Ukrainian settlement, likely Kyiv, from the city of Klintsy, said the statement.

"The targets were successfully hit. One Russian missile launcher detonated, and two others were likely damaged," it said.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted a series of searches across the Kashmir Valley as part of its continuing investigations against terror conspiracy by Pakistan-backed proscribed terrorist organisations and their offshoots to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir, an official said.

A statement by NIA said: “Thirty-two locations in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir were searched as part of today’s crackdown. The locations were residential premises of hybrid terrorists and overground workers associated with these Pakistan based offshoots such as The Resistance Front (TRF), United Liberation Front Jammu & Kashmir (ULFJ&K), Mujahideen Gazwat-ul-Hind (MGH), Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Fighters (JKFF), Kashmir Tigers, PAAF and others, which are affiliated to proscribed terrorist organisations such as Laskar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Al-Badr etc.