Delhi Assembly polls: Majority of exit polls predict BJP’s return to power
Most of the exit polls on Wednesday predicted the return of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies to power in the Delhi Assembly polls after 27 years, while the Aam Aadmi Party was projected to finish second and the Congress a distant third.
60.39% of voters turn up in crucial Delhi election
60. 39% of Delhi voters had cast their votes by closing time on Wednesday, sealing the city’s political fate for the next five years. The voter turnout figure for the high-stakes Delhi Assembly election is likely to rise as updates continue to come in from polling booths.
Trump signs executive order to bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday (February 5, 2025) intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. “With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Mr. Trump said at a signing ceremony in the East Room that included lawmakers and female athletes who have come out in support of a ban, including former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines.
Amid a delay in holding Census, vital reports on births and deaths pending since 2020
With the decadal Census exercise pending since 2021 and unlikely to be conducted this year, at least two other key reports on births and deaths in the country have not been released by the Union Home Ministry for the past five years. The “Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System” and “The Report on Medical Certification of Cause of Death” were last released for the year 2020. The annual “Crime in India” report by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) for the year 2023 is also yet to be released.
Milkipur Assembly byelection: Over 65% voting, surpasses 2022 turnout
More than 65% of the total 3.70 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the bypoll to the Milkipur Assembly constituency of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday (February 5, 2025), surpassing the turnout recorded in the 2022 Assembly polls .Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav alleged “fake voting” and rigging by officials, but senior police officers rejected the charge by saying that voting went on peacefully at all polling stations.
J&K leaders decry ‘mass detentions’ in Kashmir after Kulgam attack
Several Jammu and Kashmir leaders on Wednesday (February 5, 2025) raised an outcry in Kashmir over the alleged mass summoning and detentions of local youth after the killing of an ex-serviceman by militants in south Kashmir’s Kulgam two days ago. National Conference (NC) MP Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said he was briefed on reports of over 500 individuals being rounded up by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the J&K Police in “sweeping nocturnal raids across Kashmir”.
House panel seeks SOPs for timely completion of spiritual tourism projects
Expressing disappointment over the slow progress of important projects in the Spiritual Tourism Circuits and under the PRASHAD scheme, a Parliamentary committee has asked the government to develop a “clear-cut Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)” and obtain prior clearances and approvals from relevant authorities for timely completion of projects.
Excited to do more together, OpenAI CEO tells IT Minister
In a brief onstage conversation with IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that his remarks in 2022 that it was “hopeless” for Indian firms to compete with the United States on building a foundational Artificial Intelligence model were “taken out of context”. Those remarks have been in focus since the Chinese firm DeepSeek managed to build a foundational model at par with OpenAI and other leading firms’ AI models at a fraction of the cost. OpenAI was “really excited to do a lot more together” in India, Mr. Altman said.
Fort William, Army’s Eastern HQ, renamed Vijay Durg
In the latest step toward eliminating colonial practices and mindsets within the armed forces, Fort William in Kolkata, the headquarters of the Eastern Army Command, has been renamed Vijay Durg. Additionally, Kitchener House inside Fort William has been renamed Manekshaw House, and South gate, formerly known as St. George’s Gate, is now Shivaji Gate.
Stryker infantry vehicle deal with U.S. progresses; Javelin missile to be demonstrated again
In the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India buy more military equipment from them and amid the upcoming visit of Mr. Modi to Washington DC next week, several defence deals in the pipeline are in focus, among them the deal for co-production of Stryker infantry combat vehicles. The performance of Stryker in high-altitude was demonstrated for the Indian Army and negotiations are making progress, according to sources in the know.
Published - February 06, 2025 08:16 am IST
