Education Minister cancels Yoga Day event at Delhi University amid student protests
New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan called off his Yoga Day celebration at Delhi University on Friday after students protested against his presence. The protesters displayed black flags and raised slogans, citing recent alleged scams involving the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and UGC-NET.
The protests erupted as students voiced their discontent over the alleged leaks of NEET and UGC-NET exam papers. They accused the National Testing Agency (NTA) of institutional failure in handling the examinations.
On Thursday, Dharmendra Pradhan addressed a press briefing, acknowledging the UGC-NET paper leak as an institutional failure of the NTA. He announced that the government would set up a high-level committee to investigate the NTA’s functioning and recommend necessary reforms.
"The cancellation of UGC-NET was not a knee-jerk reaction. We obtained proof that the paper had leaked on the darknet and was circulating on Telegram, which led to the decision to cancel the exam," Pradhan stated.
He assured that the government is committed to zero-error testing and emphasized the formation of a reform committee. "The committee will be expected to make recommendations to further improve NTA, its structure, functioning, examination process, transparency, and data security protocols. The panel, which will include global experts, will be notified soon," he added.
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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Beirut strike, Israel's military says
Tel Aviv (AP): The Israeli military said Saturday that it killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah group, in a strike in Beirut on Friday.
The military said that it carried out a precise airstrike while Hezbollah leadership met at their headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut.
Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders, were also killed in the attack, the Israeli military said. The Lebanese Health Ministry said that 6 people were killed and 91 injured in the strikes on Friday, which leveled six apartment buildings.
Nasrallah has lead Hezbollah for more than three decades. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
Israel maintained a heavy barrage of airstrikes against Hezbollah on Saturday, as Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets toward Israel.
The Israeli military said it was mobilizing additional reserve soldiers as tensions escalate with Lebanon. The military said Saturday morning it was activating three battalions of reserve soldiers, after earlier sending two brigades to northern Israel earlier in the week to train for a possible ground invasion.
On Saturday morning, the Israeli military carried out several strikes in southern Beirut and eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah launched dozens of projectiles across northern and central Israel and the Israel-occupied West Bank.
In Beirut's southern suburbs, smoke rose and the streets were empty after the area was pummeled overnight by heavy Israeli airstrikes. Shelters set up in the city center for displaced people were overflowing. Many families slept in public squares and beaches or in their cars. On the roads leading to the mountains above the capital, hundreds of people could be seen making an exodus on foot, holding infants and whatever belongings they could carry.
At least six people were killed and 91 were wounded in the strikes against the Hezbollah on Friday, Lebanon's health ministry said. It was the biggest blast to hit the Lebanese capital in the past year and appeared likely to push the escalating conflict closer to full-fledged war. At least 720 people have been killed in Lebanon during the week, according to the Health Ministry.
The death toll is likely to rise significantly as teams comb through the rubble of six buildings. Israel launched a series of strikes on other areas of the southern suburbs following the initial blast.
