JEE-Main result declared; 24 candidates score 100 percentile
New Delhi: The result for JEE-Mains was announced on Friday with 24 students scoring 100 percentile in the engineering entrance exam which was postponed twice in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Telangana has maximum 100 percentile scorers at 8, Delhi is at the second spot with 5 hundred percentile scorers followed by Rajasthan (4), Andhra Pradesh (3), Haryana (2 ) and one candidate each from Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The Joint Entrance Exam (JEE)-Mains for admission to engineering colleges was conducted from September 1 to 6, amid stringent precautions and social distancing measures in view of COVID-19 pandemic.
Staggered entry and exit for candidates, sanitisers at the gate, distribution of masks and maintaining distance as candidates queued up, were among the scenes witnessed at the exam centres across the country.
A total of 8.58 lakh candidates had registered for the JEE-Mains exam for admission to engineering courses in IITs, NITs and Centrally Funded Technical Institutions (CFTIs) while only 74 per cent of them had appeared for the exam.
Increasing the number of examination centres, alternate seating plans, fewer candidates per room and staggered entry and exit were among the steps taken by the National Testing Agency for safely conducting the crucial exam.
While the governments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh had assured students that they would provide transportation to candidates, a group of IIT alumni and students also launched a portal to provide transport facilities to exam centres for the candidates in need.
There had been a growing chorus for postponing JEE-Mains and medical entrance exam NEET amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
The Supreme Court had earlier dismissed a plea seeking postponement of the two exams amid a spurt in the number of COVID-19 cases, saying a "precious year" of students cannot be wasted and life has to go on.
Based on the results of the JEE-Mains Paper 1 and Paper 2, the top 2.45 lakh candidates will be eligible to appear for the JEE-Advanced exam, which is a one-stop exam to get admission into the 23 premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). JEE-Advanced is scheduled to take place on September 27.
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White Smoke signals new Pope elected after Francis' death
Vatican City: The Roman Catholic Church has a new pope. White smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday evening, accompanied by the ringing of St. Peter’s Basilica’s bells, signalling that the College of Cardinals has elected a successor to Pope Francis.
The announcement came on the first full day of voting by the 133 cardinal electors, who began their conclave behind the Vatican’s ancient walls on Wednesday. At around 6:08 p.m. local time (1608 GMT), the much-anticipated white smoke confirmed that the cardinals had reached the required two-thirds majority needed to select the new pontiff.
A wave of joy and applause swept through the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square as they witnessed the historic moment. Many had been waiting for hours, watching the chimney for signs of a decision.
The identity of the newly elected pope and the name he has chosen will be officially announced from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica shortly. He is also expected to deliver his first address and blessing to the faithful assembled in the square.
The conclave was called following the death of Pope Francis on April 21. Francis, who led the Church’s 1.4 billion followers for 12 years, had left behind a mixed but impactful legacy. Known for his push for reform, he encouraged dialogue on complex issues like the role of women in the Church and greater acceptance of LGBT Catholics. His papacy was marked by a vision to modernise the Church while maintaining its core spiritual values.
Though there were no clear favourites ahead of the vote, speculation centred on Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who served as the Vatican’s Secretary of State under Francis, and Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. Others considered possible candidates included French Archbishop Jean-Marc Aveline, Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, Italian Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and Filipino Bishop Pablo Virgilio David.
The decision of the cardinals, who had been cut off from the outside world and sworn to secrecy during the conclave, reflects the Church’s next direction. They were tasked with choosing between continuing the progressive path laid by Francis or shifting back towards a more conservative leadership.
During the voting process, which started with an inconclusive round on Wednesday evening and continued through two more rounds on Thursday morning, the cardinals remained secluded. Their only connection with the outside world was through the colour of the smoke signals — black for no decision and white when a new pope is elected.
Traditionally, it takes an average of around seven ballots to elect a pope. Pope Francis was chosen after just five rounds in 2013. The precise number of rounds taken this time has not been disclosed yet.
The world now awaits the formal appearance of the new pope, who will step out to greet the global Catholic community and outline the tone of his papacy.
