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Lord Jagannath, along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, embarks on a journey to the Gundicha Temple – their aunt’s house – in three beautifully decorated chariots.

Jagannath Rath Yatra is one of the most important Hindu festivals celebrated in Odisha. It is organised on a grand scale, with preparations beginning a month in advance. Every year, the auspicious Rath Yatra begins on the Dwitiya Tithi of Shukla Paksha in the month of Ashadha at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. This year, the Rath Yatra will commence on June 27. On this day, Lord Jagannath, along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra, embarks on a journey to the Gundicha Temple – their aunt’s house – in three beautifully decorated chariots.

The Rath Yatra continues for 12 days and will conclude on July 8, when the deities return to the main temple. Devotees from across India and abroad participate in this grand spiritual procession. Several religious rituals and cultural programmes are organised during this sacred journey.

Lord Jagannath is believed to be fond of Malpua, which is why it is offered before the Rath Yatra begins. This sweet is made by frying a batter of wheat flour and khoya, then dipping it in sugar syrup. You can easily prepare it at home

A traditional Odia delicacy, Poda Pitha is a slow-cooked, cake-like dish made with rice, urad dal, coconut, and jaggery. It is especially prepared during festivals and is a cherished offering to Lord Jagannath during the Yatra.

A staple in Odia homes, especially in summer, Pakhala Bhaat is made with rice and curd, left to ferment for a few hours. Lightly spiced, this cooling dish is also served at the Jagannath Temple as part of the offerings.

Rekha Gupta said the depot was completed in just 90 days and claimed it reflects the BJP government’s commitment to deliver on promises made to Delhi residents.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday flagged off 105 new orange-coloured DEVI (Delhi EV Inter-connector) electric buses and inaugurated the newly built Sector A9 depot in Narela, calling it a step towards cleaner and more efficient public transport for the capital.

Ms Gupta said the depot was completed in just 90 days and claimed it reflects the BJP government’s commitment to deliver on promises made to Delhi residents.

She also attacked the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of pushing Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) into losses and fostering a corrupt system.

“Buses are Delhi’s lifeline. But under the previous government, routes were cut, buses reduced, and corruption seeped in,” she said. Referring to the CAG report, Gupta claimed that DTC had incurred losses amounting to Rs 65,000 crore during the earlier regime.

She alleged that even the free bus ride scheme for women was marred by corruption and panic buttons were installed “just for show”.

Highlighting features of the new nine-metre-long electric buses, Gupta said they are equipped with air conditioning, panic buttons, and real-time monitoring systems. “When we removed paper tickets and moved to cards, AAP spread lies that women would no longer travel for free. But the move was only to curb corruption,” she said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Transport Minister Pankaj Singh, who was present at the event, said the previous government denied people their right to better buses. “These buses should have arrived by last monsoon, but the former government failed to deliver. Today, the BJP is fulfilling that promise,” he said.

He said that earlier DEVI buses were green in colour, and this is the first time an entire fleet of orange-coloured buses has been introduced. This adds more vibrancy, and we will continue increasing their numbers, as we have been doing since the launch of the DEVI buses.

Delhi BJP leader Yogender Chandolia dismissed AAP’s claim that this was just a rebranding exercise. “If these were AAP’s buses, they would have been on the roads months ago. These are new buses, purchased and brought in under the BJP. AAP never procured small electric buses – they reused old ones,” he said.

Chandolia said the new compact DEVI buses, with seating for 23 and standing space for 17 passengers, are ideal for navigating Delhi’s narrow lanes and will benefit people. “This is the real Rekha Gupta Model – “clean, modern, and efficient public transport,” he added.

Currently, Delhi operates around 2,000 electric buses, and officials said the number will continue to rise, with a goal of achieving 100 per cent electrification of the bus fleet by 2027.

The Kochi police started a probe after receiving a theft complaint from Kerala High Court Judge, Justice A Badharudeen.The Kochi police have received a theft complaint from Kerala High Court Judge, Justice A Badharudeen, according to officials on Friday, stating that six sovereigns of gold were missing from his residence.

The complaint, which was filed on Thursday, mentions that the gold has been stolen from the judge’s bedroom. The police have registered an FIR under Section BNS 305.

What has surprised many is that the thief has decamped with gold from a high-security guarded house located in the heart of the commercial capital of the state.

The judge registered the complaint with the Kalamassery police under which his residence falls.

After the preliminary probe, the police are now planning to prepare a list of those who need to be spoken to, as this incident occurred in the bedroom of the senior judge.

More details are awaited.

The incident has raised concerns regarding the security situation in the state. The Congress-led UDF has been accusing the state government of failing to curb the crimes.

It has been found that Kerala is a haven for organised gangs hailing from neighbouring states who specialise in robbing homes, and the cases against non-Keralaite thieves are also on the increase.

According to information prepared by the home department, which was placed before the Assembly last year, it showed 192 cases of theft involving non-Keralites were registered in 2021, and the numbers have been steadily increasing. This rose to 360 in 2022.

In 2023, the number increased further to 519, and by September 2024, a total of 307 such cases were registered. But the image of the Kerala Police got a boost when over 1,350 thieves during this period were put behind bars.

However, with regards to the case being registered in the burglary at the home of a judge, the police appear to have a tough job ahead.

Likewise, with other crimes also on the increase, the Ernakulam Police have come out with a directive to landlords who are seeking to rent out their properties. The police have urged the landlords to get a police clearance certificate from the prospective tenants from their local police station where they stayed.

When the officials reached the spot, they found many elderly people tied up in their clothes and locked in rooms.Elderly people locked in rooms, no staff to take care of them, some of them wearing urine and faeces-stained clothes, while others left alone with no clothes. Such a pitiable condition of the elderly people was found at an old-age home, Anand Niketan Vridha Ashram, in Noida’s Sector 55.

A video of the poor state of the old-age home, which went viral, was also recently sent to the Social Welfare Department of Lucknow. The short clip showed an elderly woman kept in a room with her hands tied. Soon after, the State Women’s Commission and the Noida police raided the home on Thursday and rescued 39 senior citizens.

When the officials reached the spot, they found many elderly people tied up in their clothes and locked in rooms. According to State Women Commission member Meenakshi Bharala, some old men were locked up in basement-like rooms. While most of the elderly men were not wearing clothes, the women were given partial clothing. Many of them were found with urine-stained or feces-stained clothes.Additionally, officials found there was no proper staff to take care of the senior citizens.

One employee of the old-age home, who called herself a nurse, said that she had just passed the 12th standard.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the Ashram had taken a donation of Rs 2.5 lakh from the families of the elderly people. Additionally, they also took Rs 6,000 per month for their food and accommodation.

Delhi to see thunderstorm and rain today, minimum temperature at 29 degrees Celsius recorded. Air Quality Index at satisfactory level.Thunderstorm accompanied by rain is expected in the national capital on Friday, with the minimum temperature recorded at 29 degrees Celsius at 8.30 am, 1.1 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 37 degrees Celsius, while the relative humidity was recorded at 72 per cent at 8.30 am, the IMD said.

The weather department has forecast thunderstorm with rain for the day.

The city’s air quality was recorded in the “satisfactory” category on Thursday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 95 at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 to 100 “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “moderate”, 201 to 300 “poor”, 301 to 400 “very poor”, and 401 to 500 “severe”.

Some of the directors who reported to Afshar now report to Tom Zhu, Tesla’s senior vice president of automotive, according to some of the people. The Chinese-born executive oversees Tesla’s factory in Shanghai and is one of the company’s three named executive officers.

Afshar, Musk, Zhu and Tesla didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Tesla Vice President Omead Afshar, left, at a Tesla manufacturing facility in Shanghai in 2019.

Afshar, who has worked in the office of the CEO, was promoted last year to oversee sales and manufacturing operations in North America and Europe. Those markets have become particular pain points for the automaker recently, with sales plunging due to rising competition and a consumer backlash to Musk’s role in US President Donald Trump’s administration.

This marks the latest departure of a prominent Tesla leader in recent weeks. Milan Kovac, the head of engineering for the company’s Optimus humanoid robot program, stepped down citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Jenna Ferrua, who is listed on LinkedIn as a human resources director for North America, has also left Tesla and no longer appears to be in the company directory, according to people familiar.

The personnel changes punctuate a tumultuous year for Tesla, whose shares have tumbled about 19% while demand has waned for its EV models and Musk has spent time in Washington. The chief executive officer is trying to reorient the company around artificial intelligence, robots and driverless cars, recently rolling out a small number of Tesla’s long-promised robotaxis in Austin.

Tesla is expected to report global delivery results for the second quarter next week.

Its shares briefly turned negative after Bloomberg reported Afshar’s departure, and were little changed as of 1:57 p.m. in New York.

Afshar joined Tesla in 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile, as the carmaker was beginning to ramp up production of the Model 3 sedan.

He came under internal scrutiny in 2022 for his role in purchasing hard-to-get construction materials, including a special kind of glass, Bloomberg reported.

It’s not unusual for executives to shuffle from one part of Musk’s empire to another, and Afshar worked at SpaceX for a time.

Tesla has just three named executive officers: Musk, Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja and Zhu.

After days of parallel announcements, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) will now lead a joint march in Mumbai to oppose the state government’s three-language formula, which includes Hindi as a mandatory third language for primary school students.

Mr Raut confirmed the development today in a post on X , writing,”A united march will take place against the imposition of Hindi in schools in Maharashtra. Jai Maharashtra!”

His post was accompanied by an old image of both Uddhav and Raj Thackeray standing in front of a portrait of Bal Thackeray. 

With the BMC elections approaching, this move is being seen as more than just the estranged cousins coming together for a cultural protest, but also a strategic move ahead of the polls.

Raj Thackeray, founder of the MNS, had originally announced a protest for July 6. The date clashed with Ashadhi Ekadashi, a day of religious significance in Maharashtra. Raj Thackeray revised the date to July 5. 

“With warm regards, Jai Maharashtra. This morning, for our Marathi language, for Maharashtra, and for the Marathi people, a morcha was announced on July 6. There is a slight change in that plan; the morcha will now take place on Saturday, July 5, at 10 AM from Girgaum to Azad Maidan. The location and all other details remain unchanged. Therefore, the media and the people of Maharashtra should take note of this change,” Raj Thackeray stated in a social media post. 

Separately, Uddhav Thackeray had backed a July 7 march initiated by the Tribhasha Sutra (Three language formula) Anti-Mumbai Coordination Committee.”We will not allow the imposition of Hindi as a third language in Marathi and English schools for Classes 1 to 5 in Maharashtra. This is not just an educational issue; it is cultural encroachment.”

Uddhav Thackeray also questioned the constitutional basis and political motivation behind the policy, invoking comments made by BJP national president JP Nadda and calling for scrutiny of the state’s education system.

Speaking on behalf of the next generation of the Thackeray legacy, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said: “No language should be forced. What we have been learning should continue. Education should be enhanced, but not burdened. Why only Hindi? Why not improve what’s already in place rather than adding to the load?”

Veteran political leader and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar echoed similar views recently.

“My view is that Hindi should not be made compulsory in primary education. There is no issue with children learning Hindi after Class 5. But we must analyse how many languages a child of a certain age can realistically learn and what linguistic burden that places on them,” Mr Pawar said.

In a critique of the existing administrative work culture, Mr Sharma, a 1996-batch IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, raised concerns over what he described as an overwhelming focus on routine and procedural tasks that detract from the core responsibilities of governance.

Mr Sharma, who recently took charge as Principal Secretary of the Energy Department in the Rajasthan government, used his new role as a moment to reflect and challenge the status quo within the bureaucracy.

He argued that this mindset has led to a loss of focus on department-specific goals, with officers often caught in an endless loop of administrative formalities that offer little sectoral insight or impact.

Mr Sharma drew a clear line between what he considers non-core and core responsibilities. While non-core tasks include meetings, litigation, and routine correspondence, core work, according to him, involves hands-on engagement with the mission and vision of specific departments such as water, energy, education, health and infrastructure.

“These common-to-all-department tasks are important though. But they leave you with little time for the Core Work,” he added. “Handling the Core Work of the department successfully is a real challenge and a true contribution to the organisation and society.”

He warned that a persistent neglect of core departmental functions can not only stall innovation but also create a “false sense of being an expert administrator,” ultimately harming service delivery in the long term.

“The Energy Department is one of those places that essentially needs a greater emphasis on the Core Work,” he noted. “So, the resolution this time is to reverse the scenario.”

During wartime in Western countries, it spread government messages, boosted morale, and delivered frontline updates. Even today, in the digital age, radio remains a vital survival tool during wars, disasters, and blackouts, proving its enduring role in communication, resilience, and public unity across generations and geographies. In Ukraine, when TV towers were destroyed and signals jammed, citizens turned to crank radios to access life-saving updates and coded escape routes. Similarly, Palestinians in Gaza have relied on radio for news amid telecommunications blackouts.

Experts say radio’s dependability lies in its simplicity. It doesn’t rely on expensive devices, data plans, or fragile digital infrastructure. Emergency radios powered by cranks or solar energy can continue broadcasting even when electricity is down

Fears of World War 3 have triggered a surge in radio purchases, fuelled by TikTok influencers in Europe and US urging users to include radios in survival kits. They warn that if the power grid fails, people may miss vital government alerts without access to traditional radio.

Radio waves, a type of light, are created by accelerating electrons in an electric circuit. By altering their amplitude (AM) or frequency (FM), these waves carry information.

Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ Were Added During Emergency, Not in Original Preamble: RSS Leader

Dattatreya Hosabale, the general secretary of the BJP’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, today said the fate of two words in the preamble of the constitution – “Socialist” and “Secular” — should be decided through debate.

“During Emergency, two words Secular and Socialist were added to the Constitution, which were not part of the original Preamble,” Mr Hosabale said at an event organised on 50 years of the Emergency.

On the occasion, he also took a jibe at the Congress, and without naming him, its senior leader Rahul Gandhi.

“The people who did this (imposed Emergency) are roaming around with copies of the Constitution today. They have, to date, not apologised to the people of India for this,” he said.

“You put more than 1 lakh people in jail, kept more than 250 journalists in jail, violated fundamental rights, and forced 60 lakh Indians to undergo sterilisation… You ended the independence of judiciary. Have all the people who did this apologised to the country? If it was not you but your ancestors, then you have to apologise in their name,” he added. 

The BJP’s move to name the 50th anniversary of Emergency —  – imposed by the government of the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975  — as the “Samvidhan Hatya Divas (Murder of Constitution Day)”, has opened a new front with the Congress.

The two parties have been again at loggerheads since yesterday, with leaders from JP Nadda to Union home minister Amit Shah ripping into the Congress.  

The Congress has responded sharply in face of the concerted BJP attack .

Apart from BJP-backed  programmes  in various states, the Union Cabinet adopted a resolution to honour the sacrifices of those who resisted Emergency. The ministers also observed two-minute silence against the excesses committed back then.