Good evening. The last day of campaigning for the second phase of the Bihar Assembly polls and Vande Mataram vs Jana Gana Mana row dominated news headlines on Sunday, November 9. But much more has happened in the worlds of politics, business, technology, sport, and entertainment. Don’t worry, Express Catch-up is here to bring you up to speed.
Another mega eviction drive has resumed in Assam with district and forest authorities in Goalpara district, directing the demolition of homes on around 1,140 bighas (153 hectare) of land on Sunday morning. The state had witnessed a massive eviction campaign this year, with multiple demolition drives carried out across several districts in a move that the government termed as a way to stem a “demographic invasion” by “people of one religion”. According to Goalpara DC Prodip Timung, the eviction drive is likely to take at least two days. “We have issued eviction notices to 580 families. The entire stretch of land is completely under the Dahikata Reserve Forest and has been encroached by these people,” he said. Notably, among the many who were hit by the eviction drive earlier were from the Muslim community. Read more
After Congress leaders criticised the RSS, Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat hit out saying its recognised as a “body of individuals”. His comments came as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge recently said that the RSS should be banned. His son and Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge demanded a ban on RSS activities in government institutions and public places. He even questioned the registration number of the RSS and its sources of funding. Bhagwat made the remark during the “100 Years of Sangh Journey: New Horizons” event in Bengaluru, when during an in-house question-and-answer session, he said, “RSS was established in 1925, so do you expect us to have registered with the British government?” Read more
After being denied an examination form over non-payment of fees, a second-year BA student at a college in Muzaffarnagar’s Budhana allegedly self immolated on the college campus. He is currently hospitalised in Delhi and has suffered over 70 per cent burns. In a video statement recorded two days before the incident, Ujjwal Rana (20) had accused the principal and police personnel of allegedly assaulting and humiliating him due to the fee non-payment. Sources said he was refused permission to appear for his third semester exam. Videos of the self immolation, which have surfaced on social media, show the student engulfed in flames as other students rush to help. Read more
Manchester City and Liverpool will look to take advantage of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw against Sunderland and reduce the gap between them and the league leader when the two rivals go head to head at the Etihad on Sunday.
Arsenal are currently leading the table with 26 points while Manchester City are 3rd with 19 points. Defending champions Liverpool, who are just coming back to form after losing 4 back to back matches in the league, are currently 6th with 18 points. With a win set to catapult them to the second position, both Liverpool and City will go all guns blazing in this all important encounter. Read more
A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets has revealed that the Mars’ surface chemistry evolved over time, much like Earth’s ancient oceans. The findings suggest that Mars transitioned from harsh, acidic conditions to more neutral and eventually alkaline environments — marking multiple wet eras increasingly favourable for life. The study analysing high-resolution geochemical data from the rover identified around 24 different mineral types and was led by Rice University graduate student Eleanor Moreland. Read more
