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The Centre for Indian and Foreign Languages (CIFL), Delhi University, has commenced its admissions for its highly sought-after part-time certificate foreign language courses for the academic year 2025–26.

The short courses, open to students as well as working professionals, provide intensive training in eight key international languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese.

Conducted by Open Learning Development Centre (OLDC), CIFL courses are in collaboration with the Germanic and Romance Studies and East Asian Studies Departments of the university. After successful completion, the students will be awarded a certificate issued by the University of Delhi itself.

ADMISSIONS NOW OP

The online application time is June 16 to July 12, 2025, and the whole admissions process will be online at cifl.oldcdu.ac.in. The applicant should have passed Class 12 or equivalent degree. Admissions would be based on merit, computed on marks obtained in the top four subjects (English or Hindi included).

General category applicants have to have scored a minimum of 50 percent aggregate marks and 45 percent in English or Hindi. Reserved category has relaxation, whereby the cutoff is lower, i.e., 45 percent. Graduates and postgraduates are also given bonus weightage—10 percent and 15 percent respectively—which will be added to their merit score.

Every candidate is entitled to one language course, and the application cost is Rs 200 per course. Every supporting document, including a recent passport photo, 10+2 mark sheets, and scanned signature, must be uploaded while registering.

COURSE DURATION AND FEES

The part-time courses will begin in mid-August 2025 and extend to March 2026. There will be on-campus classes in person, and specific schedules will be provided a week prior to starting.

The course fee is Rs 10,000 with a one-time examination fee of Rs 510. The student must pay a one-time university registration fee of Rs 300 also if he or she is not previously enrolled with DU. Fees paid are non-refundable barring the unlikely scenario of cancellation of the course by the university.

MERIT LISTS AND COUNSELLING

Admissions will be conducted in three rounds:

• First Merit List: July 17 (Counselling: July 18,20)
• Second Merit List: 22 Jul (Counselling: 23 Jul,25 Jul)
• Third Merit List: 27 Jul (Counselling: 28 Jul,30 Jul)

Shortlisted candidates have to accept admission and pay fees within three days of their respective counselling. CIFL has stressed strict compliance with guidelines. The applicants will be made to ensure all the information submitted is a copy of their original documents, and once submitted, no modification is permitted. Change of courses after admission is not permitted, and admission is provisional pending receipt of original documents.

Such students shall be provided with a formal DU student ID card but shall not be eligible to utilize central DU facilities like library usage or hostel accommodation.

The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) has updated its guidelines for the procedure of Class 11 supplementary exam, bringing with it a significant change for students who are unable to pass Semester 2 papers.

Since the 2024–25 academic session, failing students in the Semester 2 examination have been given a new opportunity to appear for supplementary exams a month after the results are announced.

What was the old system?

Under the previous rules, supplementary exams were available only to those who had failed in any paper in Semester 1. They were held simultaneously with Semester 2 exams in the same year. There was no provision under the previous rules for those who had failed Semester 2—those who failed Semester 2 were asked to repeat the whole year.

What is new now?

Under the new Regulation 8, Semester 2 failing students will now be allowed to write supplementary exams within a month after the Semester 2 exams. This is a new provision for reducing students' academic loss and to help them clear backlogs without repeating the entire year in full.

The new rules will come into force from the 2024–25 academic session and retrospectively for the students who had appeared in the 2025 Semester 2 exams.

The new guidelines have been directed by WBCHSE for all Heads of Institutions (HOIs) to be implemented as a special case with effect from immediately.

But if a student fails in the supplementary exams (either Sem 1 or Sem 2), he/she will have to reappear for both semesters in the following academic session.

The regulation change introduces welcome flexibility to Class 11 students so that they can progress academically without being held up for the entire year due to Semester 2 failures if they clear the supplementary exams within the stipulated time.

Delhi University found itself in the soup after its undergraduate admission form had the word "Muslim" as a 'mother tongue' — without a mention of Urdu, a language according to the Constitution. While the screenshots of the form went viral on social media, DU issued a gushy statement that it was a "clerical error.".

"The University of Delhi would like to offer its sincerest regret for the inadvertent error that has been made in its admission form. We thank you for your vigilance and hope to make the necessary correction. But to interpret ulterior motives in this entirely inadvertent error is quite inappropriate. We implore all not to marinate the University's pluralistic and peaceful environment," said the official press statement.

The entry point had also been closed for a while and then re-set. Officials ensured the form has been re-designed and Urdu has been restored. But all are not sure if it was a technical glitch.

Abha Dev Habib, former member of DU Executive Council, tweeted it wasn't an "innocent mistake". "Mixing religion and language is ignorant and dangerous," she tweeted.

FACULTY CALL IT A DEEPER PROBLEM

Scant numbers of DU professors believe the mistake amounts to anything. Executive Council member Dr Mithuraaj Dhusiya stated, "Such mistakes give a wrong impression about the university as a liberal institution. Urdu is a part of India's cultural heritage."

Kirori Mal College instructor Rudrashish Chakraborty stated the use of the word 'Muslim' in a particular context "misrepresents India's largest minority community". He further clarified that Urdu is a secular language and is spoken by all.

'MOTHER TONGUE' OR 'NATIVE LANGUAGE'?

The professors have also complained about the terms employed. "The 'mother tongue' is a colloquial expression. Academic writing should employ 'native' or 'first language' in the interest of clarity," believed a DU English department teacher.

Releasing a statement, DU added: "We respect your concerns and are willing to iron out a solution to them. it is not to simply attribute ulterior motives to this entirely inadvertent mistake."

The Odisha government has asked all public universities and colleges in the state to observe “Samvidhan Hatya Diwas” on June 25 to mark the 50th year of the imposition of Emergency.

The higher education department, in a letter to the colleges and universities, requested the organization of an awareness march with students and teachers holding placards and slogans invoking constitutional values. They were also requested to hold debates, workshops and lectures on the imposition of Emergency, and the need for constitutional rights and duties.

The letter from the department stated that the declaration of the Emergency on June 25, 1975, remains a grim reminder of the blackest moment in the history of India's democracy. July 11, 2024, has been notified as "Samvidhan Hatya Diwas" by a Union Ministry of Home Affairs notification, the letter added.

Emergency saw a widespread suspension of civil freedoms, undermining of constitutional protections and unparalleled centralization of executive authority. Basic rights were violated, the media muzzled under draconian censorship, (and) thousands of political figures, journalists and civil society activists jailed," the letter stated.

It stated it was necessary to mark the 50th year of the Emergency with "serious reflection and reaffirmed commitment to democratic principles and constitutional ethics.".

Colleges and universites have also been instructed to arrange seminars on the Constitution's Preamble, conduct panel discussions, arrange different competitions, documentary screenings and street plays.

The institutions have also been instructed to maintain attendance in these events and to file records.

The Odisha BJP government has also made grand preparations to commemorate 'Samvidhan Hatya Diwas' in a state-level function. The BJP government of the state previously declared a monthly pension of Rs 20,000 to people who were jailed during the Emergency period declared by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Himanta Biswa Sarma, chief minister of Assam, announced OBC status for transgenders in the state. Original Id issued to Assam inhabitants. This historical move towards social inclusion which was made at one of the recent cabinet meetings, has been further heralded as a grand move towards social justice and empowerment of one of the most marginalised sub-sectors in the state.

CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Statement

Announcing the decision, Chief Minister Sarma said, “Today, the Assam cabinet has approved to provide social and backwards classes status to the transgender community. We will provide identity cards only to those people in the transgender community who are the original inhabitants of Assam.” He further said, “This is a historic step for Assam. The state will now recognize transgender persons under the SEBC category, in compliance with the Supreme Court's directive. This recognition aims to help integrate them into the mainstream of development and public welfare.”

OBC Status For Transgenger is For Only Assam Residents

The given benefits are only applicable to permanent residents of Assam. In Assam, Transgender people will not be given the OBC status even though coming in from another state to work or study or any other motives. Eligible persons will be issued with official identity cards that will enable delivery of benefits to the targets.

The 2011 Census reported 11,374 trans people living in Assam, but the activists note that this figure is far less than the actual one since there is underreporting and stigmatization. These gaps were realized in the Assam Policy for Transgenders, 2020, which sought better data collection and specific welfare programs. The reclassification into OBC is projected to benefit directly thousands of transgender individuals in the state that gain access to reserved seats in schools and colleges, employment in the state government, and various welfare schemes.

What does the OBC status mean to the Transgender community of Assam?

By awarding OBC status to transgenders, the Assam government is allowing these individuals a wide array of opportunities such as:

• Educational and government reservation
• Entitlement to welfare programs and scholarships
• Formal identity cards and legal identification Legal acknowledgment and official identity cards

This step places Assam in the same line as a group of modern Indian states such as TamilNadu, Kerala and Karnataka among others, that have already enacted such a progressive affirmative action program on the trans-gender community.

The context of the Legal and Social Situation

It is an ambitious policy step triggered by the 2014 landmark NALSA vs Union of India verdict of the Supreme Court which instructed the central and state governments to consider transgender people a third gender and extend the welfare policies to them. The decision by Assam is one step of bringing the vision on the ground, which has been just a paper in many states in this country.  

How did People React to The Announcement? 

Netizens are appreciating this move by posting comments like, “Good decision…on humanitarian grounds…welcoming decision.” There are some questions as well that are being put up like “why not general status?” “Why in OBC and not in other category?” 

As always there are mixed reactions that are being shared through comments. Some are concerned with the discrimination of the transgender individuals migrating to the state. According to government clarification only original settlers of Assam have to be eligible and the many who have migrated to Assam as a worker or student will be left out.

Nevertheless, in the most part there is a positive attitude, as many believe this is an urgent initial step. The issue now, as both members of the community and the authorities point out, is to make sure that the policy bears concrete results in the everyday life of the transgender population of Assam.

Why Is This Move Significant?

As was the case in Assam, and most of India, generations of socio-exclusion, discrimination and inability to receive basic amenities such as education and employment, have been faced by transgender people. Even the policy documents prepared by the Assam government emphasize the severe necessity to solve these problems and establish the environment where each person can live with dignity and equality. Inclusivity became a necessity because of normalisation of transgender exclusion in Assam as well as across India.  

The announcement of giving OBC status to Transgender in Assam is not merely a legal necessity but it is a formidable statement of acceptance and inclusion. This action is supposed to:

• Decline social stigma and discrimination
• Enhance the reach to education and employment
• Free socioeconomic mobility and economic independence
• Promote humanity over exclusivity 

What makes Assam special? 

• Targeted Inclusion: The policy of Assam is special as it tends to target the original inhabitants in such a way that the benefits are extended to the most marginalised members of the state.
• Administrative Support: Official identity cards will facilitate entry to government programs and avert errors or omission.
• Broader Social Implication: OBC status is not the only reinforcing step that the government has taken. Coupled with this ruling, the Assam cabinet has made a promise of 50% reservation of Anganwadi workers as supervisor, indicating the government has no intention of abandoning the idea of grassroots empowerment and social justice.

In short, the state taking into account transgender people as OBCs is a light of hope to many and it could be emulated by other states as well. This, as Chief Minister Sarma stated, is serving to “integrate them into the mainstream of development and public welfare’. The issue is now how to successfully implement the policy and make sure that all deserving people can obtain the pledged help.

Indian Air Force pilot Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the second Indian in space and the first to reach the ISS, as SpaceX’s Axiom Mission 4 launches successfully.

Everything about Axiom Mission 4

After weeks of anticipation and multiple delays, SpaceX successfully launched the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS) today on 25th June. It is a historical mission for India because it is carrying the Indian Air Force pilot and ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla. He is the second Indian to travel into space, and the first one in more than 40 years since Rakesh Sharma made history by flying to space in 1984. 

Major Mission Information

• Launch Time: 2:31 a.m. EDT (6:31 a.m. GMT, 12:01 p.m. IST), June 25, 2025
• Launch Complex: 39A, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida  
• Spacecraft: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and a newly built Crew Dragon capsule dubbed as the Grace by the Ax-4 crew 
• Mission Duration: 14 days in ISS
• Mission Operator: Axiom Space, NASA, SpaceX

Who are the Ax-4 Crew?

• Commander: Peggy Whitson (USA), former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space
• Pilot: Shubhanshu Shukla, Indian Air Force fighter pilot and ISRO astronaut
• Mission Specialist: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland), ESA project astronaut
• Mission Specialist: Tibor Kapu (Hungary)

It is the first time that astronauts of India, Poland as well as Hungary are flying to the ISS, and it is the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission of each country in more than forty years.

Why Was THe Launch Delayed? 

The launch  was delayed because of three major reasons: High-altitude winds that led to the first postponement. A leak in the Falcon 9 rocket that caused another delay, and the ISS Zvezda module leak. NASA and Roscosmos were working on the pressure leak in the Russian Zvezda module that led to delay in the mission for nearly two weeks until everything was deemed safe for the launch. 

What will the crew do on the ISS?

The Ax-4 astronauts will spend two weeks in space where they will:

• Perform approximately 60 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations by representing 31 countries which include India.
• Prioritize microgravity research that includes human health, earth observation, life sciences, and material Sciences.
• Engage in outreach; get involved with education-related activities to motivate the scientists and engineers of the future.

What Did India Gain by Participating in This Mission?

Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian astronaut to go into ISS and also the 2nd Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma. NASA, SpaceX, Axiom Space, ISRO, and the European Space Agency are collaborating in this mission, which underscores India becoming a bigger player in the international space exploration market. 

Shukla’s participation in this mission is seen as a significant step towards India’s own Gaganyaan human spaceflight programme, which aims to launch Indian astronauts on an indigenous spacecraft in the near future.

Axiom Mission 4 is a milestone of both commercial spaceflight and international cooperation. To India, this is a moment of pride as Shubhanshu Shukla takes the flag of India to the ISS and potential new people who would develop an interest in science and space. With the world awaiting more missions like this, India is getting an increasing presence in human space exploration.