India News in Minutes | Open-Book tests for CBSE Board Exams Now Probably
Your daily essential | 20th September 2025 | 116th Edition
Good morning. It's Saturday, 20 September, and it appears the India’s news’ 'off' switch is still stubbornly broken. While you were hopefully getting some rest, national events were busy making headlines. Let's make sense of the noise.
Absolutely Essential to Know 🚨:
Open-book Pilots in CBSE Board Exams
Violence Flares Again in Manipur
Rajasthan Cabinet Approves State's First-Ever Sports University
And many more, read on….
Btw, here’s some music to accompany your read today. Hope you enjoy.
Our structure is simple:
The blocks are quick factual summaries as reported by news agencies.
Click "🔗" for a randomly selected source article from the many sources we referred.
Also, all our images are not original works of our journalists, but are sourced from elsewhere.
📚 CBSE to Overhaul Board Exams with Open-Book Pilots and Twice-Yearly Tests
The CBSE announced major reforms for the 2026 board exams.
Key changes include two annual exams, a pilot for open-book testing, and more emphasis on STEM subjects.
A new system for additional subjects is also being introduced.
The Deeper Take: A long-overdue attempt to shift the focus of Indian schooling from rote memorisation to genuine comprehension. The pilot of open-book exams, in particular, signals a potential move towards evaluating critical thinking over recall ability.
🤝 India Sends a Polite 'Don't Forget Us' Note to Riyadh
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign a strategic mutual defence pact.
Agreement states aggression against one is considered aggression against both.
India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issues a carefully worded response, highlighting its "deepening" strategic partnership with Riyadh.
MEA statement notes it "expects" Saudi Arabia to consider "mutual interests and sensitivities".
The Deeper Take: This is diplomacy in its most passive-aggressive form. The MEA's use of "expects" is the geopolitical equivalent of a pointed cough in a silent room, reminding Riyadh that while its new friendship is noted, India is the bigger economic prize.
🛂 US Makes Tech Talent Visa Cost More Than a Flat Deposit
The Trump administration signs a proclamation imposing a new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visa applications.
A massive increase from the current fees, which are a few thousand dollars.
The stated aim is to compel companies to train Americans rather than import labour.
The move will heavily impact Indian professionals and the tech sector, the largest users of H-1B visas.
The Deeper Take: Let's call this what it is: a protectionist battering ram. It's a direct shot at the Indian IT business model, weaponising immigration policy as a crude bargaining chip in those supposedly "positive" trade talks.
⚖️ Supreme Court Politely Suggests Petitioner Read the Constitution
A petition was filed to prevent Muslim Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq from inaugurating the Mysuru Dasara festivities.
The Supreme Court dismissed the plea outright.
The Bench of Justices asked the petitioner if he had ever read the Preamble to the Constitution.
The court reminded him it enshrines secularism, liberty of faith, and equality as cardinal ideals.
The Deeper Take: This is a judicial masterclass in polite demolition. The court used the nation's founding document to deliver a firm civics lesson, reasserting India's constitutional identity against creeping sectarianism in public life.
🚨 Violence Flares Again in Manipur as Ambush Kills Two Soldiers
Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed in action.
Five others were injured in a militant ambush in the state.
A stark reminder of the ongoing, active conflict in the region that has largely faded from national headlines.
The Bottom Line: While Manipur may have disappeared from the 24-hour news cycle, the conflict is far from over. This attack is a brutal reminder of the persistent security crisis and its tragic human cost.
🎵 The Voice of Assam Falls Tragically Silent
Popular Assamese singer and youth icon Zubeen Garg has died at the age of 52.
The death was the result of a scuba diving accident in Singapore.
He was in the country to perform at the three-day North East Festival.
Garg was a cultural stalwart in the Northeast, known nationally for hits like 'Ya Ali' from the film 'Gangster'.
The Deeper Take: Garg wasn't just a singer; he was a cultural touchstone for an entire generation in Assam and the Northeast. His loss is the silencing of a voice that articulated regional pride and identity on a national stage.
⚛️ Kolkata Gathers Quantum Minds to Talk Real-World Tech
The International Conference on Quantum Sensing and Metrology (ICEQSM) was held in Kolkata.
The event highlighted India's growing role in the quantum technology field.
A key focus was moving research from labs to practical applications like precision GPS, improved MRI scans, and advanced defence technology.
The Deeper Take: Quantum computing has long been the stuff of science fiction. This conference signals a crucial shift from theoretical physics to tangible engineering, positioning India as a serious player in the next great technological arms race.
🎓 Rajasthan Cabinet Approves State's First-Ever Sports University
The Rajasthan Cabinet gave its approval for the state's first sports university.
The university will be located in Jhunjhunu.
Aims to develop professional talent and theoretical knowledge in sports, including disciplines like sports psychology.
Why It Matters: A significant move to professionalise sports education beyond just physical training. Creating an academic ecosystem for sports management, science, and psychology is a crucial step if India wants to become a consistent global sporting power.
-🌊 Study Finds El Niño Brings Both Drought and Deluge
A new study in the journal Science reveals El Niño's paradoxical impact on India's monsoon.
It is linked to a nearly 50% higher probability of extreme daily rainfall in India's wetter central regions.
This happens even as it suppresses overall seasonal rainfall, leading to drought conditions in other areas.
The Deeper Take: Climate change is officially rewriting the weather rulebook. The neat categories of "drought year" or "flood year" are obsolete. We are now in an era of meteorological whiplash, making prediction and planning a waking nightmare.
💧 Bengaluru Citizens Fight to Save City's Vanishing Lakes
Citizen groups are leading efforts to restore Bengaluru's polluted and disappearing lakes.
A centuries-old network of lakes has been severely damaged by rapid, mismanaged urbanisation.
Restoration involves de-weeding, cleaning sewage, and planting trees, but consistent government support is often lacking.
The Deeper Take: A classic tale of urban apathy versus citizen action. While the government allowed a "City of Lakes" to become a city of sewers, local communities are doing the hard, thankless work of reclaiming their environment, one polluted water body at a time.
🏏 India Beats Oman in Asia Cup, Arshdeep Hits a Century
India defeated newcomer Oman by 21 runs in their Asia Cup T20 match.
Fast bowler Arshdeep Singh became the first Indian bowler to take 100 T20 wickets.
Sanju Samson top-scored for India with 56 runs as the team experimented with its batting order ahead of the Super 4 stage.
The Deeper Take: A routine win against a minnow, but the real story is the experimentation. Demoting the captain and testing the bench shows this isn't just about winning the Asia Cup; it's a full-scale dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup.
Alright, before we all descend into a pit of existential despair, let's look at the few things that didn't go horribly wrong yesterday.
🎓 Defying Decades of Discrimination for a Doctorate
Jaiminee Jhankar has become the first woman from the Chuktia Bhunjia tribe to earn a PhD.
Her community is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Odisha.
She overcame deep-rooted traditions that once barred women from education and even from wearing blouses.
Her mother was the first to defy the dress code, leading to the family being socially boycotted for years.
The Deeper Take: This isn't just an academic achievement; it's the culmination of a multi-generational rebellion against oppressive patriarchy. Her doctorate is built on the foundation of her mother's courage, a powerful story of slow, painful social change.
👃 Indian Engineers Win Top Prize for Solving Smelly Shoes
Engineers Vikash Kumar and Sarthak Mittal have won the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize for engineering design.
They were awarded for their study on how foul-smelling shoes affect the "good experience" of using a shoe-rack.
The prize celebrates research that "first makes you laugh, then makes you think".
Their proposed solution involved using ultraviolet lamps to sanitise the footwear.
The Deeper Take: A glorious celebration of practical, everyday science. The Ig Nobel prize reminds us that innovation isn't just about grand discoveries; it's also about applying serious scientific rigour to the small, annoying problems that plague humanity.
👩🔬 IIT Bombay Launches Scholarship to Boost Women in STEM
IIT Bombay has launched the WINGS (Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology) scholarship.
Backed by an alumnus, the initiative aims to support and encourage women pursuing STEM education.
The scholarship is a direct move to address the persistent gender gap in India's science and technology fields.
The Deeper Take: Tackling the gender gap in STEM requires more than just talk. Initiatives like this provide direct financial support, removing a key barrier and actively building a pipeline for the next generation of female scientists and engineers.
And while India was busy, the rest of the planet was also having a completely normal one.
🇪🇺 EU Prepares Another Sanctions Squeeze on Russia
The European Commission has proposed a new, 19th package of sanctions against Russia.
The package, which awaits approval from member states, is expected to target Russian crypto assets, banks, and fossil fuel imports.
The move comes amid ongoing US pressure on the EU to maintain a tough stance on Moscow.
The Deeper Take: This is the long, grinding economic attrition of modern warfare. Sanctions are no longer a quick shock but a slow strangulation. Targeting crypto and remaining energy imports shows the EU trying to plug the leaks in its economic siege.
🇺🇳 UN Overrules US Visa Ban with a Virtual Lectern
The UN General Assembly voted 145-5 to allow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to address its annual meeting via video.
The vote came after the US revoked his visa, preventing him from attending in person.
Washington claimed the Palestinian leadership was "undermining peace efforts," a move the UN vote symbolically rebuked.
The Deeper Take: This vote showcases the growing chasm between the US and much of the world on the Israel-Palestine issue. By revoking the visa, the US tried to silence a voice; the UN's overwhelming vote provided a platform anyway.
✈️ US Proposes Another $6 Billion in Arms for Israel
The Trump administration has notified Congress of plans to sell nearly $6 billion in new weapons to Israel.
The package reportedly includes 30 AH-64 Apache helicopters and 3,200 infantry assault vehicles.
The move comes amid Israel's increasing international isolation over its war in Gaza, with delivery expected in 2-3 years.
The Deeper Take: This is America's ironclad support for Israel written in dollars and munitions. Despite growing global condemnation and dissent at home, the US security establishment is doubling down on its primary Middle East ally, politics be damned.
🇦🇫 UN Warns Women and Girls Face Disaster After Afghan Quake
The UN has warned of a dire situation for women and girls in the aftermath of Afghanistan's deadly earthquake.
They face greater suffering in rebuilding their lives due to Taliban rule, which severely restricts their access to aid and support.
This comes as rescuers continue to face ongoing dangers in the affected regions.
The Deeper Take: A natural disaster compounded by a man-made one. The earthquake's devastation is magnified by the Taliban's misogynistic policies, which systematically deny women the basic rights and resources needed to survive and recover.
Stay sharp,
The OneRead Team
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