In response, senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthuram MP Shashi Tharoor replied to Brittas on X, rejecting the claim and saying that Vijayan was given a “place of honour” during the swearing-in ceremony of the new chief minister, VD Satheesan.

The ED searched around 10 locations across Kerala under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Among them was Vijayan’s rented residence in Thiruvananthuram, officials told news agency PTI.

Com Pinarayi n CPIM not be cowed down by these undemocratic tactics. CPIM fight back resolutely with the support of the people to defend democracy. It is clear that the Congress leadership actively encouraged the ED to target him, just as they did in the case of Arvind Kejriwal, he wrote in a post on X.

Speaking on the issue, Brittas said the party was not surprised by the developments. He compared the recent incident with the earlier ones in which central agencies had allegedly targeted the veteran leader and accused political rivals of coming together to weaken Vijayan through what he described as false cases.

Brittas told ANI, “We are not surprised. This is a clear demonstration of political vendetta. Comrade Pinarayi Vijayan has been haunted many times by central agencies. During the Emergency, he was thrashed, and there was an attempt to physically eliminate him.

Numerous cases have been falsely imposed on him. We must also underscore the fact that in this unfolding drama, the BJP is not alone; the Congress party is part and parcel of this game.

He wrote, John, there is absolutely no evidence in support of your last sentence. @INCKerala has begun its governance in a spirit of conciliation, with the outgoing CM given a place of honour at the swearing-in. The new CM visited @pinarayivijayan’s home and paid his personal respects.

“Do you think he would connive at something like this? And from what you have seen of the Union government, do you really think they take their lead from any opposition party, in or out of the state government?

The action against Vijayan came a day after the Kerala high court dismissed a writ petition filed by Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) seeking to cancel the ED proceedings in the case, allowing the agency to continue its investigation.

According to the ED’s case, registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2024, CMRL allegedly made an illegal payment of ₹1.72 crore to Vijayan’s daughter T Veena’s company, Exalogic Solutions, between 2017 and 2020, despite the IT firm allegedly not providing any services to the company.

With inputs from agencies

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was deeply concerned after Russia announced plans to strike Ukrainian defence sites and decision-making centres in Kyiv, one day after one of its heaviest bombardments of the city since the Russia-Ukraine war began.

According to the status bulletin as of 6 pm on May 26, CBSE said a total of 4,04,319 plications by students have been received for obtaining scanned copies of 11,31,961 answer books.

Of these, 8,98,214 answer books have been furnished digitally, the board said, adding that the pending requests for scanned copies are expected to be fulfilled by Thursday.

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In a statement, the board said, “CBSE continues to facilitate students’ access to scanned copies of evaluated answer books through the designated portal and registered email IDs of students.”

It also added that the portal for plications for verification and re-evaluation of answer books is expected to go live by Friday.

The CBSE has begun the process for re-evaluation and verification of answer sheets following concerns raised by some students and parents over the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

The board has faced criticism from students and parents over technical glitches, payment failures and access-related issues during the verification and re-evaluation process.

Real’s absence from Spain’s World Cup squad, while Barca dominate picks, explained by coach as ‘united nation’ first.

Luis de la Fuente has stressed that Spain’s badge outranks any club crest after naming a World Cup squad with a distinctly Barcelona hue ⁠and, for the first time, no Real Madrid player in sight.

The European champions head into next month’s tournament among the favourites, with coach De la Fuente’s 26-man squad built around eight Barcelona players and none from the Spanish cital’s biggest club, bringing ⁠the fierce El Clasico rivalry into the national team’s debate.

Defenders Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal were among the Real Madrid names to miss out on a team chasing Spain’s second World Cup title after their 2010 triumph in South Africa.

De la Fuente on Tuesday dismissed the idea that the decision could cost him support among Real Madrid fans.

For me, the greatest team there is – the very ‌greatest – is the Spanish national team, De la Fuente said during a breakfast with media representatives organised by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.

I don’t look at where players come from or their background. What matters are Spanish players who are proud to represent their country’s national team and to be part of a united nation.

Yamal raring to go for Spain at World Cup after injury

Barcelona’s contingent comprises Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Gavi, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, while seven players called up are based in the Premier League.

The manager said sporting considerations ⁠alone guided his selection, even if squad decisions inevitably carried a subjective element.

The day I ⁠make a mistake, fail to make the right choice, or act in a way that might be beneficial just to get a result, I’m putting my job on the line, he said. Spain open Group H against Ce Verde before facing Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, but De la Fuente ⁠may yet take a cautious proach with Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino, who are all recovering from fitness concerns.

We’re in contact with all the clubs, he said. We know that ⁠these players are in good physical she; each one is making good ⁠progress in their recovery process. I’m very optimistic; I think they’ll be available for the first match.

Still, De la Fuente said Spain’s view stretched beyond the opener.

If we have to take a risk, mate, we’ll take it in a World Cup, he said. But… our view goes beyond the first match and ‌also the second. So, if we have to wait a little longer, we’ll wait.

On Yamal, the 18-year-old Barcelona winger expected to carry much of Spain’s attacking threat, De la Fuente said youth had not dimmed his sense of occasion.

Yamal is absolutely ‌thrilled ‌and raring to go, he said. He’s a very young lad, just 18, but he has a remarkable sense of maturity and knows that this is his moment.

You have to seize the moment. And he knows this is his moment.