The UFC bout at the White House marks the 250th anniversary of the US and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

Yet another White House construction project is under way in the United States, though this one is meant to be only temporary.

Crews are erecting an octagon-shed cage on the South Lawn that will host next month’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout, marking the nation’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.

Online renderings depict what the completed, wire-mesh-fence-ringed fight space is expected to look like before the June 14 event. It will be ringed by a red, white and blue stage under a towering arch featuring stars-and-stripes patterns and two large screens showing the action live.

The cage and stage will themselves be surrounded by thousands of temporary seats, including ringside space for a full marching band that can set the entire scene to blaring music.

The project is part of a series of events celebrating the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence’s signing on July 4, 1776. Other planned functions include an IndyCar race that will pass by the White House and the Great American State Fair taking place on the National Mall.

Trump has said the finished UFC project will feature a 5,000-seat arena right outside the front door of the White House.

Additional large screens broadcasting the fights will be set up in a park at the nearby Ellipse, and the UFC has said it plans to issue as many as 85,000 free tickets to accommodate spectators at both locations.

I have never seen anybody want anything so much as people want those tickets, Trump said recently of demand to attend the UFC fight, adding, That’s gonna be something.

The card has been panned by fans online as underwhelming, featuring just two championship fights. Brazil’s Alex Pereira will meet France’s Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Then, Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje, one of just two Americans who currently hold even a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.

The octagon and surrounding structures are the latest project in the White House building boom Trump is leading.

The president also wants to repaint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building beside the White House and build a 250-foot (76-metre) arch at the nearby Lincoln Memorial – the same monument where weigh-ins for the upcoming UFC fight are scheduled to take place, bout organisers say.

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.