TODAY NEWS ON October 04, 2024

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

National News

• PM Modi chairs Cabinet Committee on Security meet amid West Asia crisis
• Marital relations must be exempt from rape provisions: Centre
• Union Cabinet approves classical language status for Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit
• Chennai Metro Rail Phase II finally gets Centre’s green light
• Pilot project to bridge job market-skills gap takes off
• India, U.S. exploring combined engagement with third countries to source minerals: Piyush Goyal
• CBI arrests Ashish Pandey in connection with financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital
• Supreme Court restrains T.N. Police from taking ‘further action’ against Isha Foundation
• Segregation of work in prisons on the basis of caste unconstitutional: Supreme Court
• ‘Cease work’ by medics affect healthcare services in Bengal’s state-run hospitals
• Abducted Meitei youth released in exchange for 11 Kuki prisoners

International News

• Hurricane Helene’s death toll reaches 200 as crews try to reach the most remote areas hit by the storm
• U.S. President Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
• India engaging in ‘systematic violations of religious freedom’, says U.S. commission
• ‘Kill him first’: Israel eyes top level targets
• New NATO chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first trip since taking office
• IMF’s bailout package: Sri Lanka’s new government says ‘committed’; hopes of renegotiating conditions
• U.K. hands over sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius in deal to secure U.S. base

Headlines in detail

PM Modi chairs Cabinet Committee on Security meet amid West Asia crisis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday to discuss the outbreak of fresh hostilities in West Asia, sources said. The sources said the West Asia conflict and its impact on trade and supply of petroleum products was discussed in the meeting. India has voiced deep concern over the escalation of the security situation in West Asia and said the conflict must not take a wider regional dimension.

Marital relations must be exempt from rape provisions: Centre

The Centre on Thursday (October 3, 2024) told the Supreme Court that punishing non-consensual sexual acts by a man with his own wife as ‘rape’ will impact conjugal relationship and lead to “serious disturbances” in the institution of marriage. “The demographics of a marriage are sui generis. There are plenty of examples of male-female relationships. However, the relationship between a husband and wife, which emerges as a result of the tying of the matrimonial knot, is distinct from all of these relationships. To ignore or even to seek to undermine this is to ignore plain reality,” the government argued.

Union Cabinet approves classical language status for Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit

The Union Cabinet on Thursday (October 3, 2024) approved classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit. The demand for classical status for Marathi has been pending since 2013 and the approval comes just ahead of the scheduled Assembly elections in Maharashtra. The approval for Bengali comes amid Durga Puja, the biggest festival of West Bengal. India has had six classical languages till now. Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Odia. Tamil was the first language to be given classical status in 2004 followed by Sanskrit in 2005.

Chennai Metro Rail Phase II finally gets Centre’s green light

The ₹63,246 crore phase II project will span across 118.9 km with 128 stations and will have multi-modal integration at 21 locations. As per a release, the approval is for three corridors of the phase II project—Madhavaram to SIPCOT (corridor 3), Light House to Poonamallee (corridor 4) and Madhavaram to Sholinganallur (corridor 5). Of the total cost of ₹63,246 crore, the Centre will now be contributing ₹7,425 crore towards this project. ₹33,593 crore will be coming in as bilateral and multilateral loans from different banks. The remaining ₹22,228 crore will be from the State government.

Pilot project to bridge job market-skills gap takes off

The Union government on Thursday opened up a portal for India’s top 500 companies to participate in the one-year internship scheme announced in this year’s Union Budget to bridge the gap between the skill sets of unemployable youth and those needed by employers. As many as 111 corporates — including the Mahindra and Mahindra group, Max Life Insurance, and Alembic Pharma — had already signed up within hours of the portal’s launch, offering 1,077 internships. This kicks off a process that is expected to result in about one lakh youngsters joining the on-the-job training exercise, officially called The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme in Top Companies (Scheme), by December 2.

Hurricane Helene’s death toll reaches 200 as crews try to reach the most remote areas hit by the storm

Hurricane Helene’s death toll reached 200 on Thursday and could rise higher still, as searchers made their way toward the hardest to reach places in the mountains of western North Carolina, where the storm washed out roads and knocked out electricity, water and cellular service. Officials in Georgia and North Carolina added to their states’ grim tallies, padding an overall count that has already made Helene the deadliest storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

India, U.S. exploring combined engagement with third countries to source minerals: Piyush Goyal

With China dominating the critical minerals’ trade, India and the United States of America are exploring a combined engagement with third countries to source the minerals or requisite funds or technology to tap such resources, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said early Friday in Washington .In India, the lack of ready reserves of critical minerals for the green energy transition has resulted in 100% import dependence for minerals like lithium, cobalt, and nickel. This June, Union Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy had flagged that 95% of India’s copper needs are also being imported. China is a key supplier for many of these items with a leading role in their processing and refining for myriad end uses.

CBI arrests Ashish Pandey in connection with financial irregularities at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday (October 3, 2024) arrested Ashish Kumar Pandey, a doctor and leader of the student wing of the Trinamool Congress, in connection with the financial irregularities involving R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The financial irregularities came to the fore after the rape and murder of a doctor at the State-run health facility on August 9. The CBI had earlier arrested four persons, including former principal of R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital Sandip Kumar Ghosh. Dr. Pandey was earlier questioned by the agency in connection with the financial irregularities.

U.S. President Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities

President Joe Biden said he was discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, in comments that sent oil prices spiking Thursday just a month before the U.S. presidential election. Mr. Biden told reporters at the White House however that he was not expecting Israel to launch any retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at least. When asked by a reporter if he supported Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Mr. Biden said “we’re discussing that. I think that would be a little... anyway.” Oil prices jumped five per cent over concerns about the Middle East after Biden spoke.

Supreme Court restrains T.N. Police from taking ‘further action’ against Isha Foundation

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 3, 2024) restrained the Tamil Nadu Police from taking “any further action” against non-profit spiritual organisation Isha Foundation founded by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. The order by a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud followed a petition filed by the organisation complaining that a huge contingent of police personnel had raided their ashram premises in Coimbatore following a Madras High Court direction on September 30.

Israeli strike in Beirut kills nine

As Israel extends evacuation warnings north of the U.N. buffer zone in Lebanon, its Health Ministry says at least 9 people were killed in the Israeli strike in central Beirut. It is also running DNA tests on remains they have obtained to identify others. Lebanon’s state-run media said three Israeli airstrikes also hit Hezbollah’s south Beirut stronghold on Thursday (October 3, 2024), the latest raids following a night of intense bombardment. “Enemy aircraft launched three strikes on (Beirut’s) southern suburbs,” the official National News Agency reported.

Segregation of work in prisons on the basis of caste unconstitutional: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Thursday (October 3, 2024) declared that caste-based discrimination of prisoners, segregation of manual work among them according to caste-hierarchy and treatment of inmates from the denotified tribes as “habitual offenders” within the four walls of jails across India were oppressive to fundamental human dignity and personality. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said “everyone is born equal” and cannot suffer lifelong due stigma attached to their caste. The judgment struck down caste-based discrimination within prison walls as unconstitutional and directed the immediate rewriting of prison manuals.

‘Cease work’ by medics affect healthcare services in Bengal’s state-run hospitals

Healthcare services in West Bengal’s Government-run hospitals were affected for the third consecutive day on Thursday (October 3, 2024) as junior doctors struck work demanding justice for the rape-murder victim post-graduate trainee at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital and security at their workplaces. This is the second time that junior doctors at state-run hospitals in Bengal went on a ‘cease work’ over their demands.

Abducted Meitei youth released in exchange for 11 Kuki prisoners

Two Meitei youths allegedly abducted by Kuki extremists on September 27 were released unharmed early Thursday (October 3, 2024) morning. Their release coincided with the release of 11 Kuki prisoners from the Sajiwa jail on the outskirts of the State’s capital Imphal. It was one of several preconditions set by the abductors although the police claimed they were in prison despite getting bail because of the conflict situation. “The two young men abducted in Kangpokpi on 27th September, 2024 have been safely brought back to the custody of @manipur_police. I sincerely appreciate everyone from both the state and central government who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. Your efforts are deeply valued,” Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh posted on X.

India engaging in ‘systematic violations of religious freedom’, says U.S. commission

A U.S. federal government commission has flagged the alleged worsening of religious freedom in India and called for it to be designated as a “Country of Particular Concern”. Authored by senior policy analyst Sema Hasan, the section on India describes the use of misinformation and disinformation — including hate speech by government officials — to incite violent attacks against religious minorities and their places of worship, the US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said in a statement. In its annual report, the USCIRF also recommended that the U.S. Department of State designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” for engaging in systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom.

‘Kill him first’: Israel eyes top level targets

After the killing of Hezbollah’s leader in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted Israel had “settled the score”. But the legacy of Israel’s past targeted killings calls into question how much will actually change. Far from bringing respite to Israelis, Hassan Nasrallah’s death led to an Iranian missile attack on Israel, as Tehran sought to avenge its protege in Lebanon and an Iranian general killed alongside him. Israel has vowed to retaliate, with analysts saying it is only a matter of time.

New NATO chief Mark Rutte visits Ukraine in his first trip since taking office

New NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Ukraine on Thursday (October 3, 2024) in his first official trip since taking office and pledging continued support for Kyiv in its war with Russia. Mr. Rutte met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv as air raid sirens twice went off in the Ukrainian capital. The new head of NATO vowed when he took office Tuesday (October 1, 2024) to help shore up Western support for Ukraine, which has been fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion since February 2022 and has recently been on the defensive due to a relentless Russian Army push in eastern regions.

IMF’s bailout package: Sri Lanka’s new government says ‘committed’; hopes of renegotiating conditions

The new Sri Lankan government, during its first meeting with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said it is committed to the global lender’s $2.9 billion bailout package clinched by the previous Ranil Wickremesinghe regime and hoped to renegotiate certain conditions. The meeting between the IMF team and the Sri Lankan government on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) came two weeks after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP) was elected two weeks ago. The government team was represented by its economic council members headed by Prof. A.J. Fernando, who was named as President Dissanayake’s economic and finance advisor only two days ago.

U.K. hands over sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius in deal to secure U.S. base

Britain’s government said Thursday (October 3, 2024) it agreed to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal that secures the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base there. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the agreement secures the vital military base at Diego Garcia, the largest in the chain of islands, for the future. The U.K. government said without the deal the secure operation of the military base would be under threat, with contested sovereignty and legal challenges, including through various international courts and tribunals. As part of the deal, the U.K. will retain sovereignty of Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years.

Sensex, Nifty slump over 2% as Middle East conflict deepens

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty tanked over 2% on Thursday (October 3, 2024), dragged by a decline in heavyweight stocks Reliance Industries, HDFC Bank and spiralling conflict in the Middle East. Falling for the fourth day running, the BSE Sensex tumbled 1,769.19 points or 2.1% to settle at 82,497.10. During the day, it plummeted 1,832.27 points or 2.17% to 82,434.02. The NSE Nifty slumped 546.80 points or 2.12% to 25,250.10. Continuous foreign fund outflows and rising crude oil prices dented investors’ sentiment, analysts said.