TODAY NEWS ON February 08, 2025

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

National News

• RBI cuts lending rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%
• Cabinet clears new income tax bill
• Cabinet approves ₹8,800 crore for Skill India Programme
• ₹1,570 crore owed to Bihar under MGNREGS, Centre tells Rajya Sabha 
• India flags ‘mistreatment’ of nationals deported from U.S.
• Sheikh Hasina’s comments made in ‘individual capacity’, says MEA
• Muslim man who wanted to marry a Hindu thrashed by right-wing members in Bhopal court
• Tahawwur Rana’s extradition awaits final clearance from U.S. administration
• Fire breaks out at camp in Maha Kumbh Mela
• Sambhal property demolition: SC asks petitioner to approach jurisdictional HC
• Did T.N. Governor refer re-passed bills to President to avoid assent, asks Supreme Court
• Air India cabin crew held as deportees at Zurich for 24 hours
• Indian consulate in Seattle rejects Indian-American politician Kshama Sawant’s emergency visa

International News
 

• U.K. ‘committed’ to negotiating a trade deal with India: Downing Street
• Hamas releases names of three hostages to be freed on February 8
• Trudeau says Canada must think ‘tactically and strategically’ on dealing with Trump’s tariff threats
• H-1B initial registration period to commence on March 7, 2025: USCIS
• International Criminal Court condemns sanctions by Trump administration
• Vandalism, arson spread across Bangladesh as protesters attack houses of Awami League leaders

Headlines in detail

RBI cuts lending rate by 25 basis points to 6.25%

In a bid to add to the momentum of the budgetary reliefs, RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on Friday (February 7, 2025) decided unanimously to reduce the policy rate by 25 basis points to 6.25% from 6.5%. One basis point equals 0.01%. Consequently, the Standing Deposit Facility rate will be at 6%. RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said, “The interest of the economy demands financial stability and consumer protection. Our mandate at the RBI is to ensure both of them.” The MPC also decided unanimously to continue with a neutral stance and remain unambiguously focused on a durable alignment of the inflation target, while supporting growth.

Cabinet clears new income tax bill

The Union Cabinet on Friday (February 7, 2025) approved the new income tax bill, which will replace the six decades old I-T Act, sources said. The new bill seeks to make direct tax law simple to understand and not to impose any new tax burden. It will not have provisos and explanations or long sentences.

Cabinet approves ₹8,800 crore for Skill India Programme

The Union government has decided to restructure its skilling initiatives, combining three of them into the Skill India Programme, a Central Sector scheme, with the Cabinet on Friday approving an outlay of ₹8,800 crore for a three-year period ending in 2025-26. The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 (PMKVY 4.0), the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme will now become the three key components of the composite Skill India Programme.

U.K. ‘committed’ to negotiating a trade deal with India: Downing Street

The U.K. , under the Labour government, remains “committed” to negotiating a trade deal with India, Downing Street has said, as it confirmed that U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will visit India at the end of the month for the re-launch of negotiations.

Hamas releases names of three hostages to be freed on February 8

Hamas’ armed wing released the names of three captives it said would be freed on Saturday (February 8, 2025) in a fifth hostage-prisoner swap as part of an ongoing agreement with Israel for a Gaza ceasefire.

₹1,570 crore owed to Bihar under MGNREGS, Centre tells Rajya Sabha 

On a day when National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs from Bihar met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament to express gratitude for the recent budget announcements for their State, the Union Ministry of Rural Development informed the Rajya Sabha that the Centre owed ₹1,570 crore funds to the State under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

India flags ‘mistreatment’ of nationals deported from U.S.

In a special briefing on Friday (February 7, 2025), Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that India has registered its concerns with the U.S. on deportation issue. “The real cancer is the misleading of innocents to undertake illegal immigration, and the people who do this must be prosecuted,” he said. Mr. Misri added that MEA has flagged the issues of “mistreatment of illegal migrants deported to India”, and said “will continue to do”. The MEA also announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a two-day working visit to the U.S. from February 12 during which he will meet President Donald Trump.

Sheikh Hasina’s comments made in ‘individual capacity’, says MEA

Deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s latest speech delivered after the demolition of the historic 32 Dhanmondi residence of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman reflected her “individual” position, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (February 7, 2025).

Trudeau says Canada must think ‘tactically and strategically’ on dealing with Trump’s tariff threats

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday (February 7, 2025) that Canada must think “tactically and strategically” on how to deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to impose hefty tariffs on all Canadian imports. Speaking in Toronto at the opening of a one-day summit on the Canada-U.S. economic relationship, Mr. Trudeau told the gathering of trade, business and labour experts the country must work with the U.S. to avoid tariffs.

Muslim man who wanted to marry a Hindu thrashed by right-wing members in Bhopal court

Members of a right-wing Hindu outfit on Friday (February 8, 2025) thrashed a Muslim man who had come to a court in Bhopal for paperwork for his marriage to a Hindu woman. According to the police, the incident took place in the afternoon when the man, in his early 20s, a resident of Narsinghpur village in Narmadapuram district, and the woman, 19, who hails from Pipariya in the same district, arrived at the court to meet a lawyer for marriage documentation.

Tahawwur Rana’s extradition awaits final clearance from U.S. administration

Indian investigative agencies are anticipating a favourable decision soon from the newly elected U.S. government on the extradition of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks accused Tahawwur Rana to India. On January 21, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected 63-year-old Rana’s review petition against his extradition.

Fire breaks out at camp in Maha Kumbh Mela

A fire broke out at a camp in Mahakumbh Nagar on Friday (February 7, 2025), fire officials said. No casualties have been reported. Inspector Yogesh Chaturvedi of Khak Chowk police station said, “A fire broke out at a camp near Tulsi Chauraha on Old GT Road. However, firefighters have managed to bring the blaze largely under control.” He said fire department officials have arrived at the scene to oversee the operation. Multiple fire tenders are at the scene, working to extinguish the flames.

Sambhal property demolition: SC asks petitioner to approach jurisdictional HC

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 7, 2025) asked a petitioner, who was seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Sambhal authorities for allegedly violating its verdict on demolition of properties, to approach the jurisdictional High Court. “File it before the High Court,” a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K. Vinod Chandran told the counsel appearing for petitioner Mohammed Ghayoor. “We find that the issue can be best addressed by the jurisdictional high court,” the bench said, while granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the High Court.

Did T.N. Governor refer re-passed bills to President to avoid assent, asks Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday (February 7, 2025) asked whether Tamil Nadu Governor R. N. Ravi referred 10 Bills re-passed by the State Legislature to the President to avoid having to give his consent to them. A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan questioned Attorney-General of India R. Venkataramani if the Governor had referred the re-passed bills to the President for consideration only to circumvent the procedure under the first proviso of Article 200 (Governor’s assent of Bills) of the Constitution. Under Article 200, a Governor has three options when bills are sent to him for assent. That is, either to give assent, withhold assent or refer the Bills to the President for consideration.

Air India cabin crew held as deportees at Zurich for 24 hours

Five crew members of Air India were recently put in a deportee cell at Zurich airport because they were not carrying an authorised crew member certificate, which is a substitute for a visa for flight crew. They remained confined for 24 hours in the cell and were allowed to leave the cell only to use the toilet. They were also barred from using the shower facility and their mobile phones, according to the sources. The Hindu has requested Air India’s response. Allegedly, the crew did not carry a valid crew member certificate. According to sources, the crew member certificate was endorsed under the Vistara name, but immigration authorities refused to accept it since they were travelling as Air India employees.

Indian consulate in Seattle rejects Indian-American politician Kshama Sawant’s emergency visa

The Indian consulate in Seattle rejected Indian-American politician Kshama Sawant’s emergency visa but granted it to her husband Calvin Priest. The officer at the consulate did not give an explanation, simply saying Ms. Sawant’s name is on the “rejection list”. Ms. Sawant’s political organisation ‘Workers Strike Back’’s members came to the Consulate to support them as they were worried about their safety, she said. “We engaged in a peaceful civil disobedience at the Consulate office, with other members outside on the street.” Ms. Sawant, a critic of India’s Hindu Right, has “urged” the country’s political Opposition to speak up for critics like her, saying it is in their interest to do so.

H-1B initial registration period to commence on March 7, 2025: USCIS

“The initial registration period for the H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals, for the fiscal year 2026 will commence on March 7, 2025 and close on March 24, 2025,” a federal agency has said. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers in special occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries such as India and China. “During this period, prospective petitioners and representatives must use a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary,” it said. The registration fee is $215.

International Criminal Court condemns sanctions by Trump administration

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (February 7, 2025) called on its member states to stand up against sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump, saying the move was an attempt to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work”. The White House issued the executive order on Thursday (February 6, 2025) in response to what it called “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”. It was referring to the arrest warrant the ICC issued last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The Hague-based court said it “condemns” the move. “The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world,” the court said in a statement.

Vandalism, arson spread across Bangladesh as protesters attack houses of Awami League leaders

Protesters in Bangladesh have attacked, torched houses of leaders of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League across the country and murals of the country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were demolished and defaced in nearly two dozen districts, according to media reports. The unrest sparked after a live online address of Ms. Hasina. A fire has been set at the house of Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Selim in Dhaka’s Banani on Friday (February 7, 2025). The fire was set around 1:30 a.m., but due to a lack of police protection, the Fire Service was delayed and was not able to reach the scene until 2:45 am.