TODAY NEWS ON October 16, 2024

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
 

Source: The Hindu

National News

• EAM Jaishankar arrives in Islamabad to attend SCO meeting
• CEC slams exit polls, early counting trends on news channels
• Supreme Court serves notice to Centre, ECI on fresh plea against freebies during Elections
• Manipur MLAs have ‘unanimously resolved’ to appeal for peace: Centre
• Washington Post says Amit Shah and senior R&AW official authorised covert operations in Canada
• Centre rejects Canadian PM Trudeau’s charges
• ‘Simply not true’: India denies Canada’s accusations linking Indian diplomats to organised crime gangs
• Samsung employees strike: Govt. announces withdrawal of strike; Union says final decision on Oct 16
• On Omar Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony as J&K’s CM, INDIA bloc to put up at joint face
• Elections in Maharashtra to be held on Nov. 20, two-phase polls in Jharkhand on Nov. 13 and 20
• Punjab gram panchayats elections: Supreme Court refuses to stay ongoing polling
• Mere existence of 40% disability does not bar student from pursuing MBBS course: Supreme Court
• IMC 2024: India has become the second largest 5G market in the world, says PM Modi
• India, U.S. conclude $3.5 billion deal for 31 MQ-9B armed UAVs
• Consensual adulterous relationship from its inception does not amount to rape: Allahabad High Court

International News
 

• Israel kills at least 50 in Gaza, tanks deepen raid in the north
• U.N. urges investigation into deadly Israeli strike in Northern Lebanon, which killed 22
• U.N. Security Council voices ’strong concern’ for U.N. peacekeepers after Israeli attacks
• Kamala Harris slams Donald Trump for suggesting U.S. military handle ’enemy from within’ on election day
• North Korea blows up parts of inter-Korean roads as tensions with South Korea soar
• India eliminated from Women’s T20 World Cup after NZ beat Pakistan to enter semifinals

Headlines in detail

EAM Jaishankar arrives in Islamabad to attend SCO meeting

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) landed in Islamabad, Pakistan, to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the first visit to Pakistan by a senior Indian minister in years. Mr. Jaishankar was greeted at the Nur Khan airbase by senior Pakistani officials.

CEC slams exit polls, early counting trends on news channels

Exit polls are creating a huge distortion by raising expectations that do not match the actual election results, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Tuesday. He also termed as “nonsense” the practice of news channels showing early leads even before vote counting begins.

Supreme Court serves notice to Centre, ECI on fresh plea against freebies during Elections

The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre and the the Election Commission on a fresh plea against the practice of political parties promising freebies during Elections. A bench of Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notices to the Union of India and the poll panel on a petition filed by Bengaluru resident Shashank J Sreedhara. The petition filed by Advocate Srinivasan has also sought a direction to poll panel to take effective steps to restrain political parties from making promises of freebies during the pre-election period.

Manipur MLAs have ‘unanimously resolved’ to appeal for peace: Centre

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) said that a group of legislators from Manipur, “representing the Kuki-Zo-Hmar, Meitei, and Naga communities” met in New Delhi and “unanimously resolved” to appeal to the people of all communities in the State to “shun the path of violence so that no more precious lives of innocent citizens are lost”.

Washington Post says Amit Shah and senior R&AW official authorised covert operations in Canada

Canadian officials had shared information with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval suggesting that Home Minister Amit Shah and a senior R&AW official, had authorised attacks and intelligence-gathering on pro-Khalistani figures in Canada, according to the Washington Post.

Centre rejects Canadian PM Trudeau’s charges

On Tuesday (October 15, 2024), India trashed Canada’s attempts to link Indian agents with criminal gangs in that country with official sources rejecting Ottawa’s claim that it shared evidence with New Delhi in the Nijjar case. It also rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that India was engaging in activities, including carrying out covert operations targeting Canadian nationals in his country. “Canadian PM Trudeau’s press conference yesterday was the same old Trudeau saying the same old things for the same old reasons,” said a source.

‘Simply not true’: India denies Canada’s accusations linking Indian diplomats to organised crime gangs

Canada’s claims linking Indian diplomats to transnational organised crime gangs are “simply not true”, India said on Tuesday (October 15, 2024). Noting that the Canadian government had engaged with Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma during its investigation into the 2023 murder of pro-Khalistan preacher Harjeet Singh Nijjar, sources in New Delhi termed Ottawa’s latest accusations against the High Commissioner as “absurd”.

Samsung employees strike: Govt. announces withdrawal of strike; Union says final decision on Oct 16

While the Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced that the Samsung workers’ strike had been called off, the leaders of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) said the decision on withdrawing the strike will be taken only on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

On Omar Abdullah’s swearing-in ceremony as J&K’s CM, INDIA bloc to put up at joint face

The National Conference (NC) has reached out to top Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc leaders, including Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the party vice president Omar Abdullah as next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16 in Srinagar.

Elections in Maharashtra to be held on Nov. 20, two-phase polls in Jharkhand on Nov. 13 and 20

The Assembly polls in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20, while Jharkhand polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, the Election Commission of India announced on Tuesday (October 15, 2024). The votes for the two states will be counted on November 23. Bypolls will also be held in 48 Assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats, the CEC said bye-elections to 47 assembly seats and the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, will be held on November 13.

Punjab gram panchayats elections: Supreme Court refuses to stay ongoing polling

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) refused to pass an interim order to stay a Punjab and Haryana High Court decision giving the go-ahead to panchayat elections in the State of Punjab. A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said it would not be proper for the court to interfere with the election once the polling has started. Polling started at 8 a.m. on Tuesday (October 14, 2024) morning. “If we intervene now, chaos will ensue,” Chief Justice Chandrachud addressed lawyers who made an urgent oral mentioning to stay the High Court order.

Mere existence of 40% disability does not bar student from pursuing MBBS course: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) said mere existence of a benchmark disability of 40% does not bar a person from pursuing medical education unless there is an expert report that the candidate was incapacitated from pursuing MBBS. A Bench of Justices BR. .Gavai, Aravind Kumar and K.V. Viswanathan gave detailed reasons for its September 18 order where it allowed a candidate to take admission in MBBS course after the medical board opined that he can pursue medical education without any impediment.

IMC 2024: India has become the second largest 5G market in the world, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) inaugurated the 8th edition of India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2024 in New Delhi. He said that India has become the second largest 5G market in the world. PM Modi told the gathering which also includes the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA) members that India is simultaneously working on 6G as well. PM Modi said that telecom stands for equity and opportunity in India. “There are over 950 million internet users in India, and 40% of the real time digital transactions happening in the country,” said PM.

India, U.S. conclude $3.5 billion deal for 31 MQ-9B armed UAVs

India and the U.S. on Tuesday(October 15, 2024) concluded a $3.5 bn deal for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) manufactured by General Atomics. One contract was signed with the U.S. government for Tri-Service procurement of 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian HALE systems, the Defence Ministry said. “Another contract has been signed with General Atomics Global India Pvt Ltd for performance based logistics for these RPAS through Depot Level Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul in India,” the Ministry said on social media X. The contracts were inked in the presence of Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.

Consensual adulterous relationship from its inception does not amount to rape: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has observed that a long-standing consensual adulterous physical relationship without any element of deception from its inception would not amount to rape within the meaning of section 375 of the IPC, which defines rape as sexual intercourse with a woman against her consent. The court quashed the criminal proceedings against a man from Moradabad who was accused of raping a woman on the pretext of a promise to marry her. The court also held that a promise of marriage does not automatically render consensual intercourse rape unless it is proven that such a promise was false from the outset.

Israel kills at least 50 in Gaza, tanks deepen raid in the north

Israeli military strikes killed at least 50 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) amid fierce battles with Hamas-led fighters. Palestinian health officials said at least 17 people were killed by Israeli fire near Al-Falouja in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps, while 10 others were killed in Bani Suhaila in eastern Khan Younis in the south when an Israeli missile struck a house.

U.N. urges investigation into deadly Israeli strike in Northern Lebanon, which killed 22

The United Nations on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) demanded a “prompt, independent and thorough investigation” into an Israeli strike on the northern Lebanese village of Aito, which had killed 22 civilians. “What we’re hearing is that amongst the 22 people who were killed were 12 women and two children,” UN Rights Office Spokesman Jeremy Laurence told reporters about Monday’s (October 14, 2024) strike, which he said appeared to have hit a four-storey residential building.

U.N. Security Council voices ’strong concern’ for U.N. peacekeepers after Israeli attacks

The U.N. Security Council expressed “strong concern” Monday (October 14, 2024) as Israel has fired on and wounded U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon during intensified fighting, reiterating its support for their role in supporting security in the region. It’s the first statement by the U.N.’s most powerful body since Israel’s attacks on the positions of the peacekeeping force known as United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) began last week, drawing international condemnation.

Kamala Harris slams Donald Trump for suggesting U.S. military handle ’enemy from within’ on election day

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris zeroed in on former President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the U.S. military could be used to deal with “the enemy from within” as the two presidential nominees took the fight for battleground Pennsylvania to opposite ends of the State on Monday (October 14, 2024). Ms. Harris, at her rally in northwestern Pennsylvania, called Mr. Trump a serious threat to American democracy who is “out for unchecked power.”

North Korea blows up parts of inter-Korean roads as tensions with South Korea soar

South Korea said North Korea blew up the northern parts of inter-Korean roads no longer in use on Tuesday (October 15, 2024), as the rivals are locked in rising animosities over North Korea’s claim that South Korea flew drones over its capital, Pyongyang. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a brief statement that North Korea blew up parts of the roads on Tuesday (October 15, 2024). It said South Korea’s military is bolstering its readiness and surveillance posture but gave no further details.

India eliminated from Women’s T20 World Cup after NZ beat Pakistan to enter semifinals

India were eliminated from the Women’s T20 World Cup after New Zealand scripted a commanding 54-run victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Monday (October 14, 2024) to reach the semifinals for the first time since the 2016 edition. India’s only chance to make the semifinals was depended on a Pakistan win with an inferior Net Run-rate compared to theirs. Pakistan were very much in the game after restricting New Zealand to a meagre 110 for six in 20 overs. However, Pakistan’s batting crumbled badly as they were shot out for 56 in just 11.4 overs as White Ferns entered the semifinals with three wins from four games in Group A.