TODAY NEWS ON January 16, 2025

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

National News

• Three Indian nuclear entities no more on U.S. restrictions list
• Easy access to clean toilets a basic right, essential for human dignity, says Supreme Court judgment
• Exports dipped 1% in December, trade gap eased from November’s record high
• Supreme Court relief to Naidu, dismisses plea to cancel his bail
• Centre, Ladakh leaders discuss new land policy
• Galwan incident with China should not get repeated, says Army chief
• West Bengal government pegs Gangasagar pilgrims figures over a crore, RTI contradicts claim
• First tri-commissioning of three frontline platforms, PM Modi hails ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ move
• Meta India apologises for Zuckerberg’s remark on India elections; Nishikant Dubey says issue now ‘closed’
• Netflix welcomes Oscar-shortlisted short film, ‘Anuja’
• Indian-origin nurse battles ‘life-changing injuries’ after U.K. hospital stabbing
• CLAT-UG row: May transfer Consortium of NLUs plea to one high court, says SC
• Tripura Assembly passes bill seeking 100 pc hike in salary of CM, minister, MLAs
• Faster immigration clearance programme in 7 more airports from January 16

International News

• Qatari PM says Gaza ceasefire goes into effect on January 19
• Short-seller Hindenburg Research to be disbanded: founder
• Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives, top official acknowledges
• High-powered Enquiry Committee submits report on activities of organised terror groups which undermined security interests of India, U.S.
• Riyadh court postpones final verdict on Abdul Rahim’s discharge petition for the sixth time

Headlines

Qatari PM says Gaza ceasefire goes into effect on January 19

Qatar’s prime minister on Wednesday announced a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that will pause the devastating 15-month war in Gaza and clear the way for dozens of Israeli hostages to go home. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced the agreement in the Qatari capital of Doha, the site of weeks of painstaking negotiations. He said the deal would go into effect on Sunday.

Short-seller Hindenburg Research to be disbanded: founder

U.S. investment group Hindenburg Research will be disbanded, its founder Nate Anderson said Wednesday, adding that it has completed the projects it was handling. Founded in 2017 as a kind of corporate muckraker, the short-seller with around 10 employees has pushed several companies to admit accounting errors or misrepresentations.

Three Indian nuclear entities no more on U.S. restrictions list

In a significant move, the United States on Wednesday removed restrictions on three Indian nuclear entities, over a week after National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced that Washington was finalising steps to “remove” hurdles for civil nuclear partnership between Indian and American firms. The three entities are Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre (IGCAR) and the Indian Rare Earths (IRE), according to the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

Easy access to clean toilets a basic right, essential for human dignity, says Supreme Court judgment

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) declared that easy access to clean public toilets for all — including men, women, persons with disabilities, and transgender persons — is not just a matter of convenience but a basic right and an essential part of human dignity. “Though public toilets are built near every toll plaza in the National Highways across the country, we seldom find them to be maintained and accessible,” a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan observed in a 34-page judgment.

Exports dipped 1% in December, trade gap eased from November’s record high

India’s goods exports contracted 1% year-on-year in December to a fraction over $38 billion, while imports grew 4.9% to almost $60 billion, but this narrowed the merchandise trade deficit to a three-month low of $21.9 billion, reflecting a sharp moderation from November’s record gap of $31.8 billion. Gold imports which were feared to have spiked to a fresh high of $14.9 billion in November, before the Centre corrected that tally by $5 billion last week to $9.9 billion citing an erroneous ‘double count’, more than halved sequentially in December to $4.7 billion. However, this still marked a significant 55.4% increase over the yellow metal’s December 2023 imports.

Supreme Court relief to Naidu, dismisses plea to cancel his bail

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) provided a major relief to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu by dismissing a petition filed in 2023 by the previous Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party government to cancel his bail in the skill development ‘scam’ case. Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice Bela Trivedi, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi for the current dispensation in the State said a chargesheet was filed in the case and there was no need to cancel the bail granted by the State High Court.

Centre, Ladakh leaders discuss new land policy

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is considering a proposal to regularise vast areas of government land in the Union Territory of Ladakh, in the names of local residents who have been using or tending these barren or wastelands over the years. The proposal was discussed at a high-powered committee meeting between Ladakhi civil society leaders and MHA officials on Wednesday (January 15, 2025).

Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives, top official acknowledges

Israel supplied Iran with centrifuge platforms containing explosives for its nuclear enrichment programme, a top Iranian official has acknowledged for the first time, underscoring the sophistication of sabotage programs targeting the Islamic Republic. The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif, a former Foreign Minister who serves as Vice-President for strategic affairs for reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, appear aimed at explaining to the country’s disaffected public the challenges Iran’s government faces under crushing Western sanctions over the programme. The comments also acknowledged details previously reported in Israel about a 2021 attack on Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility.

Galwan incident with China should not get repeated, says Army chief

Stressing that special attention has been given to develop modern equipment and critical infrastructure at the northern border, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi said on Wednesday (January 15, 2025z that “whatever was done in Galwan should not get repeated”. At the 77th Army Day Parade held at Pune this year, the Army showcased its newly inducted robotic mules, 100 of which have been inducted and 12 were part of the parade. An all-woman Agniveer contingent of the Corps of Military Police and an all-girl contingent of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) were also part of the parade along with various marching contingents of the Army. A Nepali Army band joined the Indian Army Day parade for the first time.

West Bengal government pegs Gangasagar pilgrims figures over a crore, RTI contradicts claim

The West Bengal government on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) claimed that over 1.1 crore pilgrims have participated in the Gangasagar mela 2025 describing the annual pilgrimage at the confluence of river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal as the “best mela in the country”. State’s Minister for Power and Youth Affairs lauded the arrangements at the mela and said that the initiatives envisaged by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had paved the way for smooth functioning of the fest.

First tri-commissioning of three frontline platforms, PM Modi hails ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ move

In a first, three frontline platforms — INS Nilgiri, INS Vaghsheer and INS Surat — were commissioned on the same day in the Indian Navy on Wednesday (January 15, 2025). Hailing the first tri-commissioning as a significant leap towards towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the three vessels to the nation.

Meta India apologises for Zuckerberg’s remark on India elections; Nishikant Dubey says issue now ‘closed’

Meta India on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) apologised for CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s remarks during a podcast that the incumbent government in India lost power in the 2024 elections, and termed it an “inadvertent error”. Following the apology, BJP leader Nishikant Dubey said the matter was “closed”.

Netflix welcomes Oscar-shortlisted short film, ‘Anuja’

The acclaimed short film Anuja is set to debut on Netflix, offering global audiences a heartwarming and powerful story of resilience. Directed by Adam J. Graves, the film follows nine-year-old Anuja, played by Sajda Pathan, who works in a garment factory in Delhi alongside her sister Palak, portrayed by Ananya Shanbhag.

Indian-origin nurse battles ‘life-changing injuries’ after U.K. hospital stabbing

An Indian-origin nurse is battling “life-changing injuries” after she was stabbed with a pair of scissors while on a night shift at the Royal Oldham Hospital’s Acute Medical Unit in Greater Manchester, north-west England. The nurse, named at Manchester Magistrates’ Court as Achamma Cherian, was attacked on Saturday (January 11, 2024) night following which 37-year-old Rumon Haque was arrested.

High-powered Enquiry Committee submits report on activities of organised terror groups which undermined security interests of India, U.S.

A high-powered enquiry committee has submitted its report on activities of some organised criminal groups and terrorist organisations, which undermined the security interests of both India and the U.S. The probe was ordered after the U.S. alleged that there was an attempt to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun by Indian agents.

Riyadh court postpones final verdict on Abdul Rahim’s discharge petition for the sixth time

A final verdict on the discharge petition filed by Kozhikode native Abdul Rahim, who was earlier sentenced to death after he had been charged with murder under Saudi law and later granted pardon on blood money of ₹34 crore given to the victim’s family, has been postponed for the sixth time by a Riyadh criminal court.

CLAT-UG row: May transfer Consortium of NLUs plea to one high court, says SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) said it may transfer all petitions challenging the 2025 Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) results to one high court, preferably the Punjab and Haryana HC. The CLAT 2025, conducted on December 1, 2024, determines admissions to undergraduate law courses in National Law Universities in the country and pleas were filed in different high courts alleging several questions in the exam were wrong.

Tripura Assembly passes bill seeking 100 pc hike in salary of CM, minister, MLAs

The Tripura Assembly on Wednesday (January 15, 2025) unanimously passed a bill seeking an almost 100% hike in the salary, pension and other benefits of chief Minister, Ministers, Speaker, and MLAs. The bill proposes that the chief minister will now receive a monthly salary of ₹97,000 with ₹13,000 as a sumptuary allowance while ministers and the Leader of the Opposition will get ₹95,000 with an allowance of ₹12,000 per month.

Faster immigration clearance programme in 7 more airports from January 16

A fast-track immigration process for pre-verified Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders will be rolled out at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and four other major airports from Thursday (January 14, 2025). Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the ‘Fast Track Immigration’ Trusted Traveller Program’ (FTI- TTP) at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin and Ahmedabad airports, the Union Home Ministry announced on Wednesday (January 15, 2025).