TODAY NEWS ON November 18, 2024

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

National News

• PM Modi receives Nigeria’s second-highest national award
• India successfully carries out maiden test of long range hypersonic missile
• Nepal, India agree to better coordinate border security
• Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio to lead Cabinet to meet Union Home Minister on Naga political dialogue
• PM Modi lauds film ‘The Sabarmati Report’, says good that truth is coming out
• GRAP Stage-4 restrictions to come into force from November 18 as pollution worsens in Delhi-NCR
• National People’s Party withdraws support to Manipur government
• Bangladesh will seek extradition of ex-premier Sheikh Hasina from India: Interim chief Yunus
• India in close consultation with Arab countries as West Asian conflict drags on

International News

• Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range missiles: U.S. official
• Gaza civil defence says 30 dead after Israeli air strike
• Russian airstrike in Sumy kills 8 and injures dozens
• Hezbollah firing in Haifa: Israel issues evacuation orders for Beirut residents
• COP29 week one ends in deadlock as divisions stall climate action progress
• Dengue death toll in Bangladesh crosses 400 as outbreak worsens

Headlines in detail

PM Modi receives Nigeria’s second-highest national award

Nigeria on Sunday conferred its second-highest national award — the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger — on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making him the second foreign dignitary to receive the distinction. “Honoured to be conferred with the ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger’ Award by Nigeria. I accept it with great humility and dedicate it to the 140 crore people of India and the friendship of India and Nigeria,” Mr. Modi said after receiving the award from Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Mr. Modi also held extensive talks with Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, focusing on boosting the India-Nigeria partnership in various areas, including trade, investment, and digital public infrastructure.

India successfully carries out maiden test of long range hypersonic missile

India on Sunday announced the successful flight test of its maiden long-range hypersonic missile with a range of 1500km. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted the flight test late on Saturday from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off Odisha coast, the latest in a series of missile tests in the last two months. “The missile is designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1500km for all the services of Indian armed forces,” DRDO said in a statement. “The missile was tracked by various range systems, deployed in multiple domains. The flight data obtained from down range ship stations confirmed the successful terminal maneuvers and impact with high degree of accuracy.”

Nepal, India agree to better coordinate border security

Nepal and India during an annual meeting agreed to better coordinate on border security and reviewed the work done in the past year in managing related challenges, an official said. Two sides during the eighth Nepal-India Border Security Coordination meeting between the Armed Police Force of Nepal and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on Saturday discussed “a bunch of issues related to the boundary, border, human trafficking, checking cross-border criminal activities and coordination between the two agencies in border areas”, Rishi Ram Tiwari, the spokesperson at the Home Ministry, told media persons.

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio to lead Cabinet to meet Union Home Minister on Naga political dialogue

With the NSCN-IM threatening to go back to jungles due to delay in the resolution of the Naga political dialogue with Government of India, the Nagaland Cabinet has decided to meet both negotiating parties at the earliest, official sources said on Sunday. A delegation of Nagaland Cabinet led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his Deputies T. R. Zeliang and Y. Patton are scheduled to leave for Delhi on Monday to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to press for expediting the Naga political negotiations, the sources said.

PM Modi lauds film ‘The Sabarmati Report’, says good that truth is coming out

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared to endorse the film ‘The Sabarmati Report’ produced by filmmaker Ektaa Kapoor and based on the burning of the Sabarmati Express claiming 59 lives and the Godhra riots that followed in 2002 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Responding to an “X” post by @alok_bhat enumerating what he says are the merits of the film, Prime Minister Modi quote posted: “Well said. It is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people see it. A fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time. Eventually facts will always come out.”

Biden allows Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range missiles: U.S. official

U.S. President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against military targets inside Russia, a U.S. official told AFP on condition of anonymity on Sunday (November 17, 2024), marking a major policy shift long demanded by Kyiv. The New York Times and The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, first reported the change, saying it came in response to North Korea deploying troops to help Moscow's war effort. The U.S. official who spoke to AFP confirmed the reports as accurate, while spokespeople for the State Department, White House, and Pentagon declined to comment.

GRAP Stage-4 restrictions to come into force from November 18 as pollution worsens in Delhi-NCR

The Centre’s air quality panel has announced stricter pollution control measures for the Delhi-NCR under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), effective from 8 a.m. on Monday (November 18, 2024), including a ban on truck entry and a temporary halt on construction at public projects. According to the order, no trucks will be allowed into Delhi except for those carrying essential items or using clean fuel (LNG/CNG/BS-VI diesel/electric).

The Delhi government ordered schools to shift to the online mode of teaching, except for Classes 10 and 12. “...all schools will hold online classes till further orders.

National People’s Party withdraws support to Manipur government

The National People’s Party (NPP) has withdrawn support to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Manipur.In a letter to BJP president J.P. Nadda on Sunday (November 17, 2024), the NPP’s national president and Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma, said his party felt the Manipur government under Nongthombam Biren Singh “completely failed” to resolve the crisis and restore normalcy in the State.

Bangladesh will seek extradition of ex-premier Sheikh Hasina from India: Interim chief Yunus

Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said that his administration will seek the extradition of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from India, where she has been in exile since fleeing a mass uprising in August 2024. In a televised address to the nation on his first 100 days in office, Mr. Yunus said that the interim government will try those responsible, including Ms. Hasina, for hundreds of deaths during the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule. Mr. Yunus took the helm on August 8, 2024, three days after Ms. Hasina fled the country.

India in close consultation with Arab countries as West Asian conflict drags on

Amidst a flurry of exchanges between Indian and West Asian officials in the recent weeks, two senior Arab diplomats have taken charge of the ambassadorial posts at the Jordan and Egyptian embassies in New Delhi, indicating the fast-paced diplomatic consultations that are taking place between India and the leading powers in the conflict-torn West Asian region. The arrival of new Jordan Ambassador Yousef Mustafa Ali Abdelghani and new Egyptian Ambassador Kamel Galal is viewed in the diplomatic circle as important, as both Jordan and Egypt are ‘frontline states’ that have a lot at stake in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.

Gaza civil defence says 30 dead after Israeli air strike

Gaza's civil defence agency said 30 people were killed, including children, and dozens were missing after an Israeli airstrike hit a building in the Palestinian territory's north. Israel's army said it had conducted overnight strikes and hit "terrorist targets" in the area. Israel's army said there were "ongoing terrorist activities in the area of Beit Lahia", adding: "Overnight, several strikes were conducted on terrorist targets in the area."

Russian airstrike in Sumy kills 8 and injures dozens

A Russian strike on a nine-story building in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded dozens, an official said, as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack described by officials as the largest in recent months. Two more people were killed in the Odesa region, where the attack damaged energy infrastructure and disrupted power and water supplies, said local Gov.

Hezbollah firing in Haifa: Israel issues evacuation orders for Beirut residents

Israel issued evacuation orders on Sunday for parts of south Beirut where it is targeting Hezbollah militants, hours after the Iran-backed group said it fired on several Israeli military bases around the coastal city of Haifa. Israel ordered residents of three areas in the capital’s southern suburbs to leave ahead of planned strikes on multiple buildings, in a warning published on X by military spokesman Avichay Adraee.

COP29 week one ends in deadlock as divisions stall climate action progress

The first week of the COP29 summit concluded in Baku without significant breakthroughs, as deep divisions between developed and developing nations stalled progress on key issues like climate finance, trade measures, and equitable responsibility for climate action. India, representing the G-77/China and BASIC blocs, demanded accountability from wealthier countries on unmet financial commitments.

Dengue death toll in Bangladesh crosses 400 as outbreak worsens

Bangladesh is battling its worst outbreak of dengue in years, with more than 400 deaths as rising temperatures and a longer monsoon season drive a surge in infections, leaving hospitals struggling to cope, particularly in urban areas. At least 407 people have died from related complications in 2024, with 78,595 patients admitted to hospitals nationwide, the latest official figures show.