TODAY NEWS ON May 21, 2024

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Iran Vice President to assume interim duties after Raisi death: Khameneix

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assigned vice president Mohammad Mokhber to assume interim duties after the death of president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash a day earlier. “In accordance with Article 131 of the constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch,” said Khamenei in a statement, adding that Mokhber will be required to work with the heads of legislative and judicial to prepare for presidential elections “within a maximum period of 50 days”. Mr. Mokhber, 68, largely has been in the shadows compared to other politicians in Iran’s Shia theocracy. He is expected to serve as caretaker President for some 50 days before mandatory presidential elections in Iran.

With 59% voter turnout, Baramulla breaks previous poll record

A paradigm shift in the voting pattern in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in the Kashmir Valley pushed the polling percentage to 59% by 5 p.m. on May 20, breaking the previous record of 46.65% in 1996. “Zero violence was reported during voting in Baramulla. Poll percentage increased from 4% in 2019 to 44% in Sopore. The Baramulla constituency recorded all-time highest voter turnout of 59%,” said P.K Pole, chief electoral officer, J&K.

General elections 2024: Urban apathy continues; voter turnout crosses 60% in in phase 5

The fifth phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections on Monday saw 60.39% voter turnout till 11.45 PM, amid reports of minor incidents of violence from West Bengal. Maharashtra recorded the lowest turnout at 54.33%, while West Bengal saw the highest at 75.56%. The voting percentage in Bihar was 54.85%, Jammu and Kashmir 57.58%, Jharkhand 63%, Odisha 69.19 %, Uttar Pradesh 57.79% and Ladakh 69.92%.

BHU study on Covaxin side effects poorly designed, erroneously acknowledges ICMR: Dr Bahl

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr. Rajiv Bahl on May 20 criticised a recently published study on the long-term safety analysis of the Covaxin in adults and adolescents for its poor methodology and design, and clarified the article misleadingly and erroneously “acknowledges” ICMR. Dr Bahl said the study had no control arm of unvaccinated individuals for comparing the rates of events between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Hence, the reported events in the study cannot be linked or attributed to COVID-19 vaccination.

ICC seeks arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes in Palestine; charges Hamas chief for October 7 attack

The International Criminal Court prosecutor, Karim A.A. Khan, on May 20 announced that he will be submitting applications to seek arrest warrants against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in connection with the prevailing situation in Palestine. Mr. Khan in his statement said that Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Gallant “bear criminal responsibility” for the war crimes and crimes against humanity “committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza strip) from at least 8 October 2023”. The prosecutor has also charged Yahya Sinwar (Head of the Islamic Resistance Movement (“Hamas”) in the Gaza Strip), Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, more commonly known as DEIF (Commander-in-Chief of the military wing of Hamas, known as the Al-Qassam Brigades), and Ismail Haniyeh. The ICC has believes them to be “criminally responsible for the killing of hundreds of Israeli civilians in attacks perpetrated by Hamas (in particular its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades) and other armed groups on 7 October 2023 and the taking of at least 245 hostages.”

Nepal PM Prachanda wins vote of confidence in Parliament

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on May 20 won a vote of confidence in Parliament, the fourth within 18 months of taking office, amidst sloganeering by the main Opposition Nepali Congress that abstained from the voting. Mr. Prachanda, 69, a former guerilla leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) — the third largest party in the House of Representatives — received 157 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Wikileaks’ Julian Assange given permission to appeal against U.S. extradition

WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange’s battle to avoid extradition to the United States received a huge boost on May 20 when London’s High Court ruled that U.S. assurances over his case were unsatisfactory and he would get a full appeal hearing. In March, the High Court provisionally gave Assange, 52, permission to appeal on three grounds. But it gave the U.S. the opportunity to provide satisfactory assurances that it would not seek the death penalty and would allow him to seek to rely on a First Amendment right to free speech in a trial.

Manipur police register FIR over alleged name change of Thangjing Hills

Amid the ongoing inquiries by the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) over the issue, the Manipur police on Monday registered a zero FIR over pictures of a banner placed in Thangjing Hills, a hill range considered sacred to both the Meitei community and the Kuki-Zo community — the two communities engaged in the ongoing ethnic conflict of the State. The FIR has been registered on the basis of a complaint from the Land Resources Department of the Manipur government.

Peak power demand hovering near projected 235 GW this month amid severe heat wave

India’s peak power demand is hovering near the projected 235 GW level in May, following excessive use of cooling appliances like air conditioners and desert coolers amid severe heat waves in the country. According to the power ministry data, the peak power demand met or the highest supply in the day has already reached 233 GW on May 6 compared to 221.42 GW recorded a year ago.

CCI chief bats for new analytical tools; says algorithmic collusion poses challenges

To deal with competition challenges posed by digital markets, CCI Chairperson Ravneet Kaur on May 20 pitched for regulatory agility, new analytical tools and possibly, novel regulatory frameworks, specifically tailored to the digital context. The CCI will be conducting a market study on Artificial Intelligence (AI) that will be aimed at developing an in-depth understanding of the emerging competition dynamics in the development ecosystems of AI.

U.N. warns of famine in northern Gaza as flow of relief materials slows down

Food and medicine for Palestinians in Gaza are piling up in Egypt because the Rafah crossing remains closed and there has been no aid delivered to a U.N. warehouse from a U.S.-built pier for two days, U.N. officials warned on May 20.

Supreme Court dismisses plea challenging new criminal laws

The Supreme court on May 20 dismissed a petition challenging the three criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act. A Vacation Bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal allowed petitioner-advocate Vishal Tiwari to withdraw, saying he narrowly escaped imposition of costs for filing the petition. “Your petition was filed in a casual, cavalier manner,” Justice Mithal told Mr. Tiwari.

India to participate in G-7, Ukraine peace summits: PM Modi

India will participate in all important summits that promote the agenda of global peace, security and development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said while referring to invitations to him to attend the G-7 meeting and the Ukraine peace summit next month. In an interview to PTI, the Prime Minister said India will “resonate the voice of the Global South” at these summits to shape the global discourse and advance the vision for human centric development and a prosperous and peaceful world. Mr. Modi also said his government has made a “solemn promise” for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and will stand by it, adding the Centre was working very hard to create the right conditions.

Pune police to move higher court for permission to try teenager involved in accident as adult

Pune Police on May 20 said they will seek a higher court’s permission to try as an adult a 17-year-old boy whose car allegedly knocked down and killed two persons in Kalyani Nagar area in Pune. The accident took place on early on May 19 morning. The Juvenile Justice Board’s decision to grant the youngster bail on the same day while asking him to write an essay on road accidents has drawn criticism. The youngster, son of a real estate developer, was drunk at the time of the accident, police claimed on May 20. A case has been registered against him under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Two sentenced to death by POCSO court in Rajasthan court for raping, burning alive minor girl

A POCSO court in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district on May 20 awarded death sentence to two men for raping and burning alive a minor girl in a coal furnace last year. “Kalu and Kanha were awarded death penalty by the court,” Special Public Prosecutor Mahaveer Singh Kishnawat said. The court on May 18 had convicted Kalu and Kanha for the crime that took place in August last year. Seven others accused of destroying evidence were acquitted by the court. Mr. Kishnawat said the acquittal will be challenged in the High Court.

Malaysia Masters badminton | Focus on Sindhu as she looks to end title drought

Back from a break, P V Sindhu will look to hit the right notes in her quest for some confidence-boosting wins ahead of Paris Olympics when she spearheads India’s campaign in the Malaysia Masters badminton tournament starting in Kuala Lumpur on May 21. Sindhu, a former world champion, returns to the international circuit after skipping the Uber Cup and Thailand Open, and she will aim to go deep in the women’s singles draw of the BWF World Tour Super 500 event. The 28-year-old from Hyderabad hasn’t been able to hit top form after recovering from a knee injury sustained in October last year.

India set to lose Asian Games medal after Parveen’s suspension

Following boxer Parveen Hooda’s 22-month suspension for a whereabouts failure, India is set to lose a bronze medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games. The International Testing Agency (ITA), the organisation responsible for results management, has confirmed Parveen’s suspension until July 16, 2025 for three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period as defined in article 2.4 of the International Boxing Association’s anti-doping rules. “In addition to the period of ineligibility, the athlete’s results obtained between December 11, 2022 until May 17, 2024 are disqualified,” said ITA in a statement. While confirming that Parveen would lose her Asian Games medal, Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary Hemanta Kalita said: “The ITA reduced her suspension by eight months, but cancelled her results during that period as well.”

Rafael Nadal returns to Roland Garros to practice amid doubts over his fitness and form

Rafael Nadal returned to Roland Garros on Monday to practice and try to figure out whether to compete at the French Open, a tournament he has won a record 14 times. The training session gave Nadal a chance to reacquaint himself with the red clay at Roland Garros — he hasn’t played a match there in two years — and test his fitness.

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