TODAY NEWS ON September 22, 2024

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

National News

• Atishi becomes Delhi’s third woman Chief Minister, 17th in India’s history
• Quad summit to announce joint coast guard exercises, other initiatives
• PM Modi meets President Biden at Wilmington ahead of Quad summit
• In a first, India invites foreign diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir to witness elections
• Centre notifies the appointments of Chief justices in eight High Courts
• Chief Justice of India emphasises intersection of law, ethics and medical innovation in gene therapy for rare disease treatment
• Film critic Ponnam Ravichandra selected a jury member for L‘Alternativa Film Festival to be held in Spain
• No loss of territory is happening now to China: Ladakh LG
• R.G. Kar incident: Junior doctors resume duties partially at State-run hospitals in Bengal after 42 days
• Kerala police probe Norway-based Wayanad native’s possible connection to Lebanon pager blasts
• India, South Korea discuss upgrading existing trade pact; promoting investments
• Chess Olympiad: Indian teams rack up draws in the ninth round

International news

• France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
• Presidential election 2024 passes off peacefully in Sri Lanka
• Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 20 killed 37, Lebanese ministry says

Headlines in Detail

 Atishi becomes Delhi’s third woman Chief Minister, 17th in India’s history

AAP leader Atishi took oath on Saturday (September 21, 2024) as Delhi's third woman Chief Minister and became the youngest of all three to hold the top office in the National Capital. She also became the 17th woman to hold the post of Chief Minister in independent India. The senior AAP leader, however, will have a brief tenure in office as Assembly elections in the National Capital are due in February.

Quad summit to announce joint coast guard exercises, other initiatives

A Coast Guard exercise and an initiative to fight cancer will be among the new projects announced at the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) on Saturday (September 21, 2024), when U.S. President Joe Biden hosts Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of Australia and Japan. The U.S. Coast Guard will welcome Indian, Australian and Japanese coast guards on board its vessel in the Indo Pacific, with other countries then taking turns to host, a Biden administration official said, during a briefing call with reporters on Friday (September 20, 2024). In the context of China, the briefing official emphasized that the Quad continues to be defined “as a partnership, not a military alliance of any kind”. Earlier this week, White House spokesperson John Kirby had described as being “high” on the agenda for Saturday’s summit.

PM Modi meets President Biden at Wilmington ahead of Quad summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met U.S President Joe Biden for bilateral talks at the President’s house in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. The meeting took place shortly after the Prime Minister arrived in the city for a summit-level meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) with President Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Mr. Biden, who is the final months of his presidency, hosted the leaders at his home, keen to emphasise the connections with his counterparts that has fuelled his diplomacy. The White House pool and Indian traveling press did not have access to this “personal meeting“ as the White House described the bilateral talks.

In a first, India invites foreign diplomats to Jammu and Kashmir to witness elections

Buoyed by the peaceful ongoing election in Jammu and Kashmi, and a higher voter turnout of 61% in the first phase of polling, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has invited a group of senior diplomats, mainly from the American, European and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) embassies, to visit Kashmir “for a first-hand account of the ongoing election process in J&K”, sources told The Hindu.

Centre notifies the appointments of Chief justices in eight High Courts

The Centre notified the appointment of Chief Justices in eight High Courts. These includes the High Courts of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Madras (Tamil Nadu) and Jharkhand. The appointments came after the Supreme Court Collegium on Tuesday (September 17, 2024) amended some of its July 11, 2024 recommendations.

Chief Justice of India emphasises intersection of law, ethics and medical innovation in gene therapy for rare disease treatment

Emphasising the need for the intersection of law, ethics and medical innovation in gene therapy, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud on Saturday said it was essential to explore proposals for tax incentives and benefits to encourage industry participation in research and development for rare disease treatments.

Speaking after inaugurating a conference on ‘Gene Therapy and Precision Medicine’ organised by Narayana Nethralaya Foundation, Mr. Justice Chandrachud said such incentives would make it easier for companies to invest in research while ensuring that patients and society as a whole benefit from these efforts. “While society must be aware and empathetic, the industry should support through CSR initiatives or investments in start-ups to further innovation in gene therapy and rare diseases,” he said.

Film critic Ponnam Ravichandra selected a jury member for L‘Alternativa Film Festival to be held in Spain

Film critic and assistant regional secretary (Southern Region), Federation of Film Societies of India (FFSI), Ponnam Ravichandra, has been selected as one of the jury members for the 31st L‘Alternativa Film Festival to be held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 14 to 23, 2024. The other members of the jury are: Lourdes Feixa of the host country Spain and William Sorensen Munch of Norway, a press release said. Mr. Ravichandra had served as a jury member for Nandi Awards and Portugal International Film Festival in the past.

No loss of territory is happening now to China: Ladakh LG

Whatever loss of territory that occurred along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh occurred during the 1962 war or around that period, and “no loss is happening now”, Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Ladakh Brigadier B.D. Mishra (Retd) said. He also said the Agniveers are proving “very effective” and anybody who is making propaganda of the many disadvantages about this Agnipath project is “not in national interest” and bordering on “anti-national”.

France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right

French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier marked by a shift to the right, 11 weeks after an inconclusive parliamentary election. The first major task for Mr. Barnier, appointed just over two weeks ago, will be to submit a 2025 budget plan addressing France's financial situation, which the prime minister this week called "very serious". Tough talks on the distribution of the 39 cabinet posts continued right up to Saturday's official announcement, insiders said, with moments of high tension between the president and his prime minister.

Presidential election 2024 passes off peacefully in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankans gave their mandate to the country’s next leader in a peacefully held Presidential election. The outcome of the critical election, expected on Sunday (September 22, 2024), is watched closely as the island nation navigates a challenging phase of economic recovery following a crushing crisis two years ago.

Israeli airstrike on Beirut on September 20 killed 37, Lebanese ministry says

At least 37 people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday (September 20, 2024), including three children and seven women, the Lebanese health ministry said. Hezbollah said overnight that those killed in the deadliest strike in a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel included 16 of its members, and that senior leader Ibrahim Aqil and another top commander, Ahmed Wahbi, were among the dead.

R.G. Kar incident: Junior doctors resume duties partially at State-run hospitals in Bengal after 42 days

Junior doctors on Saturday (September 21, 2024) rejoined their duties partially at various government-run hospitals in West Bengal after a hiatus of 42 days. They were on 'cease work' in protest against the rape and murder of an on-duty woman doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. The junior doctors resumed their duties in essential and emergency services at all State-run hospitals but not in the outpatient departments (OPDs).

Kerala police probe Norway-based Wayanad native’s possible connection to Lebanon pager blasts

The Wayanad Special Branch (SB) police in Kerala have initiated inquiries into Rinson Jose, a 37-year-old who left Wayanad for Norway a decade ago, following reports of his alleged involvement in the recent pager blasts that shook Lebanon. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Special Branch, Wayanad, P.L. Shyju, told The Hindu that officials visited Mr. Jose’s family home at Mananthavady in Wayanad to collect information from his parents. They reported being unaware of the situation, although they have been unable to reach him by phone since the incident. Given that Mr. Jose is a foreign national, no legal action is being pursued against him, nor is he currently a target of any investigations in India, Mr. Shyju added. Reports indicate that Jose has been active within the Malayali community in Norway, where he previously operated a job consultancy.

India, South Korea discuss upgrading existing trade pact; promoting investments

India and South Korea on Saturday (September 21, 2024) held discussions on upgrading the existing free trade agreement, balancing two-way commerce and promoting investments between the two countries. The issues were discussed during a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his South Korean counterpart Inkyo Cheong at Vientiane, Laos. "Deliberations were held on achieving more balanced trade, upgrading the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), promoting investments linked to job creation and addressing non-tariff barriers to further strengthen our economic ties," Mr. Goyal said in a post on social media platform X. The two countries are holding review meetings to upgrade the CEPA, which was operationalised in January 2010. So far, more than 10 rounds of review talks have been held.

Chess Olympiad: Indian teams rack up draws in the ninth round

After winning eight games back to back, the Indian men had to settle for a draw in the ninth round of the Chess Olympiad at Budapest. The second-seeded India and defending champion Uzbekistan were involved in a fierce battle, which ended 2-2. India, however, has maintained its sole lead position, with just two rounds remaining. India is on 17 points, two more than the United States, Uzbekistan and China, who are sharing the second spot. In the 10th round on Saturday, India will meet the United States, the top seed.