TODAY NEWS ON January 22, 2025

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

News Headlines

• U.S. President Donald Trump declares end to birthright citizenship
• R.G. Kar rape-murder: Bengal govt. moves Calcutta HC seeking death penalty for convict Sanjay Roy
• Central committee member among 14 Maoists killed in encounter at Gariaband in Odisha-Chhattisgarh border
• Delhi court orders seizure of M.F. Husain’s paintings of Hindu deities from Delhi Art Gallery
• JD(U) raises questions on appointment of VCs under draft UGC rules
• Scheduled Caste panel issues notice on complaint on caste discrimination during IIT campus placements
• World Bank Neutral Expert says ‘competent’ to judge Indus Water Treaty dispute
• Indian fact-checkers to continue with Meta partnerships, for now
• Law panel’s UCC paper ignored, says Congress
• India, France discuss high-tech cooperation, civil nuclear issues ahead of Modi visit in February
• Webinar on thyroid disorders to be held on January 26
• Supreme Court appreciates women who braved odds to record statements for Hema Committee report before the SIT
• Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy says no one can demand long hours at work
• Taliban announce the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in a prisoner exchange
• At least 66 dead, 51 injured in hotel fire at a ski resort in northwestern Turkiye

Headlines in detail

U.S. President Donald Trump declares end to birthright citizenship

Shortly after being sworn in, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order cancelling the provision of “citizenship by birth”, which, if unchallenged, could directly affect thousands of Indian professionals working in the U.S. under H-1B and other temporary visas, who hoped to raise their families there.

Mr. Trump also pardoned about 1,500 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a sweeping gesture of support to the people who assaulted police as they tried to prevent lawmakers from certifying his 2020 election defeat.

R.G. Kar rape-murder: Bengal govt. moves Calcutta HC seeking death penalty for convict Sanjay Roy

A day after a sessions court in Kolkata handed a life term to the convict in the rape and murder of a doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College, the West Bengal government on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) moved the Calcutta High Court to file an appeal seeking death penalty for the convict.

Central committee member among 14 Maoists killed in encounter at Gariaband in Odisha-Chhattisgarh border

At least fourteen Maoists have been killed along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha borderin an anti-Maoist operation conducted in Gariaband district, the police said on Tuesday (January 21, 2025). The police had on Monday (January 20, 2025) said the number of fatalities in the operation was two but updated the figures based on the bodies recovered after the operation.

Delhi court orders seizure of M.F. Husain’s paintings of Hindu deities from Delhi Art Gallery

A Delhi court on Monday (January 20, 2025) ordered the seizure of paintings of Hindu deities made by Padma awardee M.F. Husain, displayed in the Delhi Art Gallery. The paintings showed Hindu gods Hanuman and Ganesha holding nude female characters in hands and on the lap.

JD(U) raises questions on appointment of VCs under draft UGC rules

Key NDA ally Janata Dal (United) expressed reservations over the new University Grants Commission (UGC) draft regulations that give a bigger role to the chancellors, who in most cases are State Governors, in appointing Vice-Chancellors of State universities, arguing that it will impact the State’s own road map for higher education.

Scheduled Caste panel issues notice on complaint on caste discrimination during IIT campus placements

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has now taken up a complaint of caste discrimination at the hands of the campus placement offices in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and IIT-Bombay, over a year after it was filed in November 2023.

World Bank Neutral Expert says ‘competent’ to judge Indus Water Treaty dispute

The Neutral Expert (NE) appointed under terms of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), 1960, decided that he was “competent” to decide on differences between India and Pakistan on the design of hydroelectric projects built on the Indus Treaty-rivers. India, in a statement, on Tuesday “welcomed” the move.

Indian fact-checkers to continue with Meta partnerships, for now

Indian fact-checking organisations that work with Meta Platforms, Inc. received a reprieve of a few months at least, as the Facebook and Instagram parent has decided to hold off on replacing them on its services.

Law panel’s UCC paper ignored, says Congress

A day after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the rules under the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) have been approved and will be implemented soon, the Congress on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) pointed out that the 22nd Law Commission had been wound up without submitting its report on the UCC.

India, France discuss high-tech cooperation, civil nuclear issues ahead of Modi visit in February

India and France have agreed to boost cooperation in “high-end technology sectors”, as senior officials held Foreign Office Consultations in Paris, and discussed long-pending civil nuclear cooperation issues ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit next month.

Webinar on thyroid disorders to be held on January 26

Naruvi Hospitals, Vellore, in collaboration with The Hindu, is hosting a webinar on “Thyroid Disorders: Prevention and Early Detection” at 11.30 a.m. on January 26. This is the third webinar in the 15-part webinar series organised as a part of the “Healthy India, Happy India” initiative.

Supreme Court appreciates women who braved odds to record statements for Hema Committee report before the SIT

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) acknowledged the courage of the women who had defied personal and professional costs to lodge complaints of sexual abuse in the Kerala film industry but said investigating agencies must also respect the women who wanted to keep quiet.

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy says no one can demand long hours at work

Infosys co-founder NRN Narayana Murthy, whose advice to youngsters to work 70 hours a week caused a stir, on Monday (January 20, 2025) said no one can ask people to put in long hours, but it is for everybody to “introspect” and understand the need for it. Underlining that he has put in over 70 hours a week for 40-odd years during his time at Infosys, Mr. Murthy said these are issues that need to be introspected on, and not debated.

Taliban announce the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in a prisoner exchange

Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) the release of two Americans in a prisoner exchange. The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul did not name the two U.S. citizens but said they were exchanged for Khan Muhammad, who was arrested in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar two decades ago and has been serving a life sentence in a California prison.

At least 66 dead, 51 injured in hotel fire at a ski resort in northwestern Turkiye

A fire at a 12-storey hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) killed at least 66 people, Turkey’s Interior Minister said. Ali Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people were injured in the disaster that struck the Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, some 300 km (185 miles) east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the school’s semester break when hotels in the region are packed.