TODAY NEWS ON December 23, 2024

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

National News

• India, Kuwait elevate ties to strategic partnership
• India can never permit others to have a veto on its choices: EAM Jaishankar
• Ancient stepwell unearthed in Chandausi in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district
• Hyderabad Police release video detailing events leading to stampede at Sandhya Theatre
• Congress slams govt over different tax slabs for popcorn, asks if PM will show courage for GST overhaul
• Half of MGNREGS sites inspected in Bengal showed flaws, says RTI reply
• Kuwait bestows highest honour ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ to PM Modi
• Omar Abdullah cancels Jammu meetings in wake of harsh cold wave in Kashmir valley
• 'Condition critical', say doctors as farmer leader Dallewal's fast enters 27th day
• Under Rozgar Mela, Modi to distribute over 71,000 appointment letters to recruits in govt. departments
• August 1 cut-off date for UPSC age limit is unfair: aspirants to CJI
• Indian women vs West Indies women first ODI: Smriti, Renuka power India to huge win
• Border Gavaskar Trophy: Couple of false alarms ring through Indian team nets session
• Tripura remained backward during Left rule, BJP brought development: Amit Shah

International News

• Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal
• Israeli strikes kill 17 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital in northern Gaza ordered to evacuate
• China calls Taiwan a ‘red line’, criticises new U.S. military aid to island
• Two Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ’friendly fire’ incident: U.S. military

Headlines in Detail

India, Kuwait elevate ties to strategic partnership

India and Kuwait on Sunday (December 22, 2024) elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. In their discussions, the two leaders focused on boosting ties in areas of information technology, pharmaceuticals, fintech, infrastructure and security.

India can never permit others to have a veto on its choices: EAM Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Saturday (December 21, 2024) India can never permit others to have a veto on its choices and will do whatever is right in the national interest and for the global good without being intimidated to “conform”. In a video message for a function in Mumbai, he said when India is etched more deeply in global consciousness, its repercussions are truly profound.

Ancient stepwell unearthed in Chandausi in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district

A stepwell, approximately 125 to 150 years old and covering an area of 400 square metres, was unearthed during excavation in the Laxman Ganj area of Chandausi here, an official said. Excavation at the site began on Saturday (December 21, 2024), said Krishna Kumar Sonkar, the Executive Officer of Chandausi Nagar Palika.

Hyderabad Police release video detailing events leading to stampede at Sandhya Theatre

The Hyderabad city police released a video prepared by them detailing the timeline of events that led up to the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4 for Pushpa 2’s benefit show which resulted in Revathi’s death and critically injured her son Sritej.

Congress slams govt over different tax slabs for popcorn, asks if PM will show courage for GST overhaul

Exhorting the Narendra Modi government to show the courage to overhaul the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime citing the “absurdity” of three different tax slabs for popcorn under the present system, the Congress on Sunday (December 22, 2024) said the current complexities in the system had thrown open several loopholes leading to tax evasion.

Half of MGNREGS sites inspected in Bengal showed flaws, says RTI reply

On December 26, 2024, it will be three years since the Centre sent the last tranche of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to West Bengal in 2021. Since then, the funds have been withheld by the Centre citing irregularities in implementation of the programme in the State. A set of RTI replies reveals that one of the key factors prompting the Union Rural Development Ministry’s decision was the inspection of 63 worksites out of which inconsistencies were reported in 31.

Kuwait bestows highest honour ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ to PM Modi

The Kuwait government bestowed its highest honour “The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mr. Modi is on a two-day visit to Kuwait at the invitation of Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The ‘Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ is a knighthood order of Kuwait.

Omar Abdullah cancels Jammu meetings in wake of harsh cold wave in Kashmir valley

J&K Chief Minister cancelled all the meetings scheduled in winter capital Jammu in the wake of a harsh cold wave and growing power crisis in the Kashmir valley. After attending the national level meeting of the 55th GST Council in Rajasthan on Saturday, Mr. Abdullah on Sunday announced that he would station himself in Srinagar for the next week “to personally oversee the functioning of the Power Department and other critical services”.

'Condition critical', say doctors as farmer leader Dallewal's fast enters 27th day

As Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's fast-unto-death entered its 27th day, doctors termed his health condition "critical". Doctors attending to him at the Khanauri border protest site reiterated that Mr. Dallewal is at the risk of cardiac arrest and multi-organ failure.

Under Rozgar Mela, Modi to distribute over 71,000 appointment letters to recruits in govt. departments

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will distribute more than 71,000 appointment letters to new recruits in various Union government departments on Monday via videoconferencing, his office said. It will be held at 45 locations around the country. The recruitment are taking place for various Union government ministries and departments.

August 1 cut-off date for UPSC age limit is unfair: aspirants to CJI

At least 15 civil services exam aspirants have written separate letters to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna alleging that regulations which set August 1 as the cut-off date for determining the maximum age eligibility amounts to a denial of equal opportunity and is discriminatory.

Trump threatens to take back control of Panama Canal

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump slammed what he called unfair fees for U.S. ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand control of the waterway be returned to Washington. He also hinted at China's growing influence around the canal, a worrying trend for American interests as US businesses depend on the channel to move goods between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Tripura remained backward during Left rule, BJP brought development: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (December 22, 2024) hit out at Left parties for turning Tripura into a “backward” State during their 35-year rule and said it could witness progress only after the BJP assumed power in 2018.

Israeli strikes kill 17 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital in northern Gaza ordered to evacuate

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians, eight of them at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, medics said, as the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of a hospital in the north. Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed in the Musa Bin Nusayr School that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.

China calls Taiwan a ‘red line’, criticises new U.S. military aid to island

The Chinese government protested Sunday (December 22, 2024) the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is “playing with fire”. U.S. President Joe Biden authorised Saturday (December 21, 2024) the provision of up to $571 million in Defense Department material and services and military education and training for Taiwan.

Two Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ’friendly fire’ incident: U.S. military

Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday (December 22, 2024) over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S. military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Indian women vs West Indies women first ODI: Smriti, Renuka power India to huge win

There’s no stopping Smriti Mandhana. Despite a quick turnaround time after a hectic T20I series, she swiftly changed formats and continued her fine form with a classy 91 (102b, 13x4) as India piled up 314 for nine — its second-highest total in ODIs — before Renuka Singh Thakur’s maiden fifer (5 for 29) powered India to a 211-run win against the West Indies in the series opener.