TODAY NEWS ON December 24, 2024

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema, passes away at 90

Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, a giant of Indian cinema and one of the guiding lights of the Parallel Cinema movement, passed away due to kidney-related ailments in Mumbai. He was 90. Benegal, celebrated for poignant and hard-hitting films like Ankur, Nishant, Mandi, Manthan and Zubeidaa, examined the many fault lines of Indian society, tackling issues of feudalism, caste, and women’s emancipation, while ceaselessly experimenting with the cinematic form.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in U.S. for meetings with Trump and Biden administration officials

Weeks ahead of the swearing-in of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is travelling to the U.S. to meet with officials in the outgoing Biden administration, as well as the Trump administration team. Mr. Jaishankar, who will be in the U.S. from December 24-29, will join Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who is already in Washington for Foreign Office Consultations.

Ruling, Opposition leaders join protesters outside CM Omar Abdullah’s residence over J&K reservation policy

Cutting across party lines, several mainstream leaders, including ruling National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah and Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti joined hundreds of general category students to protest outside the residence of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar to seek rationalisation of reservation in the Union Territory (UT).

Delhi HC refuses anticipatory bail to Puja Khedkar in UPSC cheating case

Delhi High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar in the criminal case lodged against her for alleged cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination. It was a classic case of fraud committed on a constitutional body as well as society, the judge said. Ms. Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022, to get reservation benefits.

At least 21 cybercriminals arrested for duping ₹125 crore in fraud cases across country

Twenty-one cybercriminals were arrested for allegedly duping scores of people across the country. They are accused of defrauding people of ₹125 crore, Gurugram cyber police said. All the accused were arrested in November and December after reviewing data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C), said Priyanshu Dewan, ACP (cyber).

Rozgar Mela | Record govt jobs provided in one-and-a-half years, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed recruits through video conferencing. Addressing recruits at a Rozgar Mela through a virtual event, Mr. Modi said his government has provided nearly 10 lakh permanent government jobs to youths in the last one or one and a half years which, he asserted, is a record.

Left parties announce day-long protest against Home Minister Amit Shah

Leaders of five Left parties announced a day-long protest on December 30, demanding Home Minister Amit Shah’s resignation over his “disrespectful and derogatory” comments on B.R. Ambedkar. The parties also condemned the “One Nation, One Election” proposal, calling it a direct assault on federal structure and right of State legislatures. The leaders of the Communist Party of India, CPI (Marxist), CPI (Marxist-Leninist), Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the All India Forward Bloc met on Sunday in Delhi.

Experts claim latest govt data on India's forests 'inflated'

Several experts have claimed that the latest government data on India's forests is "inflated" as it includes bamboo plantations, coconut groves, and orchards among others as part of the forest cover. The 'India State of Forests Report 2023' released on Saturday, after a delay of almost a year, said India's total forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq km since 2021, reaching 25.17% of the total geographical area in 2023.

Orange alert issued for severe cold in 4 Himachal districts, snowfall likely in some parts

Intense cold wave gripped the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh as the local weather department issued an orange alert for severe cold in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi districts for four days. The Meteorological Department also predicted light rain and snowfall at a few places in the mid and higher hills till Thursday (December 26, 2024).

UN 2024: India calls for change at UN as conflicts persist

As the United Nations prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary next year, India stressed that reform is "key" to the organisation's "relevance" in addressing current and future global challenges, as world leaders signed off on an ambitious pact in 2024 to transform global governance and drive sustainable action. India has been at the forefront of years-long efforts calling for reform of the Security Council, including expansion in both its permanent and non-permanent categories, saying the 15-nation Council, founded in 1945, is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century and does not reflect contemporary geo-political realities.

Police to train Delhi school teachers to deal with bomb threats

With frequent hoax bomb threats triggering panic among school authorities, Delhi Police has decided to train teachers and school staff in dealing with such crises, an official said on Monday. Police will organise a seminar in collaboration with the Education Department for teachers of all government and private schools, he said.

Drug use is really not ‘cool’, don’t be swayed by popular culture: SC tells youth

The Supreme Court has sent a special message to the ‘youth of India’ — drug use is not “cool”. In a year-ender judgment, a Bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna urged adolescents and youngsters “just beginning to explore the world” not to be swayed by images of drug abuse in popular culture. The court implored youngsters to “take charge of their decisional autonomy and firmly resist peer pressure and desist from emulation of certain personalities who may be indulging in drugs”.

Mastermind of kidnapping gang targeting celebrities arrested after encounter in Uttar Pradesh's Bijnor

“The Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested the mastermind of a gang involved in the abduction of actor Mushtaq Khan and comedian Sunil Pal on the pretext of inviting them for an event,” officials said on Monday (December 23, 2024). Lavi Pal alias Rahul Saini was arrested after an encounter on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday in which the accused was injured.

Grenade attack in Gurdaspur: Three Khalistan Zindabad Force members gunned down in encounter in Pilibhit

Three suspected Khalistani terrorists allegedly involved in the grenade attack in Gurdaspur were killed in an encounter with police in Pilibhit, with Punjab’s Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav terming it as a major breakthrough against a Pakistan-sponsored terror module. The gunfight between members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force and joint team of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Police took place in Puranpur area of Pilibhit.

Delhi polls: BJP issues 'charge sheet' against Kejriwal; vows to remove AAP from power

Senior BJP leader Anurag Thakur issued a "charge sheet" against AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, accusing him of turning Delhi into a "corruption lab" through a series of "scams". No immediate reaction was available from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the allegations of the BJP leader. Ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls, the State unit of the BJP has formed a "charge sheet committee" that has so far issued detailed reports listing the alleged failures of the ruling AAP MLAs.

Trump appoints Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as senior policy advisor on Artificial Intelligence

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump named Indian-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist and author Sriram Krishnan as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence. “Sriram Krishnan will serve as the Senior Policy Advisor for Artificial Intelligence at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy,” Mr. Trump said on Sunday (December 22, 2024) as he announced a number of appointments on artificial intelligence or AI.

Vinod Kambli admitted to hospital due to deterioration in health

Former India cricketer Vinod Kambli has been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai due to deterioration in his health. The 52-year-old was brought to the hospital by one of his fans who also owns the hospital in Bhiwandi's Kalher area in Thane district and his condition is said to be stable, even though the exact reasons for his hospitalisation could not be ascertained.