TODAY NEWS ON January 24, 2025

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

Headlines

National News

• Railways, police begin probe into Jalgaon train accident
• New MGNREGS wage payment system not significantly better: study
• States yet to use ₹70,744 cr. funds for welfare of construction workers
• Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit China on January 26
• Court refuses to order FIR against Delhi Art Gallery over display of Husain’s paintings
• MDL-TKMS bid for Navy’s P-75I submarine tender clears technical evaluation
• In the aftermath of Puja Khedkar row, govt. makes changes to Civil Services Examination Rules
• Midway through campaign, AAP wakes up to the issue of joblessness
• Can implement new pilot duty, rest norms in a phased manner from July 1, DGCA tells Delhi HC
• Indian Navy completes hydrographic survey of 25,000 sq. nautical miles of Mauritius
• Madurai tungsten mining: Centre decides to annul auction of mineral block at Nayakkarpatti
• Elephants in Kerala religious festivals: Supreme Court refuses urgent hearing of plea to lift stay
• Delhi Police launch two AI-based chatbots for effective management of Assembly elections
• National Human Rights Commission faults probe of Foxconn hiring, orders new inquiry
• Union government sends notices to Uber, Ola over pricing disparity on Apple and Android phones
• Gukesh becomes highest-ranked Indian at 4th in latest FIDE rankings, displaces Erigaisi

International News

• Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship
• Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrives to take part in Republic Day celebrations
• U.S. sanctions hit Russian oil supply to India; BPCL says supplies may be impacted
• LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand register their marriages on the first day of law giving them equal status
• Israeli forces kill two Palestinian militants who carried out West Bank bus attack
• Yemen’s Houthi rebels release crew of commercial vessel seized in Red Sea in November 2023
• Islamic State claims responsibility for Chinese national killed in Afghanistan
• Trump says he may withhold federal aid for Los Angeles if California doesn’t change water policies
• Australian Open: Sabalenka grinds down Badosa to reach women’s singles final

Headlines in detail

Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday (January 23, 2025) that his administration would appeal a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocks his attempt to restrict birthright citizenship.

“Obviously we will appeal it,” President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the ruling by Washington state District Judge John Coughenour, who said the president’s order was “blatantly unconstitutional.”

Railways, police begin probe into Jalgaon train accident

The police and the railways began a probe into Wednesday’s Jalgaon train accident in which 12 persons were killed, even as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday (January 23, 2025) called the accident the result of a “sheer rumour” about fire by a tea seller on Pushpak Express.

New MGNREGS wage payment system not significantly better: study

There is no statistically significant difference either in timely payment of wages or in payment rejections between the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) and the standard bank account-based methods, according to a study published in the latest edition of the Indian Journal of Labour Economics. Researchers analysed 3.14 crore Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) transactions worth ₹4,602 crore, made in 2021-22 across 10 States.

States yet to use ₹70,744 cr. funds for welfare of construction workers

The Union Labour Ministry said in a Right to Information (RTI) reply that the welfare boards for building and other construction workers of various States have not yet used the cess worth ₹70,744.16 crore they collected from the employers for the welfare of the workers. Since the implementation of the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act in 2005, the boards have collected ₹1,17,507.22 crore as cess from the employers and allocated ₹67,669.92 crore with the workers.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrives to take part in Republic Day celebrations

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto arrived in India on Thursday (January 23, 2025) ahead of the 76th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Sunday, where he will be the chief guest. This is the first state visit to India by Mr. Subianto. He is the fourth Indonesian President to be the chief guest at the Republic Day event.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to visit China on January 26

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will travel to Beijing on Sunday (January 26, 2025), in another indication that India and China are reviving all dialogue mechanisms after the four-year break over the military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Court refuses to order FIR against Delhi Art Gallery over display of Husain’s paintings

A Delhi court on Thursday refused to order the police to file an FIR against the Delhi Art Gallery (DAG) for displaying ‘objectionable’ paintings made by M.F Husain. It said the complainant, Delhi-based advocate Amita Sachdeva, already had in her possession all the evidence required to prove her allegations.

MDL-TKMS bid for Navy’s P-75I submarine tender clears technical evaluation

The multi-billion dollar deal for six advanced conventional submarines under project-75I has crossed a major milestone with the bid by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, and Germany’s TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) having cleared the technical evaluation conducted by the Defence Ministry. The bid by Larsen & Toubro in partnership with Navantia of Spain has not cleared the technical evaluation.

In the aftermath of Puja Khedkar row, govt. makes changes to Civil Services Examination Rules

The online submission of documents such as educational, caste and physical disability certificates has been made mandatory for aspirants at the stage of preliminary examinations of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), unlike earlier when documents were to be scanned and uploaded once a candidate qualified for the Mains examination, according to a government notification.

Midway through campaign, AAP wakes up to the issue of joblessness

The Aam Aadmi Party’s narrative on the critical issue of jobs has undergone a drastic transformation ahead of the Delhi Assembly election, with the party releasing a video message on Thursday about the serious unemployment problem in Delhi and highlighting the crisis in poll rallies all week. This is the same party, however, that has spent the last few years claiming that “we know how to give employment” and “we have given 10 lakh jobs in Delhi”, promoting its record in poll campaigns across multiple States, including in Punjab in 2022.

Can implement new pilot duty, rest norms in a phased manner from July 1, DGCA tells Delhi HC

The DGCA informed Delhi High Court on Thursday (January 23, 2025) that the revised rest and duty norms proposed by it for pilots last January that have been strongly opposed by airlines could be implemented in a staggered manner starting July 1, 2025.

Indian Navy completes hydrographic survey of 25,000 sq. nautical miles of Mauritius

The Indian Navy’s INS Sarvekshak completed the final phase of the hydrographic survey of Mauritius covering an extensive area of over 25,000 square nautical miles. The fair sheet of the hydrographic survey, along with newly prepared nautical charts and survey equipment were formally handed over to Mauritius President Dharambeer Gokhool by High Commissioner of India to Mauritius Anurag Srivastava at a formal ceremony on Thursday (January 23, 2025).

Madurai tungsten mining: Centre decides to annul auction of mineral block at Nayakkarpatti

The Union Ministry of Mines on Thursday announced that it has decided to annul the auction of tungsten mineral block at Nayakkarpatti in Madurai district. It may be recalled that locals had carried out a massive rally in Madurai district against the proposal and the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly had last month unanimously adopted a special resolution urging the Union government to immediately cancel the tungsten mining rights granted.

Elephants in Kerala religious festivals: Supreme Court refuses urgent hearing of plea to lift stay

The Supreme Court of India on Thursday did not heed an oral plea to urgently take up for hearing an application to lift its Order of December 19, 2024, staying a clutch of directions issued by the Kerala High Court, including that elephants must maintain a minimum distance of three metres from each other at religious festivals, parades and exhibitions.

Delhi Police launch two AI-based chatbots for effective management of Assembly elections

“As the Delhi Assembly polls draw nearer, the police have introduced two AI-driven chatbots ‘Chunav Mitra’ and ‘Cyber Sarthi’ to assist their personnel and paramilitary forces with their election-related duties,” an officer said. “These bilingual chatbots, available in Hindi and English, will ensure effective management of the upcoming Delhi Assembly polls,” the officer added.

National Human Rights Commission faults probe of Foxconn hiring, orders new inquiry

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has admonished Labour Dept. officials for failure to adequately investigate evidence of employment discrimination at Foxconn, which makes Apple iPhones, and told them to re-examine the matter, documents show. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in June, ordered the Union and Tamil Nadu State Dept. officials to probe Foxconn’s hiring practices, after a Reuters investigation found the manufacturer excluded married women from iPhone assembly jobs at its southern India plant. Foxconn relaxed the ban during high-production periods, Reuters found.

U.S. sanctions hit Russian oil supply to India; BPCL says supplies may be impacted

The wide-ranging sanctions imposed by the U.S. on the Russian oil sector have started to dent near-term oil flows to India with state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) saying not enough cargoes are available for March. The U.S. on January 10 issued sweeping sanctions targeting the Russian energy sector. The measures include sanctions on Russian oil producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, the blacklisting of 183 vessels involved in Russian energy exports, and curbs on dozens of oil traders, oilfield service providers, tanker owners and managers, insurance companies and energy officials.

Union government sends notices to Uber, Ola over pricing disparity on Apple and Android phones

A Union government body has sent notices to ride-hailing firms Ola and Uber over alleged differential pricing for Android and Apple phones, Consumer Affairs Minister, Pralhad Joshi, said in a post on X on Thursday. The move comes after several reports by local media and complaints by users on social media that iPhone users were charged higher prices for the same ride than those using phones that ran on Android operating systems.

LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand register their marriages on the first day of law giving them equal status

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ couples in Thailand are expected to make their wedded status legal on Thursday, the first day a law took effect granting them the same rights as heterosexual couples. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, after Taiwan and Nepal. Marriage registration is customarily done at district offices, but on Thursday, around 300 couples are expected to complete the formalities at a daylong gala celebration in an exhibition hall at a shopping mall in central Bangkok. Hundreds more are predicted to register in less fancy circumstances around the country.

Israeli forces kill two Palestinian militants who carried out West Bank bus attack

Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian militants who carried out a deadly attack on a bus in the West Bank earlier this month. The Israeli military said on Thursday that the two men barricaded themselves in a structure in the West Bank village of Burqin and exchanged fire with Israeli troops before they were killed overnight. The army said a soldier was moderately wounded.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels release crew of commercial vessel seized in Red Sea in November 2023

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday released the crew of the Galaxy Leader, a vehicle carrier seized in November 2023 at the start of their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war. The move by the Iranian-backed Houthis marks their latest effort to de-escalate their attacks following a ceasefire in Gaza. However, it came as U.S. President Donald Trump moved to reinstate a terrorism designation he made on the group late in his first term that President Joe Biden had revoked, potentially setting the stage for new tensions with the rebels.

Islamic State claims responsibility for Chinese national killed in Afghanistan

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the killing of a Chinese national in Afghanistan’s northern Takhar province, in a post on its Telegram channel late on Wednesday. Afghan police in the province had said on Wednesday that a Chinese citizen was murdered and a preliminary investigation had been launched, but it was not clear who was behind the attack.

Trump says he may withhold federal aid for Los Angeles if California doesn’t change water policies

President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles unless California leaders change the state’s approach on its management of water. In a Fox News interview, Mr. Trump repeated false claims that the state’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas. He says the blame for Los Angeles’ struggles to tame some of the deadly fires lies with Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, a political foe who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the state fights the blazes.

Australian Open: Sabalenka grinds down Badosa to reach women’s singles final

Double defending champion Aryna Sabalenka overpowered Paula Badosa 6-4 6-2 to reach her third successive Australian Open final on Thursday. Top-seed Sabalenka will meet the winner of second-seed Iga Swiatek versus American Madison Keys in the decider on Saturday as she bids for a fourth Grand Slam title.

Gukesh becomes highest-ranked Indian at 4th in latest FIDE rankings, displaces Erigaisi

Continuing his rapid rise, world champion D. Gukesh dethroned compatriot Arjun Erigiasi to become the highest-ranked Indian chess player, at fourth, in the latest FIDE rankings on Thursday. Gukesh (18) achieved the feat when he logged his second victory in the Tata Steel Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee (Netherlands) defeating Vincent Keymer of Germany.