TODAY NEWS ON September 29, 2024

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

National News

• Tamil Nadu Cabinet reshuffle: Udhayanidhi Stalin elevated as deputy CM, Senthilbalaji makes a comeback
• Indian Premier League teams can retain up to five players in new retention rules, match fees introduced
• Punitive demolition of homes, shops an ‘aggravated’ human rights violation, U.N. expert tells Supreme Court
• Promise of ‘zero electricity bill’ fuels PM’s rooftop solar scheme rollout
• IND vs BAN T20Is: Suryakumar Yadav to lead, Mayank Yadav finds a place
• Trinamool suspends two youth wing leaders for making short film on RG Kar issue
• Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann diagnosed with leptospirosis
• Two international flights had a close shave over Mumbai skies in March, probe reveals
• FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman, Nadda and others in connection with electoral bond scheme
• Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar confirms Maharashtra Assembly polls before November 26
• Two terrorists killed, 5 security personnel injured in encounter in J&K’s Kulgam
• Haryana Assembly polls: Farmers’ welfare commission, ₹2 crore for families of martyrs among Congress’ poll promises
• Pakistan must realise cross-border terrorism will invite consequences: India responds to Shehbaz Sharif’s speech in UNGA
• External Affairs Minister Jaishankar meets counterparts from Singapore, Uzbekistan; discuss global issues

International News

• Lavrov invokes nuclear capacity in U.N. speech full of bile towards the West
• Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Israeli airstrike
• Flooding in Nepal leads to death of at least 32 in Kathmandu
• South Africa mass shootings: 17 people killed in two shootings in same town
• Boris Johnson says he planned raid on Dutch factory to get COVID vaccines in 2021 using small boats
• Ukraine says it downed 69 drones, two missiles in overnight Russian attack

Headlines in Detail

Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Israeli airstrike

Lebanon’s Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday (September 28, 2024) that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day. A statement Saturday (September 28, 2024) said Nasrallah “has joined his fellow martyrs.” Hezbollah vowed to “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine.”

Two international flights had a close shave over Mumbai skies in March, probe reveals

Two Boeing 777 aircraft — one belonging to El Al and another to Qatar Airways — came within a minute of collision at 35,000 feet over the Arabian Sea on March 24, in an area managed by Mumbai’s air traffic controllers. On this route, planes are expected to stay at least 10 minutes apart. The incident came to light after a preliminary probe report was recently published by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, a division of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation. It said that no cockpit alerts had been generated to warn the pilots of the two planes. According to sources, at least two of the air traffic controllers on duty during the incident have been suspended and sent for corrective training.

FIR against Nirmala Sitharaman, Nadda and others in connection with electoral bond scheme

The Tilak Nagar police on Saturday (September 28, 2024) registered an First Information Report (FIR) against Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and BJP national president J.P. Nadda among others for allegedly committing irregularities and misusing electoral bond scheme to extort money from the companies using enforcement agencies . The FIR was filed based on the court directions, charging the accused under sections 384 (punishment for extortion) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) read with 34 (acts done with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar confirms Maharashtra Assembly polls before November 26

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar said on Saturday (September 28, 2024) that elections in Maharashtra have to be conducted before November 26, as the current Assembly’s term ends then. Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai after reviewing the State’s poll preparedness, Mr. Kumar mentioned that political parties have requested the announcement of poll dates, keeping in mind festivals like Diwali. “All political parties have asked us to consider the upcoming festivals while announcing the election dates. I am confident that Maharashtra will actively contribute to the festival of democracy,” he said.

Two terrorists killed, 5 security personnel injured in encounter in J&K’s Kulgam

Two unidentified terrorists were killed and five security personnel, including an officer, sustained injuries in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district, police said on Saturday (September 28, 2024). The gunbattle broke out in Adigam village in the Devsar area of the district after security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation there early in the morning. In the early exchange of fire, Additional Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Mumtaz Ali suffered minor injuries due to a stray bullet near the encounter site, officials said.

Tamil Nadu Cabinet reshuffle: Udhayanidhi Stalin elevated as deputy CM, Senthilbalaji makes a comeback

DMK’s Youth Wing secretary, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development and film actor, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has been elevated as Tamil Nadu’s Deputy Chief Minister by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the much-awaited Tamil Nadu Cabinet reshuffle here on Saturday (September 28, 2024). The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Raj Bhavan on Sunday (September 29, 2024) at 3.30 P.M. According to an official release from Raj Bhavan, Mr. Udhayanidhi will be ‘allotted the portfolio of Planning and Development, in addition to his existing portfolios’.

Indian Premier League teams can retain up to five players in new retention rules, match fees introduced

Each of the 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises can retain up to five cricketers — with no restriction on nationality — pre-auction ahead of the 2025 edition. Besides, the Right to Match (RTM) card option has been reintroduced for the player auction to be held later in the year. The player retention rules were finalised by the IPL Governing Council during its meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday (September 28, 2024). Unlike in the past, though, the IPL authorities have devised “pay more to retain more” policy.

Punitive demolition of homes, shops an ‘aggravated’ human rights violation, U.N. expert tells Supreme Court

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Balakrishnan Rajagopal has told the Supreme Court that the State-driven, punitive and arbitrary demolition of homes and commercial establishments is an “aggravated form of human rights violation”. The Rapporteur, in an application on Friday (September 27, 2024), pointed to the danger of using punitive demolition by the State as a tool for land-grabbing. “All arbitrary demolitions are void ab initio in law, and no legal title or right may be changed on the site where a demolished structure stood. This is an important guarantee to ensure that in the guise of demolitions for technical breaches of the law, land grab from vulnerable individuals and communities is not condoned,” he pointed out.

Lavrov invokes nuclear capacity in U.N. speech full of bile towards the West

Russia’s top diplomat warned Saturday (September 28, 2024) against “trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power,” delivering a U.N. General Assembly speech packed with condemnations of what Russia sees as Western machinations in Ukraine and elsewhere — including inside the United Nations itself. Three days after Russian President Vladimir Putin aired a shift in his country’s nuclear doctrine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using Ukraine — which Russia invaded in February 2022 — as a tool to try “to defeat” Moscow strategically.

Promise of ‘zero electricity bill’ fuels PM’s rooftop solar scheme rollout

September 16 was a red-letter day for Jagshibhai Suthar, a resident of Gandhinagar in Gujarat. He had Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his rooftop admiring his newly installed solar installation. “We have installed 3.24 kW (kilowatt) solar panels on the terrace and now our [electricity] bill has been reduced to zero. Additionally, I have received a credit of ₹248 in the bill,” he told The Hindu. The PMSY scheme provides for a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2 kW capacity and 40% of additional system costs for systems between 2 kW and 3 kW capacity. The subsidy has been capped at 3 kW capacity. At current benchmark prices, this means a ₹30,000 subsidy for a 1 kW system, ₹60,000 for 2 kW systems, and ₹78,000 for 3 kW systems or higher.

Trinamool suspends two youth wing leaders for making short film on RG Kar issue

The Trinamool Congress in West Bengal suspended two leaders of its youth wing who have made a short film about the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder incident and the subsequent protests. The short film titled Agamani was allegedly made without any “party permission”. Trinamool leaders Rajanya Haldar and Prantik Chakraborty were suspended for anti-party activities on Friday night, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) State president Trinankur Bhattacharjee said.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann diagnosed with leptospirosis

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was on Saturday (September 28, 2024) diagnosed with bacterial infection leptospirosis, with doctors saying he is being given antibiotics and his vitals are “completely stable”. The 50-year-old AAP leader was admitted to the Fortis Hospital, Mohali on Wednesday (September 25, 2024) for a routine check-up. “At present, all vitals of the Chief Minister are completely stable. As suspected at the time of admission for tropical fever, his blood tests for leptospirosis came back positive,” according to a heath bulletin issued by the hospital.

Haryana Assembly polls: Farmers’ welfare commission, ₹2 crore for families of martyrs among Congress’ poll promises

The Haryana Congress on Saturday (September 28, 2024) rolled out its detailed poll manifesto for the October 5 State assembly polls, making a host of promises, including setting up of a commission for farmers’ welfare, ₹2 crore for families of martyred soldiers, promoting labour-intensive units for generating employment and reconstitution of the Haryana Minority Commission. Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot among other leaders were present on this occasion.

Pakistan must realise cross-border terrorism will invite consequences: India responds to Shehbaz Sharif’s speech in UNGA

In a strong retort, India criticised Pakistan in the U.N. General Assembly, saying its “fingerprints” are on terrorist incidents across the world and the country should realise that cross-border terrorism against India will “inevitably invite consequences”. India exercised its Right of Reply in the U.N. General Assembly on Friday (September 27, 2024) in response to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raising the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in his address at the General Debate of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar meets counterparts from Singapore, Uzbekistan; discuss global issues

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has met his counterparts from the UAE, Singapore, Uzbekistan and Denmark on the sidelines of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly. The discussions between the leaders focused on bolstering ties between India and these nations, emphasising further expanding friendly ties. Mr. Jaishankar is in the U.S. to attend the 79th United Nations General Assembly session.

Flooding in Nepal leads to death of at least 32 in Kathmandu

Flooding caused by continuous rainfall has killed at least 32 people in Nepal’s capital, and another 12 are missing, police said Saturday (September 28, 2024). Rains have been pounding since Friday night and are expected to continue over the weekend. Seventeen people were also injured while 1,053 were rescued across Kathmandu, according to Nepal Police spokesman Bishwo Adhikari. He said all police personnel across the nation have been ordered to help in the rescue efforts. The government had issued flood warnings across the Himalayan nation warning of massive rainfall.

South Africa mass shootings: 17 people killed in two shootings in same town

Seventeen people were killed in two mass shootings that took place in close proximity to each other in a rural town in South Africa, police said Saturday (September 28, 2024). A search was underway for the suspects, national police spokesperson Brig. Athlenda Mathe said in a statement. The victims were 15 women and two men, she said. One other person was in critical condition in the hospital.

Boris Johnson says he planned raid on Dutch factory to get COVID vaccines in 2021 using small boats

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he ordered military chiefs to plan a raid on a Dutch factory in March 2021 to secure 5 million COVID vaccines that the European Union had threatened to bar from being exported to Britain. Mr. Johnson said the deputy chief of Britain’s defence staff at the time, Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers, had told him a raid using small boats to cross the Channel and navigate Dutch canals would be possible — but warned him of diplomatic repercussions. According to Mr. Johnson, Mr. Chalmers — who has since retired from the military — told him it would not be possible to carry out the mission undetected and that “if we are detected we will have to explain why we are effectively invading a long-standing NATO ally”.

Ukraine says it downed 69 drones, two missiles in overnight Russian attack

Ukraine shot down 69 of 73 drones during an overnight Russian attack that included two ballistic and two cruise missiles, the Ukrainian air force said on Saturday (September 28, 2024). Ukrainian forces downed the two cruise missiles, the air force said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. About 15 Russian attack drones were destroyed by air defence forces on the outskirts and in the capital Kyiv, the military administration there said.