TODAY NEWS ON August 31, 2024

News Headlines for CAT,CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: The Hindu

National Issues

1. Senior ICAR scientists hired laterally without reservation
2. PM Narendra Modi apologises for collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue
3. NSA Doval meets key Presidential aspirants in Colombo ahead of Sri Lanka’s September 21 polls
4. At 6.7%, growth slid to five-quarter low in Q1
5. Cyclone Asna forms over Kutch; rain continues in Gujarat
6. India yet to take a decision on Pakistan invite to SCO meet
7. Uniform Civil Code is a small measure of justice for women: Vice-President
8. Protests continue to rock Kolkata; Mamata writes to PM Modi again on ‘stringent’ laws
9. Joint panel meeting on Waqf Bill witnesses heated debate
10. People in queer relationships can open joint bank accounts, nominate their partners: FinMin clarification
11. Avani Lekhara bags India’s first gold at Paris Paralympics in 10m air rifle
12. Preethi Pal wins bronze in Paralympics women's T35 100m event
13. Manish Narwal settles for silver in air pistol event

International Issues

1. Brazilian Judge Alexandre de Moraes suspends Elon Musk’s X platform after it refuses to name a legal representative
2. Security forces kill 5 militants in intel operations in Pakistan's violence-hit Balochistan province
3. Israel air strike kills three Palestinians in West Bank raid
4. Countries still far apart on COP29 finance goal

 Senior ICAR scientists hired laterally without reservation

More than 2,700 scientists at India’s top farm research body — accounting for an overwhelming majority of senior-level hires at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – have been recruited through lateral entry since 2007, undermining the goals of the reservation policy, documents accessed by The Hindu reveal.
PM Narendra Modi apologises for collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (August 30, 2024) apologised to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and those hurt by the collapse of the 17th-century warrior king’s statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. “For me, my colleagues, and everyone, Shivaji Maharaj is not just a king but a revered figure... Today, I bow my head at his feet and apologise to my deity,” he said. The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering in Palghar, after laying the foundation stone of the ₹ 76,000 crore Vadhvan Port and other projects. Meanwhile, Chetan Patil, the structural consultant for the Shivaji Maharaj statue, was arrested in Kolhapur

NSA Doval meets key Presidential aspirants in Colombo ahead of Sri Lanka’s September 21 polls

Three weeks ahead of Sri Lanka’s crucial Presidential election National Security Adviser Ajit K. Doval, who arrived in Colombo on Thursday (August 29, 2024), met prominent Presidential aspirants, apart from political leaders representing the island nation’s Tamil and Muslim minorities. He met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is seeking a mandate promising “economic stability”, Mr. Doval discussed ongoing economic collaboration between Sri Lanka and India, the Presidential Media Division said.

Brazilian Judge Alexandre de Moraes suspends Elon Musk’s X platform after it refuses to name a legal representative

A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has ordered the suspension of Elon Musk’s social media giant X in Brazil after the tech billionaire refused to name a legal representative in the country, according to a copy of the decision seen by The Associated Press. The move on Friday (August 30, 2024) further escalates the monthslong feud between the two men over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation.

At 6.7%, growth slid to five-quarter low in Q1

Signalling a moderation in the economy’s growth momentum, India’s real GDP rose 6.7% in the April to June 2024 quarter, the slowest in five quarters, and well below the Reserve Bank of India’s expectation of a 7.1% uptick as well as the 7.8% uptick registered in the preceding quarter.

Cyclone Asna forms over Kutch; rain continues in Gujarat

Cyclone Asna has formed over the Kutch coast in Gujarat and adjoining areas of Pakistan, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. The cyclonic storm – a rare land-originating one in August and headed to the Arabian Sea – is expected to move further away from the western coast in the next 48 hours.

India yet to take a decision on Pakistan invite to SCO meet

The government confirmed on Friday (August 30, 2024) that it has received an invitation from Pakistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government (HoG) meeting in Islamabad on October 15-16. However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it did not have a decision yet on whether India would participate and at what level that would be, even as it outlined other travel scheduled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September and October this year.

Uniform Civil Code is a small measure of justice for women: Vice-President

Echoing President Droupadi Murmu’s remarks on the rape and murder at the R.G. Kar hospital Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said a society where “women and girls do not feel safe is not a civilised society”. He also backed a Uniform Civil Code, calling it a “small measure of justice” for women.

Protests continue to rock Kolkata; Mamata writes to PM Modi again on ‘stringent’ laws

More than 20 days after the rape and murder of a doctor at the R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, protests continued to rock the city on Friday (August 30, 2024) with leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s women’s wing putting a giant-sized model of a lock on the gate of the West Bengal State Women’s Commission.

Joint panel meeting on Waqf Bill witnesses heated debate

At a stormy eight-hour-long second sitting of Parliament’s Joint Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, there was a heated exchange between the Opposition and the government members, especially on the clause allowing the District Collector to be the final arbitrator on Waqf properties.

People in queer relationships can open joint bank accounts, nominate their partners: FinMin clarification

People from the LGBTQIA+ community and those in queer relationships cannot be prevented from opening joint bank accounts, the Union government said in an advisory issued this week, making it clear that they can also nominate each other as beneficiaries.

Security forces kill 5 militants in intel operations Pakistan's violence-hit Balochistan province

At least five terrorists of a banned militant group were killed and three were injured in ongoing intelligence-based operations in multiple districts in Balochistan following a string of terror attacks last weekend.

Avani Lekhara bags India’s first gold at Paris Paralympics in 10m air rifle

Avani Lekhara’s victory in the women’s 10m air rifle (SH1) event on Friday (August 30, 2024) made her the first Indian to win two Paralympic gold medals. Avani’s gold medal is India’s first at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris where she shot a superb 249.7, beating her own record of 249.6 at the Tokyo Paralympics. Her compatriot Mona Agarwal claimed a bronze by shooting 228.7.

Preethi Pal wins bronze in Paralympics women's T35 100m event

India's Preethi Pal won a bronze medal in the women's T35 100m event with a personal best time of 14.21 seconds at the Paralympics here on Friday (August 30, 2024). The T35 classification is meant for athletes who have coordination impairments such as hypertonia, ataxia and athetosis, as well as cerebral palsy. The 23-year-old Preethi's bronze is India's first medal from para-athletics in the Paris Paralympics.

Manish Narwal settles for silver in air pistol event

Manish Narwal made it to the finals of the men’s 10m air pistol (SH1) event at the Paris Paralympics here on Friday (August 30, 2024), and his hard work bagged him the silver for India. He was leading for quite some time before he slipped because of a series of poor scores and shot 234.9, but surrendered the initiative to veteran South Korean marksman Jo Jeongdu who took the gold with a total of 237.4. The 22-year-old Tokyo Games gold medallist shooter had won gold in 50m pistol event at Tokyo,

Israel air strike kills three Palestinians in West Bank raid

Israel said it killed three Hamas militants in an air strike in the occupied West Bank on Friday (August 30, 2024) taking the death toll, from a large-scale military operation now in its third day to at least 19. A top U.N. aid official meanwhile questioned “what has become of our basic humanity”, as the war raged on in Gaza and humanitarian operations struggle to respond.

Countries still far apart on COP29 finance goal

The upcoming COP29 U.N. climate negotiations summit to be held at Baku, Azerbaijan in November is less than three months away, however, countries remain far from agreeing on the summit’s biggest task - a new funding target to help developing countries cope with climate change. A negotiations document published by the U.N. climate body on Thursday (August 29, 2024) suggests seven options, reflecting countries’ competing positions, for a possible COP29 deal. The new target will replace wealthy nations’ current commitment to provide $100 billion each year in climate finance to developing countries. Vulnerable and developing countries want a far larger funding goal than $100 billion.