TODAY NEWS ON January 03, 2025

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants

Source: THE HINDU

National News

• Manu Bhaker, Gukesh among four athletes to get Khel Ratna award; record 17 para-athletes to receive Arjuna
• Article 370 caused spread of terrorism in Kashmir: Amit Shah
• Government report reveals stark infrastructure gap in Indian schools
• EPFO 3.0 rollout by June, says Mansukh Mandaviya
• Union Carbide waste disposal in Pithampur won’t harm environment, says M.P. CM Mohan Yadav
• Army issues tender for anti-drone ammunition for air defence guns
• CISF sees 40% decline in deaths among its personnel
• Dispute over ‘Farishtey’ scheme ends, Supreme Court asks Delhi govt., L-G to make peace
• Madras High Court confirms S.Ve. Shekher’s prison sentence for sharing derogatory post about women journalists
• SC blames Punjab officials, some farmer leaders for false impression on breaking Dallewal’s fast

International News

• New Orleans truck attacker acted alone in an ‘act of terrorism’: FBI
• Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts
• Nimisha Priya case in Yemen: ‘We will do whatever we can,’ says highly placed Iranian official
• 10 people shot outside a nightclub in New York’s Queens; four suspects at large
• Chinmoy Krishna Das bail hearing: Chattogram court rejects bail plea of Bangladesh spiritual leader
•  Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one

Headlines In detail

Manu Bhaker, Gukesh among four athletes to get Khel Ratna award; record 17 para-athletes to receive Arjuna

Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker and chess world champion D Gukesh were among four winners of the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award announced by the Sports Ministry, which also named an unprecedented 17 para-athletes in the list of 32 Arjuna awardees to honour their resounding success at the Paris Paralympics.

Article 370 caused spread of terrorism in Kashmir: Amit Shah

Article 370 was responsible for sowing the seeds of separatism among the youth in Kashmir by giving credence to the idea that Kashmir’s relationship with India was temporary, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday (January 2, 2025). He pointed out that while there are other Muslim majority areas in the country, terrorism has not spread to those regions.

Government report reveals stark infrastructure gap in Indian schools

Of the over 14.71 lakh schools in India, up to 1.52 lakh schools have no functional electricity, according to the latest data released by the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) maintained by the Ministry of Education. Of the 14.71 lakh schools, 10.17 lakh schools are government-run, of which 9.12 lakh schools have functional electricity, while 1.52 lakh schools do not.

EPFO 3.0 rollout by June, says Mansukh Mandaviya

Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in Delhi on Thursday (January 2, 2025) that the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will launch its new software system EPFO 3.0 by June this year. He told reporters that the new system will be equivalent to the banking systems in the country and the website will be more user friendly.

Union Carbide waste disposal in Pithampur won’t harm environment, says M.P. CM Mohan Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Thursday (January 1, 2024) said that disposal of the toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal will not have a negative impact on the environment in Pithampur where it is to be incinerated. Chemical waste weighing 337 tonnes had been lying in the factory premises, where the Bhopal gas tragedy of December 1984 broke out. It was transported to Pithampur, an industrial town 35 km from Indore, for disposal at an incineration facility. However, residents and activists have long protested against shifting the waste to Pithampur in Dhar district, raising apprehensions of contamination of soil and water bodies.

Army issues tender for anti-drone ammunition for air defence guns

With heightened threat of drones in both conventional and non-conventional conflicts, the Army has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for 23mm ammunition for its Zu-23mm and Schilka air defence weapon systems in service. The Army is also looking to procure air burst rounds for its 30mm cannons on infantry combat vehicles to counter drone threats to its armoured regiments.

Madras High Court confirms S.Ve. Shekher’s prison sentence for sharing derogatory post about women journalists

The Madras High Court on Thursday (January 2, 2025) refused to interfere with the conviction and one-month simple imprisonment imposed by a trial court in February 2024 against actor S.Ve. Shekher in a case booked in 2018 for having shared a Facebook post containing derogatory remarks against women journalists.

SC blames Punjab officials, some farmer leaders for false impression on breaking Dallewal’s fast

The Supreme Court on Thursday (January 2, 2025) pulled up the Punjab government and said its officials and some farmer leaders are creating a false impression in media that attempts are being made to break farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal's fast.

CISF sees 40% decline in deaths among its personnel

Proactive measures launched by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) led to a 40% decline in the rates of death by suicide among its rank and file, sources said. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the national suicide rate stood at 12.4 per lakh, while it has been reduced to 9.87 per lakh, in 2024.

Dispute over ‘Farishtey’ scheme ends, Supreme Court asks Delhi govt., L-G to make peace

The Supreme Court on Thursday reacted that the Delhi government and the Lieutenant-Governor must try to make peace with each other when informed that funds for the ‘Farishtey Dilli Ke’ scheme, facilitating free medical treatment to road accident victims in city hospitals, have been cleared.

New Orleans truck attacker acted alone in an ‘act of terrorism’: FBI

“The U.S. Army veteran who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers acted alone,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said Thursday (January 2, 2025), reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others in carrying out the deadly attack, which officials say was an “act of terrorism inspired by the Islamic State group”.

Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts

The Palestinian Authority has ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the network of incitement, official media reported. Al Jazeera is already banned from broadcasting from Israel amid a long-running feud with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Nimisha Priya case in Yemen: ‘We will do whatever we can,’ says highly placed Iranian official

“Iran will “take up” the case of the Indian nurse Nimisha Priya who has been given a death sentence in Yemen,” a highly placed Iranian official assured, in New Delhi, on Thursday (January 2, 2025.) The case is being tried in Sanaa, the administrative capital of Yemen which is under the control of the Iran-aligned Houthi militants and the declaration of assistance by the Iranian official might help India in saving the life of the nurse.

10 people shot outside a nightclub in New York’s Queens; four suspects at large

Ten people were injured in a shooting outside a nightclub in Queens, N.Y., on Wednesday (January 1, 2025) night, according to the New York Police Department. About 15 people were standing outside Amazura nightclub at 11.15 p.m. in Jamaica when four men on foot approached the group of 16 to 20-year-olds who were waiting to get into a private event. Three to four men opened fired on the group, Chief of Patrol Philip Rivera, said during an early Thursday (January 2, 2025) press conference.

Chinmoy Krishna Das bail hearing: Chattogram court rejects bail plea of Bangladesh spiritual leader

A court in Chattogram has refused to grant bail to Chinmoy Krishna Das, the former ISKCON leader, following a hearing held with heightened security on (January 2, 2025), The Daily Star reported.

Tesla Cybertruck explodes outside Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing one

At least one person was killed and seven wounded when a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside a hotel belonging to US President-elect Donald Trump in Las Vegas, police said Wednesday (January 1, 2025).