Top news of the day: India, China agree on ‘patrolling arrangements’ and resolution of military standoff; Centre warns of action against perpetrators of bomb threat to flights, and more

The major news headlines of the day and more.

India-China agree on ‘patrolling arrangements’ and resolution of the military standoff, says Vikram Misri

In a dramatic development, India and China have reached an agreement on “patrolling arrangements ” and a resolution of the military standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) , the government announced on Monday (October 21, 2024). The patrolling arrangement agreement extends beyond the areas along the LAC where there has already been a disengagement of military personnel over the past few years, and include the so far unresolved areas of Demchok and Depsang, sources told The Hindu, indicating that the India-China standoff since April 2020 is now expected to be resolved.

Government to place perpetrators of bomb threats to airlines in no-fly list, says Rammohan Naidu

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday said the government plans to take legislative actions to deal with instances of bomb threats to airlines, including placing perpetrators of such threats in the no-fly list. In the last one week, nearly 100 flights of Indian airlines received bomb threats. At a briefing in the national capital, Mr. Naidu said amendments are being planned to aviation security rules as well as the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against Safety of Civil Aviation Act, 1982.

Protesting junior doctors meet Mamata Banerjee at Secretariat

Protesting junior doctors in West Bengal arrived at the State secretariat on Monday to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in an effort to resolve the ongoing impasse following the rape-murder of an on-duty woman medic at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The doctors, however, asserted that they would continue their hunger strike demanding justice for the murdered doctor, removal of Health Secretary NS Nigam and enhanced security for healthcare workers, among other issues.

Remarks on PM’s degree: Supreme Court upholds summons against Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal challenging an order of the Gujarat High Court refusing to quash summons in a defamation case over his alleged remarks over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s educational qualification. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and S.V.N. Bhatti noted that a separate bench of the apex court had junked the plea filed by AAP leader Sanjay Singh on April 8 in the same case.

Severe cyclonic storm to cross between Puri and Sagar island, says IMD

The low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal on Monday intensified and is likely to turn into a cyclonic storm by October 23 which will cross between Puri in Odisha and Sagar island in West Bengal, the IMD said. The India Meteorological Department in its latest message said: “…continuing its move the system is very likely to cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of October 24 and early morning October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph with gusting 120 kmph.”

Haryana portfolios allocated; CM Nayab Saini keeps Home, Finance

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini kept key departments, including Home and Finance, while Anil Vij got Energy and Transport as portfolios were allocated to the Council of Ministers on Sunday (October 20, 2024), three days after the swearing-in of a new government in the State. Mr. Saini will handle 12 portfolios. Besides Home and Finance, he is also in charge of Planning, Excise and Taxation, Town and Country planning and urban estates, Information, Public Relations, language and culture, criminal investigation, law and legislative, and Housing for all departments.

Kashmir will not become Pakistan: Farooq Abdullah after J&K terror attack

Former Chief Minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Monday lashed out at Pakistan for perpetrating terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, saying Islamabad will have to stop terror incidents here if it wants to have friendly relations with India. Mr. Abdullah said there can be no talks between New Delhi and Islamabad till the neighbouring country stops killings in Jammu and Kashmir.

Wikipedia ‘suspends access’ to ANI defamation case page, following Delhi HC order

Complying with the Delhi High Court order, the the Wikimedia Foundation has “suspended access” to a dedicated Wikipedia page on the ongoing defamation lawsuit filed by Asian News International (ANI) against Wikimedia. Earlier in August, ANI sued Wikipedia’s parent company Wikimedia Foundation for defamation, due to a description of the news agency as a propagator of government propaganda on the website.

Supreme Court to hear challenge to BBC docu-series ‘India: The Modi Question’ in January

The Supreme Court on Monday fixed in the second week of January 2025 a challenge to the government’s decision to block the screening of a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary series titled ‘India: The Modi Question’. A Bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna had issued formal notice to the Union of India through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Twitter Communications India Private Limited and Google India Private Limited over a year ago, on February 3 last year. The court had listed the case in April then.

Supreme Court stresses on uniform standards to ensure students’ safety at coaching centres

The Supreme Court on Monday stressed on having “uniform standards” to the extent possible to ensure safety and security of students studying at coaching centres. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing a matter related to the deaths of three civil service aspirants at a coaching centre in the national capital in July due to the flooding in the building’s basement.

Supreme Court junks PIL seeking to replace term ‘Hindutva’ with ‘Indian constitutionalism’

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking to replace the term ‘Hindutva’ with ‘Bharatiya Samidhaanitva’ (Indian constitutionalism). “This is a complete abuse of the process,” said the bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra while junking the PIL on the issue.

Supreme Court grants two more weeks to expert panel to file report on NEET-UG reforms

The Supreme Court on Monday extended by two weeks the time granted to the Centre-appointed seven-member expert panel to file its report on exam reforms after reviewing the National Testing Agency’s functioning in holding the NEET-UG. The top court on August 2 had passed its formal order and expanded the remit of the seven-member expert panel, headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chief K. Radhakrishnan, to review the functioning of the National Testing Agency (NTA) and recommend exam reforms to make the controversy-ridden NEET-UG (National Eligibility cum Entrance Test Undergraduate), transparent and free from malpractices.

Supreme Court stays NCPCR’s communication on shifting of students of unrecognised madrassas to government schools

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the operations of the communications issued by child rights body National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) urging States to shift students of unrecognised madrassas to government schools. A Bench comprising Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of senior advocate, appearing for Muslim organisation Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind, that the communications of the NCPCR and consequential actions of some of States needed to be stayed.

Maldives President introduces UPI payment service to boost economy

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has taken “necessary steps” to introduce India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in the archipelago nation, slated to benefit the Maldivian economy substantially. Developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), UPI is an instant real-time payment system for facilitating inter-bank transactions through mobile phones.

IMF, World Bank meetings clouded by wars, slow economic growth, U.S. election

Global finance chiefs will gather in Washington this week amid intense uncertainty over wars in the Middle East and Europe, a flagging Chinese economy and worries that a coin-toss U.S. presidential election could ignite new trade battles and erode multilateral cooperation. The International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings are scheduled to draw more than 10,000 people from finance ministries, central banks and civil society groups to discuss efforts to boost patchy global growth, deal with debt distress and finance the green energy transition.

World lags on 2030 nature goals headed into U.N. COP16 talks

The world in 2022 reached its most ambitious deal ever to halt the destruction of nature by decade’s end. Two years later, countries are already behind on meeting their goals. As nearly 200 nations meet on Monday for a two-week U.N. biodiversity summit, COP16, in Cali, Colombia, they will be under pressure to prove their support for the goals laid out in theKunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement. A top concern for countries and companies is how to pay for conservation, with the COP16 talks aiming to develop new initiatives that could generate revenues for nature.

‘Give us what you stole from us,’ Australian senator yells at King Charles during royal visit

An Indigenous senator told King Charles III that Australia is not his land and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the monarch is not needed as the country’s Head of State as the British royal visited Australia’s parliament on Monday. Indigenous independent Senator Lidia Thorpe was escorted out of a parliamentary reception for the royal couple after shouting that British colonisers have taken Indigenous land and bones.

Rabada fastest to 300th Test wicket, as Bangladesh all out for 106

South Africa posted 140-6 on Monday in an action-packed first day of the opening Test, after Bangladesh collapsed to 106 all out with Kagiso Rabada celebrating being the fastest to take 300 Test wickets. The visitors took the lead, reaching 140-6 in 41 overs in reply at stumps at Mirpur, with Wiaan Mulder and Kyle Verreynne not out for 17 and 18 respectively.

Published - October 21, 2024 07:27 pm IST