Top news of the day: Health Ministry seeks report on Tirupati laddu issue; Bombay HC nixes Centre’s bid to set up fact-check unit, and more

The major news headlines of the day and more

Union Health Ministry seeks report on Tirupati laddu issue; ‘will take suitable action’, says J.P. Nadda

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda said he had spoken to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and sought a full report on the Tirupati laddu issue and added that the Centre would examine the matter and take suitable action. Meanwhile, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Executive Officer Shyamala Rao, said that “not having own adulteration laboratory or not sending the ghee samples to outside labs for quality testing were main reasons for compromise on poor quality of ghee.”

Bombay High Court nixes Centre’s bid to set up fact-check unit

The Bombay High Court held as unconstitutional and struck down the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules which sought to identify fake and false content on social media against the government. The impugned rules are violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression) and 19(1)(g) (freedom and right to profession) of the Constitution of India,” the judge said.

‘Indian spies’ allegation: Australian PM Albanese says such matters raised ‘privately’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said matters like the expulsion of “spies” are raised “privately” when asked if an incident involving Indian citizens will come up when he meets his counterpart Narendra Modi at the Quad summit. Mr. Albanese said, “Well, what I do is act diplomatically and have those discussions, and that will, no doubt, be something that is raised.”

Amit Shah asks Naxals to lay down arms or face action

Prime Minister Modi has decided that Naxalism and its ideology will be uprooted from the country, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, claiming to end Left Wing Extremism in Chattisgarh by March 31, 2026. The Home Minister appealed to Naxals to give up violence, lay down arms, and surrender. “If Naxals don’t listen to my appeal to give up violence, we will soon launch all-out operation against them,” he added.

CBI files second chargesheet in NEET UG 2024 paper leak case against six accused

CBI has filed a second charge sheet in connection with the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2024 question paper theft case, before the Special Court for CBI cases in Patna against six accused. So far, a total of 48 individuals have been arrested in connection with this NEET Paper leak case.

SC directs govt. to produce chart on each name reiterated by Collegium for judicial appointments

The Supreme Court asked the government to explain its reasons for sitting on names reiterated by the apex court Collegium for months or even years together, reminding the Centre that it cannot treat the Collegium like a mere “search committee” whose recommendations can be ignored or accepted at the Union’s discretion. The CJI said the intention of the court behind this exercise was not to “unearth skeletons in the cupboard but to move forward so that the business of governance proceeds”.

Odisha women commission begins probe into ‘sexual assault’ of woman at police station

Taking suo-motu cognisance of the alleged sexual assault of a fiancé of an army officer in Bharatpur police station, the Odisha State Commission for Women started an investigation into the incident. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that his government will take stringent action against those involved in the alleged torture of an army officer and sexual assault of his fiancee at a police station in Bhubaneswar.

Arvind Kejriwal joins AAP’s Haryana poll campaign, holds road show in Jagadhri

Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal joined the party’s campaign in Haryana and held a road show in the Jagadhri constituency in Yamunanagar district. The AAP is contesting the Haryana polls on its own after its talks with the Congress over a seat-share agreement broke down.

YouTube channel under the Indian Supreme Court name hacked to promote XRP cryptocurrency

A YouTube channel under the Indian Supreme Court name was hacked, as the URL re-directed users to a page that showed media promoting a cryptocurrency developed by the U.S.-based company Ripple Labs. The apex court has been using YouTube to stream live hearings of cases listed before constitution benches, and matters involving public interest.

EY chairman expresses regret, says will not rest till harmonious workplace achieved

Ernst & Young India chairman Rajiv Memani has expressed regret at not attending the funeral of a 26-year-old employee whose death was blamed on stress by her mother, and said he will not rest till achieving the goal of harmonious workplace. Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023 and worked at EY Pune office for four months, died in July. 

West Bengal floods: CM Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Modi

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the State would sever all ties with Damodar Valley Corporation for “unilaterally releasing water” which led to floods in south Bengal districts. In a four-page letter to PM Modi, she claimed that five million people in West Bengal had been affected by the floods and requested him to immediately sanction and release Central funds to address the widespread devastation caused by the deluge.

Sensex soars 1,359 pts to settle above historic 84,000 mark; banks shares shine in global rally

Benchmark Sensex closed above the historic 84,000 mark for the first time while Nifty settled at a new record high, powered by a rally in frontline bank stocks along with upbeat trends in the U.S. and Asian markets. The 30-share Bombay Stock Exchange sensex jumped 1,359.51 points, or 1.63%, to settle at an all-time high of 84,544.31. During the day, it soared 1,509.66 points, or 1.81%, to hit the momentous intra-day peak of 84,694.46.

Unsafe food causes 600 million cases of illnesses, 4,20,000 deaths annually: WHO chief

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlighted the critical role of food regulators in combating unsafe food, which causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 4,20,000 deaths annually. He said that 70% of fatalities from unsafe food occur among children under five.

Hezbollah handed out pagers hours before blasts — even after checks

Lebanon’s Hezbollah was still handing its members new Gold Apollo branded pagers hours before thousands blew up this week, two security sources said, indicating the group was confident the devices were safe despite an ongoing sweep of electronic kit to identify threats. “A pager given to a senior member just days earlier injured a subordinate when it detonated,” the second source added.

Residents in Kyiv asked to stay indoors as air pollution blankets Ukrainian capital

Authorities in Ukraine advised residents in the capital Kyiv to stay indoors as air pollution, partly caused by fires in the region, blanketed the city. Ukraine’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources said the pollution was a result of the burning of peatlands and other wildfires in the region combined with autumn temperature fluctuations.

India vs Bangladesh Chennai Test: Pacers put India on top, hosts stretch lead against Bangladesh to 308

Jasprit Bumrah’s artistry seemed incomprehensible for an out-of-sorts Bangladesh batting line-up as India took complete control of the opening Test with an overall lead of 308 runs at the end of the second day’s play. With a lead of 227 runs, India ended second at 81 for 3 with Shubman Gill (33 batting) and Rishabh Pant (12 batting) at the crease.

Chess Olympiad: Indian men march on, but women’s great run finally ends

India’s men overcame one of their strongest opponents at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest in some style. They crushed Iran 3.5-0.5 in the eighth round to retain their sole lead position with just three rounds remaining. India was off to a bad start, with Monika Socko defeating R. Vaishali on the second board. But, Divya Deshmukh made it 1-1 with her win on the third board against Aleksandra Maltsevskaya.

Published - September 20, 2024 06:39 pm IST