Elon Musk’s social media giant X has clashed with Justice Alexandre de Moraes (in picture) over its reluctance to comply with orders to block users. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

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.

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.

Ahead of Assembly elections, Congress expels two MLAs from Maharashtra

Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole announced on Friday (August 30, 2024) the expulsion of MLAs Zeeshan Siddique and Jitesh Antapurkar from the party, just ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Mr. Patole did not provide specific reasons for their expulsion, though the move comes over a month after it was revealed that seven Congress MLAs had cross-voted in the biennial elections for 11 Legislative Council seats.

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.

2024 Paris Paralympics: Resilient Avani Lekhara fires India to a golden start

Be it the Olympics or the Paralympics, shooting has seen encouraging results for the Indian contingent at the Paris Summer Games. Avani Lekhara, Mona Agarwal and Manish Narwal all made the podium on the first day of shooting on Friday.