Morning Digest: September 24, 2022

Leaders of a community were on PFI ‘hit ­list’, says NIA

The National Investigation Agency, which arrested 45 of the 109 leaders and activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) during a nationwide crackdown along with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the police across 15 States on Thursday, has seized documents revealing that prominent leaders of a particular community were allegedly on target.

Coming soon: relief from spam calls, fraudulent messages

In a move that could offer mobile phone users a big relief from spam calls and fraudulent messages, the government has proposed to make it mandatory that the identity of a person sending a message or calling should be visible to the receiver irrespective of the platform used for communication.

Roger Federer’s last match is doubles loss with Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer bid adieu Friday night with one last contest before he heads into retirement at age 41 after a superlative career that spanned nearly a quarter-century. He wrapped up his days as a professional player with a loss in doubles alongside his longtime rival Rafael Nadal for Team Europe in the Laver Cup against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World.

Army to buy over 4 lakh carbines, 47,000 bullet-proof jackets

The Army has issued two Request For Information (RFI) for the procurement of 4.25 lakh close-quarter battle (CQB) carbines and 47,627 bullet-proof jackets (BPJ). The RFIs were uploaded on the Army website on September 22 and the due date to submit responses is October 21, 2022.

Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad to meet Sonia Gandhi on September 25

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav will meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday.

Xi Jinping sends message with sentencing of top security official

A senior former Chinese security official accused of challenging President Xi Jinping’s authority was on Friday given a life sentence, weeks ahead of a key Communist Party leadership congress.

Siddique Kappan’s bail plea hearing in PMLA case deferred to September 29

The Lucknow Sessions Court has postponed the hearing of Siddique Kappan’s bail petition in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case registered by the Enforcement Directorate until September 29. The regular sessions court of Additional District Judge-1, which was supposed to hear the bail application moved by Siddique Kappan on Friday, has deferred the hearing as the judge was not available.

On the trail of rabies cases in Kerala

The death of a 12-year-old girl in Pathanamthitta has sharpened the focus on the rising number of rabies cases and the growing population of stray dogs in Kerala. With the Supreme Court expected to pass an interim order on the issue next week, K.S. Sudhi talks to public health experts as well as petitioners to map the situation.

‘Ambedkar tourist circuit only aids nationalistic narrative’, say scholars

The Central government has announced a special tourist circuit encompassing five key sites associated with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, including his birthplace Mhow, Delhi where he died, and London where he studied. Dalit scholars and Ambedkarites, however, argue that the five spots or the “Panchateerths” do not do justice to Ambedkar’s “real legacy” and have been chosen to just fit into a “localised and nationalistic” narrative of the government.

Justice Joseph recuses self from plea in ISRO case

Justice K.M. Joseph, heading a Supreme Court Bench, recused himself from hearing a series of appeals filed by the CBI challenging anticipatory bail granted to former police officers accused of being part of a conspiracy to frame ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in an espionage case in 1994.

‘36 dead’ as unrest continues in Iran, thousands join pro-regime rallies

Footages have shown protesters defacing or burning images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and late Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani; crackdown continues as a prominent journalist and activist arrested.

Reports of Sri Lankans rescued in Ukraine put Colombo in spot

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly said seven Sri Lankans, who were held by the “invading Russian forces since March” in Kharkiv, had been rescued from “torture chambers”.

Rohit’s blitzkrieg complements Axar’s spell as India pulls level

Wade’s dazzling, unbeaten 43 and Zampa’s triple strike go in vain for Australia in the second T20I reduced to an eight-a-side shootout due to a wet outfield; Bumrah shows encouraging signs on his comeback; Karthik provides the winning punch.