ABP Live News Shots: UCC Debate, Rahul Gandhi's Manipur Visit, France Riots — Top Headlines From The Week

ABP Live News Shots: Uniform Civil Code debate, Rahul Gandhi's Manipur visit, France riots — bringing to you all the big news that made headlines this past week, in case you missed it.

The Opposition parties and ruling BJP sparred over the matter of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first public pitch for the same in Madhya Pradesh this week, saying that two types of laws cannot run the country. Besides this, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was on a two-day visit to strife-torn Manipur, said that the state needs peace. He flagged "deficiencies" in relief camps after he met people sheltered in the rescue centres. The Congress also targetted the Modi government alleging that India is paying more than other countries for the purchase of the 31 predator drones comparing it with the Rafale deal. In world news, violent protests in France dominated headlines after a 17-year-old North African origin boy, named Nahel M, was shot at point-blank range for refusing to stop for a traffic check in the Parisian town of Nanterre. Incidents of arson, violence and loot have been reported in various parts of France leading to the deployment of 45,000 police officers and some armoured vehicles on the streets. In another major development, the US Supreme Court issued its biggest decisions of the term, killing President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts, ending affirmative action in higher education and ruling that the constitutional right to free speech allows certain businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings. 

INDIA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi broached the subject of a Uniform Civil Code publicly for the first time at an event in Madhya Pradesh. He said that the Constitution of India talks about equal rights of citizens. "How will the country run with different laws? People are only being instigated in the name of the Uniform Civil Code. Two types of laws cannot run the country. The Constitution of India also talks about equal rights for the citizens," he said at a rally in Bhopal. He accused the Opposition of employing vote-bank politics and said that a massive victory for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is certain. Opposition parties targeted Prime Minister Modi over his comments. The Congress accused him of using the UCC issue to divert attention from more pressing matters, such as "unemployment and the violence in Manipur". AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi questioned if PM Modi wanted to do away with India's pluralism in the name of a UCC. Owaisi challenged the Prime Minister to abolish the Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) law, which he claimed cost the country billions of rupees annually. 

During a two-day visit to Manipur, Rahul Gandhi said that the government should work to address deficiencies in relief camps in the strife-torn state which continues to witness unrest. Speaking to the media after meeting the governor, he said, "Manipur needs peace. I want peace to be restored here. I visited some relief camps, there are deficiencies in these relief camps, the government should work for this." Gandhi, who reached Moirang by a chopper from Imphal, met a number of affected people and listened to their plight. Congress officials said that the governor assured that steps are being taken to restore peace in the ethnic strife-hit state. Rahul also met members of Manipur civil society organisations and listened to their problems. "I am here (in Manipur) and I am ready to do whatever it takes to reinstate peace in the state," he remarked. High drama ensued during the trip, as his convoy of cars was stopped at Bishnupur by the local police, fearing the carcade may face attacks. Gandhi eventually turned back and flew down to Churachandpur by helicopter.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi informed that the Monsoon Session 2023 of Parliament will commence on July 20. In the announcement, he urged political parties to contribute towards productive discussions during the session which is expected to be a stormy one as the Opposition parties were closing ranks to put up a united front against the Narendra Modi-led BJP in view of the Lok Sabha elections next year. The Parliament will be meeting after Prime Minister Modi made a strong pitch for a Uniform Civil Code and moves to step up consultations on the issue have begun. The Monsoon Session is expected to commence in the old Parliament building and later move to the new building, news agency PTI reported sources as saying. During the session, the government is likely to bring a bill to replace the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance. The Ordinance effectively nullified the Supreme Court judgement that gave the Delhi government greater legislative and administrative control over the services matter. The National Research Foundation Bill, cleared by the Union Cabinet, is also likely to be introduced.

 

WORLD

France is witnessing one of its worst protests in years as arson, violence and loot continues after the killing of a teenage delivery boy by French police on Tuesday. As the unrest swept over the country on the fourth night, around 471 arrests were made and 45,000 police officers were deployed to contain the raging anger of people. Over 1,000 have been arrested since the violence erupted in France. The 17-year-old North African origin boy, named Nahel M, was shot at point-blank range after he refused a traffic stop and drove away, but crashed soon afterwards. According to a report by news agency Reuters, the incident has fed into a deep-rooted perception of police brutality in the ethnically diverse suburbs of France’s biggest cities. Unrest has spread nationwide, including in cities such as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille as well as Paris where Nahel M., a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot on Tuesday in the Nanterre suburb. Unrest has spread nationwide, including in cities such as Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Strasbourg and Lille as well as Paris where Nahel M., a 17-year-old of Algerian and Moroccan descent, was shot on Tuesday in the Nanterre suburb. France deployed 45,000 police officers and some armoured vehicles on the streets.

US President Joe Biden said he "strongly" disagreed with the US Supreme Court ruling that upended affirmative action and ended race-based college admissions, thereby ending the policy that made was implemented in 1960 as a measure to increase diversity. US Vice President Kamala Harris also criticised the decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina as "a step backward for our nation". The US Supreme Court in its fresh judgement has barred the use of race in university admissions in the States. The apex court ruled out that universities can’t offer admissions to students based on their race or ethnicity. "The student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual -- not on the basis of race," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. In another blow to the Biden administration, the US Supreme Court struck down the President's plan to cancel over USD 400 billion in student loan debt which was a popular move with his voters. The conservative-leaning court rejected Biden’s plan to cancel some of the student debt for millions of people. The US president also said that his administration’s student debt relief plan would have been the lifeline tens of millions of hardworking Americans needed as they try to recover from a once-in-a-century pandemic.

Protesters breached Sweden’s embassy in Iraq’s Baghdad, angered by an incident of a Quran burnt during an agitation at a mosque outside Stockholm. The incident garnered criticism from across the Muslim world. Earlier, Türkiye condemned the act as “vile” with its Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan saying, "I condemn the vile protest in Sweden against our holy book on the first day of the blessed Eid al-Adha," adding that it was “unacceptable to allow anti-Islam protests in the name of freedom of expression”. A crowd of supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr breached Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad and stayed inside the compound for about 15 minutes, then left as security forces deployed, news agency AFP reported its photographer as informing. The protest was triggered after a 37-year-old Iraqi citizen named Salwan Momika living in Sweden stomped on the Islamic holy book and set several pages alight in front of the capital’s largest mosque. Swedish police had granted him a permit in line with free-speech protections, but authorities late said they had started a probe over “agitation”. The incident sparked anger across and beyond the Middle East when Muslims observed the Eid al-Adha holiday and the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia was drawing to a close. Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also criticised Sweden for allowing the protest, while the protest could further delay the country’s bid to join North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on which the Turkish greenlight is long-awaited. Other countries to criticise Sweden included the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

 

SPORTS

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (June 27) unveiled the full fixtures for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, along with the ten venues that will host the prestigious tournament spanning 46 days. World Cup 2023 will start on October 5 with a highly anticipated clash between England and New Zealand, a rematch of the thrilling 2019 Final, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. India, will commence its campaign on October 8, facing five-time World Cup champions Australia in Chennai.

India’s star Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra scripted history by winning the  Diamond League title for the second straight time after throwing his spear to 87.66m on Friday. Despite struggling with injuries, Neeraj managed to throw his spear for 87.66m, sealing the title in style for the second consecutive time. Julian Weber of Germany ended in the second spot after delivering a throw of 87.03m, while Jakub Vadlejch of the Czech Republic was third on the list with an 86.13m effort.

In a thrilling finale, the Indian men's kabaddi team showcased their dominance by defeating Iran 42-32, successfully defending their title in the Asian Championships. This victory marks India's eighth triumph in the continental championships, solidifying their position as a kabaddi powerhouse. The match commenced with Iran displaying an aggressive approach, posing a formidable challenge to the Indian team. However, the Indian players exhibited exceptional skill and resilience, rising to the occasion.

 

BUSINESS

Termed the biggest transaction in the history of Indian Industry, the board of mortgage lender HDFC and HDFC Bank on Friday approved the merger of the two companies. Following the reverse merger, the 44-year-old institution HDFC Ltd would cease to exist from July 1 onwards. The country's first home finance company HDFC Ltd will lose its identity. "Saturday, July 1, 2023, to be the 'Effective Date' of the composite scheme of amalgamation, on which date the certified order of the NCLT sanctioning the Scheme will be filed by HDFC Investments, HDFC Holdings, HDFC Limited and HDFC Bank with the RoC," HDFC Bank said in a regulatory filing. HDFC Bank announced on April 4, 2022, the acquisition of its parent company Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), the largest pure-play mortgage lender, in a $40-billion all-stock deal. This merger creates a financial services powerhouse with a combined asset value exceeding Rs 18 lakh crore.

The key equity benchmarks, Sensex and Nifty on Friday settled at record highs for the second straight trading session on the back of all-round buying. IT, Auto, and Capital Goods shares in particular logged smart gains. The S&P BSE Sensex, which started the day with a 100-odd point gap-up, went on to extend gains as the day progressed. The Sensex scaled a high of 64,768.58 towards the fag end of the trading session, and finally ended with a solid gain of 803 points at 64,719. On the other hand, the NSE Nifty 50 crossed the 19,200-level and registered its highest at 19,201.7. Eventually it closed 217 points stronger at 19,189. On the 30-share Sensex platform, barring ICICI Bank and NTPC, all settled in the green. M&M, Infosys, IndusInd Bank, Sun Pharma, TCS, Maruti were among the lead gainers.

The growth of eight key infrastructure sectors i.e. the Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) slowed down to 4.3 per cent in May 2023 mainly because of a decline in the production of crude oil, natural gas, and electricity. The core sector growth was 19.3 per cent in May 2022 while in April 2023 the key infra sectors recorded a growth rate of 4.3 per cent. During April-May this fiscal year, the output growth of these eight sectors slowed down to 4.3 per cent as against 14.3 per cent in the year-ago period. According to the release by the government, ICI measures combined and individual performance of production of eight core industries viz. Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. The eight core sectors comprise 40.27 per cent of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).

 

TECH

The Karnataka High Court has imposed a penalty of Rs 50 lakh on Twitter after the social media platform challenged the IT ministry's blocking orders. The court rejected Twitter's request to stay the Centre's order and deemed the platform's conduct as the reason for the penalty. The Centre had instructed Twitter to remove certain accounts containing tweets related to the farmers' protests and the coronavirus.

Xiaomi India will lay off employees as the handset maker is looking to bring its headcount below 1,000. The decision is backed by a fall in Xiaomi's market share in the country and the government's scrutiny of the smartphone OEM and the need to streamline its operations, the media has reported. Xiaomi India reportedly employed approximately 1,400-1,500 staff, at the beginning of 2023. However, in recent weeks, Xiaomi India has laid off around 30 employees, with more employees likely to be handed pink slips in the months ahead.

Apple has made history by becoming the first publicly traded company to reach a market value of $3 trillion. The company's shares closed 2.3 per cent higher at $193.97 on Friday trade, pushing its market value to an astounding $3.04 trillion. The achievement marks another milestone for a technology ain't that has reshaped the smartphone and PC sector with a line-up of products that churn out eye-popping profits. Founded 47 years ago by Silicon Valley icon Steve Jobs, the iPhone maker had previously reached a market value exceeding $3 trillion for a brief period in January 2022. However, it couldn't sustain that market cap by the end of the trading day. Subsequently, Apple experienced a downward trend, leading to a dip in market value below $2 trillion earlier this year.

 

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Several animals release pheromones, which are endogenous chemical substances secreted by one individual and received by a second individual of the same species, eliciting a response in the latter due to behavioural or hormonal changes. Scientists have long known that calm rats can reduce the fear of scared and stressed rats, but were not sure of the exact mechanism. Now, a team of researchers, including some from the University of Tokyo, has found the pheromone responsible for reducing the fear of scared rats. After demonstrating the effect of this pheromone on laboratory rats and rats in the human environment, the researchers have found a solution which could lead to a new kind of humane pest control, a new study published in the journal iScience said. 

Men and women suffer from mental health problems alike, but the issues faced by males are often overlooked due to certain stereotypes set by society. Men are often taught not to openly express their emotions and feelings because it is considered "a sign of weakness" by many. About 40 per cent of Indian men do not talk about their mental health openly, experts say. The prevalence of mental morbidity in men is over six per cent higher than that in women. Three out of four suicides are in males. 

John Bannister Goodenough, an American scientist who pioneered the development of the lithium-ion battery, has passed away at the age of 100, The University of Texas at Austin announced Monday. He had been a professor at the university since 1986, and was also a public servant. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to the development of the lithium-ion battery, along with M Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino. It is because of lithium-ion batteries that the wireless revolution occurred, leading to the development of a wide array of electronic devices. In 2019, Goodenough became the oldest person to win a Nobel Prize. 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

The popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ will be back for its 15th season in a new avatar. The promo of the show, hosted by megastar Amitabh Bachchan, was released on Thursday. In the promo, Big B is seen saying, “Badal raha hai, sab kuch badal raha hai.” 

Amitabh Bachchan posted the video on his Instagram account with caption, “Back on the job again .. see you soon.” 

'Bigg Boss OTT 2' contestants Akanksha Puri and Jad Hadid surprised everyone when they kissed each other for a task on the show. The video of their kiss went viral and the viewers were shocked as this has never happened on Salman Khan’s show before. If this was not enough Jad Hadid’s reaction after the kiss has upset the netizens even more. 

Shah Rukh Khan and Atlee's collaboration 'Jawan' is perhaps one the biggest films to release this year. After 'Pathaan', and thanks to Atlee's reputation with blockbusters, fans have high expectations about the film's release. Earlier, 'Jawaan's OTT deal had created quite a buzz and now it seems the makers have done something again to keep the excitement around the film up. As per trade analyst and South film critic Manobala Vijayabalan, 'Jawan' has sold the music rights of the film to T-Series at Rs. 36 crores.