Chief of Army: General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Tuesday took over as the 28th Chief of Army Staff, helming the 1.3 million-strong force at a time India faces evolving security challenges such as cross-border terrorism and an assertive Chinese military along the border. He has been serving Indian army for 37 years and recipient of ‘Vishisht Seva Medal’. He was commissioned into the 7th battalion, the Sikh Light Infantry Regiment in June 1980.
Department of Military Affairs: Newly created Department of Military Affairs, to be headed by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat, according to an official order issued on Tuesday. The new department will have under it works relating to the three forces — Army, Navy and Air Force — and procurement exclusive to the services, except capital acquisitions, according to prevalent rules and procedures, it said.
Abortion Law: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has told the Supreme Court that a pregnant woman’s right to abort is not absolute. “A pregnant woman’s right to abort her pregnancy is not an absolute right, and the right to abortion must be balanced against the compelling state interest of protecting the mother’s health and the life of the foetus/unborn child,” the ministry said in an affidavit filed in the apex court.
Kerala Bidhanshaba: The Kerala Assembly on Tuesday moved a resolution urging the Union Government to annul Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The resolution, moved by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said granting citizenship based on religion amounts to religious discrimination.
Popular Front of India: Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) O P Singh has sent a letter to the state home department seeking a ban on the Popular Front of India (PFI) for creating violence in the state. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya, on Tuesday, told that the state government was strongly in favour of banning the PFI. It is said to be a ‘recycled’ organisation of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which was designated as a terrorist organisation and banned in 2001.
Fake rape case: A Cyprus court on Monday found a 19 year-old British woman guilty of fabricating claims that she was gang raped by 12 Israelis in a hotel room at a tourist resort in the east Mediterranean island nation, saying that her story lacked credibility. Famagusta District Court[Famagusta District Court 2, Sotiras str, 5286 – Paralimni
Cyprus] Judge Michalis Papathanasiou said the defendant didn’t tell the truth and tried to deceive the court with “evasive” statements in her testimony.