TODAY NEWS ON July 12, 2025

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirant

Source: The Print Media ( The Hindu, Indian express and others)

Air India Ahmedabad plane crash: Both engines shut down on AI 171 flight shortly after take off, says AAIB Preliminary report

Both engines of Air India’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft involved in a crash last month shut down shortly after take off according to the Air Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) preliminary report into the June 12 air crash that killed at least 260, including 12 crew members. Seconds after the Air India aircraft took off from Ahmedabad for Gatwick on June 12, the fuel cut off switches of both the engines “transitioned from RUN to CUTOFF position one after another with a time gap of 01 sec,” says the report. This occurred 65 seconds after the aircraft started rolling for take off from the runway.

India hit nine terrorist bases of Pakistan in Operation Sindoor: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval

The National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, on Friday (July 11, 2025), said in Chennai that India hit nine terrorist targets criss-crossing Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. “We missed none,” he said at the 62nd convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology — Madras. “We hit nowhere else except that. It was precise to the point where we knew who was where. The entire operation started at five minutes past one and it was over at 28 minutes past one — 23 minutes,” he elaborated, amid loud applause from the audience. Thereafter, the foreign press had carried several reports saying Pakistan did this or that. “You show me any photograph, any imagery – you know, these days these imageries are from satellites all over the world – which show any Indian damage being done, even a glass pane having been broken,” he remarked.

India’s population at crossroads, not a crisis: Population Foundation of India

An NGO, Population Foundation of India, has urged a shift away from fear-driven debates on overpopulation or fertility decline, calling instead for policies that centre on dignity, rights, and opportunities, particularly for women, youth, and the elderly.  The NGO, in a statement on World Population Day 2025 on Friday (July 11, 2025), asserted that India’s population challenges are not about numbers but about justice, equity, and investment in human potential. “India’s population story is not a crisis; it’s a crossroads,” Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India, said during a function marking the occasion.

Bihar Special Intensive Revision: Over 74% electors submit enumeration forms, says Election Commission of India

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday (July 11, 2025) announced that more than 74% of the 7,89,69,844 electors in Bihar have submitted their Enumeration Forms as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls in the State. “The last date for collection of Enumeration Forms is July 25,” the Commission said in an official statement.

Changes to marriage, succession, criminal, tenancy laws suggested in policy brief to panel looking into issues of queer community

A new civil union framework to recognise “non-marital intimacies”, horizontal reservations for transgender people in education and jobs, “safe and inclusive” access to washrooms, amendments to marriage, succession, and tenancy laws among a gamut of other laws, and a ban on treatments like “conversion therapy”, are just some of the recommendations and suggestions submitted to the Union government’s high-powered committee that has been looking into issues faced by queer persons on account of their identity and non-recognition of queer relationships. 

Pentagon acknowledges Iranian ballistic missile hit Qatar air base during Iran’s attack

The Pentagon on Friday (July 11, 2025) acknowledged that an Iranian ballistic missile hit Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in June during an Iranian attack after President Donald Trump downplayed the assault. The statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell follows The Associated Press publishing satellite images on Friday (July 11, 2025) showing damage from the attack.

Elon Musk’s Tesla to open first India store in Mumbai on July 15

Tesla will open its first India showroom in Mumbai next week, having imported $1 million worth of cars and merchandise, marking its entry into the world’s third-largest car market despite CEO Elon Musk’s complaints about high import tariffs. In an invitation to media, the carmaker said the July 15 event was the “launch of Tesla in India through the opening of the Tesla experience centre at Bandra Kurla Complex”, located in the city’s leading commercial business district. Grappling with excess manufacturing capacity at its other factories and falling sales, Tesla has pivoted to selling imported cars in India on which it will need to pay about 70% import duty and other levies.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ‘positive’ meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday (July 11, 2025) he had a “positive” meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of ASEAN talks in Malaysia, where Washington’s tariffs are in sharp focus. Mr. Rubio and Mr. Wang’s first face-to-face meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from trade to Taiwan — and both powers vie for greater influence in the region. “I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting,” Mr. Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks but stressed, “it was not a negotiation”.

South Korea, Japan, U.S. hold aerial drill in demonstration of strength against North Korea

Top South Korean, U.S. and Japanese military officers urged North Korea to cease all unlawful activities that threaten regional security, as the three nations flew advanced warplanes for a joint exercise in a show of force against North Korea.  The development came on Friday (July 11, 2025) as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was to travel to North Korea amid booming military and other cooperation between the two countries that have raised concerns among their neighbours. “They urged the DPRK to immediately cease all unlawful activities to destabilise the Korean Peninsula, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and pledged to continue working together to respond to the DPRK's threats,” the three top military officers said in a joint statement. DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name.

Trump puts 35% tariff on Canada from August 1, eyes 15%-20% tariffs for others

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a letter that he will raise taxes on many imported goods from Canada to 35%, deepening a rift between two North American countries that have suffered a debilitating blow to their decades-old alliance. The letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is an aggressive increase to the top 25% tariff rates that Mr. Trump first imposed in March after months of threats. Mr. Trump’s tariffs were allegedly in an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling despite the relatively modest trafficking in the drug from that country. Mr. Trump has also expressed frustration with a trade deficit with Canada that largely reflects oil purchases by America.

EU says it will 'assess' France-U.K. migrant deal

The European Commission said Friday (July 11, 2025) it would examine a deal between Paris and London on returning migrants arriving in the U.K., as other EU countries fret over the impact. Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said the rising number of migrants smuggled across the English Channel was “alarming” and a “robust response” was required to deter the dangerous journeys. “On the specific envisaged cooperation between France and the United Kingdom, the commission will assess the concrete modalities of this cooperation,” Mr. Lammert told reporters in Brussels.