TODAY NEWS ON July 14, 2026

News Headlines for CAT, CLAT and IPM aspirants
Source: The Hindu , Indian Express and others

Autonomous hill councils to be extended to all seven districts in Ladakh

The Ladakh administration on Monday (July 13, 2026) announced 17 new tehsils “to strengthen grassroots governance” in the Union Territory and said the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Act will be extended to all seven districts of the region. Earlier, Ladakh had only two districts of Leh and Kargil. However, five new districts of Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass were notified in April this year. With 17 additional tehsils, Ladakh has a total of 32 tehsils now.

One Indian sailor killed, six wounded as Iranian missiles strike oil tankers in Strait of Hormuz

One Indian ‌crew member was killed, and eight others were wounded when two Emirati ​oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait ⁠of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday (July 14, 2026), in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway. The ministry said the tankers, the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah, were targeted in ‌the southern lane of the strait while in Omani territorial waters. The dead crew member was aboard the Mombasa, it said.

Ram Mandir embezzlement case: Supreme Court seeks probe status report from U.P.

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13, 2026) directed the State of Uttar Pradesh to file a status report on the ongoing probe into the Ram Temple donations embezzlement case and sought the stances of the State and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on petitions seeking to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Meanwhile, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has invited applications for the post of Chief Executive Officer to oversee the administration and management of the temple.

Supreme Court stays Madras High Court order banning cow slaughter in Tamil Nadu

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13, 2026) stayed a May 27 order of the Madras High Court directing the Tamil Nadu government to enforce a Statewide prohibition on the slaughter of cows and calves. A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a special leave petition filed by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government challenging the High Court’s order on the ground that the direction was contrary to the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, 1958, which permits the slaughter of cows over 10 years of age if a competent authority declares them unfit for work and breeding.

Centre to review messaging platforms’ response to notice over username feature

IT Secretary S. Krishnan said that responses to notices sent to messaging platforms on their username feature and to Meta on child sexual abuse material had both been received by the Ministry over the weekend. Mr. Krishnan said that those responses are under consideration and indicated that the government would spend around a week on the review. Meta has pushed back on those concerns, saying that the WhatsApp feature would be rolled out with a PIN safeguard and that users who send too many strangers messages would be automatically blocked, as is already the case.

Retail inflation inches up to 4.38% in June: Government data

Retail inflation inched up to 4.38% in June compared to 3.93% in May, mainly due to higher prices of food items, according to government data released on Monday (July 13, 2026). The food inflation based on the consumer price index (CPI) was 5.32% in June, higher than 4.78% in May, according to the data.

Supreme Court asks Centre to place on record new aviation rules to regulate volatile airfares

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13, 2026) asked the Union Government to place on record the new aviation rules framed under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024, to regulate volatile airfares and predatory pricing in civil aviation. The court was informed that the regulations have already been finalised and are currently being translated into Hindi and other official languages before they are tabled in Parliament.

Amid ‘restrictions’, J&K parties pay tributes to 1931 ‘martyrs’

Authorities on Monday (July 13, 2026) barricaded the graveyard in Srinagar, where 22 civilians killed during the 1931 uprising against the Dogra monarchy are buried, and allegedly imposed restrictions on the leaders of the Jammu and Kashmir parties from visiting it. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said such measures belied the claims of normalcy in Kashmir. Security forces had barricaded parts of the old city in Srinagar since Sunday and deployed extra security forces to restrict the movement of people. J&K CM Abdullah criticised the Lieutenant Governor’s administration for the “stringent measures”.

Restraining access of minors to online porn is of paramount public importance: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13, 2026) said a plea highlighting the easy accessibility of pornographic content on the Internet, especially for minors, has raised an issue of “paramount public importance” which requires the “due consideration” of the Union government. The court flagged the petitioner’s submission that the “obnoxious” material was available at the “click of a button”. Excessive access to pornography, the court said, referring to the petition, leads to addiction and psychological distress.

U.S. hits Iran as Gulf states targeted in flare-up over Hormuz

The United States struck Iran on Monday (July 13, 2026) for a second day running, drawing Tehran’s reprisals against U.S. allies in the Gulf as the foes battle over the status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded to the latest U.S. attacks by targeting Gulf nations, with the powerful Revolutionary Guards announcing new strikes on Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, according to state media reports. Jordan said it shot down four missiles launched by Iran.

Top UN official accuses Hamas of Gaza aid obstruction

A senior UN official on Monday (July 13, 2026) accused Hamas of interfering with humanitarian deliveries in Gaza and intimidating aid workers, warning that the group’s actions were making relief operations increasingly dangerous. In a statement, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO), Ramiz Alakbarov, said he “strongly” condemns the obstruction of humanitarian operations by Gaza’s de facto authorities, referring to Hamas.

South Korean court sentences former President to two years in jail in political funding case

A South Korean court sentenced former President ​Yoon Suk Yeol to two years ‌in prison on Monday (July 13, 2026) after finding ​him guilty of illegally ⁠receiving opinion polling services worth 270 million won ($179,800) for free from a political broker, ‌local media said. The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon ‌violated political funding laws by receiving ‌14 ⁠rounds of polling from the ⁠political broker at no cost and later exercising influence over the nomination of a former ​lawmaker to ‌repay him, according to the ruling.

Europe recorded 10,000 excess deaths during late-June heatwave, data show

European countries reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during the record-breaking heatwave that engulfed the west of ​the continent in late June, official data showed. The vast majority — more than ‌9,000 — were among people aged 65 and above, according to ​data published by EuroMOMO, a network backed by the ⁠European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization. At least 2,700 people could have died in England and Wales as a result of heatwaves that struck in May and June, according to a study released on Monday (July 13, 2026).

Andy Burnham set to be U.K. PM after securing more Labour MPs’ support

Andy Burnham took another significant step on Monday (July 13, 2026) towards becoming Britain’s next prime minister, netting additional Labour MPs’ nominations to give him an unassailable lead in the ruling party’s leadership contest. The veteran politician is the only Labour Member of Parliament to publicly declare themselves a candidate to replace outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Fair, reasoned process must decide citizenship: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday (July 13, 2026) held that the determination of citizenship and foreigner status must be undertaken through a “fair, lawful and reasoned” process, as it set aside a batch of 27 Gauhati High Court judgments declaring the appellants to be foreigners and remanded the cases to the Foreigners Tribunals concerned for fresh adjudication.

Border States flag illegal migrants on voter rolls, use of drones, apps by smugglers

At the first-ever conference of police chiefs from districts sharing borders with neighbouring countries, the States flagged several key concerns, including the presence of illegal migrants on electoral rolls despite the special revision of voter lists in Assam, the alleged misuse of the Nepal border by radical elements to reach Punjab, and the use of applications such as WhatsApp, Skred, and Zangi for arms and narcotics smuggling across the Pakistan border, a senior government official told The Hindu.

Republican group unfurls Andrew-Epstein banner in Buckingham Palace

A group of anti-monarchy activists unfurled a banner depicting the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and former Duke of York, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, younger brother of Britain’s monarch King Charles III, in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace on Monday (July 13, 2026). Photos released by the group, Republic, showed two individuals holding up a banner of Mountbatten-Windsor walking with Epstein and another banner in front of it with the words, “What did you know?” written across it. The Palace was aware of the incident.

ENG vs IND 1st ODI preview | Compartmentalisation the key as England and India put on ODI boots

Over the weekend, a strong north-easterly breeze brought some much-needed respite to many parts of the United Kingdom reeling under an intense heatwave. On Tuesday (July 14) at Edgbaston, the Indian cricket team will be hoping for the winds of change to blow in its direction too when it takes on England in the first of three ODIs.

Class 9 and 10 students must clear internal assessment by 2027-28 in third language to pass: CBSE

While third language (R3) will not be part of the board exam for students who enter Class 10 from 2027-28, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has stated in its latest circular that students “must clear the school-based R3 assessment” in Class 10 to be awarded the Secondary School Examination Pass Certificate. This means that if students do not clear the internal assessment in their crucial board year, schools will be required to reassess unsuccessful students before the final results are declared, the circular dated July 10 stated.