Top news on 25 August: PM Modi on UPS, Israel attacks Lebanon & more

Top news today: On 25 August, a series of events are set to take place right from politics to business.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the introduction of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) by the Central Government on Saturday, emphasising its role in securing the financial future of government employees. PM Modi said, “We are proud of all the government employees who work hard for the progress of the country. The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) ensures dignity and financial security for these employees. This step reflects our government’s commitment to their welfare and secure future.” Read more
Amid ongoing uproar over the rape-murder of Kolkata’s RG Kar Hospital doctor and sexual abuse of two minor students at a school in Maharashtra’s Badlapur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that his government was strengthening laws to ensure stringent punishment for those perpetrating crimes against women. Terming crime against women as an unpardonable sin, the Prime Minister said that whoever is guilty should not be spared. Read more
The Israeli military announced early August 25, 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for ‘large-scale’ attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. The Israeli military launched airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Sunday. Hezbollah said it had launched more than 320 rockets at Israel overnight, targeting a string of military positions, even as Israel’s military said it was carrying out pre-emptive strikes against the group. Read more
Sanjoy Roy, prime accused in the rape and murder case of a Kolkata doctor, underwent a lie-detector test on Sunday. The test was conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the arrested civic volunteer. The lie detection test on Sanjay Roy, the main accused in the alleged rape and murder of a RG Kar Medical College trainee doctor, took place at Kolkata’s Presidency Jail where he is lodged, officials said on Sunday. Read more
The committee of creditors (CoC) of Reliance Capital has raised concerns over the term sheets submitted by IndusInd International Holdings Ltd (IIHL), a Hinduja Group entity, for a proposed debt raise of ₹7,300 crore. Earlier this month, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) instructed IIHL to provide the requested term sheets to the lenders as part of the implementation of the resolution plan for Reliance Capital. Read more
The combined market valuation of nine of the top 10 most valuable companies rose by ₹95,522.81 crore last week, with Reliance Industries, TCS, and HUL leading the gains. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed for the fourth consecutive session, ending 33.02 points or 0.04 percent higher at 81,086.21 on Friday. Read more
India and Australia conducted the tenth round of negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) during 19-22 August in Sydney, as part of ongoing efforts to finalize free trade agreements with multiple countries. The discussions covered key areas including goods, services, digital trade, government procurement, rules of origin, and agritech, according to a statement from the commerce ministry on Sunday. Read more