Morning digest: FIR registered in Haldwani over ‘purification’ ceremony at venue of Kharge’s rally; Britain bans trade with illegal Israeli settlements, and more

Nainital Police register FIR against ‘unknown persons’ for performing ‘purification’ of Mallikarjun Kharge’s rally venueAlmost a month after ‘shuddhikaran’ (purification) ritual conducted at Haldwani’s Ramlila ground following a rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 8, the Nainital Police on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against ‘unknown persons’ for the conduct.Britain bans trade with illegal Israeli settlementsFor one of its first foreign policy moves, the administration of U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a ban on trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. France and Canada joined the U.K. in its move. Together these three countries issued a joint statement with Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden confirming their intention to introduce new restrictions on trade with illegal settlementsNot involved, says government amid controversy over religious group’s Eiffel Tower tourThe government on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) faced questions over its links to a religious group whose allegedly “anti-women” demands caused the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris to shut down for a day, leading to a major political row in France. Paris city officials have begun a formal inquiry into the incident, and the Hindu group, known as BAPS, denied making any demands to “limit interactions” with women employees at the tower.Out of Satya Niketan, into same trap: students struggle for safer stay in DelhiStudents leaving Satya Niketan in search of safer living conditions are finding that paying more does not necessarily buy them safety. Even after spending up to ₹20,000 a month, many are ending up in cramped rooms in ageing buildings, with poor ventilation, inadequate facilities and little assurance about structural safety.Rejecting Dhirendra Shastri’s advice, several BJP leaders say Bengalis will eat non-vegetarian food during Durga PujaA day after the president of the West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Samik Bhattacharya said Bengalis would eat fish and meat during Durga Puja, rejecting the advice of the chief priest of Bageshwar Dham Dhirendra Krishna Shastri to follow a vegetarian diet during the pujas, several other BJP leaders came out in Mr. Bhattacharya’s support.Chongtham Vikram Singh was a peace-loving musician who lived a peaceful life, says wifeFifty-four-year-old Chongtham Vikram Singh was a peace-loving musician who lived a peaceful life, his wife, Joshna Chongtham, said on Tuesday, a day after he died from injuries sustained in an assault by a group of allegedly inebriated men outside his home in Delhi’s Ashram area. “We hope such an incident never happens to another family, and we hope justice will be done,” she said.Supreme Court pulls up Odisha government over Dara Singh’s remission pleaThe Supreme Court on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) pulled up the Odisha government over the delay in deciding the remission plea of Graham Staines murder convict Dara Singh and cautioned that it would summon State officials if the Sentence Review Board failed to take a decision within 10 days.NEET-UG protests: After Supreme Court quashes FIRs, petitioner says police, government yet to explain their conductDays after the Supreme Court quashed the FIRs against the NEET-UG protestors, the primary petitioner in the case listed a string of reasons on Tuesday (September 8, 2026), alleging that the conduct of the Delhi police and the political executive was not only “contrary to constitutional guarantees but also manifestly criminal in character”.Ladakh-Centre talks to resume after government’s confidence-building measuresTalks between civil society groups of Ladakh and the High-Powered Committee (HPC) of the Union Home Ministry will resume on Wednesday (September 9) in New Delhi, against the backdrop of several confidence-building measures taken by the stakeholders and a foundation laid in the previous round of talks.Probe ordered into police action against protesting Bhopal intern doctorsA probe has been ordered by Bhopal Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar, a day after at least four MBBS intern doctors suffered injuries due to water cannons that were used against them during their protest in the campus of government-run Gandhi Medical College (GMC) to demand a hike in their stipend.