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 NaduThe 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 featureIT 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 dataRetail 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 airfaresThe 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”.Day 24 of CJP protest: Wangchuk loses 8.2 kg as fast enters 16th day; ‘lives at stake’, says DipkeEducator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has lost 8.2 kg since his indefinite hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar began, and his blood glucose level has dropped to 67 mg/dL, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said on Monday (July 13, 2026), with its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, urging the Centre to address the protesters’ demands, as “lives are at stake”. With Mr. Wangchuk’s indefinite fast entering Day 16, his health has deteriorated further. According to a health update shared by CJP, Wangchuk’s blood pressure was recorded at 107/70 mm Hg.Modi government silent on corruption in education; time for revolution in this sector: Rahul GandhiAhead of his second interaction with students under the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ initiative, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (July 13, 2026) said India’s education system has now become a “dishonest extortion mechanism” and asserted that now it is time for a revolution in this sector. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also alleged that in the face of corruption in the election system, the Modi government and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan have chosen silence, turning their faces away from accountability.Restraining access of minors to online porn is of paramount public importance: Supreme CourtThe 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. to seek extradition of Bishnoi, Nagra: officialThe U.S. will seek extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi, accused of ordering the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and several other crimes in America, an official said. The U.S. Department of Justice will also seek the extradition of Gurinderjit Singh Nagra for his involvement in a $4,00,000 extortion case in the U.S., alleging that he worked in concert with the Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gangs to target families based in the U.S.U.S. hits Iran as Gulf states targeted in flare-up over HormuzThe 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 obstructionA 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 caseA 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 showEuropean 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).