5 stories you must read today, October 1: From Gaza flotilla entering high-risk zone to UPSC verifying certificates through DigiLocker and more

The international flotilla, carrying aid to Gaza along with more than 500 people, including climate activist Greta Thunberg, said that drone activity is increasing over the flotilla as it is nearing its destination. The Global Sumud Flotilla, which has over 40 civilian boats and is carrying parliamentarians, lawyers and climate campaigners, among others, aims to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Israel has made it clear that it won’t allow the flotilla to proceed to Gaza. In the past few days, the flotilla has alleged that it has been hit by drones several times. Read more

The Union Public Service Commission will start accepting candidates’ certificates through DigiLocker, the government’s cloud-based platform for storing and verifying documents. UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar, who made the announcement, said the move is to ensure that certificates submitted by candidates are genuine. In 2024, Puja Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer, was caught misusing disability and OBC certificates, resulting in her being terminated from the service. The case also exposed how some candidates misuse certificates to get into government jobs. Read more

Academic and Dalit rights activist Anand Teltumbde on Wednesday withdrew his plea seeking permission to travel abroad for academic purposes. Teltumbde, an accused in the Elgaar Parishad, had filed a plea earlier this year seeking permission to travel abroad to deliver lectures and attend seminars at various universities. However, on Wednesday, the Bombay High Court observed that Teltumbde could deliver lectures in virtual mode instead of travelling abroad. Read more

An FIR has been registered after a Garba celebration at a housing society in Mumbai’s Mira Road was disrupted after an egg was allegedly hurled at the venue. The incident happened late on Tuesday night at the JP Infra complex in Kashigaon during the Navratri celebrations. According to the police, one of the residents had earlier objected to the event, citing violations of noise and loudspeaker regulations. During the event, some residents claimed they saw objects being thrown from the 16th floor and later, a broken egg was discovered. Read more

World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture backed by the family of US President Donald Trump, plans to launch a debit card as early as this year. World Liberty Financial CEO Zach Witkoff on Wednesday said the pilot programme will be rolled out in the next quarter. Launched last fall, World Liberty’s goal is to allow people to access financial services using cryptocurrencies – without intermediaries like banks – in what is called decentralised finance, or DeFi. Read more