Category: News in Brief
Published: Sunday, 15 August 2021 05:32

News Digest (15th Aug 2021, Sunday)

News Digest(15th Aug 2021, Sunday)

                                                                                                                                                                   by Annadatha Venkata Murali Manohar

Headlines

Covid not yet over, get vaccinated: President Kovind in address to nation on eve of I-Day

PM pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on I-Day

PM calls for ‘Sabka Prayas’ for building a self-reliant India

PM Modi inspects guard of honour, hoists national flag at Red Fort

By conducting surgical strikes and airstrikes, we have given a message of the emergence of a new India to our enemies. It also conveys that India can take tough decisions: PM

India is fighting challenges of terrorism and expansionism; dealing with them with great courage: PM Modi

Today, I am announcing the National Hydrogen Mission in view of climate change. We have to make India a hub for production and export of Green Hydrogen: Prime Minister

In these Covid times India receiving highest foreign investment, its forex reserves at all-time high: PM Modi

As we celebrate 75 years of Independence, we have to ensure India becomes self-reliant in energy production: PM Modi

Earlier, the govt was sitting in the driver seat. Maybe it was needed at that time. But the time has changed now. Efforts have increased in the last 7 years to free the people from the web of unnecessary laws & procedures. Several unnecessary laws have been scrapped so far: PM

Government has decided to open all Sainik schools to girls: PM Modi announces in his Independence Day address

Political will is required to bring in big changes, big reforms. Today, the world can see that there is no dearth of political will in India. Good and smart governance is needed to bring reforms. The world is a witness to how India is writing a new chapter of governance: PM Modi

India is going to launch 'Pradhan Mantri Gatishakti National Master Plan': PM Modi

India imported mobile phones worth USD 8 billion 7 years back, it is now exporting $3 billion worth of mobile phones: PM Modi

Along with modern infrastructure, India needs to adopt holistic approach in infrastructure construction: PM Modi

We have to work together for the next-generation infrastructure, world-class manufacturing, cutting-edge innovations and new-age technology: PM Modi

Our government's focus is to make small farmers, who own less than 2 hectare land and are over 80 percent of all farmers, country's pride: PM

In 75 weeks of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', 75 'Vande Bharat' trains will connect different parts of country: PM Modi

Govt will give nutritious rice to the poor; rice provided under any scheme will be fortified by 2024: PM Modi

We have to work together for the next-generation infrastructure, world-class manufacturing, cutting innovations and new-age technology: PM Modi

In the coming years, we will have to increase the collective power of the small farmers of the country. We have to give them new facilities. They must become the country's pride: PM

Development of J&K visible on ground; Delimitation exercise on, preparations underway for assembly polls there: PM Modi

PM says Aug 14 will be observed as Partition horrors remembrance day; to address nation from Red Fort greets citizens on ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’

Olympians, Covid warriors to be honoured

India is celebrating 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', marking the 75th year of Independence, amid patriotic fervour. A series of events are being organised across the country to mark the occasion.

India, Pak exchange sweets along LoC, Wagah border on Pakistan's I-Day

Param Vir Chakra awardee Subedar Major Yogendra Singh Yadav to be made honorary captain ahead of this year’s I-Day

J&K Sub Inspector Babu Ram, Constable Altaf Hussain Bhat conferred with Ashok Chakra Posthumously

3rd highest peacetime military gallantry medal 'Shaurya Chakra' for 3 CoBRA Commandos for daring Anti-Naxal Op in Chhattisgarh before 2019 Polls

8 Firemen from Maharashtra chosen for Gallantry Medals; 67 Maharashtra Police Awarded Gallantry, Service Medals; 23 Delhi Cops, 30 CBI Awarded Police Medals; 6 Assam Cops killed in Interstate Border dispute to get CM's Service Medal; 4 CISF Officials get Gallantry Medal

I-Day: 20 ITBP personnel awarded medals for fighting Chinese PLA in Ladakh

1.5Cr Indians from India, across world recorded, uploaded their videos singing their national anthem

Panaji: Navy, locals hoist Tricolour at St. Jacinto Island after settling the misunderstanding

4 Indian sites (2 in Gujarat & 2 in Haryana) recognised as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention; total such sites in the country has risen to 46

Afghan: Diplomacy, Transportation, Health: India's 2 decades worth of efforts at risk as Taliban storm the nation; Sources say President likely to resign, may leave country with family; Taliban capture Mazar-e-Sharif, close in on Kabul just 10KM away, India, US, allies rush to evacuate Diplomats; Kabul Airport only way out for escape

Taliban praise India for development efforts, but warn against military role

Russia interested in involving India, Iran to bring peace in Afghanistan: Foreign minister Lavrov

Bikram Majithia asks state and centre govt to evacuate minorities from Afghanistan

After I-Day overture, ULFA extends truce for first time

Four Jaish terrorists arrested, major attack averted

In interim order, Bombay high court stays some provisions of new IT rules

Unmarried girls in India don’t do carnal activities for fun: Madhya Pradesh high court

NIA raids 7 locations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Vizhinjam arms case

DMK Govt presents exclusive farm budget, first in Tamil Nadu (3rd in India after Karnataka & Andhra) featuring schemes for farm sector overall development; self-sufficiency & farm growth in villages

To recognise contributions IIT Madras launches Two New Chairs (Prof PS Rao & PK Aravindan) raises ₹ 1 Crore Endowment for each Chair

237 villages flooded in UP's Mirzapur even though water level in the Ganga river is receding, villagers allege administration isn't helping

Indore: Volunteers of Online Donation Platform Daanpatra reach 1.5 L with help on Independence Day Eve; contribute with unused items collected from donors and then hands it over to the needy

A group of protesting farmers allegedly attacked BJP MLA Umesh Malik's car with stones and smeared it with black ink in Sisauli village

Kuki National Liberation Army's last remaining militants lay down arms in Assam's Karbi Anglong

By pursuing lofty coal ambitions, India is undoing its own progress in the fight against climate change

Indian warship docks in UK for exercise with Royal Navy over I-Day weekend

Chandigarh: Eleven days after an Indian Army helicopter crashed into J&K’s Ranjit Sagar water reservoir along with two pilots Lt. Col Abheet Singh Batth and Captain Jayant Joshi, Navy’s submarine rescue unit roped in to trace missing pilots, wreckage

Direct selling is encouraging women entrepreneurship by giving them a platform to lead from the front

Twitter restores access to accounts of Rahul Gandhi, INC India

Financial & Business News

Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher House located in Mumbai's posh Vile Parle sold for just 52Cr in 9th attempt to the Hyderabad-based Saturn Realtors by DRT; Initially with base price of 150Cr

Over 9,500 unclaimed Amrapali flats may be resold as SC directs final notice be given to buyers

Mahindra XUV700 SUV Launched in India, Price Starts at Rs 11.99 Lakh; Launch to spice competition in the SUV segment with Hyundai Alcazar, Tata Safari and MG Hector Plus

Ford vs. GM legal battle: All about who wants to ‘cruise’

Google ‘stole’ Sonos’ speaker tech, rules US judge

Apple’s next generation M-series chip will reportedly launch next year

Apple may just be forced to add USB Type-C port to iPhones

Corona Updates

World: 207,523,242; Active 17,140,338 (8.26%); Recovery 186,015,838 (89.64%); Vaccinated 4.66BN

India: 32,191,954; Active 392,241 (1.22%); Recovery 31,368,460 (97.44%); Vaccinated 536.19MN

A total of more than 53 crore doses were administered till Friday, of which 41.53 crore were given as first dose – covering over 46% of the 90 crore adult population. Nearly 13% of this population group has been fully immunised against Covid-19.

PM Modi lauds doctors, nurses, paramedics those involved in vaccine-manufacturing and others for their fight against Covid-19

The US reported almost 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses on Saturday, the most for a single day since early July, reflecting a faster pace of inoculation as the delta variant spreads

GIC reports Rs 771 crore loss due to Covid deaths

Currently, out of the total 45,000-47,000 vaccination sessions per day, only about 2000-4000 are in the private sector, which has 25% of the total locally manufactured Covid vaccines earmarked for it

Private hospitals are also for innovative measures and tools to reach out to those who are left. However, this may require hospitals to incur additional costs

States like Delhi and Haryana are yet to allow door-to-door vaccination against Covid-19

Maharashtra's Covid numbers showing minor surge, but Mumbai cases paint hopeful picture; no respite from Delta scare

Covid-19 cases doubled to 20Cr in last 6 months globally; now sprawled across 140 countries; Australia tightens rules as 'Most Concerning Day of Pandemic' raises Covid fears

AIIMS chief: Covid-19 Third wave unpredictable; children would be 'more susceptible' because they were not being vaccinated

Bahrain records 124 new cases of Corona virus

UK cuts Covid-19 tests’ cost for global travellers, including from India

Private hospitals seek nod for jabs at home

States News

Telangana: Mahatma Gandhi statue a sign of communal amity, says Vunnam Venkaiah 92-year-old

Revenue tribunals add to Telangana farmers’ woes

Couple held in Hyderabad for woman’s murder

Telangana: Krishna River Management Board says RLIS works are in excess for preparation of DPRs

Telangana records 420 Covid-19 cases, 3 deaths

Telangana: TRS leaders to meet every beneficiary in Huzurabad

Telangana rolls out Aasara for 57-65-year category

Aadhaar reunites teen with family after 3 years

Kuwait News

Kuwait Relief Foundation supports with an Amiri grant the government textbook printing presses in Aden and Hadramaut with modern equipments worth one million dollar

Kuwaiti health Spokesman: 375 new cases, 691 recovered and 3 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours

Youth Minister: Kuwait ranked first in the Arab World and 27 globally on the Global Youth Development Index for 2020 confirms the political leadership’s interests in supporting and developing youth

The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister offers condolences to his Turkish counterpart on the victims of the floods in his country and affirms Kuwait’s support for Turkey in facing this painful disaster and overcoming its effects

Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior stresses the need to overcome all difficulties in front of the pioneers of Husseiniyat

Kuwait Basketball Association: We will prepare the junior team in preparation for the upcoming Asian Cup finals

The arrival of plane carrying medical supplies and medicines provided by the Kuwaiti Red Crescent to Lebanon

Supporting the education sector is a top priority for Kuwaiti weekly humanitarian work

The Kuwaiti Firefighting Force announces in a statement the death of 3 Asian workers and the injury of 5 in a fire for workers in Abdali*

Kuwait Ahmed Al-Shehab comes first in the 7th round of the Porsche Sport for car racing class (5c) in Germany

The Central Apparatus for Resolving Illegal Residents Status Re-forms two committees to receive requests to review the validity of security restrictions and nationality indicators

The price of a barrel of Kuwaiti oil fell 48 cents to reach $72.11

The Kuwaiti Livestock Company records a loss of 2.1 million dinars during the first half of this year

Ministry of Interior resumes evening shifts at service centers

Salaries of Public Sector workers increased by KD 4 billion in 10 years

Booster third Pfizer shot for some in September; 68.4% of Kuwait – 2,668,082 vaccinated

Two weeks of quarantine for the upcoming domestic workers within their monthly wage

New proposal of 1000 KD for 60+ Residency renewal

Indian Embassy places highest priority on welfare and well-being of Indian community in Kuwait

Covid-19: Abu Dhabi announces New Rules for International Travellers

Manpower: Creates a section for resolving National Labour disputes

Kuwait included in most developed countries for youth

Ministry of Education: Complete the appointment of teachers

Preventing vaccinated workers coming from India is an unsuccessful decision

Kuwait officials discuss joint cooperation with President of Commercial Arbitration GCC

FDA authorizes additional dose of Covid-19 vaccine for some cases

International News

US: 304 Killed as Earthquake of Magnitude 7.2 jolts Haiti; 2 weeks after most powerful US quake in half a century took place; death toll rises to at least 304; Biden announces assistance

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah to discuss developments in Afghanistan and the urgency of ongoing efforts to reduce violence: US State Dept spokesperson Ned Price

The US President orders the deployment of 5,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and threatens the Taliban with a “quick and strong” response if Washington’s interests are exposed

President Ashraf Ghani said remobilisation of the country's armed forces was a 'top priority,' as the Taliban inched closer to Kabul; Holding consultations with local leaders and international partners: President Ashraf Ghani

Some foreign embassies have begun to burn sensitive material ahead of evacuating, diplomats said

German military to aid Kabul embassy evacuation

Czech Republic evacuates embassy in Kabul

Taliban, Qatar officials meet for Afghan peace talks in Doha

60 Taliban terrorists killed in Afghan air force airstrikes

Pakistan reopens Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing after talks with Taliban

Europe heat wave brings concern for older adults, homeless; heat wave has aggravated fires that consumed forests in southern Italy, Greece and North Africa

Japan urges nearly 2MN to seek shelter as torrential rain triggered floods, landslides in western side

Islamabad: At least ten people were killed and four others were injured in an attack on a truck in the southern Pakistani city (Karachi) on Independence Day

Sports News

India's Olympic medallists hosted by President Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre; told them that the country was proud of them for their performances

India vs. England: Joe Root's unbeaten 9 hour innings of 180 runs gives England slender & vital lead of 27 runs

From a sport-loving nation, we must transform into a sport-playing nation: Sachin Tendulkar

Real Madrid opens the season with a broad victory over Alaves by 4 goals

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Court gives back brand rights to late Diego Maradona’s former lawyer

On this Independence Day, let's protect the peace and unity of our great nation. Let's pledge and make it happen on this Independence Day! As we proudly celebrate India’s 75th Independence Day, let us appreciate everything we have & cherish our dreams of a new tomorrow

Freedom is the way God intended for us; it is something we are born with. Something that no one can take away from us. Let's celebrate Freedom. Happy India's 75th Independence Day

Jai Hind