Pegasus | Hearing on petitions seeking probe on August 5
A Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana is scheduled to hear on August 5 a petition filed by senior journalists N. Ram and Sashi Kumar for an independent probe headed by a former or sitting top court judge into the mass surveillance of over 142 potential “targets”, including journalists, lawyers, ministers, Opposition politicians, constitutional functionaries and civil society activists, using military-grade Israeli spyware Pegasus.
Tokyo Olympics | India’s Vinesh Phogat knocks out Mattsson to move to quarters
India's strong medal contender Vinesh Phogat knocked out Rio Olympics bronze-winner and six-time world medallist Sofia Mattsson to progress to women's 53kg quarterfinals, displaying the art of turning defence into attack, here on Thursday, August 5, 2021.
Efforts to track emerging COVID-19 variants shrink
The second wave is yet to trough and there are signs that a third wave may be round the corner, but India’s efforts to sequence genomes to track for emerging variants plummeted after April.
50% funds allotted for ongoing MPLADS projects lapse
Virtually half of a belated ₹2,200 crore allotted for completing ongoing MPLADS projects in 2020-21 simply lapsed, as the Finance Ministry granted “barely a week” to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to release the funds — inviting the ire of the Standing Committee on Finance.
Mob attacks temple in Pakistan's Punjab, damages idols
A group of Muslim mob attacked a Hindu temple in Punjab province of Pakistan, burning down parts of it and damaging idols. After the failure of police to prevent the criminal act, the Pakistan Rangers have been called to control the situation.
Suspended Trinamool MPs try to enter Rajya Sabha
A Parliamentary security officer suffered minor injuries on August 4 in a scuffle with suspended Trinamool Congress members who tried to enter the Rajya Sabha chamber after the House was adjourned at 3:15 p.m.
Twitter violated principle of natural justice with ‘manipulated media’ tag, says goverment
The government on Wednesday said that the labelling of tweets as “manipulated media” by Twitter does not come under the purview of the new IT Rules. However, the U.S.-headquartered microblogging platform has been told that by doing so it violates “the principle of natural justice”.
RTE entitlements to be paid through cash transfer
The Centre plans to pay students their Right to Education entitlements in the form of cash transfers, as part of a revamp and extension of its flagship school education scheme that was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday.
Tokyo Olympics | Dahiya storms into final, India assured of another medal
It was a gripping Wednesday for India at the Tokyo Olympics, and Ravi Kumar Dahiya led the charge. The wrestler registered a sensational triumph against Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev in the freestyle 57 kg semifinal bout and grappled his way into Thursday’s final against Russia’s Zaur Uguev. India is assured of a silver.
Lok Sabha passes Air Quality Commission Bill for NRC, Adjoining Areas
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Bill to formalise the Commission for Air Quality Management For National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas. The body has a full time chairperson and a range of members consisting of both representatives from several Ministries as well as independent experts and will have the final say on evolving policy and issuing directions to address air pollution in Delhi and the adjoining regions.
Election Commission proposal to link electoral roll with Aadhaar under study: Law Minister
The proposal of the Election Commission of India to link the electoral roll with the Aadhaar ecosystem in order to check multiple enrolment of the same person is under consideration of the government, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
NGOs, trusts, memorials owe ₹1.40 crore for office space: Hardeep Puri
Nine NGOs, trusts, memorials and social organisations had been allotted office space in Lutyens’ Delhi and they had ₹1.40 crore in dues as on June 30, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Taliban claim attack on Afghan Minister
The Taliban on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a huge bomb attack in Kabul targeting the Defence Minister, as the insurgents fought for control of a string of besieged cities across the country.
