Vice-President election | Counting of votes begins
Counting of votes began in the vice presidential election after the voting concluded at 5 p.m. Officials said of the total 780 MPs, as many as 725 MPs voted, with around 93% polling recorded and more than 50 MPs not exercising their franchise.
Central government directs urgent action against COVID surge in some States
The Centre has written to Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi and Karnataka following a steady rise in the average daily new cases of COVID in the past few weeks. The Centre said that in view of some changes in symptoms and clinical manifestation of the disease it is crucial to monitor and report district wise lnfluenza-like illness (lLl) & SARI cases in all health facilities as per the guidelines.
Sanjay Raut’s wife appears before ED for questioning in money laundering case
Varsha Raut, wife of arrested Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, on Saturday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Mumbai in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of a 'chawl' and related transactions. The central agency had issued summons to Varsha Raut earlier this week. Accordingly, she reached the ED office located at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai at 10.40 a.m. She is expected to be confronted with her husband, who is currently in the ED custody, and some other accused involved in the case.
Four main accused have been arrested in connection with the incident which occurred on August 4. A senior officer said it was premature to say anything about the motive behind the attack as the investigation is at the preliminary stage. The man, identified as Pratik alias Sunny Rajendra Pawar, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a hospital for injuries to his head and other parts of the body, a police official said.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to raise issues of legal guarantee to MSP, farm debt at NITI Aayog meeting
“I will raise issues of water, debt of farmers, legal guarantee to MSP, canal system, cleaning of ‘buddha nallah’ [in Ludhiana], BBMB [Bhakra Beas Management Board] and also health-related matters,” Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said. Mr. Mann slammed his predecessors Charanjit Singh Channi and Amarinder Singh for not attending such meetings earlier. He said it was after three years any representative from Punjab was going to attend the NITI Aayog meeting.
Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra said Union Home Miniter Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should have spoken on the issues raised by the Congress instead of making an attempt to divert public attention.
Samyukt Kisan Morcha to launch nationwide campaign against Agnipath scheme on August 7
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation of farm unions, said the scheme is a “serious setback” to farming families whose youths have been part of the armed forces. The campaign will be launched in collaboration with the United Front of ex-Servicemen and various youth organisations.
The search operations were conducted in almost 40 places in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Vellore. Leading film financier G.N. Anbu Chezhian, who runs Gopuram Films and Production and Gopuram Cinemas Private Limited, was the first person to be searched. The tax sleuths also searched offices and properties belonging to producer and distributor Kalaipuli S. Thanu, S.R. Prabhu of Dream Warrior Pictures, Producer K.E. Gananvel Raja and Sathya Jyothi Thyagarajan.
Dalai Lama honoured with Ladakh’s highest civilian award
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama was honoured with the ‘dPal rNgam Duston’ award—the highest civilian honour of Ladakh—for his immense contribution to humanity, especially towards the union territory, an official said on Saturday. The 87-year-old spiritual leader, who is on a visit to the Union Territory since July 15, appreciated the gesture and stressed maintaining communal harmony in the region.
China drills ‘simulating attack’, says Taiwan
Taiwan said the drills were a “possible simulated attack” on the island. “Multiple PLA craft were detected around Taiwan Strait, some have crossed the median line,” the Ministry of National Defence said, adding that it had deployed naval vessels and activated land-based missile systems in response.
5.3-magnitude earthquake jolts central Nepal
According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, the 5.3-magnitude earthquake, which occurred at 5:26 am, had its epicentre in Belkot Gadhi of Nuwakot district.
Israel and Gaza militants exchange fire after deadly strikes
The fighting that began on August 5 with Israel’s dramatic targeted killing of a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad continued throughout the night, drawing the sides closer to an all-out war. The latest round of Israel-Gaza violence was sparked by the arrest this week of a senior Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank, part of a monthlong Israeli military operation in the territory. Citing a security threat, Israel then sealed roads around the Gaza Strip and on Friday killed the militant leader in a targeted strike.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has previously described Sri Lanka’s economy as bankrupt, said that economic reforms would require higher taxation. “Even taxation on wealth, we have to resort to those measures, first for economic recovery and second for social stability,” he said. The President also said the country will have to consider getting into the nuclear energy sector. “More you have more energy you can sell to India, at the same time keep more renewable energy available. We have to think outside the box,” he said.
Global spending on cloud jumps 33%, report says
Research firm Canalys estimated that worldwide spending on cloud services in the June-ending quarter this year reached $62.3 billion, rising 33% from the same duration in the previous year. The growth was driven by demand for data analytics and machine learning, data center consolidation, application migration, cloud-native development and service delivery, Canalys noted.
Commonwealth Games 2022 | Priyanka Goswami and Avinash Sable clinch silver in Athletics
Priyanka Goswami on Saturday scripted history as she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in race walk with a silver in 10,000m event at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on August 6, 2022. Avinash Sable also won a silver in the men’s 3000m steeplechase event with a personal best and national record of 8.11.20.
Commonwealth Games 2022 | Boxers Nitu, Amit Panghal storm into finals
Indian boxer Amit Panghal (51kg) displayed his class as he reached his second consecutive Commonwealth Games final while Nitu Ghanghas (48kg) also remained on course for a gold in her maiden appearance in Birmingham on August 6, 2022.
