Chess World Cup final | Carlsen beats Praggnanandhaa; lifts title
Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa’s dream run in the FIDE World Cup ended at the hands of world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, who beat him 1.5-0.5 in the tie-break in Baku on August 24 after the classical games ended in a stalemate. The second 25+10 tie-break game ended in a draw in 22 moves as the Norwegian legend played it safe after he had won the first, displaying his end-game skills.
BRICS agrees to welcome six new members, says PM Modi
In a landmark decision, members of the BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — on August 24 declared expansion of the grouping by welcoming six new countries into the fold. Announcing the decision at the end of the 15th BRICS summit at Johannesburg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said addition of new members would strengthen the outfit and increase confidence in the idea of multipolar world order. “I am happy that our teams have built consensus on the guiding principles, standards, criteria, and procedures for expansion of BRICS. On this basis we have agreed to welcome Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates into BRICS. I congratulate the leaders and the people of these countries,” Mr. Modi said.
69th National Film Awards | Allu Arjun, Alia Bhatt, Kriti Sanon win big
The 69th National Film Awards were announced on August 24 at the National Media Centre in New Delhi, with honours for films censored in the year 2021. The event is held by the Government of India’s Directorate of Film Festivals, which comes under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Hindi film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect won the National Award for best feature film while Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon shared the best actress prize for their roles in Gangubai Kathiawadi and Mimi, respectively. South superstar Allu Arjun was judged the best actor for the Telugu film Pushpa: The Rise (Part I).
Chandrayaan-3 | Pragyan rover rolls out from Vikram lander
The Pragyan rover has rolled out from the Vikram lander and will now start moving around on the lunar surface, marking a successful next stage hours after Chandrayaan-3 made its historic landing on the Moon, ISRO sources said on August 24. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said on Thursday, that the the rover would carry out two important experiments. It has two payloads — the LASER Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). The objectives of the LIBS are to conduct qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis and to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further our understanding of the lunar surface.
Google celebrates India’s Chandrayaan-3 feat with special doodle
Search engine giant Google on August 24 celebrated India’s success in its third Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 with a special animated doodle. India scripted history on August 23 with its touchdown on the lunar south pole, making it the first nation to land on the uncharted surface. Lauding this historic feat, the Internet behemoth has come up with a doodle “celebrating the first landing on the moon’s south pole!”.
Himachal rains | Eight Kullu buildings collapse, rains continue to lash State
At least eight buildings that had developed cracks and were declared unsafe following recent rains collapsed in the Anni area of Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on August 24, throwing up large clouds of dust and debris. There were no casualties. The buildings housing shops, banks and other commercial establishments had developed cracks four-five days ago, Anni Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Naresh Verma, who was at the spot, said. The buildings were declared unsafe and vacated recently, he said.
Mizoram bridge collapse | 23 workers from Bengal feared dead, 18 bodies found
Of 26 workers present on the under-construction railway bridge that collapsed in Mizoram’s Aizawl district, 23 people are believed to be dead, though the police have recovered only 18 bodies, officials said on August 24. Three of those working there are in hospital and “undergoing treatment” while five are missing, they added. All the 26 people working there were from Malda district of West Bengal.
The Centre on August 24 said that the abrogation of Article 370 was required to ensure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir can avail welfare schemes of the government. The court was also apprised that the abrogation has permitted the people of J&K to enjoy similar rights and privileges as the rest of the country. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the State’s sovereignty was ceded to the Union the moment the accession took place. He underscored that a merger agreement is not sina quo non for integration with the Union and said that other princely states apart from J&K had also not signed any such merger agreements. Chief Justice D.Y Chandrachud heading the Constitution Bench said during the hearing that ‘we cannot postulate a situation where the ends justify the means’.
Congress makes poll-related appointments for Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, on August 24, made poll-related appointments for the upcoming Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections later this year. Mr. Kharge named four AICC coordinators for the Rajasthan Assembly polls. Ahead of the upcoming Chhattisgarh Assembly polls, Mr. Kharge also set up a seven-member executive committee and appointed 23 general secretaries and 140 secretaries in the party’s State unit.
ED claims Baghel’s political adviser helped cop bribe seniors; he says allegations fabricated
The ED, which is probing the alleged money laundering angle of the Mahadev online gaming app scam, has claimed that officials connected to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s Office had facilitated hefty kickbacks. The ED has accused Chhattisgarh Police Assistant Sub Inspector Chandra Bushan Verma – one of the four arrested in the case so far – of bribing his seniors with the help of Vinod Verma, a political adviser to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
ED raids ex-Congress Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in money laundering probe
The ED on August 24 launched raids at premises linked to former Punjab Cabinet Minister and Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu and some others as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said. About 10 premises in Ludhiana and nearby locations are being searched by the ED officials under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED probe is linked to alleged irregularities and allegations of receiving kickbacks through conduits for compromising tender for food procurement and transportation, its quality and conditions.
Six vehicles torched; private firm’s employees assaulted by Maoists in Jharkhand
“At least six vehicles were set on fire and two employees of a private road construction company were assaulted by members of banned CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand’s Palamu district,” a senior police officer said on August 24. “The incident happened in the Haldiya Ghati area under the Chhatarpur Police Station limits, around 220 km from the State capital Ranchi, on Wednesday evening,” he said.
Ukraine had ‘nothing to do’ with Prigozhin plane crash: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on August 24 said his country had “nothing to do” with the presumed death of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash, instead implying the Kremlin’s responsibility. “We have nothing to do with this situation, that’s for sure. I think everyone knows who this concerns,” he told reporters a day after a private jet on which Prigozhin was registered as a passenger crashed between Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Fukushima nuclear plant begins releasing treated radioactive wastewater into the sea
The operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it began releasing its first batch of treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean on August 24 — a controversial step, but a milestone for Japan’s battle with the growing radioactive water stockpile. In a live video from a control room at the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings showed a staff member turn on a seawater pump with a click of a mouse, marking the beginning of the controversial project that is expected to last for decades.
Gunfire at California biker bar kills 4 people, including the shooter, and wounds 5 more
Three people were killed and five others were wounded in a shooting on August 23 at a Southern California biker bar, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said. The gunman was also killed by deputies. The shooting occurred after 7 p.m. at Cook’s Corner in rural Trabuco Canyon in Orange County, a popular longtime watering hole for motorcycle riders and enthusiasts who gather for live music, open-mic nights or just a cold beer after a long ride.
United World Wrestling body suspends Wrestling Federation of India
United World Wrestling (UWW), the world governing body for wrestling, has suspended the WFI for not conducting its elections on time, a development which will not allow Indian grapplers to compete at the upcoming World Championships under the Indian flag. The Indian wrestlers will have to compete as ‘neutral athletes’ at the Olympic-qualifying World Championships, starting September 16 as the ad-hoc panel, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, did not honour the 45-day deadline for conducting the elections.
