ABP Live News Shots: Over 2,000 Dead Due To Floods, Landslides To India-China LAC Talks — Top Headlines This Week

ABP Live News Shots: From the monsoon fury that killed over 2,000 people to India, China's 19th round of talks — bringing to you the big news that made headlines this past week, in case you missed it

This week, the country celebrated its glorious 76 years of independence with PM Narendra Modi making a big promise to come back to Red Fort next year. PM Modi announced schemes for women and traditional skilled labourers as he addressed the nation on Independence Day. Meanwhile, India and China held the 19th round of commander-level talks at the Chushul-Moldo border that ended without making any progress on the issue of the standoff in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Apart from this, monsoon fury continued in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand with the hill states witnessing worsening development day by day. In neighbouring Pak, senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was sworn in as Pakistan's caretaker prime minister on Monday to see the country through to an election due in months. Also, to give relief to citizens from rising tomato prices, the Center has directed cooperatives NCCF and NAFED to sell tomatoes at a retail price of Rs 40 per kg from August 20, 2023.

INDIA

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation for the tenth time in a row from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of Independence Day. He wore a turban that resembled the Rajasthani Bandhani print with a clear Ashok Chakra visible on the front and a black vest or Nehru Jacket with an off-white ensemble to go along with it. In his 90 minutes speech marking the 76 years of India's independence, the Prime Minister touched on a range of issues. From appealing for peace in the strife-torn Manipur and his governance to plans for the future, a sharp attack on opposition and a change in his salutation to the people. PM Modi referred to the citizens as 'Parivarjano' (members of his family) while earlier he used terms like 'Mitron', 'Bhaiyon', 'Beheno' 'Mataon', and 'Deshvasiyon'.

A total of 2,038 people have lost their lives due to floods, lightning, and landslides in the monsoon season this year with Bihar reporting the highest casualty figure of 518 and Himachal Pradesh 330. Meanwhile, 101 people went missing and 1,584 received injuries during the rains and floods from April 1 to August 17, news agency PTI reported citing data prepared by the Union Home Ministry. As per the data, 335 districts in the country were affected by the rains, landslides, and lightning including 40 in Madhya Pradesh, 30 in Assam, and 27 in Uttar Pradesh.

Yet another round of military-level talks between India and China took place without making any headway on the issue of the military standoff in the Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The 19th round of talks between the Indian Army and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China was held at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side on August 13-14. 

WORLD

Former US president Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed the decision to indict him on charges of racketeering and a election meddling following a probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden. In his TruthSocial platform Trump wrote, "Sounds rigged to me! Why didn't they indict 2.5 years ago? Because they wanted to do it right in the middle of my political campaign. Witch hunt!"

Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was sworn in as Pakistan's caretaker prime minister on Monday to see the country through to an election due in months. "I will strive to preserve the Islamic ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan... I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions," the 52-year-old said in a ceremony broadcast live on TV, according to AFP.

After being criticised over his response to the deadly Hawaii wildfires, US President Joe Biden has said he will visit the island "as soon as he can". This comes as the toll reached 101 on Tuesday with 1,300 people missing. As the residents of the island complained about the government's response to the disaster, Biden said he hadn't visited Hawaii yet as he was concerned that would divert the attention from the ongoing humanitarian response.

BUSINESS

The Center has directed cooperatives National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) to sell tomatoes at a retail price of Rs 40 per kg from August 20, 2023. The decision has been taken in view of the continued decline in tomato prices in the wholesale and retail markets, the Department of Consumer Affairs said. Notably, since July, the NCCF and the NAFED have been selling tomatoes at discounted rates in Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. This initiative was started after heavy rainfall and other weather-related issues led to a price surge in essential kitchen staples. The government directed the two cooperatives to procure tomatoes for producing states and distribute them at a subsidised rate. 

India's retail inflation in July jumped to 7.44 per cent from 4.87 per cent in June, according to the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Monday. This is considerably higher than June's figure of 4.87 per cent. In July last year, the CPI inflation was at 6.71 per cent. The surge in inflation is primarily because of food inflation, which came in at 11.51 per cent. In June, the inflation on the food basket was 4.55 per cent, while in July last year it was 6.69 per cent. The rural inflation in July stood at 7.63 per cent, while the urban inflation for the same month stands at 7.2 per cent. The retail inflation in vegetables year-on-year was 37.43 per cent while the rate of price rise in 'cereals and products' was 13 per cent, showed the data released by the NSO.

Independence Day 2023: India has come a long way in its economic journey since Independence. In 1947, the country was a poor, agrarian economy with a low literacy rate. It transformed into a services sector-oriented economy, which contributes over 50 per cent to the GDP. Today, India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with a growing middle class, a vibrant IT sector, and its manufacturing industry opening up as a global hub. This upward trajectory is tied to ambitious aspirations, notably the pursuit of achieving the stated goal of becoming a $5-trillion economy. India has already emerged as the world’s fifth-largest economy, with a GDP of $3.5 trillion in 2022. S&P Global this August projected India to grow by an average annual rate of 6.7 per cent to March 2031, driven by manufacturing and services exports and consumer demand, despite short-term challenges from rate hikes amid global slump. The rating agency retained its earlier forecast of 6 per cent growth for the current fiscal year ending March 2024, and even at this rate India will be the fastest growing economy among the G20 nations. However, as the Indian economy stands on the precipice of further expansion, it is confronted by a series of challenges and hurdles that need attention and decisive action. Though India is one of the brightest spots in the global economy, it has few areas that warrant special attention, and these include high levels of inflation, an unstable rupee, and a large current account deficit.

TECH

In a strategic move aimed at reducing its reliance on China and diversifying its manufacturing base, Apple has commenced the production phase of its highly anticipated iPhone 15 in Tamil Nadu, reports Bloomberg. The tech giant's collaboration with Foxconn Technology Group marks a significant step forward in its efforts to balance its manufacturing operations between the two countries. As per the report, sources reveal that the production facility operated by Foxconn in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, is gearing up to start dispatching the latest iPhone 15 units shortly after their initial rollout from Chinese factories.

The Centre has made police verification of SIM dealers mandatory and discontinued bulk connections, in a bid to curb frauds, the Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. With this, the government has made it mandatory for new dealers (of mobile SIM cards) to go through a police verification process and biometric verification. Registration will also be compulsory for all point-of-sale dealers now.

Locally Made Mobile Phones Cross 2 Billion Mark; India Becomes 2nd Biggest Mobile Manufacturing Country

Locally manufactured mobile phone shipments crossed the 2 billion cumulative units mark under the "Make in India" initiative during 2014-2022, registering a 23 per cent CAGR, a new report said on Monday. According to market research firm Counterpoint Research’s "Made in India" service report, this was driven by huge internal demand, increasing digital literacy and the government's push. India has also become the second-biggest mobile phone-producing country in the world.

SPORTS

Virat Kohli Completes 15 Years In International Cricket. A Look At His Inspiring Journey

Virat Kohli made his international debut on August 18, 2008, 15 years ago and went on to become a legend of the sport, dominating bowlers across formats, establishing himself as the chase master, G.O.A.T of world cricket. Virat's 15 years journey is all about sheer hard work and grind determination to be the best in the world. The star batter has so far scored 25,582 runs in inetrnational cricket with absolute dominance, at a jaw-dropping average of 53.63, including 76 hundreds.

Neymar Transfer: Al-Hilal Confirm Signing Of Brazilian Star From PSG In Blockbuster Deal

Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have confirmed the signing of Neymar from Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The new deal will see the Brazil international get a whopping €160m (£137m/$175m) over the next two years for the Middle-Eastern club. Notably, while PSG boss Luis Enrique had previously admitted that the 31-year-old had no future at the club, the deal marks a new phase in the 31-year-old's career. Overall, Neymar played 173 matches for the Parisians, netting 118 goals and winning five titles during his six-years stint at the club.

AB de Villiers Comes Up With Four Semifinalists For ODI World Cup 2023

Former South Africa legend AB de Villiers came up with his four semi-finalists for the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup. The 39-year-old player said that India, five-time World Cup winners Australia and defending champions England will seal their spots in the semi-finals and he picked his own country, South Africa as the fourth team. Fans will witness a game between England and New Zealand in the season opener on October 5 at the  Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. 

SCIENCE

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully performed a series of three drogue parachute deployment tests for the Gaganyaan mission, from August 8 to 10, 2023. Drogue parachute deployment tests are important because these help determine whether the drogue parachutes are functioning properly. Drogue parachutes play an important role in stabilising the crew module and reducing its velocity to a safe level before atmospheric re-entry, and have been designed in a way such that they will be ejected into the air upon command.  "The fact that drogue parachutes have a smaller surface area than conventional parachutes makes drogue parachutes suitable for deceleration purposes. This characteristic allows drogue parachutes to be deployed effectively at speeds that would otherwise cause damage to larger parachutes," former ISRO scientist Manish Purohit told ABP Live. 

Climate change is proving its presence worldwide through increased extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, landslides, excessive rain, heat waves, and sea level rise. To say that “climate change is real” would be an understatement, and denying the phenomenon would only lead to catastrophic occurrences. In the last two decades, India witnessed a shift in its climate patterns in the form of changes during summer, monsoon, and winter seasons. The country experienced unprecedented heat waves in recent decades. More frequent and severe extreme weather events, water scarcity, sea level rise, increased cyclonic activity, and landslides are some of the impacts of climate change India is likely to witness by the next decade, experts told ABP Live. If appropriate mitigation strategies are not adopted, the damage may be irreversible. 

Consumption of anti-inflammatory arthritis pain relieving drug piroxicam at the same as levonorgestrel, an emergency contraceptive pill, after unprotected sexual intercourse (coitus) increases the efficacy of the latter, and helps prevent more pregnancies than what levonorgestrel had prevented had it been taken alone. While levonorgestrel alone prevented 63 per cent of pregnancies in a particular randomised controlled trial, consuming it together with the anti-inflammatory arthritis analgesic medicine piroxicam prevented 95 per cent of pregnancies, according to a new study published in The Lancet. 

ENT

Actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who started a restaurant named Sona in New York with Maneesh Goyal in 2021, has decided to end her association with the restaurant. Priyanka’s spokesperson confirmed the news to People magazine and shared a statement with the publication. 

"Priyanka has stepped away from her partnership at Sona. Bringing Sona to life will invariably be a proud and significant moment in her career. Priyanka has always endeavoured to bring Indian culture to the fore through storytelling, whether that's via engaging content for film and TV, or a beautifully plated dish that embodies the haute cuisine of India," People quoted the statement. 

Akshay Kumar, who had taken citizenship of Canada many years ago, has regained his Indian citizenship and shared the news on the occasion of India's 77th Independence Day. The actor took to his social media handles to share the exciting news with his fans and followers. Taking to his Instagram, Akshay shared a picture that shows him flaunting his Indian citizenship documents. Sharing the picture, he wrote, "Dil aur citizenship, dono Hindustani. Happy Independence Day!"

Following the intense competition, the top five contestants of 'Bigg Boss OTT 2' were Elvish Yadav, Abhishek Malhan, Bebika Dhurve, Manisha Rani and Pooja Bhatt. Elvish Yadav emerged as the winner of this season. Salman Khan made the winning announcement live at midnight. Elvish went blank when his name was announced as the winner. Apart from a beautiful trophy, he won Rs. 25 lakhs. Abhishek Malhan emerges as the first runner-up.