Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee's death anniversary, Chinese vessel reached Sri Lanka's Hambantota port, FIFA suspended AIFF: Top headlines | Let's Catch Up Ep-61

Episode Description

• A Myanmar court on Monday convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi in more corruption cases and added six years to the prison sentence, as reported by AP. The trial was held in secret, with no entrance for media or people in general, and her legal counsellors were forbidden by a gag order from uncovering data about the proceedings. Suu Kyi was claimed to have mishandled her position to rent public land at underneath market costs and to have fabricated a home with donations implied for charitable purposes in four corruption cases decided Monday. She previously had been condemned to 11 years in jail on sedition, corruption and different charges at earlier trials after the military removed her elected government and detained her in February 2021.

 

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Monday that a "catastrophe" at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor in southern Ukraine would endanger Europe as a whole. In his evening address, Zelensky stated: "Under the cover of the plant, the occupiers are shelling nearby cities and communities." "Any radiation incident at the Zaporizhzhia NPP can affect the countries of the European Union, Turkey, Georgia and countries from more distant regions. Everything depends solely on the direction and speed of the wind," Zelensky said. Zelensky urged the international community to impose "additional harsh sanctions against Russia" rather than succumb to "nuclear blackmail." The plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, was overrun by Russian soldiers in early March, just as Moscow commenced its invasion of Ukraine.

 

• In honouring India's democratic path, US President Joe Biden remarked on Sunday that the two countries are important partners. The US president expressed confidence that the two democracies would continue to work together in the coming years to preserve the rules-based system, nurture more peace, prosperity, and security for their people, advance a free and open Indo-Pacific, and confront global issues. In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken wished Indians a happy 75th anniversary of independence on August 15.

 

• Airport in Australia’s national capital, Canberra was evacuated after a shooting incident took place here on Sunday morning, said the Australian federal police. Following the incident, one person was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered, the police said, adding that the person is the only one believed to be responsible for the incident as of now as per the CCTV footage. The fires were shot by the gunman in the air near the check-in area as per the Guardian report. Four bullet holes could be seen in three large glass windows on the second floor of the airport’s terminal. The airport is still locked and around five planes remain on the tarmac as Australian Federal Police continue to sweep the entire terminal and interview witnesses, reported ABC adding that some flights had been cancelled or rescheduled and travellers were advised to check with their airline.

 

• President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union ministers on Tuesday paid rich respects to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his fourth death anniversary in Delhi. Atal Bihari Vajpayee - remembered as "a man of the masses" - was India's prime minister for three terms - 1996, between 1998 and 1999, and then for a full term between 1999 and 2004.

 

• In Bihar, 31 ministers took oath on Tuesday as Nitish Kumar expanded his cabinet days after he was sworn in with his new deputy Tejashwi Yadav. Among the newly sworn-in ministers, 16 are from Lalu Prasad Yadav's RJD. Kumar's JD(U) has 11 ministers in the new cabinet while two ministers are from the Congress. Tej Pratap Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav's brother and Lalu Yadav's elder son, was also sworn in on Tuesday as one of the ministers.

 

• Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh Tuesday handed over the latest anti-personnel mine Nipun and Futuristic Infantry Soldier as a System (F-INSAS) to the Indian Army in presence of Army Chief General Manoj Pande and Lt General Harpal Singh. Both the systems have been manufactured indigenously by Indian firms. The defence minister also handed over the Made in India infantry combat vehicles to the troops deployed in the forward areas. The Indian Army has also received a drone system manufactured indigenously for troops to help keep an eye on enemy troops in the forward areas along the LAC.

 

• A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court on Tuesday sent alleged ISIS active member Mohsin Ahmad to judicial custody for 30 days. According to reports, Ahmad was taken into custody on August 6 and was produced to court earlier in the day at the end of his remand. The alleged IS man is a resident of Delhi's Batla House area and was nabbed after a search operation conducted by NIA weeks ahead of India's 75th Independence Day. Ahmad is accused of being involved in the activities of ISIS module case which was registered suo-moto by the investing agency under sections 153A, & 153B of IPC and sections 18, 18B, 38, 39 & 40 of UA (P) Act.

 

• A Chinese research vessel reached Sri Lanka's Hambantota Port on Tuesday morning, reported news agency ANI citing the local media Daily Mirror, amid concerns in India. Widely tagged as a spy ship, it has the ability to track satellites and intercontinental missiles. The vessel - Yuan Wang-5 - was scheduled to dock at Hambantota port on August 11 but was deferred for a while after India raised its concerns.

 

• In the new trailer for Koffee with Karan season 7, very Punjabi episode, fans will watch Vicky Kaushal and Sidharth Malhotra take over the couch. On the show, they will discuss Vicky's wife Katrina Kaif and Sidharth's rumoured girlfriend Kiara Advani.

 

• After great fanfare, the 13th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) has revealed the recipients of its coveted awards. The festival features an exceptional array of feature films, short films, and documentaries from India and its neighbours. The festival was attended by various dignitaries of the Victorian government in Melbourne at the iconic Palais theatre. A plethora of Indian actors and artists were part of the celebration in person during the festival such as Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Tamannaah Bhatia, and many more

 

• 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes', a prequel to `The Hunger Games` from Lionsgate, stars Viola Davis as Villain. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Davis will take on the role of Dr Volumnia Gaul, the principal game designer for the tenth Hunger Games.

 

• FIFA has suspended the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with immediate effect due to “undue influence from third parties”, world soccer’s governing body said on Monday. The suspension also means that the Under-17 women’s World Cup, which was scheduled to take place in India from Oct. 11-30, cannot be held in the country as planned.

 

• veteran cricket administrator Amitabh Choudhary passed away in the early hours on Tuesday, Jharkhand State Cricket Association officials confirmed. Choudhary, 58, helmed the JSCA for more than a decade and also rose to become the BCCI’s joint-secretary. During the Committee of Administrators’ regime in the cricket board, he also served as its acting secretary.

 

• Indian all-rounder Washington sunder has been ruled out of the three match ODI series against Zimbabwe due to injury, the board of control for cricket announced on Tuesday. The all India senior selection committee named Shahbaz Ahmed as the replacement for Washington sunder in the series against Zimbabwe.

 

• Nifty ends above 17,800, Sensex gains 379 pts led by auto, realty, oil & gas.
• Tata Motors Ltd., Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Maruti Suzuki, Asian Paints, Hero Moto Corp. were among the major gainers on the Nifty, the losers included – State Bank Of India, Bharti Airtel Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., NTPC Ltd.