Nancy Pelosi visits Taiwan, Al-Qaeda chief Al Zawahiri elimination, Harjinder Kaur bagged bronze medal : Top headlines | Let's Catch Up Ep-55

Episode Description

Top Headlines:

• U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi was set to visit Taiwan on Tuesday, two people briefed on the matter said, as China warned that its military would never "sit idly by" if she visited the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. Chinese fighter jets are said to have been deployed near self-ruled Taiwan to pile up pressure against the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to the island on Tuesday, as per the reports.
• The United States said Russia was using Ukraine's biggest nuclear power plant as a "nuclear shield" by stationing troops there, preventing Ukrainian forces from returning fire and risking a terrible nuclear accident.  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was "deeply concerned" that the Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia was accused of firing shells dangerously close to in March, was now a Russian military base used to fire on nearby Ukrainian forces.
• The Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) on Tuesday confirmed that it had arrived at an agreement with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to form a coalition government in Balochistan. The BAP also stated that they would join hands with the PTI to form government at the Centre, as reported by the Dawn.
• The maiden flight of India's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is scheduled to take off on August 7, 2022, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced Monday. The mission, called SSLV-D1, is the first demonstration flight of the launch vehicle, and will take off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, at 9:18 am IST on August 7.
• As dawn broke on Sunday, July 31, al-Qaeda chief Al-Zawahiri, one of the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks, who took over the leadership of al-Qaeda after Osama bin walked out on the balcony of his safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan, a place where he was suspected to have often lingered. U.S. intelligence, aware of his regular movement, fired two Hellfire missiles at the al-Qaeda leader as he stood, eliminating one of the most wanted terrorists of the globe.
• President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Solih is on a four-day visit to India since Monday. Solih met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday after arriving in New Delhi. Jaishankar said India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and the Maldives’ ‘India First’ policy are “complementary” and the two policies take the special partnership forward.
• Days after the Enforcement Directorate questioned Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in an alleged money laundering case connected to the National Herald newspaper, the probe agency is today raiding around 12 locations including the offices of the newspaper in Delhi and several other premises linked to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) -- the company that runs the newspaper. Sources say the probe agency is likely to attach these properties after searches.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday dismissed allegations that the Modi government was working only for 'Ambani and Adani' and said Opposition-ruled states were also signing agreements with the two leading business houses. The minister, replying to a debate on price rise in the Lok Sabha, said the Congress government in Rajasthan signed two agreements related to renewable energy with the Adani Group a day after Rahul Gandhi, while speaking in Jaipur, accused the Centre of working for the two industrial conglomerates.
• The production of the most-awaited Telugu movie Pushpa: The Rule, which is the sequel to Pushpa: The Rise, has been put on hold amid the ongoing stoppage of work  called by the producers’ union in the Telugu film industry. The filmmakers of the Allu Arjun - starrer had plans to take the movie into production in the third week of August. However, the producers have extended their solidarity with the strike and have decided to wait till the matter is resolved.
• K-pop boy band BTS might still be able to perform overseas while serving in the military, South Korea’s defence minister Lee Jong-sup said on Monday, as the country debates shortening mandatory military service for K-pop stars to three weeks from about two years.
• The next episode of Koffee With Karan is only a few days away and has two superstars as guests. Bollywood favourites Kareena Kapoor and Aamir Khan are on the couch together this week ahead of the release of their film Laal Singh Chaddha. Sending the internet into a tizzy, filmmaker and host of the show Karan Johar has shared the promo of the episode in which the three stars are seen pulling each other's leg and having a great time.
• Harjinder, who comes from a humble family background, bagged bronze medal in the women's 71 kg weightlifting category. She reached the bronze position after gold medal favourite Joy Eza of Nigeria failed in all three attempts in the clean and jerk event. President Droupadi Murmu called the Indian weightlifter Harjinder Kaur's journey to win bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games an "inspiring story".
• Four South American countries will on Tuesday launch an unprecedented joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup with the hope of bringing the global showpiece back to its first home. The countries intention to bid has long been in the making. More than three years ago they committed to create a local organizing committee to co-ordinate with South American football's governing body CONMEBOL to plan their bid. But it has taken until now for the "Juntos 2030" (Together 2030) bid to be made official.
• Indian cyclist Meenakshi suffered a crash and was run over by one of her rivals in the women's 10km scratch race at the Commonwealth Games. The horror incident saw Meenakshi fall from her bike before sliding down the bank on the bend. New Zealand's Bryony Botha was also caught by the crash, as her cycle ran over Meenakshi and Botha too fell from her bike. Soon after accident, medics rushed to the scene and both the riders were taken out of the race. Meenakshi was carried off on a stretche
• Sensex, Nifty end flat amid volatility; power, PSU banks gain, realty drags.
• IndusInd Bank, Asian Paints, NTPC, Maruti Suzuki and Power Grid Corp were among the major gainers on the Nifty. The losers included UPL, Hero MotoCorp, SBI Life Insurance, Britannia Industries and Tech Mahindra.