It’s like deja vu. Although for scientists this may seem like fears coming true. More fires are being reported in Europe as Italy, Spain and Greece fall victim. And the EU says this year’s fires have been more destructive than before. In Afghanistan, after the Taliban, it’s the floods that is killing more people – 113 in the last count (maybe a little dramatic here, but you get the point). Climate crisis, indeed.
TOP NEWS
➡️ Another Hotline between India and China
➡️ Myanmar’s coup leader appoints himself as PM
➡️ Belarusian Olympian fears for her safety at home
➡️ Sign of recovery: GST collection at record high
INDIA NEWS
Northeast Thaw: Assam and Mizoram chief ministers seem to have reconciled their differences over the violence at their border after a meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah.
After they spoke: Following their 12th round of talks, India and China agreed to set up another hotline — its sixth overall– this time in the Eastern sector to enable commanders to talk and resolve differences on the ground.
Coronavirus News: Weekly average number of cases rose for the first time in 12 weeks, although mainly restricted to Kerala. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu now require travellers from Kerala to show negative RT-PCR report. The Indian govt is pushing for clinical trials of Covaxin in Bangladesh in a bid to enhance the vaccine’s acceptability abroad; Bangladesh, however, is not too enthused as it had already ordered 30million doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine.
Trouble over Flag: BJP MP Kirodi Meena was detained after he unfurled a white tribal flag in a temple on the Amagarh Fort premises where previously a saffron flag unfurled by Hindu groups had fluttered and later taken down.
First in Country: Odisha’s Puri city first to supply clean drinking 24/7 tap water.
Alert! Name Change: The Firozabad Zila Parishad has approved proposal for changing district name to Chandranagar.
No Clear: The Jammu and Kashmir police’s CID has said it will refuse security clearance for passports to all those found invovled in stone pelting.
“In our country where the majority community is predominant, the minorities have to be treated as the weaker section within the meaning of Article 46 (of Constitution that obligates the state to promote educational and economic interests of weaker section).”
National Commission for Minorities in the Supreme Court
WORLD
Coronavirus News: Sky News Australia has been banned from putting up content on YouTube for seven days after it posted several misinformation videos. The White House has teamed up with TikTok stars to fight misinformation.
Writing on the wall: Taliban rockets landed in Kandahar airport as the city is on the brink of falling to the insurgents.
I’m King: General Min Aung Hlaing has named himself prime minister of Myanmar. He promised free and fair elections while also calling Aung San Suu Kyi’s party “terrorists”.
Pak’s 2019 moment: The Pakistan govt has prepared its 26th amendment to its constitution that will see giving Gilgit-Baltistan, a region that India says is its, provisional provincial status.
Apology after long: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has apologised for her country’s role in cracking down on immigrant Pacific islanders in the 1970s. The incident is called the Dawn Raids and disproportionately affected people from the Pacific islands than say the UK, South Africa or Australia.
Olympian’s Fears: Belarus sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has asked the Olympic committee to intervene as there was pressure on her to return home following her criticism against her coaches. She was forced to pack up and go to the airport, but there she contacted the police who helped her out.
“New Zealand governments have signed up to a critically important human right: the right to a decent home. For generations, they have promised to create the conditions to enable everyone to live in a decent home, but this has not happened.”
Paul Hunt, New Zealand chief human rights commissioner on the housing crisis plaguing the country
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Pockets Full: The central govt collected Rs 1.16 lakh crore in GST in July, which is 14% higher than July 2019, a pre-pandemic year, and much higher than the Rs 92,849 crore collected in June 2021. The sale of petrol too hit pre-Covid levels.
Launching wallet: The govt will launch e-Rupi today, which is developed by NPCI, the health ministry, finance ministry’s dept of financial services and the National Health Authority. It is a digital payment medium that will not require any cards or even the internet.
Cheaper loan: The SBI has said it will waive processing fee for August, helping home loan takers to save up to 0.4% of the borrowed amount.
Will be better: Zoom has agreed to settle a lawsuit against it after hackers managed to “bomb” meetings. The company will pay $85 million to the aggrieved party and work towards improving its security features.
News Of Today 