Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping engage in a brief interaction at the 15th BRICS Summit, in Johannesburg on August 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Trump arrested in Georgia racketeering case
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was arrested at a Georgia jail on August 24 on racketeering and conspiracy charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern State. During a brief session lasting less than 30 minutes, the 77-year-old Mr. Trump was booked on 13 charges at Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail, according to records published by the sheriff’s office.
Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyan rover has begun mobility operations, says ISRO
Hours after the Pragyan lunar rover rolled out from the Vikram lander and took its first “walk on the moon” in the early hours of Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said that the historic Chandrayaan-3 Mission was running on schedule, with all systems working normally. Instruments aboard the lander and rover will now study the moon’s mineral composition and the seismic activities in its atmosphere, according to ISRO chairman S. Somanath.
Testimony of Manipur victims being taped before magistrates
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started getting the statements of Manipur sexual assault victims recorded before magistrates as part of the ongoing probe into the Manipur ethnic violence cases.
Means used must be consistent with the ends achieved, CJI on dissolution of Article 370
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Thursday said the government cannot justify the “means” used to abrogate Article 370 from the Constitution and erase Jammu and Kashmir as a full-fledged State in August 2019 by simply pointing to the “ends” achieved.
Missing RTI info to be restored, website says, after years of data disappears
Years of missing Right to Information applications will be restored on the Union Government’s RTIOnline portal, the website said in a message on Thursday, after The Hindu reported Wednesday that public records obtained by RTI applicants over many years had disappeared from many users’ accounts. The episode shed a light on several issues plaguing the portal, which facilitates RTI queries to most public authorities under the Union.
Indian airline SpiceJet tells court it is ‘struggling to stay afloat’
Indian budget airline SpiceJet told a court on Thursday it was “struggling to stay afloat”, as it was ordered to make a payment to its former owner over money owed.
DAC approves proposals worth ₹7,800 crore
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which met on August 24 under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals worth approximately ₹7,800 crore.
BRICS now a non-western grouping with the induction of six more member nations
By doubling its number of members, from five to eleven in one quick sweep, the BRICS grouping has strengthened its position as a global grouping to be reckoned with. In addition, the choice of countries, bringing in four major players from the ‘Middle East region’: Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE, apart from Ethiopia and Argentina from Africa and South America, is significant, as it denotes a shift in the non-western economic grouping’s underpinnings, to make it a more politically relevant bloc.
The State of Karnataka has told the Supreme Court that Tamil Nadu has failed to understand that 2023 is not a normal water year, but a “distressed water year”.
10 trade unions and Samyukt Kisan Morcha resolve to fight against Central government policies
The All India Joint Convention of Workers and Farmers, organised by 10 Central Trade Unions (CTUs) and the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), has decided to launch protests against the Union government’s policies ahead of the General Elections scheduled in 2024. The organisations resolved to work for the defeat of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and various BJP governments in the States.
‘RRR’ bags six national awards, ‘Gangubai’ Kathiawadi takes five
S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster RRR bagged six awards and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi won in five categories at the 69th National Film Awards for the year 2021 announced on Thursday.
China says will back Bangladesh against ‘external interference’
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday said Beijing would support Bangladesh in “opposing external interference” and would deepen economic cooperation including through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
PM Modi, President Xi call for speedy disengagement along LAC
India and China have agreed to step up efforts for the disengagement of troops and de-escalation of tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) after a conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in South Africa, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said on August 24.
Mercenary chief Prigozhin is presumed to have died in a plane crash seen as the Kremlin’s revenge
Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants were presumed dead in a plane crash — widely seen Thursday as an assassination to avenge a mutiny that challenged President Vladimir Putin’s authority.