Morning Digest | All eyes on Modi’s possible meet with Xi in South Africa; Praggnanandhaa heads to World Cup Chess finals, and more

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Praggnanandhaa heads to World Cup Chess finals, beating Fabiano Caruana

Continuing his dream run, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa on August 21 stunned world No.3 Fabiano Caruana 3.5-2.5 via the tie-break in the semifinals to set up a summit clash with world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway at the FIDE World Cup chess tournament in Baku.

As Modi lands in South Africa, possible meet with Xi to be watched most closely

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in South Africa on Tuesday to attend the XVth BRICS summit in Johannesburg, all eyes are on whether he will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an effort to resolve the three-year-old stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

‘India must ramp up testing and maintain close watch on new global variants of COVID-19’

“While the COVID-19 situation in the country remains stable and public health systems in the country remain geared up, there is a need for States to monitor trends of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases, and send sufficient samples for testing of COVID-19 while ramping up Whole Genome Sequencing,” P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, after chairing a high-level meeting on August 21 to review the global and national COVID-19 situation, newer variants of the virus in circulation, and their public health impact. 

Landslip in Uttarakhand kills baby, mother and aunt

A four-month-old baby, his mother and aunt were killed in a landslip on the New Tehri National Highway at Chamba in Uttarakhand on August 21. The victims were identified as Poonam Khanduri, her four-month-old son and her sister-in-law Saraswati Devi.

Sachin Pilot’s appointment to CWC sends a unity message for Rajasthan polls

The appointment of former Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot and six other leaders from Rajasthan to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) seems to have sent the central leadership’s message to the ruling party in the State to end the rift and maintain unity for the coming Assembly elections. Mr. Pilot’s political stature has increased with his new appointment.

At least single dose vaccine prior to COVID-19 infection provided 60% protection against post-discharge mortality: ICMR study

At least one dose of vaccine prior to COVID-19 infection provided 60% protection against post-discharge mortality, an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study on factors related to mortality within one year after discharge in hospitalised COVID-19 patients has found.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla bats for using digital technology

Disruptions in legislatures can come down if voters hold their elected representatives accountable for their behaviour in the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Monday. 

Farmer killed in clash with police ahead of Chandigarh rally over flood relief

Several farmers leaders were on August 21 detained in Punjab, a day ahead of a slated demonstration by farmers unions from flood-ravaged States of north India. They are seeking immediate flood-relief compensation.

Four Australian F-35 jets join Malabar naval exercise

Four Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F-35 fighter jets joined the 27th edition of the Malabar naval exercise involving Australia, India, Japan and the U.S., which concluded on the east coast of Australia off Sydney on Monday. Australia hosted the multilateral exercise for the first time.

India, ASEAN agree to review FTA by 2025

India and the ASEAN countries reached an agreement on Monday to review their free trade pact for goods and set a 2025 goalpost for concluding the review aimed at addressing the “asymmetry” in bilateral trade, the Commerce Ministry said. 

Guatemala elects progressive Arévalo as President but there are legal moves to block him from office

A progressive from outside Guatemala’s power structure was resoundingly elected the country’s next president in a reprimand to the governing elite over widespread allegations of corruption.

Russian space agency chief blames decades of inactivity for Luna-25 lander’s crash on the moon

The head of Russia’s space agency said on August 21 that the Luna-25 spacecraft crashed into the moon after its engines failed to shut down correctly, and he blamed the country’s decades-long pause in lunar exploration for the mishap.



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