India has called for countries to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and respect international agreements. Speaking at a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting, ‘Promote Common Security Through Dialogue and Cooperation’ , on August 22, 2022, India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ruchira Kamboj, in a possible veiled reference to China and/or Russia, said that the international order depended on a respect for the principle of sovereignty and changing the status quo by force harmed common security.
Daily cases of COVID-19 fall below the 10,000 mark
Daily cases of COVID-19 has fallen below the 10,000 mark after several months with the country on Monday registering 9,531 fresh coronavirus infections that pushed its tally to 4,43,48,960, while the number of active cases came down to 97,648, according to Union Health Ministry data.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to leave for Tashkent on August 23 to attend SCO meet
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent on August 23, 2022 to attend a defence ministerial conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
The SCO defence ministerial meeting is taking place around three weeks ahead of the annual summit of the influential grouping.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia slam BJP in Gujarat
Mr. Kejriwal and his Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, whose residence was raided by the Central agency in connection with alleged corruption in the liquor excise policy, came here on two-day visit to step-up campaigning for the AAP in poll-bound Gujarat.
Talking to media, both praised each other while slamming the State’s ruling BJP for targeting them to stop the good work the AAP governments in the national capital and in Punjab were doing in the field of education and healthcare.
U.K. economy shrank a record 11% in 2020, worst since 1709
Britain recorded its biggest fall in output in more than 300 years in 2020 when it faced the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a larger decline than any other major economy, updated official figures showed on Monday.
Gross domestic product fell by 11% in 2020, the Office for National Statistics said. This was a bigger drop than any of the ONS’s previous estimates and the largest fall since 1709, according to historical data hosted by the Bank of England.
‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ a ‘tapasya’: Rahul Gandhi
A day before the Congress officially launches its official tagline and logo of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, former party chief Rahul Gandhi on August 22 told members of civil society organisations that the yatra was like a ‘tapasya’ for him and he was ready for a ‘long battle’.
The 3,500 km-long Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir yatra will start on September 7 and will continue for 150 days and cover 12 States and two Union Territories.
China eases visa ban in boost to Indian students
China announced on August 22, 2022 that Indian students will, starting August 24, be able to apply for visas to return to resume their studies, more than two years into the pandemic.
China’s Embassy in India, and in several other countries, issued updated procedures on Monday for visa applications, which included in its list of visa categories applications for newly-enrolled and returning students.
Top tech executives to depose in front of Parliamentary Panel
The Standing Committee on Finance has summoned top executives of Amazon, Twitter, Netflix, Google, Apple and Microsoft on the subject of ‘anti-competitive practices’ in the digital market.
The panel has already held deliberations with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. There are many complaints about unfair business practices and the CCI is probing them.
Sri Lanka detains student leaders under anti-terrorism law
The Sri Lankan police on Monday confirmed the detention of three student activists under a dreaded anti-terrorism law, four days after arresting them at a protest held in capital Colombo.
Local and international rights advocates have slammed the move, accusing the government of construing dissent as terrorism, even as Sri Lanka’s controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act comes under sharp focus yet again.
India, Iran sign MoU for smooth movement of seafarers between both countries
In a bid to smoothen the movement of seafarers between the two countries, India and Iran on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on recognition of Certificates of Competency in Unlimited Voyages to help seafarers from both the countries as per the provisions of International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch Keeping for Seafarers (1978).
The MoU was signed during a bilateral meeting between Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal and Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Rostam Ghasemi. Mr. Sonowal is on a three day visit to Iran.
Supreme Court agrees to list petition for review of the judgment that upheld PMLA amendments
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to list a petition seeking a review of a July 27 judgment that upheld the core amendments made to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which gives the government and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) virtually unbridled powers of summons, arrest, and raids, and makes bail nearly impossible, while shifting the burden of proof of innocence onto the accused rather than the prosecution.
The apex court had called the PMLA a law against the “scourge of money laundering” and not a hatchet wielded against rival politicians and dissenters.
Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu and seven other top Indian weightlifters will fly to the USA on Tuesday for a three and half week strength and conditioning (S&C) training camp in St. Louis.
Chanu will be accompanied by 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli, Sanket Sargar, Bindyarani Devi, Gurdeep Singh and former 2018 CWG champion R V Rahul and Asian Championship gold medallist Jhilli Dalabehra to St. Louis, USA for a three-and-half-week-long camp.
Kenya’s Odinga mounts court challenge to presidential poll result
Kenya’s defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga filed a petition to the country’s top court Monday, challenging the outcome of the August 9 election in what he called a fight for “democracy and good governance”.
The 77-year-old politician lost his fifth bid for the presidency by a narrow margin of around 230,000 votes — less than two percentage points.
Chennai Open golf championship from Tuesday
Top-flight golf returns to the city after four years with the Chennai Open Championship which begins here on Tuesday with the participation of the country’s top golfers.
The tournament, part of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Tour and to be held at the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation (TNGF) golf course, will see 126 golfers including 123 professionals and three amateurs taking part, the organisers said at a press meet here on Monday.
he Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday arrested former Congress Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in an alleged corruption case related to food grains transportation tenders during the previous Congress regime in the State.
The arrest came hours after Congress leaders presented themselves before the Vigilance Bureau by reaching its office in Mohali, and accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government of indulging in “political vendetta” by targeting Congress leaders to cover up its failures in fulfilling its election promises.