Kerala stares at repeat of 2018 floods as rain fury continues
Kerala once again stares at a flood-like situation with high intensity rain triggered by strong monsoon winds lashing central Kerala. In addition, a low pressure system is expected to form over the Bay of Bengal by Sunday, which is likely to aggravate the rains. The situation is precarious in the State, especially in central Kerala where swollen rivers have already started inundating several low lying areas. Haunted by the bitter experience of 2018 flood, the State administration in central Kerala districts swung into action on Thursday afternoon, starting the evacuation of people from flood-prone areas to relief camps.
Commonwealth Games 2022: Harmanpreet’s hat-trick hands India 4-1 win over Wales, enter semifinals
Vice-captain Harmanpreet Singh slammed a hat-trick as the Indian men’s hockey team beat Wales 4-1 in its final Pool B match to qualify for the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games Con Thursday.
Non-local labourer killed, 2 injured in militant attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama
One non-local labourer was killed and two others were injured in a militant attack in south Kashmir’s Pulwama on Thursday. A police spokesman said militants hurled a grenade on the labourers at Gadoora area of Pulwama.
Sudhir wins gold in para powerlifting men’s heavyweight event at Commonwealth Games
India’s Sudhir claimed the gold medal in men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday. Sudhir, an Asian Para Games bronze medallist, lifted 208kg in his first attempt before increasing it to 212kg in his second effort to gather 134.5 points and break the Games record.
U.S. declares health emergency over monkeypox outbreak
The United States has declared a monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday, a move expected to free up additional funding and tools to fight the disease. The World Health Organization has also declared monkeypox a “public health emergency of international concern,” its highest alert level. The WHO declaration last month was designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.
Hi-tech radicals turning Assam into Islamist hub: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the bust of at least five modules of a Bangladesh-based Islamist fundamentalist groups since March indicates that technology-savvy foreign trainers are threatening to turn the State into an Islamist hub.
Murali Sreeshankar wins silver in long jump at Commonwealth Games 2022
Murali Sreeshankar clinched a silver in men’s long jump to give India its second medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday. The 23-year-old Indian soared to 8.08m in his fifth attempt to finish second behind Laquan Nairn of Bahamas in a nerve-wrecking men’s long jump final.
Navy’s women pilots chart a new course
Five officers of the Indian Navy created history by completing the first all-women independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the Arabian Sea, onboard a Dornier-228 aircraft. “The women officers received months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the run up to this historical sortie,” the Navy said in a statement.
CUET-UG exam rescheduled due to technical glitches
The first day of the second phase of the Common University Entrance Exam (CUET) for undergraduate admissions was off to a rocky start with the National Testing Agency (NTA) forced to cancel the exam to be held in the second shift on Thursday across all centres, following technical problems. The exam is being conducted in two phases — first phase was from July 15 to July 20, and the second from August 4 to August 20. The exam is conducted in two shifts — morning and afternoon.
Report urges Canada to follow Australia and sign trade pact with India
Canada should capture the trade opportunity that India’s fast-growing economy provides, and become one of the biggest commercial partners of India in the next few years, a new report on Canada-India trade has said. The joint report brought out by the Business Council of Canada and the Canada India Business Council argues India is indispensable for Canada’s strategy in the Indo-Pacific region.
Second survey shows Liz Truss ahead of Rishi Sunak in U.K. PM race
A new survey of members of the governing Conservative Party shows Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is firmly ahead of rival Rishi Sunak in the race to replace Boris Johnson as the British Prime Minister. The survey of Tory members who will be electing a new leader to take charge at 10 Downing Street from September 5 released on Wednesday night by the ConservativeHome website found that 58% of those polled back Ms. Truss.
Commonwealth Games 2022 | Indians in action on August 5, 2022
With 18 medals — five gold, six silver and seven bronze — India are currently at the seventh spot. The Indian women’s hockey team would look to draw inspiration from its Tokyo Olympics success when it takes on mighty Australia in the second semifinal of the Commonwealth Games on Friday.
China fires missiles into waters off Taiwan in ‘unprecedented’ drills
China’s military on Thursday began unprecedented live-firing drills in six regions surrounding Taiwan, firing missiles from its eastern coast into waters east of the island and putting in place an effective blockade that disrupted flights and shipping. The drills, which will continue until Sunday, were part of Beijing’s response to Wednesday’s visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Subscribers say there is surplus money in EPS
Employees and pensioners in the Supreme Court on Thursday tore into the controversial amendments on “determination of pensionable salary” introduced into the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS) of 1995. Appearing before a Bench led by Justice U.U. Lalit, senior advocate Jayant Muth Raj, appearing for employees of Kerala district cooperatives, trashed the claims made by the Centre and the Employees Provident Funds Organisation (EPFO) in court that the EPS-1995 was facing “huge financial difficulties”.
Political processes remain in freeze in J&K
As the revocation of the special constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir completed three years on Friday, the Centre continues to adopt a tough stance towards containing separatist sentiment in the Valley and is far from lowering the guard. With gains made on many counts, the real test lies in restoring political as well as electoral processes in Kashmir.
Mamata Banerjee on four-day visit to Delhi as agencies step up heat
At a time when the politics in West Bengal is on a boil over the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, left for Delhi to participate in Niti Aayog meeting, scheduled later this week. The visit comes at a time when central investigation agencies have stepped up probe in connection with different scams in the State. The Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the SSC recruitment scam, on Thursday, also conducted raids at different places in Kolkata, and adjoining suburbs.
