Sheikh Hasina lands at Hindon Air Force station near Delhi, seeks asylum in U.K.
In a sudden turn of events, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina succumbed to protests and tendered her resignation on August 5.. She has reportedly reached India, where Ms. Hasina and her family were sheltered when the country faced a military coup earlier. However, this time it was not a coup and the protesters stormed the Prime Minister’s official residence in Dhaka after the news of her leaving the country emerged. The Bangladesh Air Force C-130 transport with Ms. Hasina landed at Hindon Air Force station, according to sources. Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval leaves for Hindon airbase for talks with Ms. Hasina. Western Air Command Chief PM Sinha is also present there.
BSF intensifies security along India-Bangladesh border in wake of Sheikh Hasina resignation
In the wake of political developments in Bangladesh, an alert was sounded along the 4096 km border with India, said a Border Security Force official. Director General-BSF Daljit Singh Chawdhary rushed to Kolkata on August 5 to take stock of the situation.
Lakshya Sen loses to Lee Zii Jia in bronze medal match
In yet another heartbreak for millions of Indian fans, Lakshya Sen lost gallantly to Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia in the bronze medal match in the men’s badminton singles at the Paris Olympics on August 5. In the first set, Lakshya Sen raced to a big lead and won it comfortably 21-13. But in the second set, Lee played brilliantly and took Sen to all around the court and won it 21-16. In the third set, Lee took a comfortable lead right from the beginning and dominated Sen. In the end Lee won it comfortably 21-11 and clinched bronze medal for Malaysia.
Motivated India eye German scalp to script another historic chapter in Olympic men’s hockey
Having displayed nerves of steel to be within touching distance of a second successive Olympic medal, the Indian hockey team will fancy its chances against familiar foe and reigning world champion Germany in the semifinal of the ongoing Games, hoping to better the bronze that it claimed in the Tokyo edition. India won last of their eight Olympic gold medals way back in the 1980 Moscow Games. Paris provides them a great opportunity to make history. A semifinal win will ensure a silver for India, which they last won in the 1960 Rome edition.
Manika Batra-led India beat Romania 3-2 to enter quarterfinals of women’s table tennis team event
Riding on her killer instinct to win, paddler Manika Batra recorded victory in both her singles matches, including the high-pressure decider, in different situations as India, playing for the first time as a team, recorded a superb 3-2 win over a higher-placed Romania in the women’s team pre-quarterfinals of the Olympics at the South Paris Arena in Paris on August 5. Manika, who became the first Indian to reach the last-16 stage, bounced back from her disappointing loss in the singles pre-quarterfinals to shoulder the responsibility with composure.
In setback for Delhi’s AAP government, Supreme Court upholds L-G’s power to nominate 10 aldermen to MCD
The Supreme Court on August 5 held that the authority of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi to nominate 10 persons with special knowledge of municipal administration to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is a statutory duty attached to his office and he is not bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. The judgment authored by Justice P.S. Narasimha, heading a Bench also comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar, held that the power of the L-G is drawn from Section 3(3)(b)(1) of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act 1957.
Delhi coaching centre deaths: Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance, issues notice to Centre, Delhi government
The Supreme Court on August 5 took suo motu cognisance of the drowning of three ciivil services aspirants trapped in the flooded basement of their Rajinder Nagar coaching centre during a heavy bout of rain in Delhi. “We are not sure as to what effective measures have been taken so far by the NCT of Delhi or the Union of India. The recent unfortunate incidents taking away lives of some of the young ones who joined coaching centres for their career pursuits are an eye opener for one and all,” a Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan remarked.
Supreme Court gives West Bengal ‘opportunity’ to explain inclusion of 77 castes in its OBC List
The Supreme Court on August 5 gave the West Bengal government an “opportunity” to justify the reason for including 77 castes, largely Muslim communities, in the State’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) List. The order follows an appeal by the State against a May 22 judgment of the Calcutta High Court striking down the inclusion of several of these castes in the OBC List.
Wayanad landslides official death toll at 222, search and rescue operations enter seventh day
The Kerala government pegged the official death toll in the Wayanad landslide disaster at 222 even as the search for survivors and bodies of victims entered the seventh day on August 5. The deceased included 37 children, and 88 women. Relatives have identified 172 bodies. Rescue workers retrieved 180 body parts from the mud-covered detritus of the massive earthfall that wiped out Chooralmala, Mundakkai and Attamala localities on July 30.
Spend more on health infrastructure: Union Health Minister to States
Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda on August 5 urged State governments to spend more on improving healthcare infrastructure and dismissed Opposition allegations on reduction of allocations under the PM-Ayushman Bharat Healthcare Infrastructure Mission. Replying to the debate on the demand for grants for the Health and Family Welfare Ministry in the Lok Sabha, Mr. Nadda listed the increase in number of medical colleges, steps taken for the reduction of out of pocket expenses on healthcare, and initiatives for early screening of diseases such as cancer and sickle cell anaemia as achievements of the government.
Several Opposition leaders vow to oppose any bill to amend Wakf Act
Several Opposition leaders on August 5 alleged that the BJP-led government wants to bring a bill for amending the Wakf Act to create a divide in the society and asserted that they will strongly oppose such a legislation. Several BJP leaders, however, strongly defended the imminent move, stressing that the Modi government has always worked with the intention of bringing transparency in every sphere.
Bill to provide STs representation in Goa Assembly introduced in Lok Sabha
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on August 5 introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Goa Legislative Assembly. As of now, the ST community has no seats reserved in the State’s Assembly. The bill is titled Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2024. It will empower the census commissioner to notify the population of STs in Goa.
Aam Aadmi Party to challenge Arvind Kejriwal’s bail rejection by High Court in Supreme Court
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will approach the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s decision to dispose of his bail and upholding his arrest by the CBI in the corruption case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam, AAP said. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna dismissed Mr. Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the CBI, holding that it cannot be said it was without any justifiable reason.
Asha Kiran shelter home deaths: Delhi High Court directs water testing, seeks report from authorities
Delhi High Court on August 5 remarked that the recent deaths of 14 inmates in the city government-run Asha Kiran shelter home for the mentally challenged was a “strange coincidence” and directed the social welfare secretary to visit the premises on August 6 and file a report. Noting that “nearly all” the deceased suffered from tuberculosis, a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan directed the Delhi Jal Board to test the quality of water in the shelter home as well as the condition of water and sewer pipelines and file a report.
Article 370 abrogation watershed moment in nation’s history: PM Modi
On the fifth anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 35(A), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5 described the step as a watershed moment in the nation’s history, starting a new era of progress and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. He said in a post on X, “I assure the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh that our government will keep working for them and fulfil their aspirations in the coming times.” He said the move to scrap these provisions meant that the Constitution of India was implemented in these places in letter and spirit, in line with the vision of the great men and women who made the Constitution.
Heavy rains lash Gujarat, rivers in spate; over thousand people evacuated
Heavy rains battered Navsari and Valsad districts in south Gujarat, sending rivers in spate and prompting the evacuation of more than 1,000 people from water-logged low-lying areas on August 5. Khergam taluka in Navsari district received 229 mm of rainfall in 24 hours up to 6 a.m. on Monday while 12 talukas in Dangs and Tapi districts in South Gujarat received more than 100 mm of rainfall during this period, State Emergency Operation Centre data showed. Aurang River in Valsad taluka crossed the danger mark amid incessant rainfall in the upstream areas. Flood waters of the Kaveri and Ambika rivers in neighbouring Navsari district inundated low-lying areas. Approximately 1,000 people were shifted to safety in Gandevi taluka in Navsari district after heavy rainfall triggered a flood in Ambika and Kaveri rivers on August 4.
British PM Keir Starmer calls emergency meeting over ‘far-right thuggery’ on U.K. streets
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called an emergency COBRA meeting of senior ministers and police chiefs at 10 Downing Street in London on August 5 after a weekend of riots across several cities in the country, which he termed a “far-right thuggery” that will face the full force of the law. Hundreds of arrests have been made as police officers in riot gear responded to violent scenes in Rotherham, Middlesbrough, Bolton and other parts of the U.K. on August 4, after days of some of the worst rioting seen on the streets of the country in the wake of the fatal stabbings of three schoolgirls in Southport, north-west England.
TikTok withdraws ‘Lite’ rewards from EU to comply with tech rules
ByteDance’s TikTok has agreed to permanently withdraw its TikTok Lite rewards programme from the EU to comply with the bloc’s Digital Services Act, the European Commission said on August 5. TikTok Lite has a “Reward Programme” that allows users to earn points while performing certain tasks on the platform such as watching videos, liking content, following creators or inviting friends to join.
Bharti Airtel Q1 net profit jumps 2.5 times to ₹4,160 crore
Telecom operator Bharti Airtel reported more than 2.5 times jump in its consolidated profit to ₹ 4,160 crore in the first quarter ended on June 30, 2024, compared to the year-ago period. The company posted a profit of ₹ 1,612.5 crore in the same period a year ago. The consolidated revenue from operations of Bharti Airtel increased by 2.8% to ₹ 38,506.4 crore during the reported quarter from ₹ 37,440 crore in the June quarter of the last year.
