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Category: News in Brief

Published: Wednesday, 21 July 2021 08:23

News Digest (21^st July 2021, Wednesday)

by Annadatha Venkata Murali Manohar

Headlines

Best day ever: World' richest person Jeff Bezos after flying to space; spent a few minutes in zero gravity; 82-yr-old Wally Funk who's become the oldest person in space took a postcard to space

52 years of Apollo 11 mission: The day (20th July 1969) Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon, along with Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin

Russia successfully test-fired its new S-500 surface-to-air missile system; hit high-speed ballistic target

Centre moves SC seeking extension of time for framing guidelines for Covid ex-gratia

Strategy to prevent resurgence of Covid cases deliberated upon in expert panels: Govt

Over 45,000 cases of mucormycosis reported in India: Health ministry tells Rajya Sabha

India’s Covid toll may be close to 50 lakh; worst human tragedy since partition: US study

Oxfam Report: Second wave hit rural India harder, states with higher health expenditure reported fewer cases and higher recovery

4th National Covid-19 serosurvey - 2/3rd of Indians (67.6%), 50% of children & 85% of health workers had the antibodies; survey done in 70 districts in June and July

An asteroid named '2008 GO20', 3 times the size of Taj Mahal to pass by Earth on July 24; moving at a speed of 29,500 km/hr; will still be 0.04 au (astronomical unit), or 59,83,915 km away from Earth

Pitbull dog mauls 11-year-old boy in Jaipur; pet's owner booked; face was badly injured; grievous injuries on his head, neck, thighs and hand

Chhattisgarh: A constable of ITBP was martyred and one injured in an exchange of fire with Naxals

Phone numbers used by French President Macron among potential Pegasus Spyware Targets; Report claiming JDS-Cong leaders targeted with 'Pegasus' in 2019 shocks Parliament

Black Stone Sun idol, believed to be over 850 yrs old, found during excavation in Bihar

India sees this year's 1st Bird Flu death (11-year old boy died); was admitted at the hospital on July 2

Journey has just begun: Sidhu on meeting spree with netas

Covid impact of tourism: 14.5 million jobs lost in 2020’s Q1 alone

US eases India Covid alert level; Canada to reopen for fully vaccinated from Sept 7

Several countries have allowed mixing Covid vaccines

Germany visa services have resumed in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bengaluru and Kolkata for all Schengen visa categories for fully vaccinated customers

IOC to build India’s first green hydrogen plant

Tamil Nadu: Son a Union Minister, but L Murugan’s independent mom and dad toil in fields

Suvendu Adhikari warns cop: Don’t do anything to risk transfer to J&K

US secretary of state Antony Blinken expected to visit India next week

Curbs eased to help distressed traders on Eid: Kerala to SC

Financial & Business News

TikTok may be trying to comeback in India as ‘TickTock’

Ex-WhatsApp employees build a Facebook-rival called HalloApp

No communication from SEBI yet, DRI matter in tribunal: Adani Group

Mumbai & Navi Mumbai airport headquarters to remain in Mumbai: Adani Group

Adani Group stocks tumble; some hit lower circuit

Rane Madras posts Rs. 3.7 crore Q1 net profit

CBDT extends date for manual submission of forms to enable overseas remittances

SBI-appointed CA firm Pipara & Co’s that carried out forensic audit of CG Power comes under a cloud in connection with alleged misconduct in the audit of Gujarat State Land Development

Alstom begins manufacturing of trains for India's 1st Rapid Rail Corridor; design, build, deliver 210 regional commuter and transit train cars along with maintenance services for a period of 15 years

Govt issues tender to build 6 submarines for Navy at ₹40,000Cr to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders & L&T

3,000 Cr transferred to 42 lakh ineligible farmers under PM-KISAN Scheme, Union Govt recovering money

PFRDA: Pension fund managers (PFMs) will soon be allowed to invest in initial public offerings; also in NSE-200 Cos

Automotive electronics sales will triple by 2027: Study

$90BN wiped off crypto market as Bitcoin falls below $30,000 in 24 hours after a big sell-off in global stock markets

Excise duty rates on petrol, diesel calibrated to generate resources for infra development: Finance ministry

Govt seeks Parliament nod for Rs. 23,675 crore extra spending

Corp Affairs Ministry: 12,889 Cos struck off from official records & 87 Cos dissolved in FY 2020-21

Sebi bars Global Infratech, its directors, 12 individuals from securities market

Swiggy closes $1.25 billion funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Prosus

Infosys acknowledged technical issues in I-T portal, initial glitches mitigated: Finance ministry

LIC Housing Finance approaches SAT to settle issue on preference shares with stock exchanges

Future-Reliance deal: Singapore EA award valid, needs to be executed, Amazon tells SC

Finance Ministry issues order to implement Cabinet decision on DA, DR hike from July 1

ADB cuts India’s FY22 economic growth forecast to 10%; inflation seen rising marginally to 5.5%

SmartCoin raises Rs. 80 crore in debt funding

Talent demand rises 11% in June; healthcare, pharma lead’

Tractor and implements make Sonalika will set up a new harvester plant at Amb in Himachal Pradesh with an investment of Rs. 200 crore

Pension money to soon be allowed into IPOs, NSE-200 companies: PFRDA

Customer deposits held in Swiss banks not necessarily located in Switzerland: Swiss authorities tell govt

Maruti Suzuki, Bank of Maharashtra sign MoU to support dealer partners

Volkswagen unveils new brand design and logo in India

Pvt coaching institutes not ‘educational institutions’, liable to pay GST

Corona Updates

Arvind Subramanian Report: India's deaths during Covid-19 pandemic can be 10-Times the Official Toll; Some states increased death toll after finding 1000s of unreported cases; concern more not recorded

Health Minister: India may become 1st in the world to develop a (Cadilla) DNA-based vaccine; 3rd phase done; applied for emergency use authorisation

3 Andhra women 'self-isolate' for 15 months fearing Covid, come out malnourished; depressed; level of haemoglobin were as low as 4

Union Health Minister: 45,000 black fungus cases reported in India; 4,200 died due to it till July 15

ICMR: Kids handle viral infections better, wise to reopen primary schools first; Scandinavian countries didn't shut their primary schools throughout the pandemic

UK PM's former aide Dominic Cummings says Boris resisted second lockdown as 'Most people dying were over 80'

Psychiatric patients at increased risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation, mortality: Study

Covid-19 antibodies persist at least nine months after infection: Study

Study shows why second dose of Covid-19 vaccine should not be skipped

World: 192,212,786; Active 13,173,384 (6.85%); Recovery 174,915,109 (91.00%); Vaccinated 3.70BN

India: 31,215,142; Active 413,630 (1.33%); Recovery 30,383,001 (97.33%); Vaccinated 411.85MN

State News

Village boy 18-year-old Manu Chauhan from Aligarh Dist, UP heads to Stanford University on 100 percent scholarship

No proper schoolings, but three sisters from Bhairusari village in Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh district have cracked the Rajasthan Administrative Services exam this year. Daughters of farmer and an unlettered mother, Anshu, Ritu and Suman secured 31st, 96th and 98th rank in the Civil Service exam respectively

IIM Sambalpur welcomes MBA Class 2021-2023 through virtual inauguration programme

Himanta inaugurates centre for disaster management and research in IIT Guwahati

Odisha govt approves Rs. 95 crore for school infra development

University students faced significant learning loss due to Covid: Survey

147 faculty posts vacant in centrally funded IIITs: Dharmendra Pradhan

100 per cent pass percentage in West Bengal Board Class 10 examination

Old video of Kapil Sharma asking Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra about his income goes viral after his arrest

Mamata’s July 21 address to be beamed in 32 districts in Gujarat

Centre, states should work as team to combat Covid pandemic, rise above politics: PM

Supreme Court on decriminalisation of polity: ‘Nothing is every done and nothing will ever be done’

India has more women Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) grads than US, UK or France

Covid-19 restrictions extended by one more week: Kerala CM

Kuwait News

People of Kuwait perform Eid prayers at mosques

Kuwait condemns Baghdad terrorist bombing

HH Prime Minister visited hospitals to overseas Covid measures

Large turnout for vaccination on Eid Al-Adha

The Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) increases delivery capacity of Civil ID card

A Kuwaiti Business Group eyes closer UAE Trade ties

19 Asian and African Residence Law violators nabbed

Interior raids fictitious Domestic Labour Offices

KRCS sends medical shipment to Nepal

Kuwait provides Tunisia with second medical equipment to combat Covid-19

Kuwait chief of staff expresses pride of the courageous troops

People head to Kuwait slaughter houses first day of Eid

Mobile butchers face arrest, KD 700 fine, warns Interior

Amb Al-Otaibi issues book Kuwait’s diplomacy at Security Council

Kuwait MoH registers seven Covid-19 deaths, 1,043 new cases

International News

Mali's interim Prez Goïta survives stabbing attack at mosque during Eid al-Adha prayers; escapes unhurt

New Haiti leader Ariel Henry, with international backing to take charge

Iraq reels as 36 killed in IS suicide blast on eve of Eid festival

Israeli PM Naftali Bennett vows to ‘act aggressively’ over Ben & Jerry’s ban

US Vice President, Pentagon chief separately meet Jordanian King

EU condemns Baghdad terrorist attack

GCC Secretary General praises Saudi Arabia’s pilgrimage measures

Saudi King affirms keenness on pilgrim’s safety

Pilgrims perform Tawf Al-Ifadah amid precautionary measures

Tunisian PM fires health minister due to stampede in front of vaccination centers

Knee deep in sewage: German rescuers race to avert health emergency in flood areas

Spain: Govt bill targets supporters of Franco’s dictatorship

France investigates alleged spyware use against dissidents

Millions of mosquitoes form a 'mosquito tornado' in Russia; nothing wrong, they are male mosquitoes that circle around one or several females in order to mate

UK: Archaeologists find bottle of unknown liquid between legs of a woman’s skeleton; bottle marked "Hull Infirmary" was found at a site where burials took place between 1783 and 186

3 bedroom house in need of urgent renovation and lacking a bathroom was sold for US$1.45MN (₹10Cr) in Auckland

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rules out concessions on Cyprus visit

Wildfires in Russia’s Siberia could endanger a power polant

Korea PM apologises for virus surge on destroyer

Hong Kong’s first trial under national security hears closing arguments

Britain’s Covid-19 cases up by nearly 41% over past week

Adelaide becomes latest Australian city to lock down

Record 430 migrants cross Channel to UK in single day

Masks recommended in US schools for everyone over two years

Sports News

Japan’s emperor to attend Olympics opening ceremony

Faster, Higher, Stronger and now ‘Together’, IOC adds fourth Olympic Motto

Olympics chief admits ‘sleepless nights’ over troubled Tokyo Games

Tokyo 2020 chief Muto does not rule out 11th hour cancellation of Games, as more athletes tested positive for the virus and sponsors ditched plans to attend Friday’s opening ceremony

Tokyo Olympics: Athletes should not take stress about Exit time at Tokyo Airport, says IOA President

Tokyo Olympics: Czech beach volleyball trainer tests positive for Covid-19, third case in team

Driveless cars ferry Indian contingent at Tokyo Olympics

India vs Sri Lanka 2nd ODI: 'Batsman' Deepak Chahar & 50 by Suryakumar Yadav helps India snatch win from jaws of defeat, scripts India’s series-sealing win over Sri Lanka

Practice Match: KL Rahul ‘warms up’ with fine hundred but top-order fails to utilise game time

County Select XI vs. Indians: Rohit and boys wear black armbands in Yashpal Sharma’s honour

India vs County Select XI: Kohli, Rahane rested due to niggles; Avesh suffers thumb injury

Avesh, Washington turn up for ‘home team’ after County XI lose players due to Covid-19 isolation

Go for elusive medal: Tendulkar tells Tokyo-bound track and field athletes

Equestrian Fouaad Mirza changes horse, picks Seigneur Medicott for Tokyo Olympics

Young wrestlers Aman Gulia and Sagar Jaglan are India’s new World Cadet Champions

I am confident of winning a medal in Tokyo: Imphal’s Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, the second best now in the 49kg category

The Sports Ministry has put in ‘abeyance’ the recognition it granted to Indian Styles Wrestling Association of India (ISWAI), saying the sports body does not have affiliation from the world governing body, the UWW

28-year-old wrestler Sumit Malik handed two-year ban after his B sample also returned positive for a prohibited stimulant, for failing a dope test during the World Olympic Qualifier event in Safia, where he had qualified for the Tokyo Games in the 125kg category; has a week to appeal

Tokyo Olympics: P V Sindhu aiming for historic second successive medal, others target breakthrough

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