MoD says it has no transaction with NSO Group

TOP NEWS IN NUTSHELLS (10 August 2021)

*NATIONAL NEWS*

• RED CARPET TO OLYMPIC HEROES: India's Olympic medal-winners were accorded a grand welcome on Monday by the government in Delhi. Gold medal winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was the cynosure of all eyes in the ceremony. In a dazzling felicitation ceremony, they were presented mementos and shawls by the Sports Minister Anurag Thakur. He said that their journey is an "incredible story of resilience and sporting excellence.
• PROCEEDINGS AGAIN DISRUPTED: Pegasus snooping, farm laws and other issues continued to hamper the proceedings in both the houses of Parliament on 09 Aug.
• GOVT.’s FIRST RESPONSE ON PEGASUS ROW: Minister of state for Defense Ajay Bhatt said that Defense Ministry has no transaction with NSO Group Technologies. He said this on Monday in a written reply    to a question in Rajya Sabha. NSO, an Israeli firm is at the center of alleged snooping controversy involving the Pegasus spyware.
• SC REJECTS AMAZON, FLIPCART’S PLEA: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to interfere with Competition Commission of India (CCI) investigation against e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart for alleged competition law violations. The top court rejected demands of the companies asking for halt of the probe and said that the probe must continue. As per the court’s order, the e-shopping companies now have four weeks of time to join the investigation.
• ACTION AGAINST INFLAMMATORY SLOGANS: Delhi police has registered FIR in connection with a video in which some people are seen raising communal and inflammatory slogans near Jantar Mantar on Sunday. The video was circulated on social media with allegations that the communal sloganeering took place during a march for “Colonial Laws and Make Uniform Laws” organised by former spokesperson of the Delhi BJP, Ashwini Upadhyay. Police said that permission was not granted to the organisers for holding the event. Ashwini Upadhyay however refuted the allegation.
• 1971 WAR HERO BREATHED HIS LAST: The 1971 war hero and recipient of the Mahavir Chakra and   Vishist Seva Medal Commodore K. P. Gopal Rao, breathed his last on Sunday. He was 94 years old. The naval veteran died of age-related illness and is survived by two daughters and a son.
• TERRORIST HIDE OUT BUSTED: Border Security Force busts terrorist hideout in Poonch district ahead of Independence Day. They recovered a huge cache of arms & ammunition.
• J&K BJP LEADER SHOT DEAD: Terrorists on Monday shot dead   BJP leader Ghulam Rasool Dar and his wife at Anantnag's Lal Chowk in South Kashmir. IG Police Vijay Kumar said that Lashkar-e- Taiba was behind the attack.

**INTERNATIONAL NEWS**

• PM MODI PRESIDES OVER UNSC: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday adopted the first-ever presidential statement on maritime security soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a virtual open debate. The debate was focused on global cooperation for maritime security. PM Modi said that the sea is our shared heritage. Our sea routes are the lifeline of international trade, but Sea routes are being misused for piracy & terrorism. Calling for a framework to increase maritime cooperation, PM laid down a five-point agenda during his address.
• LONDON HC PERMISSION TO NIRAV MODI: A High Court judge in London granted fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi permission to appeal against a magistrates' court order in favour of extradition to India to face charges of fraud and money laundering before the Indian courts on mental health and   human rights grounds.
• COVID VACCINES TO FOREIGN NATAIONALS: Union Health Ministry allows foreign nationals residing in India to get registered on CoWIN portal to take COVID-19 vaccine.
• DELTA VARIANT PUSHES US CASES: Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the United States are at a six-month high, fueled by the rapid spread of the Delta variant across swathes of the country grappling with low vaccination rates.
• IPCC FORECASTS FUTURE OF SEVERE WEATHER:  United Nation's Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, has released its sixth assessment report. Calling the report “a code red for humanity” the IPCC projected the global temperature to reach or exceed 1.5°C warming over the next 20 years under all scenarios. The report has recommended that countries strive to achieve net zero emissions by the year 2050. In a message to India, the report says that the current global warming trends overall are likely to lead an increase in annual mean precipitation over India, with more severe rains expected over southern India in the coming decades.

***SPORTS***

• APPLAUD FOR GOLFER ADITI: President Ram Nath Kovind praised golfer Aditi Ashok for her impressive display of grit and skills in Tokyo Olympics. She finished 4th in the event. In a tweet, the President said, she has taken Indian golfing to new heights.

•  REWARDS TO VANDANA KATARIYA: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a cash award of 25 lakh rupees for Vandana Katariya. She represented India at Tokyo Olympics in Women’s Hockey.
• DU SKIPS TRIAL FOR SPORTS QUOTA ADMISSION: Delhi University on Monday conducted a virtual open day session on sports and ECA admissions for undergraduate aspirants. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, admissions under these categories will be based on certificates and no trials will be held.
• B’DESH TRIUMPH OVER AUSSIE IN T-20: Australia bundled out for record lowest total of 62 as Bangladesh claim 60-run victory in the 5th T-20 and clinched the series 4-1 ahead of T20 World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan spun a web around the Australian batsmen as Bangladesh clinched a memorable 60-run win in the final T20 match.

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