PAKISTAN FLOODS: MODI REACHES OUT THROUGH A TWEET

In his first statement on the floods in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he was “saddened” to see the devastation and “hoped for an early restoration of normalcy”.

Discussions are said to be underway at the highest levels on the possibility of extending humanitarian assistance to Pakistan. While no decision has been taken yet, top officials in South Block are learnt to be discussing the options on the table.

In the past, under the then UPA government, India extended assistance to Pakistan for the floods in 2010, and for the earthquake in 2005.

“Saddened to see the devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the injured and all those affected by this natural calamity and hope for an early restoration of normalcy,” Modi said in a tweet.

According to the latest data, the floods have claimed over 1,100 lives in Pakistan so far. The cash-strapped government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has made an appeal for aid to deal with the crisis that is said to have displaced 33 million or one-seventh of the country’s population.

Earlier in the day, responding to questions at a press conference in Islamabad, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said the government could “consider importing vegetables and other edible items from India” to facilitate people after the floods destroyed crops across the country, state-owned Radio Pakistan reported.

AFTER AZAD PRAISES PM MODI AND SLAMS CONGRESS, JAIRAM RAMESH HITS BACK

Days after he quit the Congress, Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday launched a fresh broadside against Rahul Gandhi and said the former party president does not have the “aptitude” for or “interest” in politics.

Hitting back at the Congress, Azad said: “What did Narendra Modi say? Congress-mukt Bharat. Those who have helped fulfill Modi’s dreams of a Congress-mukt Bharat, they are the ones who are in cahoots with him,” Azad told reporters. “And those who, after making a speech in Lok Sabha, went and hugged him and said I have nothing against you…woh mile hai ki main mila hoon (is he or am I colluding with BJP)?”

Singling out senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who had said Azad’s “DNA has been modi-fied”, he said Ramesh has reached this far only to plant news. Azad claimed that Ramesh used to “send slips to BJP” sitting in Rajya Sabha. “I, as the Leader of Opposition [in Rajya Sabha], am witness to the exchange of slips…. What is most unfortunate is that outsiders who do not know anything about the party, who reached here indulging in sycophancy, who had been given posts only to tweet…when he levels allegations against me…it is sad.”

Ramesh responded by tweeting, “After such a long career, courtesy entirely the party he’s been tasked to slander, by giving interviews indiscriminately, Mr Azad diminishes himself further. What’s he afraid of that he’s justifying his treachery every minute? He can be easily exposed but why stoop to his level?”

Referring to Modi’s praise during his farewell speech for Azad in Rajya Sabha, Azad said he had assumed Modi to be a “crude man” but he displayed humanity while recalling a terror-related incident. He said “illiterate” Congress leaders had been spreading a canard against him since then but were silent on Rahul’s hug of the PM.

“I assumed that Modi-sahab was a crude man, as he did not have children or his own family… and would not care. But at least he has shown humanity,” Azad said and narrated the aftermath of the grenade explosion targeted at a Gujarat tourist bus in Kashmir in 2007.

Azad said he and Modi had both become emotional and broke down in Rajya Sabha recalling that terror incident, and not for each other. “One should understand the context of Modi’s speech. He did not speak about me; he was talking about an incident,” Azad said.

AT RELIANCE AGM, MUKESH AMBANI LAYS OUT 5G ROLL OUT, AND HIS SUCCESSION PLANS

Reliance Jio has earmarked Rs 2 lakh crore investment for 5G network and plans to launch the high-speed services in key cities by Diwali, RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani said on Monday.

While speaking at Reliance Industries’ 45th annual general meeting, Ambani said Jio will roll out 5G services across India by December 2023.

Ambani during the AGM said with 5G in place, Jio will launch billions of smart sensors with connected intelligence that will trigger the Internet of Things and fuel the fourth Industrial Revolution. “It will connect every one, every place and everything with the highest quality and most affordable data,” he said.

Mukesh Ambani also laid bare the succession plan of India’s most valuable company, identifying twins Akash and Isha for telecom and retail leadership, and youngest son Anant for new energy unit.

While declaring his children’s association with each of the three major verticals of the Reliance Group, Ambani said he would “continue to provide hands-on leadership as before”.

The announcement attempts to lay out a clear succession plan after the messy inheritance dispute between Mukesh and Anil Ambani after their father and group founder Dhirubhai Ambani died without a will.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Aug 29

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Sunday 7,591

Active Cases 84,931  (-1,660)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,27,799 (45)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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IMF APPROVES $1.2BN FOR BAILOUT FOR PAKISTAN

The IMF board on Monday approved the seventh and eighth reviews of Pakistan’s bailout programme, finance minister Miftah Ismail said, which will release $1. 2 billion in funds to the cash-strapped country. He also said the IMF had agreed to extend the programme by a year and augment the funds by $1 billion. The funds will be a lifeline to the country whose foreign exchange reserves have fallen to levels that cover only a month of exports and whose economy has wrangled with a massive current account deficit and high inflation.

Pakistan finance minister Miftah Ismail lashed out at former finance minister Shaukat Tarin and the provincial finance ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ruled by the Imran Khan-led PTI, for what he claimed were attempts to sabotage the country’s interests after controversial leaked audios of their conversations regarding the resumption of crucial IMF programme surfaced on Monday.

NASA’S MOON MISSION LAUNCH PUT OFF

The launch of a keenly awaited space mission that is being seen as the start of a new age in space exploration had to be put off on Monday evening after engineers were unable to resolve a problem involving inadequate flow of liquid hydrogen to one of the rocket’s four engines. NASA’s Artemis 1 mission is aimed at exploring the Moon with the specific objective of getting human beings back on the lunar surface and possibly beyond — to Mars and elsewhere.

NASA did not say when it would attempt to launch the mission again. There are at least two windows of opportunity in the next one week, and more after a few weeks. But it will all depend on how soon the problem is fixed.

It has been 50 years since the six Apollo human moon landings between 1969 and 1972. There has been huge progress in space exploration since then. Spacecraft have now gone beyond the solar system, exploratory missions have probed Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, more than 500

However, the promise of transporting human beings to new worlds, the possibility of landing, and living, on other planets, or travelling deep into space, probably even encountering aliens, has remained stagnant since the last of the 12 astronauts to set foot on the Moon returned in 1972.

This is why Artemis 1 is being seen as ushering in a new space age. Artemis I is an uncrewed mission that will be the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to the Moon, eventually taking humans back to Earth’s lone satellite.

THE REST

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KEJRIWAL: BJP FOUND NOTHING IN LIQUOR POLICY, SO THEY’RE AFTER SCHOOLS

Following allegations of ‘corruption’ in construction of classrooms levelled by the BJP and L-G VK Saxena against the AAP-led Delhi government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday said they are going after schools as they couldn’t find anything against the liquor policy.

Tabling a confidence motion in the Delhi Assembly, he said: “For the last 10-15 days, we have been seeing nautankibaazi (drama)… AAP has eaten money in liquor policy… but they found nothing… Now, they have received an order from above to not speak about the liquor policy anymore… They are now after our schools… asking why did you construct more classrooms and increase the number of toilets…”

The session saw BJP MLAs being marshalled out after they demanded a short discussion on the excise policy and school classrooms allegations. Kejriwal said: “This is an important day and we are going to table the confidence motion. But on such a day, the opposition did not want to be involved in a good discussion. They only want to do cheap politics and nautanki (drama)…”

Leader of opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said, “You have 62 MLAs out of 70 and what is the need for this motion… It is a publicity stunt to hide the truth.” “We wanted to discuss the excise policy and CVC’s report on classrooms, but they don’t want to discuss it… Every time, we raise a matter, they marshal us all out…”

THAROOR HINTS AT THROWING HIS HAT IN THEN RING

While the Congress has not seen a contest for the post of party president in the last two decades, all indications are that there could be one this time. Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor is considering throwing his hat in the ring as he believes that it is time to put forward a fresh set of ideas and an alternate vision for the party, which is facing its worst electoral and organisational crisis ever.

Tharoor — a signatory to the letter that 23 senior leaders had written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi in August 2020 seeking changes in the party’s functioning — has discussed the idea with some of his colleagues and well-wishers, but is yet to take a final call.

While Tharoor declined to comment, he signalled that he was testing the waters in an article he wrote for a Malayalam daily after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) approved and announced the schedule for the election of party president on Sunday.

A JHARKHAND SCHOOLGIRL DIES AFTER BEING SET ABLAZE

Even as suspense continues over the fate of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, politics has erupted over the death of a Class XII girl allegedly set on fire by a man in the Dumka district.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren has promised “strictest of punishment” to the man who set a 19-year-old schoolgirl on fire because she rejected his “friendship” proposal.

While Opposition BJP claimed women are “not safe” in Jharkhand, the ruling JMM accused it of doing “communal politics” over the incident. There have been protests for Hindu right-wing groups as the victim is Hindu and the accused a Muslim man.

“A lot of evil acts are being seen in society. This incident is heart-wrenching. The law is taking its course. The accused has been arrested. It is our effort to see that he is punished at the earliest..” said the CM.

Condemning the incident, JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said, “The BJP should refrain from doing communal politics over it. The government also wants punishment through trial in the fast-track court.”

SC NOTICE OVER TALAQ, TO EXAMINE IF MEHER ENOUGH

Even after the Supreme Court declared triple talaq (instant divorce) as illegal, many Muslim women are suffering due to irregular divorces given under talaq-ehasan in collusion with qazis, petitioner Benazir Heena told the Supreme Court on Monday.

A Muslim man can divorce his wife by uttering Talaq once for three months (unlike instant triple talak). This practice is called Talaq-e-Hasan.

Heena has challenged the validity of talaq-e-hasan and its unilateral illegal use by Muslim men to annul their marriages to leave women in lurch. “I am a journalist and many helped me to put forth my case before the Supreme Court. I know of 15-20 Muslim women in villages who are suffering silently and without any means to fend for themselves,” she told a bench of Justices Sanjay K Kaul and A S Oka.

The bench said, “This is the reason why we will decide the larger issue about the validity of talaq-e-hasan. ” The bench said the meher amount, given to the divorced women by her erstwhile husband as per the marriage agreement(contract), is too low and that the court would go into its adequacy. Meher is the obligation, in the form of money or possessions paid by the groom, to the bride at the time of an Islamic marriage. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for Heena, said the meher amount is too low.

'SAVARKAR FLYING ON A BIRD': CHAPTER IN CLASS 8 KANNADA TEXTBOOK GOES VIRAL

A paragraph from class 8 Kannada-second language textbook on V D Savarkar has gone viral on social media. The lesson, “Kalavannu Geddavaru” is a travelogue written by author K T Gatti, narrating his experience about a visit to the Andaman cellular jail, where the Hindutva leader was imprisoned.

The author while describing about the prison cell in which Savarakar was lodged says, “There is not even a keyhole in Savarkar’s cell, but still somehow bulbul birds used to come flying inside the cell, and sitting on their wings Savarkar used to visit his motherland every day and return.”

This paragraph in the chapter has drawn flak from some social media users, who mocked the travelogue writer and the Karnataka government. Some have however said the reference seems to be a poetic expression or a metaphor used by the writer, as part of his narration, and should not be taken in a literal sense.

However, some Twitter users, trying to make fun of what has been said in the paragraph, have even tweeted pictures of caricatures resembling Savarkar sitting on a bird, while a section have called it a “worst form of political propaganda” and “destroying of education system”.

Karnataka Congress MLA and party’s Chairman - Communications, Priyank Kharge, in a tweet regarding the paragraph said, “This doesn’t sound like it was meant to be a metaphor.”

GAUTAM ADANI BECOMES WORLD'S THIRD-RICHEST PERSON, FIRST ASIAN TO DO SO

Few outside of India had heard of Gautam Adani just a few years ago. But the Indian businessman, a college dropout who first tried his luck as a diamond trader before turning to coal, this week became the world’s third-richest person.

It’s the first time an Asian person has broken into the top three of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index -- fellow citizen Mukesh Ambani and China’s Jack Ma never made it that far. With a $137.4 billion fortune, Adani has overtaken France’s Bernard Arnault and now trails just Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos of the US in the ranking.

Adani, 60, has spent the past few years expanding his coal-to-ports conglomerate, venturing into everything from data centers to cement, media and alumina.

While his empire has expanded to one of the world’s largest conglomerates fuelling the remarkable gains in wealth, concerns have grown over the rapid growth. Adani’s deals spree has been predominantly funded with debt and his empire is “deeply over-leveraged,” CreditSights said in a report this month.

US OPEN, DAY 1: SERENA SIZZLES; THIEM, TSITSIPAS, HALEP STUNNED

Serena Williams signalled she is not quite ready for retirement, advancing to the second round of the US Open on Monday with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Danka Kovinic.

The victory over the 80th ranked Kovinic, just her second this year, will be a confidence boost for Williams but the path to a record equalling 24th Grand Slam now gets treacherous.

It was far from a vintage performance from the 40-year-old American but it mattered not to a jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium as Williams's fighting spirit remained razor sharp even if her serve and ground strokes were not.

Colombian qualifier Daniel Galan stunned fourth-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 in an epic first-round showdown at the US Open on Monday, winning the affair on the ninth match point. Playing in the main draw for the first time, Galan appeared right at home on tennis' biggest stage, claiming the first 11 games as Tsitsipas struggled to find any of his usual finesse and won just five of his service points in the first set.

Ukrainian qualifier Daria Snigur produced the performance of her career to upset twice Grand Slam winner Simona Halep 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 in the first round of the US Open Monday.

Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta sent 2020 champion Dominic Thiem packing 7-5, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in the first round, as the Austrian wildcard struggled with his forehand on the long road back from injury.

Coco Gauff eased into the second round of the US Open with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 victory over France's Leolia Jeanjean.

World number one Daniil Medvedev opened his US Open title defence by walloping American Stefan Kozlov 6-2, 6-4, 6-0 in sweltering conditions on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Andy Murray powered into the second round of the US Open with a comfortable 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 win over Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Monday, as the former world number one rolled back the years at the scene of his first Grand Slam triumph a decade ago.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

All sensible people are selfish, and nature is tugging at every contract to make the terms of it fair. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

OFF TRACK

A group of Americans was touring Ireland. One of the women in the group was constantly complaining - The bus seats are uncomfortable. The food is terrible. It's too hot. It's too cold. The accommodations are awful.

The group arrived at the site of the famous Blarney Stone. "Good luck will be followin' ya all your days if you kiss the Blarney Stone, "the guide said. "Unfortunately, it's being cleaned today and so no one will be able to kiss it. Perhaps we can come back tomorrow."

"We can't be here tomorrow," the nasty woman shouted. "We have some other boring tour to go on. So I guess we can't kiss the stupid stone."

"Well now," the guide said, "it is said that if you kiss someone who has kissed the stone, you'll have the same good fortune."

"And I suppose you've kissed the stone," the woman scoffed.

"No, ma'am," the frustrated guide said, "but I've sat on it."