Morning Digest | Search operations for Wayanad landslides enter final phase; fears of Middle East war grow after Hamas leader’s killing, and more
Here is a select list of stories to start the day
A rescue operation underway after a landslide, in Wayanad.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Gandhi-King foundation plan runs into FCRA hurdles
Four years after then-U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act, U.S. and Indian officials are trying to overcome the hurdles posed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), which has held up funding for the approximately $40 million dollar (₹335 crore) initiative and, in particular, a Gandhi-King Development Foundation.
Five policemen sacked in J&K in drug, terror cases
The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Lieutenant Governor on August 3 invoked Article 311 and terminated six alleged “anti-national” government employees, including five policemen, on the basis of the reports filed by the security agencies.
Village Defence Guards provided with sophisticated weapons: Union Minister Jitendra Singh
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on August 3 that Village Defence Guards (VDGs) have been provided with sophisticated weapons to deal with rising incidents of terror in the Jammu region. Mr. Singh represents the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency in the Jammu region, large parts of which have seen a spate of terror activities since 2021. Since June this year, eight terror incidents have been reported in the region.
Wayanad landslides: Search operations enter final phase
The search and rescue operations to locate survivors and bodies of victims of the landslides that ravaged Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Attamala in Wayanad reached the final stage on Saturday, the fifth day of the mission. Joint teams of Central and State forces concentrated their efforts on Punchirimattam, Chooralmala, and Mundakkai areas of the landslide-hit region. As many as five bodies were recovered on Saturday, including one from Mundakkai and three from Chooralmala.
Trump says he’ll skip an ABC debate with Harris in September and wants them to face off on Fox News
Donald Trump says he is pulling out of a scheduled September debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on ABC and wants them to face off on Fox News, making it increasingly unlikely that the candidates will confront each other on stage before the November election.
Katie Ledecky swims into history with 800 freestyle victory at the Paris Olympics
Katie Ledecky capped another stellar Olympics by becoming only the second swimmer to win an event at four straight Summer Games, holding off Ariarne Titmus to win the 800-meter freestyle Saturday night. It was Ledecky’s second gold medal in Paris and ninth of her remarkable career, which marked another milestone. She became only the sixth Olympian to reach that figure, joining swimmer Mark Spitz, track star Carl Lewis, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi in a tie for second place.
Opposition leader joins rally calling for Venezuela presidential election results to be overturned
Thousands of people rallied in the streets of Venezuela’s capital on August 3, waving the national flag and singing the national anthem in support of an opposition candidate they believe won the presidential election by a landslide. Authorities have declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of last Sunday’s election but have yet to produce voting tallies to prove he won. Instead, the government arrested hundreds of opposition supporters who took to the streets in the days after the disputed poll, and the President and his cadres have threatened to also lock up opposition leader, María Corina Machado, and her hand-picked presidential candidate, Edmundo González.
Boxer Nishant Dev’s Olympic debut ends in heartbreak with quarterfinal loss
Nishant Dev’s maiden Olympic campaign ended in heartbreak after a devastating split verdict defeat to Mexico’s Marco Verde Alvarez in the men’s 71kg quarterfinal here on Saturday. Leading after the first round, the 23-year-old world championship bronze medallist Indian lost 1-4 to his second seed Mexican opponent in the quarterfinal at the North Paris Arena.
Bangladesh PM calls emergency meeting with varsity heads
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called an emergency meeting with university vice-chancellors and college principals on Saturday night amid heightened tensions as student movement leaders refused here invitation for talks and demanded her resignation, days after over 200 people died in anti-quota protests.
At least 32 killed in Al-Shabaab attack on busy Mogadishu beach
An al-Shabaab suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a busy beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu killing at least 32 people and wounding scores more, the police said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest strikes in the East African country in months.
Himachal cloudbursts: Death toll rises to 9, hunt for about 45 missing continues
With the recovery of a body from Rajban village in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi, the death toll due to flash floods triggered by cloudbursts in three districts has increased to nine as the rescuers continue to search for about 45 missing people. According to officials, 410 rescuers from teams of the Army, NDRF, SDRF, ITBP, CISF, Himachal Pradesh Police and home guards are involved in the hunt with the help of drones.
Fears of Middle East war grow after Hamas leader’s killing
Middle East tensions soared on August 3 as Iran and its allies readied their response to the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, blamed on Israel, spurring fears of a regional war. Israel’s ally the United States said it would move warships and fighter jets to the region, while Western governments called on their citizens to leave Lebanon — where the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah movement is based — and airlines cancelled flights.
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