Morning Digest: Five journalists move Supreme Court over Pegasus snooping issue, IMF approves big increase in funds to poor countries battling COVID-19, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

August 03, 2021 12:00 am | Updated 08:07 am IST

Virus shield: A beneficiary taking a jab during a vaccination drive in New Delhi on Monday.

Virus shield: A beneficiary taking a jab during a vaccination drive in New Delhi on Monday.

Delta variants lineages reduces Covaxin antibodies, ICMR study

Antibodies produced in response to Covaxin were reduced when tested against the Delta variant and its sublineages but continued to be high enough to remain protective, according to a study by scientists at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology.

Five journalists move Supreme Court over snooping

Five journalists, reported to have been under  surveillance through Pegasus software , have moved the Supreme Court for a judicial oversight mechanism to be set up to deal with complaints.

IMF approves big increase in funds to alleviate pandemic impact

The governing body of the  International Monetary Fund  has approved a $650 billion expansion in the agency's resources to support  economically vulnerable countries  battling the  coronavirus  pandemic and the economic downturn it has caused.

Madras legislature sowed seeds of representative democracy: President

Hailing the rich contributions made by the  Tamil Nadu Legislature over the past century , President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday observed that the (erstwhile) Madras legislature had sown seeds of a fully representative democracy form of governance which were realised after Independence.

Nitish Kumar demands probe into Pegasus issue

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said there should be an investigation into the Pegasus issue and everything made public. He also stated that he neither had any intention nor aspiration to become Prime Minister.

In Rajya Sabha, Opposition raises farm bills along with Pegasus

Opposition protest continued to disrupt the proceedings of the Rajya Sabja for the 10th consecutive day on Monday, with the parties raising objections to the three controversial farm laws besides the Pegasus ‘cyberattack’.

Preventive detention a necessary evil only to prevent public disorder: Supreme Court

Preventive detention, the dreaded power of the State to restrain a person without trial, could be used only to prevent public disorder, the Supreme Court held in a judgment on Monday.

MPs from northeast blame Congress for Assam-Mizoram clash

A group of BJP MPs from the Northeast met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday and submitted a memorandum accusing the Congress of stoking tensions between Assam and Mizoram .

Jaishankar expected  to attend Raisi’s swearing-in as Iranian President

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to travel to Tehran to attend the swearing-in of the newly elected Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on August 5. Mr. Jaishankar had met the President-elect on July 8 when he handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating him on the election victory.

FSSAI urged to drop move to make food fortification mandatory

Civil society groups and individuals have urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to abandon the move to make synthetic/chemical fortification of foods mandatory in the country.

U.S. pullout worsened Afghan crisis: Ashraf Ghani

The Afghan President on Monday blamed the American troops’ speedy pullout for the worsening violence in his country and said that his administration would now focus on protecting provincial capitals and major urban areas in the face of the rapidly advancing Taliban.

Interview | Stokes’ absence a huge plus for India: Sunil Gavaskar

The five-Test series against England, set to begin in Nottingham on Wednesday, is being billed as a litmus test for Virat Kohli and Co. Ahead of the series-opener, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar discussed some of the key storylines.

Tokyo Olympics, hockey | ‘Put every drop of energy into the next 60 minutes’

The heavens wept and so did the Indians. When the hooter went off some sank to their knees, others looked to the heavens in disbelief and the bench ran onto the pitch. It was perhaps the fastest 50m dash of their lives.

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