1. Justice Uday Umesh Lalit appointed as new CJI: President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Uday Umesh Lalit as the 49th Chief Justice of India. Justice UU Lait will take charge on Aug 27.
2. Nitish Kumar challenges Modi after swearing-in: Nitish Kumar, after taking oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar, for the eighth time, issued a challenge to PM Modi, asking, “Will the person who came in 2014 win in 2024?”
3. SC grants bail to Varavara Rao: The Supreme Court has granted regular bail to Telugu poet Varavara Rao on medical grounds. The activist, aged 82, is under detention in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.
4. New variant of Covid spreading fast: Omicron’s sub-variant BA 2.75, with more transmission rate, has been detected as the reason for the sharp rise in Coronavirus cases in the national capital. The variant can escape immunity from vaccination and antibodies developed from prior infection, said Dr. Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of LNJP Hospital in Delhi.
5. Government asks for passenger information from aircraft operators: The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued a gazette notification to aircraft operators to share all travel-related information of international passengers flying in and out of the country 24 hours before departure.
6. CPM condemns actor Rajnikanth for saying he discussed politics with the governor: CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan slammed the meeting between actor Rajinikanth and Tamil Nadu governor R N Ravi. Balakrishnan said, “The governor’s official residence is not a party office to discuss politics.”
7. Man with ISIS links arrested: The Uttar Pradesh Anti-terrorist Squad (UPATS) has arrested a man with ISIS links for plotting to carry out a bombing during the upcoming Independence day celebration. The man identified as Sabauddin Azmi(24) hails from Mubarkpur of Azamgarh district.
8. Kerala leads in Covid-related fatalities/ million of the population: Kerala has registered the highest Covid deaths per million population (2037 fatalities/million). The numbers are five times the national average. The state currently reports 25-30% of daily covid related deaths in India.
9. Nitin Gadkari on six airbags: Elaborating on the Government’s decision to make six airbags mandatory in cars, Union Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari told Parliament that each airbag would only cost Rs.800/-
10. New animal-derived virus in China: China said that at least 35 people are infected by a new zoonotic (animal-derived) virus in the Shandong and Henan provinces of the country. However, it added that cases have not been serious or fatal. Hence there is no need to panic.
Image: Twitter/@ANI