1. Free travel to be provided to NEET, JEE candidates by Madhya Pradesh govt
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has offered to provide free travel for all students from Madhya Pradesh appearing for the NEET, JEE. Students are expected to register themselves by calling 181 to avail of this facility. Students can also register themselves through the portal https://mapit.gov.in/covid-19/, by August 31. Following this move, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel too, has arranged for free transport to the candidates.
2. India might purchase equipment from France for ‘Gaganyaan’ astronauts
As per media sources, ISRO and France space agency, CNES, are in advanced talks for acquiring the necessary equipment to ‘Gaganyaan’ astronauts. The equipment that is going to be purchased is said to be similar to the one to be used by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet for Mission Alpha to return to ISS next year.
3. No international flights in the sky for another month till 30th September
A ban on international commercial passenger flights has been further extended till September 30 by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. This ban will not be applied to international all-cargo operations and flights that have received approval for flying from DGCA.
4. Indian Army: China conducted provocative military movements in Ladakh
As per the statements made by the Indian Army, the Chinese troops violated the previous consensus between 29th August and 30the August, which was finalized during military and diplomatic engagements over the standoff in Ladakh. “They carried out provocative military movements. Indian troops…undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” an official said in the statement.
5. Indian chess players win 2020 Online Chess Olympiad against Russia
An online chess olympiad was conducted by the FIDE – the international chess federation. In this, India emerged victorious in this tournament beating Russia. “Congratulations to our chess players for winning the FIDE Online #ChessOlympiad. Their hard work and dedication are admirable. Their success will surely motivate other chess players. I would like to congratulate the Russian team as well,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the winners through Twitter.
6. Akshay shares video of him drinking ‘elephant poop tea’ on Bear Grylls’ show
Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recently shared a teaser of an episode of Bear Grylls’ show ‘Into The Wild’ in which the actor was seen gulping down elephant poop tea. “I knew there would be stiff challenges prior to #IntoTheWildWithBearGrylls but @beargrylls completely surprised me with the elephant poop tea. What a day!” the actor wrote. “I am a reel hero, he is a real hero,” said Akshay in the video.
7. Qutub Minar illuminated in red & white to mark Poland’s Solidarity movement
Qutub Minar was illuminated in Poland’s national colours, white and red, by the Embassy of Poland and Polish Institute in Delhi on Sunday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the creation of Poland’s Solidarity movement. The movement is a trade union functioning on Gandhian principles of non-violence that helped fight for civil rights in Poland during the communist rule.
8. SpaceX completes its first polar orbit mission from US East Coast
SpaceX’s first polar orbit mission successfully wrapped up from Florida on Sunday with the successful launch of its SAOCOM 1B mission atop Falcon 9 rocket. This mission put both the SAOCOM 1B spacecraft into orbit as well as two rideshare payloads, Tyvak-0172 and PlanetiQ’s GNOMES-1. After stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9 on Landing Zone 1.
9. Shinzo Abe ‘greatest’ Prime Minister in Japan’s history: Trump
Donald Trump has called Shinzo Abe “the greatest Prime Minister in the history of Japan” while the two leaders were on a call. He also said the thing in his tweets. Due to declining health conditions, Shinzo Abe had resigned from the prime ministerial chair. Trump further went on to tweet that, “The relationship between the US and Japan is better today than it has ever been.”
10. Lady Gaga wins Artist of the Year & VMAs’ first-ever Tricon Award
Popular singer Lady Gaga received Video Music Awards’ inaugural Tricon Award on Monday, an award which recognizes an artist who has mastered three or more disciplines, and Artist of the Year award. In addition to this, the song ‘Rain On Me’ sung by Gaga and Ariana Grande, won Song of the Year, Best Collaboration and Best Cinematography.
