Former Congolese President Pascal Lissouba died in France at the age of 88.
He was President of the Republic of Congo - also called Congo-Brazzaville, to distinguish it from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) - from 1992 to 1997.
He fled the country after being overthrown in a civil war by the current president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, who had lost the country's first multi-party elections in 1992.
Born in Tsinguidi, in the southwest of the country, Lissouba studied agricultural engineering, gaining a doctorate in France.
In the 1960s, he became Minister of Agriculture in the newly-independent country before serving as Prime Minister under the then President, Alphonse Massamba-Debat.
Africa Now Free of Wild Poliovirus, but Polio Threat Remains
Health authorities are expected to declare the African continent free of the wild poliovirus after decades of effort, though cases of vaccine-derived polio are still sparking outbreaks of the paralysing disease in more than a dozen countries.
The declaration would leave Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan as the only countries thought to still have the wild poliovirus, with vaccination efforts against the highly infectious, water-borne disease complicated by insecurity and attacks on health workers.
The announcement by the African Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication came after no cases were reported for four years. Polio once paralysed some 75,000 children a year across Africa.
Health authorities see the declaration as a rare glint of good news in Africa amid the coronavirus pandemic, an Ebola outbreak in western Congo and the persistent deadly challenges of malaria, HIV and tuberculosis.
The World Health Organisation says it is just the second time a virus has been eradicated in Africa, after the elimination of smallpox four decades ago.
Ivorian Ex-president Gbagbo Barred from Elections
Ivory Coast's former President Laurent Gbagbo has been barred from running for the presidency in upcoming elections after a court upheld the electoral commission's decision to remove him from the electoral list.
The country's electoral commission struck him off the list of candidates because he was convicted of a crime.
The President of the electoral commission, Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, had in August said that anyone convicted of a crime would not be allowed to stand.
Four candidates including former rebel leader Guillaume Soro were also removed from the list.
Mr. Gbagbo was sentenced in absentia in November 2019 for the looting of the Central Bank of West African States (Bceao) following a disputed 2010 election that resulted in violence.
RBI Projects Country's Growth Rate at (-) 4.5 per cent for 2020-21
The Reserve Bank has projected India's growth rate at (-) 4.5 per cent for 2020-21. In its annual report, RBI projected global growth rate between (-) 6.0 per cent and (-) 7.6 per cent. The report says that expected headline inflation will remain elevated in the current quarter, but likely to ease in the second half of the fiscal.
Stating that it is difficult to accurately assess the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic as the dynamics are still evolving, RBI said it looks like the decline in economic activity reaches its trough in April-June quarter of 2020-21 and recovers thereafter, albeit at a gradual pace. It adds that the growth is likely to turn positive from January-March quarter 2020-21.
Defence Ministry Suspends Business Dealings with Vectra Company
The Defence Ministry suspended all business dealings with Vectra Advanced Engineering Private Ltd for one year in view of a probe by the CBI into the allegations of wrongdoings against it in the Tatra Truck deal.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the suspension of business dealings with M/s VAEPL for one year.
In 2012, the then Army chief Gen V. K. Singh had claimed that he was offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crore to approve the procurement of a batch of 600 "sub-standard" Tatra trucks for the Indian Army.
NABARD Launches Credit Guarantee Programme for NBFC-MFIs
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) introduced a dedicated debt and credit guarantee product to ensure unhindered flow of credit in rural areas hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The product- Structured Finance and Partial Guarantee Programme to NBFC-MFIs -entails providing partial guarantee on pooled loans extended to small and mid-sized micro finance institutions (MFIs).
NABARD signed a pact with Vivriti Capital and Ujjivan Small Finance Bank earlier this month to roll out the initiative, which will enhance access to sustainable finance for microenterprises and low-income households. The partially guaranteed loan facility will catalyse much-needed financing to millions of households, agricultural and business markets to sustain in the post COVID-19 environment. It will help facilitate Rs. 2,500 crore funding in the initial phase and is expected to be scaled up. The programme is expected to cover over 1 million households across 28 states and 650 districts.
India Plans BRICS Games During Khelo India Games Next Year
According to Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, India is planning to host BRICS Games in 2021 and may align it with Khelo India Games.
Rijiju's announcement came after he attended a meeting of Sports Ministers of the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
India will get chairmanship of the five-nation independent international group in 2021.
BRICS Games 2021 will be held during the same time and at the same venues as of Khelo India Games 2021 so that our players from various parts of the country who will gather for Khelo India Games will have the benefit of witnessing BRICS Games from close quarters.
G. Satheesh Reddy was given a two-year extension as the Chairman of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.
He was appointed to the post in August 2018 for two years.
AFSPA Extended for Six Months in Assam
The Assam government extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the state for six more months with effect from August 28.
The state has been declared a "disturbed area" on account of recent insurgent attacks on security forces in the Northeast and recovery of illegal arms and ammunition from different areas of Assam.
Many civil society groups and activists have been demanding the withdrawal of the draconian law from the state.
The AFSPA, which empowers security forces to conduct operations, arrest anyone anywhere without prior notice, has been continuing in Assam since November 1990. It is renewed every six months.
APEDA Signs MoUs with AFC India Ltd and NCUI for Cooperation in Interest of Agriculture & Allied Sectors
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has signed two MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) one each with AFC ((formerly Agricultural Finance Corporation Ltd) India Limited, and National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), Delhi for working together in the interest of agriculture and allied sectors.
APEDA MoU with AFC India inked by Diwakar Nath Misra, Chairman APEDA and B.Ganeshan, Managing Director (MD), AFC India Ltd. to introduce critical technology intervention requirement for organic production system.
APEDA MoU with NCUI was signed by Dr. Tarun Bajaj, Director APEDA and Mr. N.Satyanarayana, Chief Executive, NCUI to achieve the goal of Doubling the Farmers Income.
Served for 30 Years, INS Viraat to Be Dismantled at Alang in Gujarat
INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier that served the Indian Navy for 30 years before being decommissioned three years ago, is likely to be towed from Mumbai to Alang in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district next month to be dismantled and sold as scrap. The longest serving warship, inducted into the Indian Navy in 1987, was bought by Shree Ram Group for Rs. 38.54 crore at an auction conducted by the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited last month.
It will likely be towed from the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai to ship breaking yard at Alang next month.
There were proposals in the past to preserve it as a maritime museum. In July last year, the central government said that the decision to scrap INS Viraat was taken in due consultation with the Indian Navy.
The aircraft carrier, in its earlier avatar, had won the Falklands War against Argentina in 1982 for the Royal British Navy. It weighs about 27,800 tonnes and served in the British Navy as HMS Hermes from November 1959 to April 1984 and after refurbishment, was commissioned into the Indian Navy.
Indian Tri-services Contingent to Take Part in Kavkaz-2020 Along with Chinese, Pakistani Troops
India is sending a tri-services contingent of around 200 personnel to Southern Russia in September for participating in a multi-lateral exercise Kavkaz-2020.
Along with several other countries, troops of China and Pakistan are also likely to participate in the event. The Indian contingent would include 160 personnel from the army along with 40 troops of the Indian Air Force and two Navy officers for the observers there.
The exercise is being held in the Astrakhan province of Southern Russia where member countries of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and Central Asian countries would be participating.
India had earlier also participated in this exercise with both China and Pakistan as part of it.
Women's Equality Day is celebrated in the United States on August 26 to commemorate the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution, which prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. It was first celebrated in 1972, designated by Congress in 1973, and is proclaimed each year by the United States President.
Women's Equality Day was first marked in 1972. It is proclaimed each year by the President of the United States. President Richard Nixon had issued the first official proclamation. Since then, every US President issues a proclamation designating August 26 as Women's Equality Day.
This year (2020) is the 100th anniversary of the Women's Equality Day is being observed in the United States.
Haryana Government Partners with Gradeup to Empower Competitive Exam Aspirants
In a bid to maximise success in central and state competitive exams, the Government of Haryana joined hands with Gradeup, India's leading online exam preparation app. During this partnership of 18 months, Gradeup will empower 50,000 aspirants from Haryana appearing for SSC, Banking and Railways examinations, scheduled for the next year.
Gradeup's experience in successfully handling a large user base and a strong sense of exam-relevant content makes them a trusted platform when it comes to exam preparation. The idea of the intervention is to enable candidates from Haryana to clear and target government jobs in Central bodies such as SSC, Banking and Railways.
'Running Toward Mystery: The Adventure of an Unconventional Life'
The book 'Running Toward Mystery: The Adventure of an Unconventional Life' authored by Tenzin Priyadarshi and co-written by Zara Houshmand was released. The book provides an account of how the Dalai Lama traced his Spiritual Teacher Khunu Lama in India.
Tenzin Priyadarshi is the President and CEO of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Zara Houshmand is an Iranian American author and literary translator.
The author Priyadarshi talks about teachers who have influenced his life including Dalai Lama, Former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa.
The book also shares his thoughts on Science and Technology, Meditation and Spiritual Disillusionment and the relationship between Buddhism and the modern world.
Further, he describes his life at MIT and describes how the 2008 financial crisis gave critical momentum for the formation of The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values.
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