The Indian Literature & Arts Society plays a vital role in fostering the appreciation and promotion of Indian arts and literature. This esteemed organization collaborates with various non-governmental organizations, including the Veyil Foundation, to create a supportive environment where artists and writers can come together. Their mission is to empower these creative individuals, helping them pursue their aspirations and bringing their art to life. By providing resources and a platform, they cultivate a vibrant community dedicated to the growth of artistic and literary talents. One of the society's primary initiatives is its global translation project, which seeks to bridge cultural divides by translating literary works from all Indian languages into popular international languages, such as English, Spanish, French, and German. This ambitious undertaking not only showcases the rich tapestry of Indian literature but also broadens its reach, allowing it to resonate with a worldwide audience. The organization values the importance of representation and aims to elevate the voices of Indian creators, making their stories and expressions accessible beyond national borders. In addition to their translation efforts, the Indian Literature & Arts Society annually hosts prestigious events such as the National Literature Award and the National Arts Award. These awards recognize and celebrate the achievements of outstanding individuals in the fields of writing and art across India. By honoring talented creators, the organization not only promotes excellence but also inspires a new generation of artists and writers to continue the tradition of Indian cultural expression. Their commitment to celebrating and sharing these talents helps to create a lasting impact on both the local and global arts landscape.

The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign is set to take place nationwide from August 9 to August 15, aiming to strengthen patriotism among citizens. At a press conference in New Delhi, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat encouraged people to participate by hoisting the Tiranga at their homes. He also urged citizens to take selfies with the flag and upload them to the Har Ghar Tiranga website.   Minister Shekhawat highlighted that the campaign, launched in 2022 as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, saw over ten crore selfies with the Tiranga uploaded last year. This year, the initiative will feature more than 200 cultural programs across the country.   Additionally, a Tiranga Bike Rally involving Members of Parliament and other ministers will be held on August 13 to further promote the campaign. The Har Ghar Tiranga campaign seeks to foster a renewed sense of national pride and unity.

In Rajya Sabha, Opposition parties  today staged a walk out over the issue of   disqualification of Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat from the Paris Olympics. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar objected to the conduct of the opposition. He said  the entire country including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he himself are in pain over the  disqualification of Vinesh Phogat and politicising it, is a disrespect to the wrestler.   When the House met this morning, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge tried to raise the issue which was disallowed. Later, members from Congress, TMC, DMK, RJD and others walked out from the Upper House. Leader of the House and Union Minister J P Nadda also condemned the conduct of the opposition and alleged that the opposition lacks issues to raise against the government.

India lifted the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League final after beating hosts Nepal 3-2 at the Dashrath Stadium in Kathmandu. This victory marked India’s second title in the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Nations League. Despite losing to Nepal once in the league stage, India managed to secure the championship in the finals. The final match showcased the high level of competition and skill between the two teams. India clinched Gold, Nepal secured the silver medal and Iran settled with bronze in the tournament.

The Indian Space Research Organisation, ISRO will celebrate this Independence Day in space by launching an Earth Observation Satellite into orbit. The Small Satellite Launch Vehicle will be used to launch the satellite on August 15th at 9.17 am from Sriharikota.  The Small launch vehicle developed by ISRO can be produced at low cost, has low turnaround time, can accommodate multiple micro satellites and can be launched on demand in less time with minimal infrastructure requirements. It can carry a 500 kg satellite to a 500 kms orbit. Once the demonstration flight is successful, it will be transferred to the private sector for production.

New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi has said that the renewable energy capacity has reached to 203 Gigawatt. Replying to supplementaries during the question hour in Lok Sabha, Mr Joshi said, another 115 Gigawatt of renewable energy is under various stages of implementation. He said, in 2014 the renewable energy capacity was around 76 Gigawatt. The Minister said, several initiatives have been taken by the government to enhance the production of renewable energy.   Mr. Joshi informed that Green Hydrogen Mission and Offshore Wind Energy exploration programmes are new added dimension to the country’s Renewable Energy Policy.

Thailand’s Constitutional Court is set to rule on Wednesday whether the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) violated the constitution when it pledged to amend the country’s lese-majeste law outlawing criticism of the royal family. Should the court rule against the MFP, the party could be dissolved and its leaders banned for 10 years, marking a sharp turnaround in its fortunes since its stunning election victory a little more than a year ago. Back then, millions of young Thais banded behind the MFP’s charismatic leader Pita Limjaroenrat, galvanised by the party’s promise of change. Its flagship policy was to reform Section 112 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, which restricts all criticism of the monarchy. The party’s victory and reform agenda placed it firmly in the sights of Thailand’s long-ruling conservative elite. Pita was blocked from becoming prime minister and forming a government. With tomorrow’s ruling set to define Thai democracy for years to come, here’s everything you need to know about the case: What has led MFP to this point?  MFP is the de facto successor to the Future Forward Party (FFP), which stormed to third in Thailand’s 2019 general election on an anti-junta platform, rocking the country’s ruling class. After initially surviving a Constitutional Court case accusing it of attempting to overthrow the monarchy, the FFP was disbanded in February 2020 after it was ruled to have violated election finance laws by accepting a loan from its leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit . Following the ruling, 55 of the FFP’s 65 members of parliament joined the MFP, promising to continue their progressive agenda. One such policy ahead of last May’s election saw the MFP pledge to amend Section 112, reducing the maximum prison term for defaming the king from 15 years to one year and/or a fine of 300,000 Thai Baht (about $8,400). It was on this platform that the MFP secured a shock election victory in 2023, winning 151 seats in Thailand’s 500-seat House of Representatives, 10 more than Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s second-placed Pheu Thai party. The MFP, however, fell short of the 251 seats required for an outright majority, with attempts to form a coalition with other pro-democracy parties, including Pheu Thai, blocked by Thailand’s military-installed Senate using power handed to it by a 2017 military-drafted constitution. In July, the Constitutional Court suspended Pita as an MP over shares he allegedly held in a defunct broadcaster – charges he was later acquitted of. Pheu Thai successfully formed its own coalition, incorporating military-aligned parties and excluding the MFP. In January this year, the Constitutional Court ruled that the MFP’s proposed lese-majeste amendments amounted to a violation of Section 49 of the constitution, which prohibits attempts to “overthrow the democratic regime of government with the King as Head of State”. It ordered the party to “stop any act, opinion expression via speech, writing, publishing or advertisement or conveying any message in other forms” that sought to amend Section 112. What is the court set to rule on now?  In March, the Constitutional Court agreed to review an Election Commission submission requesting that the MFP be dissolved and its leaders be banned from participating in politics for 10 years over Section 112. The commission justified its request by pointing to the court’s January ruling, saying there was “evidence that Move Forward undermines the democratic system with the king as the head of state”. MFP argued in a written defence submitted on June 4 that the court lacked jurisdiction and the commission’s petition process was unlawful. It argued, among other things, that the MFP had no intention to overthrow the system, dissolution should be a last resort, and any political ban should be proportionate and targeted to specific MFP members. Patrick Phongsathorn, a senior advocacy specialist at Thailand-based human rights NGO Fortify Rights, said the commission was “compromising its own political neutrality and independence” by bringing this case against the MFP. “This case seems to be politically motivated and follows a general pattern where the Thai establishment seeks to silence increasingly popular opposition parties". Experts hold little hope that the MFP will win a reprieve. With a precedent set by the FFP’s dissolution in 2020, and the court’s January ruling against the MFP, Mark S Cogan, an associate professor of peace and conflict studies at Japan’s Kansai Gaidai University, whose research focuses on authoritarian regimes in Southeast Asia, said the “writing is on the wall”. “The Constitutional Court has already signalled earlier this year where it is going,” he told Al Jazeera. “The Constitutional Court, an institution with a history of political party dissolution, declared in January that Article 112 reform was treasonous, so what other message could it now send?” What happens next?  The nine-member Constitutional Court will convene on Wednesday at 9.30am local time (02:30 GMT) and read its decision at 3.30pm (07:30 GMT). Like 2020’s youth-led demonstrations following the FFP’s dissolution, Cogan predicts there will be protests should the MFP be dissolved, although the scale may be hard to predict. “The protests will be given plenty of space by [Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin], who failed to come to Pita’s defence and who arguably dissolved Pheu Thai’s credibility within Thailand’s democratic movement when it agreed to a majority government with military and monarchy-aligned parties,” he said. While Phongsathorn said any move to dissolve the MFP would be just the latest in a “broader pattern” in Thailand of “weaponising the judiciary against political opposition”, the case is “more significant” given the party’s huge popularity. But even if the MFP were to be dissolved, Phongsathorn says, the “progressive genie is now out of the bottle and will be very hard to put back in”. As the FFP was replaced with the MFP, so “some other party will be established to represent the views of this evolving social movement”, he said. For his part, former MFP leader Pita is presenting an optimistic public message to his supporters, urging them not to lose hope regardless of the outcome. He will be present in court when the ruling comes down. “We’re fighting this not just because of my personal future or my party’s future, but we want to make sure that, if it happens, that Pita becomes the last person, the Move Forward Party becomes the last party, that joins the graveyard of political parties,” he told the Associated Press news agency.

United States of America’s sprinter Noah Lyles secured a historic victory in the men’s 100 meters. In an incredibly close finish, Lyles leaned at the finish line to edge out Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson by just .005 seconds, clocking in at 9.784 seconds.   Thompson took the silver with a time of 9.789 seconds, while fellow American Fred Kerley claimed the bronze, finishing in 9.81 seconds. South Africa’s Akani Simbine came in fourth, as all competitors in the race broke the 10-second barrier.   The official results highlighted the race’s tight margins and intense competition. Track legend Michael Johnson hailed the event as the greatest 100m final ever, underscoring the exceptional performances displayed by the sprinters. The United States celebrated a strong showing, with two athletes on the podium, marking a significant achievement in the world of sprinting.

India emerging as a world-class cost-effective healthcare destination and global pharma leader, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said while addressing Global MedTech Summit-2024 in New Delhi.  He said, Preventive healthcare is the national priority for India’s Vision 2047. Dr Singh also recalled the efforts of the Department of Biotechnology and their achievements in fostering research and development in translational health sciences. He said the Bio-manufacturing and bio-foundry has grown from 10 billion dollars in 2014 to 130 billion dollars in 2024. The Minister also called for Strong Industry-Academia-Research and Entrepreneurship Linkages.

At least five US personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq, US officials have said, amid rising tensions following last week’s killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah. Two Katyusha rockets were fired at the Ain al-Assad airbase in western Iraq on Monday, two Iraqi security sources told the Reuters news agency. One of the Iraqi sources said the rockets fell inside the base. It was unclear whether the attack was linked to threats by Iran to retaliate over the killing of the Hamas leader . The US officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said one of the Americans was seriously injured. The Associated Press news agency, meanwhile, citing US defence officials, said that as many as seven military personnel and civilians were hurt. The White House said the president and vice president had been briefed on the attack. “Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment,” one of the officials told Reuters. Ismail Haniyeh , the political leader of the Palestinian group Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, an attack that drew threats of revenge by Iran. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing, but Israel has not claimed responsibility. Adding to tensions, an Israeli strike on Beirut last week also killed Fuad Shukir, the senior commander of the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Iran has said the United States bears responsibility for the assassination of Haniyeh because of its support for Israel. US deploys military forces anticipating retaliatory threats In a call on Monday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant agreed that the attack marked “a dangerous escalation”, according to a Pentagon read-out. Last week the US carried out a strike in Iraq against individuals US officials said were “militants” getting ready to launch drones and posed a threat to US and coalition forces. The US has been watching for Iran’s response to the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran. Following the assassination, the US sent additional military forces to the Middle East in anticipation of retaliatory attacks, describing the deployment as “defensive”. The nearly 10-month-old war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas has led to regular low-level hostilities between Israel and Iran and Hezbollah, as well as other groups in the region that are aligned with Tehran. It is widely thought that neither side is ready for an all-out war, but the heightened tensions mean the risk of a conflagration is high. A rare ally of both the US and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 US soldiers and has Iran-backed fighter groups linked to its security forces. The country has witnessed escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Gaza war erupted in October.

In Kerala, the authorities today began search for more bodies at the Sunrise Valley area of Soochippara in Wayanad this morning. As the terrain is inaccessible, a 12 member team comprising two trained forest officials, four members of the Special Operations Group and six army men were airdropped in the area. A helicopter has been kept ready to bring bodies found in the region. Meanwhile, 40 teams comprising 1300 strong army personnel and over 1000 volunteers are continuing search operations in the region for the eighth day today. Yesterday, six bodies were recovered from the landslide ravaged region. 27 unidentified bodies and 154 dismembered body parts were interred last night at the burial ground at Puththumala. The authorities are also considering acquiring more land adjacent to the burial ground to accommodate more bodies.

In Telangana, sixteen crest gates of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project (NSP) were lifted yesterday, releasing 1.63 lakh cusecs of water downstream, as the dam across River Krishna began filling up. The inflow to the project was recorded at 3.16 lakh cusecs at 8 pm. Initially, irrigation officials lifted six gates in the morning. As the inflow remained constant, another 10 gates were lifted to release more water.   Additionally, over 8 thousand cusecs of water were released to the Nagarjunasagar Right Canal and nearly 5 thousand cusecs to the Left Canal. The Water level recorded at 584.4 feet at Nagarjuna Sagar project, compared to its full tank level of 590 feet. It holds 295 tmc ft of water against its capacity of 312 tmc ft. District collector C. Narayana Reddy stated that irrigation facilities will be provided to the area for two crop seasons this year. Additionally, all irrigation tanks in the district will be filled through the canals. He informed that based on the inflow to the project, a decision will be made regarding the release of water through the crest gates, after duly informing to the authorities in Andhra Pradesh.