TODAY’S TOP NEWS: 24 AUGUST, 2020 (GPN):

NATIONAL NEWS:

1. *Former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who headed benches that pronounced several key judgments including in the Ayodhya land dispute case, might be the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate in Assam* in the assembly election next year,.

2. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday said that reports of *Sonia Gandhi resigning from the post of Congress interim president are false.*

3. Ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday, different voices have emerged within the party with one section comprising sitting MPs and former ministers demanding collective leadership, while another group has sought the return of Rahul Gandhi to the helm.

4. *Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday said the Gandhi family has kept the party united* and the letter written by senior Congress leaders over the leadership issue is an unfortunate move.

5. In a major jolt to Congress in Madhya Pradesh, *5000 Congress leaders from Gwalior’s Morena have joined BJP on Sunday,* announced Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia. Addressing a membership event in Gwalior’s Chambal, Scindia lashed out at Kamal Nath for his alleged corruption,

6. *The Delhi Police has recovered a large quantity of explosives and an Islamic State flag from the house of Mohammad Mustakim Khan in Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh* two days after he was arrested in the national capital. The terrorist was arrested from New Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan area on Friday night after a brief exchange of fire.

7. Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari will lay the *foundation stone of and inaugurate 35 highway projects in Madhya Pradesh* on Tuesday (August 25, 2020).

8. *Arindam Chaudhuri, Director of Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), has been arrested* by the CGST South Delhi Commissionerate over alleged undue claim of Central Value Added Tax (CENVAT) of service tax credit of around Rs 23 crore.

9. *Earthquake at Palghar district in Maharashtra* on Sunday experienced four tremors, ranging from the magnitudes of 2.7 to 3.1, The first tremor of 2.8 magnitude was felt at 11:39 am, and the second of 3.0 magnitude was experienced at 5:23 pm. Another quake with the magnitude of 3.1 was felt at 6:47 pm and the fourth one was felt at 7:29 pm, which was of 2.7 magnitude.

10. *Former president Pranab Mukherjee remains in deep coma and on ventilator support* , Mukherjee was admitted to the Army’s Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi Cantonment on August 10 and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain the same day. He had also tested positive for COVID-19.

11. *The Indian Railways, through the South Central Railway, has invited applications in a prescribed format from eligible and interested candidates* for filling Forty Two (42) vacancies to the post of Contract Medical Practitioners (CMO), Nursing Sisters, Hospital Attendants, Specialist Doctor and Pharmacist through direct recruitment on a fulltime basis to be deployed at the Secunderabad Division in Telangana, India. The application process towards the same started on August 21, 2020 and closes on August 28, 2020.

12. *A day after pirated NCERT books worth Rs 60 crore were recovered from a godown in Meerut, the Special Task Force (STF) seized pirated NCERT books worth Rs 10 lakh from Amroha on Sunday.* Following the raid in Meerut, police had arrested four persons and booked local BJP leader Sanjeev Gupta and his nephew Sachin as the main accused. Police are yet to arrest them.

13. *The Centre on Sunday announced standard operating procedures for resuming shooting of films and TV programmes* , and these include measures such as social distancing and mandatory use of face cover or masks for cast and crew, except for actors in front of camera.

14. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has become the latest *voice from the political circle to* join students from across the country in demanding *postponement of the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and the National Eigibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2020,* due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, writing a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard.

15. *Privatisation of Trivandrum airport will expand potential, attract investors:* senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday privatisation would help expand its potential and attract investors. The congress MP had faced flak not only from the Left parties but even from his own party for his stand favouring privatisation of the Trivandrum airport.

16. *The Telangana ECET 2020 exams* are scheduled to be held online on August 31 tentatively in morning and evening shifts, The state government said that they are making all arrangements for COVID safety to conduct the first CET at 56 centres in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

17. Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that if everything goes well, *India would get a vaccine against the novel coronavirus by the end of this year.*

18. *The recovery rate from COVID-19 has improved further and now it has reached 74.69%.*
*India’s COVID-19 tally*
TOTAL CASES 3044940
TOTAL ACTIVE 707668
RECOVERED 2280566
TOTAL DEATHS 56706

*✈INTERNATIONAL NEWS*

1. *The Home Ministry has issued Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for international travel on non-scheduled commercial flights under the Vande Bharat Scheme* and Air Transport Bubble arrangement.

2. Even as efforts are underway to diffuse the *border tensions between India and China at the Line of Actual Control near eastern Ladakh,* China has proposed that if the Indian Army steps back from the Finger 4 area of ​​Pangong lake, then the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) too will step back the same distance.

3. India has rejected this proposal and has demanded that China restore status quo in all areas of eastern Ladakh on the border.

4. A Chinese national was arrested while trying to enter the country through the India-Nepal border in Maharajganj’s Sonouli. Uttar Pradesh police official as saying that although the Chinese national had a valid visa for India, the entry of foreign nationals from the Indo-Nepal border is prohibited due to the coronavirus pandemic.

5. *Bangladesh is discussing an almost $1 billion loan from China for a comprehensive management and restoration project on the Teesta river.* The project is aimed at managing the river basin efficiently, controlling floods, and tackling the water crisis in summers.

6. India and Bangladesh have been engaged in a long-standing dispute over water-sharing in the Teesta. More importantly, Bangladesh’s discussions with China come at a time when India is particularly wary about China following the standoff in Ladakh.

*WORLD NEWS*

1. *Bangladesh floods* : situation continuous and the water level of rivers in Meghna basin rise.

2. *Kim Jong-un is in coma claims South Korean diplomat as North Korea passes power to Kim Yo-jong:* Fuelling rumours about the failing health condition of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, a former aide to South Korea’s late president Kim Dae-Jung, Chang Song-min has claimed that Kim is in a coma and that’s why his sister Kim Yo-jong has been given powers.

3. *WORLD COVID CASES*
CONFIRMED 23,371,140
ACTIVE 6,868,783
RECOVERED 15,694,411
DEATHS 807,946

*SPORTS:*

1. *India stuns China to qualify for Chess Olympiad quarters* :
R Praggnanandhaa and Divya Deshmukh starred with crucial wins as India stunned a formidable China 4-2 in the ninth and final preliminary round to make the quarterfinals of the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad on Sunday.

2. The Indian team, which finished at the top of Top Division Pool ‘A’, will play the quarterfinals against a yet-to-be-decided opponent on August 28.

*USD 74.93 GBP 98.08*
_In Ladakh_(JK)
*Gold ₹51,290@10 gm 24 (Krt)*
*Silver ₹67,810@ Kg*
⛽ *Petrol ₹ 87.26*
⛽ *Diesel ₹ 79.77*

*FACTS ABOUT INDIA*

Ladakh is a region of India in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent. The Tibetan and Ladakhi name La-dwags ལ་དྭགས (historically transliterated as La-dvags) means ” *land of high passes”.* Ladak is its pronunciation in several Tibetan districts, and Ladakh is a transliteration of the Hindi and Urdu spelling

*Thought of the day*

Punctuality is not about being in time. It’s basically about respecting your comments.

JOKES OF THE DAY:

1)*Teacher* : Pappu, Iski English MEin Translate Karo: Larkiyan Yahan Se Guzar Chuki Hain.
*Pappu* : Oh Shit! I Am Late…

2) Santa ne apni car ke Niche Kutte ko sota hua
Dekha, To kutte ki taang Pakad ke
Bahar kicha aur bola- Bahar nikal sale,
Bada aaya automobile Enginneer banne.

3) Santa aur jito hm ko ldki psnd hai, shaadi kb krni hai?
ladki wale: abhi to hmaari ladki study kr rhi hai.
santa: to hamara ladka kaun sa bechha hai jo kitaab faar dega..

4) Sonia : I am tired of our dog. Our dog has started chasing everyone on a Motorbike.Lot of complaints are coming to me.What shall I do?

Rahul : Hee hee, it’s just So simple. Don’t worry … I will take his bike away!

SONIA now barks with the shock.

5) Santa ko koi mobile pe tang kar raha tha,
Santa ne new sim khareed kar usko sms kiya:
“maine wo number band kar diya hai
ab tera baap bhi mujhe tang nahi kar sakta ”

6) Boy: Xcuse Me
Girl: Jee Kahiye
Boy: Mere Hone Wale Bacho Ki Taraf Se
Apko Happy Mother’s DAY….

7) Girl: I Like Ur ‘Teeth’.
Boy: Oh Really, Why?
Girl: ……Becoz Yellow Is My Favorite Color.
(_”)
<||
_/\ .. Hight of Insult

8) Girl – ur name?
boy- black lion
G -r u joking?
B – no, it means kaalu singh.
and ur’s
girl- Soft underwear
boy-r u joking?
girl-no it means komal chadda.

*TELL ME WHY❓❓❓

*Why hair colour is black.* ⁉️

Hair color is the pigmentation of hair follicles due to two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Generally, if more eumelanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less eumelanin is present, the hair is lighter.

*LEARN SANSKRIT:

*पिबति* : Drinking

*HOW IT WORKS* ⁉

*How Thermal energy is produced* ⁉️

Thermal energy (also called heat energy) is produced when a rise in temperature causes atoms and molecules to move faster and collide with each other. The energy that comes from the temperature of the heated substance is called thermal energy.

Fuels such as heavy oil, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and coal are burned inside a boiler to generate steam at high temperature and high pressure. This steam is used to rotate the impeller of the steam turbine. This drives the power generators connected to the turbine that generate electricity.

‍♂️ *GK TODAY*:

Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station is the historic thermal power plant that was located in Hyderabad, Telangana on the banks of Hussain Sagar. It was India’s first thermal power station, opened in 1920 by the erstwhile seventh Nizam of Hyderabad.

VEDIK GYAN:

*Significance Of The Red Thread Tied Around The Wrist*

You must have spotted quite a lot of Hindu followers wearing a variety of threads. Various colors like red, orange, white, black and yellow exist in the section of sacred threads. Not all threads can be worn by anyone nor for any purpose. They have their own specific reasons and persons.

*White Thread (Janeu)*
This particular thread is worn only by the male members of the upper caste families. This depicts the transition of a young boy to a man (Upanayanam). Brahmins make the male member wear it by conducting a ceremony known as the sacred ‘Thread Ceremony’. Some Kshatriyas and by Vaishyas also wear it. This sacred thread of the Brahmins is made of cotton, that of a Kshatriya of hempen threads and that of a Vaisya of woolen threads.

*Red Thread (Kalava)*
Red threads are very common among the Hindus. Men as well as, women can wear it by doing a very small puja ritual. The red thread is usually tied on the right hand of men and unmarried women, while it is tied on the left hand for married women. You can find this thread in any temple. It is a cotton thread and was at first offered as a cloth to the deity.

On the day of Bhadrapad Shukl Chaturdashi or Anant Chaturdashi wearing a red thread known as ‘Anant Chaudas Thread’ is considered to be very auspicious. This is either worn as armlet or around the neck by both male and female. Wearing this will bring in happiness, health, and prosperity.

*Black Thread* : This is yet another powerful thread worn by the Hindus. In the case of small children, it is usually tied around their waist and adults tie it in their left wrists or armlet. Some also tie a special root along with it and wear it as a necklace. People who practice black magic/Tantric vidhya may wear in their right foot as well.

Significance: It is said to keep children away from evil eye (buri nazar). It also keeps away people from evil spirit or unwanted tantra mantra done.

*Orange Or Saffron Thread :* Orange threads are quite prevalent in south and east India. People wear it for different reasons. This is a long thread which is wrapped around the wrist several times to form a bundle.

Significance: This is said to bring fame, power and guard the person against all evil.

*Yellow Thread*
Yellow is colour of purity and good health. People consider this color to be very important in good tasks like marriages or house inauguration ceremony. Hindus put haldi in fat cotton threads and use it as a symbol of good luck during marriages. The bride is made to wear it with three knots tied either in her neck or armlet.

HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES:
( *Note* : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not)

Each *banana* has only about 105 calories and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. Bananas hold very little protein and almost no fat.

Bananas Contain Nutrients That Moderate Blood Sugar Levels

Bananas are a great dietary source of potassium. One medium-sized banana (118 grams) contains 9% of the RDI.

It contain several types of potent antioxidants, including dopamine and catechins

Unripe Bananas May Improve Insulin Sensitivity

PLZ FOLLOW GOVT. NORMS, MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCE, KEEP YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY SAFE ENDS