Here are the top 5 news updates of August 12, 2021:
Indian space programme suffered a serious setback today as its GSLV-F10 rocket failed midway in its mission of putting into orbit the Geo-Imaging Satellite-1 (GISAT-1). The rocket's cryogenic engine did not fire up to complete the mission, said the Indian space agency. Along with the rocket, the 2,268 kg GISAT-1/EOS-03 communication satellite carried by the rocket, both valued over several hundred crore of rupees, revenue opportunity for 10 years, were also lost. Announcing the mission failure, K. Sivan, Chairman, ISRO said: "The mission cannot be fully accomplished because of a technical anomaly observed in the cryogenic stage.
Despite Opposition members alleging an attack by Rajya Sabha security personnel yesterday, CCTV footage of the ruckus emerged today which showed Opposition MPs jostling with marshals in the Upper House.The Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded prematurely on Wednesday after security personnel were called in Rajya Sabha after the Opposition created a ruckus during the passage of the insurance amendment bill that seeks to privatise general insurance companies. In the CCTV visuals from the Upper House, Opposition MPs can be seen jostling with marshals in Parliament. In the video footage, marshals can be seen forming a human shield to block Opposition MPs from going towards the Chairman's podium.
Four more bodies were recovered from the landslide site in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district where the search and rescue operation resumed early today, raising the death toll to 14, officials said. A Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, which, along with other vehicles, was buried under the debris, has been found in a badly damaged condition, State Disaster Management Director said. However, a Bolero car also feared buried under the rubble could not be traced, he said. The HRTC bus was on its way from Reckong Peo to Haridwar via Shimla when it was hit by boulders after the landslide around Wednesday noon near Chaura village on national highway-5 in Nigulsari area of Nichar tehsil.
RTI activist Saket Gokhale today joined the Trinamool Congress in New Delhi. He said the Mamata Banerjee-led party takes an "aggressive" stand on issues. "The TMC is the second largest Opposition party in Parliament and it has been my obvious choice. If you look at all the national parties, the TMC takes an aggressive stand. The way the chief minister of Bengal has been fighting on the front foot, that's what I'm looking for," Gokhale said after joining the party. Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien and former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha were present wile Gokhale's joining.
Equity benchmark Sensex surged 318 points to end at its new lifetime high today, tracking gains in ICICI Bank, L&T and Tech Mahindra. The 30-share index ended 318.05 points or 0.58 per cent higher at its all-time peak of 54,843.98. The broader NSE Nifty advanced 82.15 points or 0.26 per cent to record 16,325.15. PowerGrid was the top gainer in the Sensex pack, rallying over 6 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Titan, L&T, NTPC and ICICI Bank. On the other hand, Dr Reddy's, IndusInd Bank, Reliance Industries and Axis Bank were among the laggards.
