Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
1. RSS Will Be Less Involved in 2019 Election Than 2014: W Andersen
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), often referred to as the ideological arm of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will not be as heavily invested in the ruling party’s political campaign in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as it was in 2014, according to Walter K Andersen.
Professor of South Asia Studies at John Hopkins University, Andersen who recently launched his new book RSS: A View to the Inside co-authored by Shridhar D Damle, in an exclusive interview with The Quint’s Sanjay Pugalia, talks about the RSS’ relation with the BJP, the growth of its affiliates, and how the organisation has historically distanced itself from politics.
Watch full interview here.
2. Kerala Rains: Death Toll Rises to 26, All 5 Gates of Idukki Dam Opened
Death toll in Kerala rose to 26 on Friday, 10 August, after several districts were hit by a heavy rainfall. According to media reports, all five shutters of the Idukki dam have been opened, and water is expected to come out at the rate of 7 lakh litres per second. Around 60 people are stranded in a resort in Munnar after a landslide blocked the roads to the resort, reported ANI.
“Areas to have experienced heavy rainfall are the hilly regions of Idukki and Wayanad and Malappuram,” an IMD official told The News Minute. After experiencing a “heavy to very heavy rainfall” on 9 August, Kerala will once again confront “heavy rainfall” on Friday, the official said.
Read full story here.
3. Aarushi Murder: SC Admits CBI Appeal Against Parents’ Acquittal
The Supreme Court on Friday, 10 August, admitted an appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Aarushi Talwar double-murder case.
The Allahabad High Court had, on 12 October 2017, acquitted Rajesh and Nupur Talwar, the parents of Aarushi Talwar, in the 2008 murder of their daughter and domestic help, Hemraj.
The High Court struck down a 2013-CBI court order convicting the two of murders.
The Talwars were released from Ghaziabad's Dasna Jail on 16 October, three days after they were acquitted.
Read full story here.
4. Review: A Languid ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ Tries Hard But Doesn’t Justify a Sequel
Vishwaroopam had a tumultuous release in 2013 with a generous serving of controversy, which almost always helps a film. In that case, people thronged the theatres to see what the controversy was all about – only to find a pretty decent film, with nothing really objectionable.
Turns out Vishwaroopam 2 is where all the “offensive” cinematic misdemeanours take place.
Written and directed by Kamal Haasan himself (Atul Tiwari credited for the Hindi dialogues), the events in this latest instalment take place partly before and partly after all that transpired in Vishwaroopam.
Read full review here.
5. The Kanwar Vandalism Puts The Average Delhi Road Rage to Shame
Dilli, as you guys would know, is an aggressive city. And our anger can be most seen on our roads, where our level of hostility surpasses even those of the ‘Big Boss’ contestants.
But all of our everyday aggression pales in comparison to the vandalism done by a bunch of Karwariyas in Delhi’s Moti Nagar. They badly smashed a car and created a ruckus, just because the car brushed past one of them.
Hey karwars, we know that you guys walk for hundreds of kilometers, gathering sacred water from the Ganges and carry it across on foot. It really is a commendable act of devotion. But it is saddening that when some goons, in the garb of being bhakts, destroy ordinary people’s property, with no respect for another human.
Read full story here.
6. Neeraj Chopra India’s Flag Bearer at Asian Games Opening Ceremony
Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will be the flag-bearer for the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2018. The 20-year-old has won a gold medal in World Junior Championships, Asian Championships, South Asian Games and Commonwealth Games in his career so far.
The Haryana athlete equaled the national record when he recorded a throw of 82.23m at the 2016 South Asian Games. In the same year, Chopra broke the junior world record with a throw of 86.48m at the Under-20 World Athletics Championships in Bydgosczcz, Poland.
Read full story here.
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