Today's Big Stories
Former FM P Chidambaram sent to Tihar jail For 14 days as Delhi Court orders judicial custody
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram was sent to judicial custody in Tihar jail for 14 days after the expiry of his two-day CBI custody in the INX Media corruption case. It was an unprecedented setback for the Congress veteran, who even offered to surrender to the ED in a desperate attempt to avoid going to jail.
The arrest: Chidambaram was produced before the judge on the expiry of his maximum 15-day CBI custody after his arrest on August 21 from his residence in Jor Bagh amid high drama.
The case: The CBI registered an FIR on May 15, 2017, alleging irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board clearance granted to the INX Media group for receiving overseas funds of Rs 305 crore in 2007 during Chidambaram's tenure as finance minister, and lodged a money laundering in 2017.
What awaits in jail no. 7: Reserved mainly for economic offenders, jail number 7 had previously also housed the veteran Congress leader’s son Karti. The court has allowed Chidambaram to carry his medicines to jail and directed that he be kept in a separate cell as he was a protectee under Z-security.
Reactions: Minutes after the special court’s order, the veteran Congress leader mocked the government over the economic slowdown saying, “I am only about the economy."
The Congress also hit out at the government of "selective opposition persecution" and said in a tweet, "Those with the power of truth have the strength to fight any injustice."
ISRO braces for ‘fifteen minutes of terror’ as Chandrayaan-2 scheduled for soft-landing on moon tonight
Chandrayaan-2's moon lander Vikram is scheduled for a powered-descent between 1 am and 2 am on September 7, followed by touch-down of the orbiter between 1.30 am and 2.30 am. ISRO Chairman K Sivan has said the proposed soft-landing on the Moon is going to be a "terrifying" moment as the ISRO has not done it before. Following the landing, the rover 'Pragyan' will roll out from 'Vikram' between 5:30-6:30 am on September 7, and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of one lunar day, which is equal to 14 earth days.
In Other News
Conditional freedom: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's daughter to meet her in Kashmir, where she is under detention following the revocation of the state's special status. Iltija was, however, disallowed from moving about freely in the city.
Breaking rank or breaking away?: Signs of dissent appear to be on the rise in the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) with two of its lawmakers, including a senior minister, expressing their disappointment with the pace of development in the state.
Tragic: A swimming coach in Goa was booked for the rape of a national junior gold medallist after a purported video of the incident went viral on social media. The harassment allegedly took place after he called her to the Mapusa centre in North Goa from West Bengal.The girl alleged that during her six-month stay in Goa, the coach had mentally and physically tortured her.
Matter of life or death: Boris Johnson said he would "rather be dead in a ditch" than delay Brexit beyond next month, as he urged opposition lawmakers to support an early election. MPs in the House of Commons passed a bill that could stop Johnson taking Britain out of the European Union without a divorce deal with Brussels, and also rejected his call for a snap election to resolve the political deadlock.
On Our Specials
Held behind signal bars: What does it mean to not be able to hear from your loved ones in times of distress for weeks? Akash Hassan recounts his days in curfewed Kashmir, and the struggle to be able to connect and communicate. "On the morning of the seventh day of the communication blockade, there was a knock on my door. It was my father," he writes.
No roaring engines: After Rahul Gandhi’s resignation as Congress president, Sonia Gandhi has an onerous task at hand. The joke going in party circles these days is that Sonia Gandhi is trying to steer a large wagon, which just about everyone wants to drive. And all of this one month in her stint in office, she has sought to ensure everyone gets a chance at the wheels. Pallavi Ghosh writes that as a result, the vehicle has failed to even hit the road
On Reel
Rafael Nadal, the only former major champion left in the men's field, will play Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the US Open semi-finals after the 18-time Grand Slam champion defeated Argentine 20th seed Diego Schwartzman. Watch more here.
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