Article 370: PM to address the nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address the nation on Thursday during which he is expected to explain government's decisions on abrogating special status to Jammu and Kashmir and splitting the state into two union territories, sources said.
J&K security relaxation likely
The government is closely monitoring the situation in Jammu and Kashmir where a lockdown continues to prevent any backlash over the Union government's move to strip it of the special status and split it into union territories. National security adviser Ajit Doval is on the ground to assess the situation. Although there is no indication as to when the security restrictions would be lifted, reports say that there could be relaxation in curfew-like restrictions which would be announced today. This is in view of the Friday prayers.
IMA agitation
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has given a call for withdrawal of services in healthcare facilities across the country on Thursday to protest against certain provisions of the National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill. "The call is for all the modern medicine doctors to leave their work place across the sectors at all levels on August 8 from 6 AM to 6 AM (next day)," it said, adding that medical students under IMA- Medical Student Network will continue their strike across the country.
Rain fury in Karnataka, Maharashtra
Situation continues to remain grim in flood-hit parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, where 2.5 lakh have been evacuated, while several rivers were in spate in Andhra Pradesh. Sixteen deaths in rain and flood-related incidents have been reported from western Maharashtra in the last seven days, while the toll in Karnataka rose to five since Sunday and nearly 26,000 people have been evacuated. Karnmataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa is expected to visit flood-hit Belagavi today.
US closely watches Hong Kong protests
The US is closely monitoring the protests in Hong Kong. It has issued a travel warning to people, urging them to to exercise increased caution in the Chinese territory due to what it termed civil unrest after months of sometimes violent street protests. Neither the government nor protestors are willing to back down even as the protests are entering the tenth consecutive weekend.
Kia Seltos production
Kia Motors is all set to begin series production of the Seltos from today at its factory in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. There has been high demand for Seltos with more than 6,000 pre-bookings. Seltos is the first-ever product from Kia for the Indian market. The rollout of Seltos is expected later this month.
India vs West Indies first ODI today
With an air of invincibility, India return to the format that gave them a heartbreak in the not-too-distant past, facing West Indies in the first of three-match ODI series at Providence, Guyana, today. Shikhar Dhawan makes a comeback in the format where he has been India's third best player after skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma.
(With PTI inputs)
