Afternoon briefing: Harish Salve takes up Vinesh Phogat's Olympics case; EC reviews poll readiness in J-K, and more
A shortlist of the biggest headlines, recommended stories, and a special collection of news items you should check out.
Harish Salve, India's top lawyer, will represent the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in the case related to the disqualification of wrestler Vinesh Phogat at the Paris Olympics. Vinesh Phogat made history on Tuesday by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the final at an Olympics. She first defeated defending world and Olympic champion Yui Susaki from Japan, the first international loss of her career. Later, Vinesh Phogat beat Cuba's Yusneylys Guzman 5-0 in the semi-final match. However, Vinesh Phogat was disqualified from the Paris Olympics after she was found 100gm overweight. She was stripped of a podium finish despite ensuring at least a silver after becoming the first Indian female wrestler to enter an Olympic final. Phogat also announced retirement from wrestling the next day. Dig deeper
More news | Vinesh must rethink retirement, prepare for next Olympics: Mahavir Phogat
A delegation of the Election Commission (EC) met representatives of different political parties in Srinagar on Thursday as it began its two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir to review the preparedness for the first assembly polls in the Union territory (UT) since 2014, people aware of the matter said. A three-member team of chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and election commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and SS Sandhu held separate deliberations with leaders across party lines at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) as it began the process to decide the schedule for the crucial polls. During the meetings, representatives of different parties urged the poll body to hold the elections at the earliest and ensure a level playing field. Dig deeper
More news | On two-day visit, EC team to meet top security officials, Jammu and Kashmir leaders
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India News
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Trending
Newlyweds Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant are currently in Panama, where they were spotted enjoying frozen yogurt at a local shop. The couple posed for a picture with the staff of Pinkberry Panama. While Radhika Merchant was seen dressed in a casual striped top and jeans, Anant Ambani wore a tropical print shirt that is quickly becoming his signature look. After tying the knot in Mumbai, the newlyweds left for Jamnagar, where the Ambani family owns a sprawling estate that also served as the venue for one of their pre-wedding celebrations. They were later spotted in Paris for the Summer Olympics 2024 before flying out to Costa Rica for their honeymoon. Dig deeper
Business News
Ola Electric founder Bhavish Aggarwal is set to cement his position as world's youngest billionaires after his company’s public listing. The 38-year-old will add almost $1.2 billion to his wealth as Ola Electric lists at the price band at ₹76 a share, giving the entrepreneur a net worth of $2.3 billion, as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Ola Electric is yet to turn a profit since it was founded in Bengaluru in 2017. The firm made a net loss of 14.7 billion rupees in the financial year ended March 2023. Bhavish Aggarwal said, “Three years ago when we launched our product, I believe that’s when the EV story began." Dig deeper
Global Matters
Former US President Donald Trump recently claimed he could have done “terrible things” to Hillary Clinton while in the Oval Office in a very disturbing rant. Trump made this remark during an impromptu press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, August 8, and quickly went viral. “I could have done things to her that would've made your head spin,” Trump told the press. Trump's comments centered around his assertion that he was “protective” of Clinton during his time in the White House, despite the fact that his supporters frequently called for her imprisonment. Dig deeper
Entertainment Focus
Ulajh box office collection day 7: The film, which released in theatres on Friday, has been witnessing a dip in its numbers. As per Sacnilk.com, the film earned only ₹50 lakh on Thursday. Ulajh has been directed by Sudhanshu Saria. The film stars Janhvi Kapoor in the role of a young diplomat and spy, Suhana. Ulajh also stars Roshan Mathew, Gulshan Devaiah, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Meiyang Chang, Rajendra Gupta, and Jitendra Joshi in key roles. It is written by Parveez Shaikh and Sudhanshu while Atika Chauhan has penned the dialogues. In the film, Janhvi is shown as Suhana, the youngest Deputy High Commissioner, who navigates a difficult mission at the London embassy under close watch. Dig deeper
Lifestyle and Health
People pleasers don new masks for everyone, mirroring the desires of those around them. Adept at moulding themselves for others’ pleasure, they become knee-deep in a graveyard of identities, scrambling to find who they really are beneath the debris of masks. Loss of identity festers beneath the layers of carefully constructed facades until there's nothing but emptiness inside. The compulsive urge to prioritise others’ needs, wants, and desires to keep them happy comes at the cost of their own happiness. Quick to dismiss their own needs, people pleasers go to great lengths to please others. Self-sacrifice becomes almost like an instinct for them. And most importantly, there is a pang of immense guilt for prioritising themselves over others. That guilt is nerve-wracking, trapping people pleasers in their self-harming behaviours. Dig deeper
Sports Goings
Millions across two nations split by a contentious border stayed up well past midnight, glued to their television sets as a battle for the ages unfolded in Paris. In the end, the men’s javelin gold medal changed hands, and countries, at the Olympic Games with an unassuming Pakistani grabbing the ultimate prize from a celebrated yet modest and humble Indian champion. Arshad Nadeem was a popular winner after unleashing a sequence of monster throws punctuated by a new Games record; defending champion Neeraj Chopra was beaten but not defeated. As the two great rivals sank into each other’s arms, moments after Arshad had punched the turf with another 91-metre throw on his final try, it was hard to remain unmoved. They might belong to countries that espouse differing ideologies and often are at loggerheads politically and otherwise, but they were united by the bond of competitive spirit and mutual respect. Dig deeper
That’s all we have at this hour in our Afternoon briefing. Catch you in the evening.