News Highlights: Jharkhand cabinet approves proposal for one day special Assembly session on September 5

Argentina's central bank could hike the benchmark interest rate to 75% this month, a source with direct knowledge of the board's discussions said on Thursday, in a bid to support the embattled peso currency amid one of the world's highest inflation rates.

That would be a 550 basis point jump from the current level of 69.5%.

The source, who declined to be identified as the talks were private, said that the rate hike would depend on consumer price index (CPI) rises, with annualized inflation running at over 70% and estimated to reach over 90% by the end of the year. - Reuters.

. India on Thursday described as "unfortunate" the death of an Indian pregnant woman in Portugal and said it was in touch with her family.

The woman died while she was being shifted between crisis-hit hospitals in Lisbon.

"This is an unfortunate incident. We are in touch with her family," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing here.

The 34-year-old Indian woman reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest during an ambulance transfer from Santa Maria hospital, which had no vacancies in the neonatology service, to another hospital in the capital.

The tragic death led to the resignation of the country's health minister Marta Temido while authorities there have launched an investigation into the incident. - PTI.

. The EU's drug regulator said on Thursday it had approved Covid-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna that are adapted for the Omicron variant.

The jabs "target the Omicron BA.1 subvariant in addition to the original strain", the European Medicines Agency said in a statement. - AFP.

. CID officials probing alleged malpractice in Karnataka PSI examination have submitted third charge sheet to the principal JMF court in Kalaburagi on Thursday

. "Tomorrow, 2nd September I look forward to being among my sisters and brothers of Mangaluru. Key projects worth Rs. 3,800 crore will be inaugurated or their foundation stones would be laid. These important works are related to mechanisation and industrialisation," said PM Modi in a tweet.

. China on Thursday said the United Nations rights office that published a report on serious alleged abuses in Xinjiang was the "thug and accomplice of the US and the West".

Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights "has already sunk to (becoming) the thug and accomplice of the US and the West against the vast majority of developing countries". (AFP)

. The gross GST revenue collection in August jumped 28 per cent to Rs 1.43 lakh crore, according to the Finance Ministry. Read more

. The price of commercial LPG used in hotels and restaurants on Thursday was slashed by Rs 91.5 per cylinder on softening international prices, but oil companies have made no changes in rates of domestic cooking gas and rather began imposing limits on refills a user can order in a fortnight.

The price of a 19-kg commercial LPG cylinder was cut to Rs 1,885 per cylinder in the national capital from Rs 1,976.50, according to a price notification from state-owned fuel retailers.

This is in line with softening international prices. (PTI)

. Services have been delayed on the Blue Line of Delhi Metro on Thursday due to a "passenger on track" at Tilak Nagar station, officials said. The Blue Line connects Dwarka Sector 21 in Delhi and Noida City Centre, with a branch line at Yamuna Bank till Vaishali. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) also took to Twitter to alert the commuters about the delay. (PTI)

. Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team has discovered a vulnerability in the TikTok app for Android that can let hackers take over private, short-form videos of millions of users once they clicked on a malicious link.

Microsoft discovered a high-severity vulnerability in the TikTok Android application, which could have allowed attackers to compromise users' accounts with a single click. (IANS)

. A SpiceJet flight that took off for Nashik in Maharashtra from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Thursday morning returned midway to the city due to an 'autopilot' snag, a DGCA official said. The Boeing 737 aircraft landed safely, he said

. With 7,946 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, India's total tally of Covid-19 cases rose to 4,44,36,339, while the active cases declined to 62,748, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. Read more

. 2 dead, 3 injured after a Ganesh chariot came in contact with a live electric wire in Sokkanathan Puthur area in Virudhunagar district: District collector, Virudhunagar. (ANI)

. The Delhi Police have filed two FIRs under UAPA against infamous gangsters of Delhi andPunjab including Lawrence Bishnoi andGoldie Brar, according to ANI. Read more

. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep grief over passing away of Mikhail Gorbachev.

Prime Minister Modi described him one of the leading statesmen of the 20th century who left an indelible mark on the course of history.

In a tweet Prime Minister Modi said: "I extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of H.E. Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the leading statesmen of the 20th century who left an indelible mark on the course of history. We recall and value his contribution to strengthening of relations with India." (IANS)

. In the wake of heavy rainfall, schools andeducational institutes will be closed today in Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai andThanjavur.

. The Indian rupee is tipped to open lower against the dollar on Thursday, as prospects of further aggressive policy tightening by the USFederal Reserve weighed on Asian currencies and equities.

The rupee is seen at around 79.55 per dollar in initial trades, compared with 79.45 on Tuesday. Indian financial markets were closed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the rupee had its best session in a year, which traders attributed to long dollar positions stopping out and renewed chatter about the inclusion of Indian bonds into global indices. (Reuters)

. The Uttar Pradesh government will conduct a survey of unrecognised madrassas in the state to gather information about number of teachers, curriculum, and basic facilities available there, among others.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari on Wednesday said the state government will conduct the survey in accordance with the requirement of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in connection with the availability of basic facilities to the students in madrassas. (PTI)

. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal are scheduled to visit the United States this month for various multilateral and bilateral meetings as New Delhi accelerates its engagement with the world post-Ukraine war.

Jaishankar would primarily travel to New York to attend and address the annual General Assembly session of the United Nations. On its sidelines, he will be holding a series of bilateral meetings, the details of which are still being worked out.( PTI )

. The United Nations released a bombshell report into serious human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region late Wednesday, saying torture allegations were credible and citing possible crimes against humanity.

. An international team of nuclear experts on Wednesday approached the combat zone in Russia’s war on Ukraine, preparing to cross over the front lines Thursday to inspect the imperiled, Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, in one of the most complex and perilous missions of its kind ever attempted.

. More than 50,000 monkeypox cases have been recorded in the global outbreak, WHO figures showed Wednesday, though transmission is slowing in the virus hotspots of Europe and the United States.

News Highlights: Jharkhand cabinet approves proposal for one day special Assembly session on September 5

Argentina could hike interest rate to 75% this month

Jharkhand cabinet approves hiring of charter aircraft for one month to facilitate the travel of VIPs/VVIPs to undertake government business - ANI

Jharkhand cabinet approves proposal for one day special Assembly session on September 5

PM Modi lays foundation stone for Phase II of Kochi Metro

GMR Power and Urban Infra to raise up to Rs 3,000 crore via issue of securities - Reuters

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