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• North Korea has rejected any further talks with South Korea, calling its decision "completely the fault of South Korea's actions".


• It issued a statement in response to a speech by South Korea President Moon Jae-in.


• Meanwhile, early North Korea test-fired two missiles into the sea off its eastern coast, the South Korean military said.

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• Israel is blocking two US Democratic lawmakers, who are prominent critics of the Israeli government, from visiting.


• Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib were due to visit the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem next week.


• Both have supported the boycott movement against Israel, but Israeli law allows supporters of the campaign to be banned from visiting.

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• One of the two law enforcement sources familiar with the Epstein case said there was no evidence or suggestion of foul play but cautioned the investigation was at an early stage.


• An autopsy of the financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in an apparent suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, found his neck had been broken in several places, according to two law enforcement sources.

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• The capture of the tankers heightens tension just as European nations scramble to save a landmark nuclear deal with Iran.


• The United States threatened a visa ban on the crew of a seized Iranian supertanker whose departure from Gibraltar Washington failed to block.

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• Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 could be revoked because entire society showed determination, and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and “willpower” for taking such a decision.


• People say about the Prime Minister that ‘woh hain to mumkin hai’ (if he is there, everything is possible), which is “not wrong”, Mr. Bhagwat said. There is a belief that if people are determined, they “can make the impossible possible,” he said.

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• Parties were set a deadline of August 14 to submit names for 24 Parliamentary Standing Committees.


• BJP is the only political party yet to submit a list of nominees for various Parliamentary Committees, missing the August 14 deadline set by Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu, after criticism from the opposition of “hurriedly” clearing crucial legislations without parliamentary scrutiny.

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• The cross-border firing started around 7 a.m. in Krishna Ghati sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district and continued till around 5.30 p.m.


• Pakistan troops targeted forward posts with mortar shells and small arms along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on August 15, officials said.

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• A special bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer, will hear the petitions posing legal challenges to the Centre’s decision to scrap provisions of Article 370.


• A special bench, comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer, is hearing the petitions filed by advocate M L Sharma and Executive Editor, Kashmir Times, Anuradha Bhasin.

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• Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UPSSSC) has invited online applications for the post of Chief Engineer Minor Irrigation Department, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow.


• There are a total of 486 vacancies for which the application process began on August 14, 2019. The last date to apply is September 4, 2019.

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• Five investors Societe Generale, Key Square Master Fund LP, BNP Paribas Arbitrage, HDFC Trustee Co Ltd and Key Square Master Fund II LP together accounted for 65.5 per cent of the total investment of ₹ 1,930 crore made in Yes Bank's qualified institutional placement.


• The Capital Raising Committee of the Board of Directors of the Bank on Thursday approved the issue and allotment of 231,055,018 equity shares of face value ₹ 2 each to the eligible qualified institutional buyers at the issue price of ₹ 83.55.

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• Wrestler Deepak Punia won gold in 86-kg junior freestyle category by beating Alik Shebzukhov of Russia at the Junior World Championships 2019 at Tallinn, Estonia. With this, he became the first Indian in 18 years to win the title.


• The last Indians to emerge gold medallists at the junior world championship were Ramesh Kumar (69 kg) and Palwinder Singh Cheema (130 kg) in 2001.

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• On August 15, 2019 chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) K.Sivan, under whose leadership the Chandrayaan- 2 mission (mission to moon) is launched, was conferred with Tamil Nadu Government’s Dr.A.P.J. Abdul Kalam award.


• The award was announced at the Independence Day celebration at Fort St.George, TamilNadu. As he was not present during the celebration, he will later collect it from the chief minister of TamilNadu Shri Edappadi K.Palaniswami at a later date.

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• The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed VG Somani as Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in Level 14 of the Pay Matrix as per the 7th Central Pay Commision (CPC), on deputation basis, for a period of 3 years. He is currently Joint Drugs Controller of India. He succeeds Dr. S. Eswara Reddy.

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• Former India and Tamil Nadu opener V.B. Chandrasekhar passed away. He was 57. Police said the body of the former cricketer was recovered from his residence. They suspect it to be a case of suicide.


• Chandrasekhar, popularly called VB, is survived by a wife and two daughters.