Top 10 Headlines: India touches COVID-19 vaccine milestone; PV Sindhu wins Singapore Open

India touches historic COVID-19 vaccination milestone; crosses 2 billion mark

In a historic feat, India has now administered a mammoth number of 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. According to the official information shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the Co-WIN platform, India has successfully administered over 2,00,00,92,900 doses and counting as of 12.30 PM on July 17.

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PV Sindhu beats Wang Zhi Yi to clinch maiden Super 500 title of 2022 season

PV Sindhu won her maiden Super 500 badminton title of the 2022 season after beating China's Wang Zhi Yi in the final of the Singapore Open. The Indian defeated her Chinese opponent 21-9, 11-21, 21-15. This was Sindhu's third final of 2022, having won the Syed Modi International and Swiss Open BWF Super 300 titles back in January and March, respectively

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Pakistani drone spotted near international border in J&K's Samba; search ops underway

As instances of Pakistani drones infiltrating Indian territory continue to be reported from the border regions, the Indian Army on Sunday spotted yet another Pakistani drone flying near the Samba International Border in Jammu and Kashmir. According to the latest input, the drone movement was detected by the alert security troops last night. 

While the drone remained in the air for around 15 minutes, it later flew back toward Pakistan. It was spotted at a height of 300 metres in the air. Following this, the security forces also launched search operations in the area to find any air droppings. 

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BJP lambasts Tejashwi Yadav for insulting Droupadi Murmu; 'Shows anti-tribal mindset'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lambasted Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav for insulting the NDA's candidate Droupadi Murmu and said that this exposes the "anti-tribal", "anti-woman" mindset of the RJD leader. Notably, Yadav who has already announced his party's support for Opposition face Yashwant Sinha insulted Murmu by calling her "statue".

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UK claims Russia adding reinforcements in Donbass following Ukraine's recent advancements

Russian armed forces have been reinforcing defensive positions in captured parts of southern Ukraine, the UK Defence Ministry said in the latest report. The British intelligence underscored that the Russian forces continue to move their troops, equipment and defensive stores between the regions of Mariupol, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. It further stated that Ukrainian troops have been applying pressure on the defensive line of Russian armed forces in Kherson for more than a month. According to the British ministry, the Russian defensive movement has been "likely" made in response to anticipated offensives of Ukraine's armed forces and attacks carried out by Kyiv against their command posts and troops concentrations. 

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Russia asserts troops ramping up military operations as more missiles strike Ukraine

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of subsiding, Kremlin on Saturday stepped up its military assault on Ukraine, with reports of civilian fatalities being reported in numerous parts of the war-torn country. This has been witnessed as a result of Putin's administration ordering its troops to advance operations there, iTv reported. In the early hours of Saturday, July 16, the Russian missile attacks on the northern Ukrainian city of Chuhuiv resulted in at least three civilian casualties and three further injuries, according to the regional police chief. Furthermore, Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of Kharkiv Oblast, first revealed the events, stating that an apartment complex in Chuhuiv and other civilian facilities were attacked in the early hours of Saturday.   

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POTUS Biden asserts Putin-tailored war is a failure but threatens global stability, peace

US President Joe Biden, who recently embarked on a trip to Middle East countries, has again lashed out at his Russian counterpart Putin for initiating the most ferocious war against Ukraine. While speaking at the bilateral meeting during the Summit of the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, POTUS Biden termed Russia's attack on Ukraine "a challenge to peace and stability everywhere in the world". He echoed that Putin's war must be a strategic failure and added the free world "must sustain resolve to help Ukraine defend its democracy".

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Xi Jinping meets PLA in Ladakh-bordering-Xinjiang, calls for 'military policy of new era'

On a rare visit to the restive Xinjiang region which borders Ladakh, Chinese President Xi Jinping met the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) troops connected with the Galwan standoff on July 15, Friday. Xi, who heads the Central Military Commission (CMC), met the representatives of the officers and soldiers stationed in Xinjiang in the provincial capital Urumqi on Friday. Interacting the officers stationed there, Xi praised their outstanding contributions to the border defence and stabilisation of the volatile province.

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Monsoon Session: All-party meeting underway, govt to discuss ways to increase productivity

Ahead of the Monsoon session of the Parliament which is slated to take place tomorrow, the government is hosting an all-party meeting today at 11 am. The meeting is scheduled to formulate a strategy to maximise the productivity of the House and address the concerns of the Opposition during the term. 

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US: Protests erupt outside house of ex-Sri Lankan President Gotabaya’s son in Los Angeles

Amid the economic and political crisis in Sri Lanka, a group of protestors gathered outside the house of the son of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Los Angeles, USA. The protest outside Manoj Rajapaksa's house came despite his father tendering his resignation amid the massive public outcry in the island nation. Earlier in April and July 11, his son had to face a similar protest where the angered Sri Lankans demanded the immediate resignation of senior Rajapaksa. The protestors alleged that the 73-year-old leader looted the country and brought luxury properties for his family. 

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