🔋 Redmi 17 lands internationally with huge battery

The Xiaomi Redmi 17 4G has officially launched in several international markets beyond China. It is now available in Germany with starting prices at €219, and also listed in Spain. The phone features a massive 7,500 mAh battery and a 120 Hz display, despite some hardware compromises. Its base model comes with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, and it supports 45 W fast charging. Future availability across wider European markets remains limited for now. 🔋

🩺 Guntur Doctor Wins Big for Spine Research

Dr. Mohana Rao Patibandla secured three awards for his research in minimally invasive spine surgery. The recognition came at the 26th annual meeting of PASMISS, which was held in Chennai recently. These awards include the PASMISS best free paper, MISSAB best free paper, and COSSCON best paper gold medal. His research focused on a new surgical technique for complex disorders at the skull-upper spine junction. Dr. Rao emphasized that such recognition boosts ongoing medical innovation. 🩺

🤝 Congress rewards ex-BJP leader after Datia bypoll

The Congress appointed senior Datia leader Avadhesh Nayak as General Secretary of the state Congress. This move happened in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, following the Datia byelection results. Nayak's appointment recognizes his loyalty despite being denied the party ticket twice in less than three years. Meanwhile, former BJP CM Uma Bharti called for a serious review of her party's electoral strategy after the defeat. The BJP dismissed the Congress's action as purely politically motivated. 😥

🗣️ Dipke jabs critics after Bhagwat backs student protests

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke responded to critics who labeled protesters as anti-national. This followed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat stating in Mumbai that protesting does not make Gen Z anti-national. Bhagwat asserted that Gen Z's concerns are genuine and that protests are a form of dialogue. Dipke's comment is seen as targeting BJP leaders who alleged foreign links in the NEET-UG paper leak protests. Officials are currently probing clashes and police excess allegations in Delhi.

😠 Udhayanidhi seeks Rs 100 crore over news coverage

Udhayanidhi Stalin has issued legal notices demanding Rs 100 crore in damages from two national media houses. The notices, filed on August 6 from Chennai, accuse the broadcasters of defamation over their coverage of his remarks from August 3. These broadcasts allegedly misrepresented his speech, damaging his reputation, and were amplified by other media. He demands a public apology and the removal of specified videos within 48 hours. If not complied with, civil and criminal proceedings will be initiated against the organizations. 😠

⚖️ Vijay and Udhayanidhi clash over Cauvery dispute

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay defended his push for direct talks with Karnataka regarding the Cauvery dispute during an Assembly session. He clashed with Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over the Mekedatu dam issue on Friday. Vijay rejected the demand for an all-party meeting, stressing Tamil Nadu would not compromise its water rights. He stated he was prepared for 'humiliation' if dialogue helped protect the state's interests. The government has already informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the state's strong legal stance. ⚖️

🚨 US Gov work: Startup's core duty, not a side gig

Meta AI head Alexandr Wang urged American startups to treat serving the US government as a fundamental principle. This statement was made in response to concerns about Chinese companies sourcing training data from Silicon Valley firms. The Forbes report revealed top six Chinese AI labs spend around $500 million annually with American data-labeling companies. Wang and Aakash Sabharwal warned this undermines American AI leadership and risks national security. Startups must prioritize US service over commercial convenience to maintain technological edge.

☔ Kerala faces heavy rain warnings across seven districts 🌧️

Relentless heavy rains caused disruptions across Kerala, leading the IMD to issue a red alert for seven districts. The red alert covers Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kannur, and Kasaragod as of Friday morning. Isolated areas expect intense rainfall over 15 mm per hour with winds up to 50 kmph for the next three hours. Various districts announced holidays for educational institutions while rescue operations continued in flood-hit zones. Coastal areas also face high wave warnings until 11:30 am on August 7, urging residents to stay safe.

🗳️ SC won't throw out election challenge against Baghel

The Supreme Court dismissed former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel's request to reject an election petition challenging his 2023 victory. The plea was filed by his BJP rival Vijay Baghel in the context of the Patan Assembly constituency. The petition alleged a violation of the 48-hour silence period via a roadshow on November 16, 2023. Baghel argued the allegation was only an electoral offence, not a corrupt practice, and that it couldn't affect the result. Ultimately, the Court allowed Baghel to argue his points during the trial before the High Court. 🗳️

⚖️ SC dismisses NEET OMR discrepancy plea

Six NEET candidates filed a plea alleging that their marked answers differed from the OMR sheets uploaded by the NTA. The Supreme Court, comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, decided not to examine these individual concerns. The bench stated that its focus is on the larger issue of NTA institutionalization and strengthening its mechanism. The court advised the candidates to raise these specific grievances before the Delhi High Court. This dismissal comes as counselling for the exam is already underway. ⚖️

♻️ 4 startups giving old clothes a glow-up

Textile waste is piling up across India, leading four innovative startups to tackle the issue. NoKasa in Bengaluru offers doorstep pickup for old clothes, while MuddleArt in New Delhi manages factory scraps. MuddleArt has already diverted over 7,000 tonnes of textile waste with 250+ partners as of 2019. Tooused helps users across 18,000+ pin codes by recycling old items for credits, and Canvaloop turns agricultural waste into new fibres. These companies are revolutionizing waste management through reuse and upcycling. ♻️