1) I-Day speech: CM Vijay announces hike in financial aid for ex-servicemen, freedom fighters
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay in his Independence Day speech announced a series of increases in financial assistance and pensions for ex-servicemen, freedom fighters and their families
2) Chennai: Protests, hunger strike continue even after NEET resolution passed in Assembly
Even days after the Tamil Nadu government adopted a special resolution against the medical entrance examination NEET, sustained protests across Chennai continue demanding that the exam be banned altogether
3) Days after ban, FSSAI lifts prohibition on 11 liquor brands
Days after it banned the sale of 11 liquor brands manufactured by Enrica Enterprises Private Limited, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) revoked the prohibition order, prompting Prohibition and Excise Commissioner R Gajalakshmi to write to the TASMAC managing director to withdraw the ban on the products.
4) In a first, 'Vande Mataram' rendered during 80th I-Day celebrations at Red Fort, full 6 stanzas sung
In a first for Independence Day celebrations, 'Vande Mataram', with the full six stanzas, was rendered at the Red Fort complex during the 79th anniversary of the historic occasion on August 15, followed by the recitation of the national anthem at the grand event.
5) Coimbatore honoured as Tamil Nadu’s best-performing municipal corporation
Coimbatore was honoured as the best-performing municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu, securing the first prize at the State-level Independence Day celebrations in Chennai on Saturday (August 15). Thanjavur secured the second prize among municipal corporations.
6) I-Day speech: PM Modi bets on energy security, chips and tech to power India's 2047 ambition
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday put energy security, semiconductor manufacturing and advanced technology at the centre of India's next phase of growth, while calling for faster reforms and challenging Indian companies to become global leaders as the country seeks to become a developed economy by 2047.
Residents of Ekanapuram village in Kancheepuram district on Saturday (August 15) passed a unanimous resolution thanking Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for his opposition to the proposed Parandur greenfield airport and sought the renaming of the village's main road as 'Thalapathy Vijay Road'.
8) 3 alleged poachers killed in Karnataka encounter, CM orders magisterial probe
Three alleged poachers were killed in an exchange of fire with forest personnel in the Datti forest area under the Shagya range here on Saturday, prompting Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to order a magisterial inquiry into the incident.
CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan on Saturday said only the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram should be sung, alleging that the remaining stanzas carried a communal tone
10) One more death in flooded Chamoli tunnel, 8 casualties so far; search on for 2 stuck
Rescuers on Saturday found one more dead inside a tunnel under construction inundated with water two days ago here, leading to the death of seven workers, with the clock ticking for the couple of workers still inside
11) Stopped from leaving hospital for Independence Day event, says Jharkhand protest leader Mahato
12) Magnitude 7.7 earthquake strikes off Indonesia's coast, killing at least 38 and toppling buildings
A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early Saturday, killing at least 38 people, collapsing buildings and homes as well as causing panic in a region prone to deadly quakes. Authorities said more than a dozen residents were injured.