INDIA India recorded 90 thousand fresh Covid infections as the case tally topped 44 lakh including nearly 9 lakh active cases. Deaths rose by over 1,100 to nearly 75,000. India issued guidelines for a partial reopening of schools for students of classes 9-12 from September 21. An ICMR study found that India's coveted plasma therapy has no effect on reducing a Covid patient's mortality. India became the fourth country after the United States, Russia and China to develop and successfully test hypersonic technology from APJ Abdul Kalam testing range in Odisha. This indigenous technology will pave the way towards the development of missiles travelling at six times the speed of sound. Reported HT. Maharashtra scrapped its 70:30 reservation rule (70% for locals of the region and 30% for those coming from the rest of the state) in medical courses. 'One Maharashtra, one merit', said the Education Minister. Fifteen video streaming services including Netflix, Amazon, Disney+Hotstar signed a self-regulatory pact to make collective informed decisions to benefit viewers and regulate the industry effectively. After India's quarterly GDP sank at the steepest rate globally, Fitch Ratings revised downward its forecast and projected a 10.5% drop in the country's economic output for the current financial year. “The sharp decline in economic growth should alarm us all. The 23.9 per cent contraction in India (and the numbers will probably be worse when we get estimates of the damage in the informal sector) compares with a drop of 12.4 per cent in Italy and 9.5 per cent in the United States, two of the most COVID-19-affected advanced countries,” said former RBI Gov Raghuram Rajan. “All this requires a more thoughtful and active government”, he added. Politician Kangana Ranaut is at war with Shiv Sena, Rhea Chakraborty, Bollywood (the industry that employs her), Mumbai and Hrithik Roshan among others. Why? Because she speaks the bitter truth and everyone hates her for it. Allegedly. Amid the standoff, Mumbai’s municipality started bulldozing her building in Mumbai for alleged building violations until the Bombay High Court issued a stay. “Uddhav Thackeray, tujhe kya lagta hai ” Today my house is destroyed, tomorrow it will be your ego”, she said in a clip addressed to the Chief Minister. After arresting Rhea Chakraborty, the Narcotics Control Bureau shifted her to the Byculla jail. A court rejected her bail application as the NCB argued that she was 'an active member of a drug syndicate'. UNITED STATES United States President Donald Trump has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2021 for his role in brokering a historic deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. He might win, too. Further, Trump is expected to withdrawal more US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, as part of his pledge to stop ‘endless’ wars. Dr Fauci said a coronavirus vaccine is unlikely to be ready before the US Presidential election in November this year. Half a million children in the US have tested positive for Coronavirus, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. In Salt Lake City, a 13-year-old boy with autism was shot several times by police. Police reportedly responded to his mother's call to help her after the boy was having an episode caused by “bad separation anxiety”. While the mother hoped the cops would help de-escalate the situation, they instead sent the boy to the ER. AROUND THE WORLD Final clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, have been put on hold after a participant had a suspected adverse reaction in the UK. In India, drug regulator DCGI issued a show-cause notice to Serum Institute of India, the firm that has partnered AstraZeneca in manufacturing the potential vaccine. A poll found that 44% of Greeks will not take the Coronavirus vaccine if and when one becomes available. Reported To Vima. Further, nearly 20% of the respondents said they oppo