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1. PM Manmohan Singh is committed to a strong Lokpal Amidst the tug of war between the government and Team Anna over the Lokpal Bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said those who disagreed with the proposed legislation should not resort to hunger strikes and fast-unto-death. While acknowledging that corruption was a matter of ‘serious concern to all' and a big obstacle to emergence of India as a major global economic power, Dr. Singh emphasised that no government had the magic wand to eradicate the menace. 3. Headline inflation falls to 9.22% in July Headline inflation declined to an eight-month low of 9.22 per cent in July 2011 as the rate of price rise in food articles and petro-products eased, though pressure remained on manufactured items. Inflation, as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), stood at 9.44 per cent in June. It was 9.98 per cent in July, 2010. As per data released by the government, the overall inflation figure for May this year has been revised upward to 9.56 per cent from the provisional estimate of 9.06 per cent. 4. Google to acquire Motorola Mobility business for $12.5 b In a bid to strengthen its mobile business, Google announced that it would acquire Motorola Mobility Holdings, the cell phone business that was split from Motorola, for $40 a share in cash, or $12.5 billion. The offer by far Google's largest ever for an acquisition is 63 per cent above the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares last. Motorola manufactures phones that run on Google's Android software. Android has become an increasingly important platform for Google, as global smartphone adoption accelerates. The platform, launched in 2007, is now used in more than 150 million devices, with 39 manufacturers. The acquisition would turn Google, which makes the Android mobile operating system, into a full-fledged cell phone manufacturer, in direct competition with Apple. 5. Garo outfit's quit notice to ULFA, NDFB The Achik National Volunteer Council, a Garo militant group that had agreed to a ceasefire, issued a ‘quit notice' to cadres of the ULFA and NDFB who were operating in Garo hills region. 6. Tribal people against bauxite mining A large number of tribal people from 33 villages that will be affected by bauxite mining in the Visakha Agency, attended a public meeting held at Korukonda, reportedly at the behest of the CPI (Maoist). The meeting followed a visit by a group of armed Maoists to the village where they hoisted black flags to protest the government's move to take up bauxite mining and told the villagers to organise a public meeting. This meeting was presided over by Balapam sarpanch Gabalangi Appa Rao and addressed by Kurra Nageswara Rao, Ganapathi Rao, and others, the villagers demanded that the government drop forthwith its plans for bauxite mining and decided to boycott the elections to the local bodies which were due in the near future. 7. Prahlada takes over as DIAT Vice-Chancellor The Chief Controller of Aero Programmes, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Prahlada, has taken over as Vice-Chancellor of the Defence Institute of Advanced Technology (DIAT), a deemed-to-be university situated at Pune. The DIAT is an autonomous organisation fully funded by the DRDO, Ministry of Defence. On the basis of accreditation by the All-India Council of Technical Education, Pune University had recognised in 1980 eight courses in M.E. offered by the DIAT. The Institute became a deemed-to-be university in 2000. Its areas of academic studies and research cover aerospace, computer science, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, applied physics, chemistry, mathematics and material science.

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8. Navy captures hijacked vessel, detains crew The Indian Navy apprehended a hijacked cargo vessel, m.v. Nafis-1, off the Mumbai coast, and detained nine crew members, all foreigners, and recovered automatic weapons and arms on August 14. The 500-tonne vessel, drifting for 20 days after its machinery broke down at sea, was apprehended approximately 170 nautical miles northwest of Mumbai, an official release said. Authorities suspect the vessel might have been employed for smuggling contraband. Nafis-1 is being towed to Porbandar, where the crew — five Yemenis, two Tanzanians, one Kenyan and one Somali — and the ship will be handed over to the local police and other investigating agencies. The Indian Naval Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft IL 38 SD first spotted Nafis-1 on August 12 at a distance of 250 nautical miles during a surveillance mission in the East Arabian Sea. The vessel had been under continuous surveillance since then. 9. At the age of 156, she is no mere showpiece At the age of 156, the world's oldest steam locomotive showed heritage buffs in Chennai why she is no mere showpiece. The “EIR 21” coal-and-steam-powered loco hit the rails once more to turn the clock back to a bygone era during a heritage run organised by Southern Railway to mark Independence Day. 10. Palestinians plan U.N. statehood bid Palestinian leaders have said they will formally request recognition of their state and full membership of the U.N. next month, despite strong U.S. opposition amid warnings that such a move would jeopardise peace talks. Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President, will personally present the application to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon before the U.N. General Assembly opens on September 20. The U.N. has the moral, legal, political and historical responsibility to recognise Palestine and “to put an end to the Israeli occupation”, said Ryad Malki, Palestinian Foreign Minister. Mr. Abbas is to travel to Lebanon to discuss the plan. Lebanon will hold the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council next month and is expected to be sympathetic to the Palestinian campaign. The Israeli Prime Minister's office said the Palestinian move was “expected and regrettable”. “Binyamin Netanyahu [the Israeli Prime Minister] still believes that only through direct and honest negotiations — not through unilateral decisions — will it be possible to advance the peace process,” said the statement. 11. Pakistan “allowed” China to photograph secret U.S. aircraft The Americans are reported to be furious following claims that Pakistan allowed the Chinese military to examine and photograph the U.S. stealth helicopter that crashed in the operation to kill Osama bin Laden. American intelligence sources were quoted as saying Washington had “explicitly” told Pakistan not to allow anyone access to the damaged aircraft. “The U.S. now has information that Pakistan, particularly the ISI, gave access to the Chinese military to the downed helicopter in Abbottabad,” one intelligence official reportedly told . 12. Mobile broadband could fuel growth Pointing out that broadband connectivity could be a driver of socio-economic improvement, a global study has said a 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration in India would contribute to $80 billion of net revenues across the country's transport, healthcare and education sectors by 2015. “A 10 per cent increase in broadband penetration will lead to net growth revenue increases of 42 per cent in the healthcare sector (equating to an additional $27.4 billion), 36.8 per cent in education (extra $31.2 billion) and 18.8 per cent in the transport sector (an additional $20 billion),” said the study on the economic impact of mobile broadband growth that was commissioned by the GSM Association (GSMA).

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13. Govts debt crossed $41 trillion globally in 2010 The total amount of debt incurred by governments across the world jumped to a staggering $41.10 trillion last year, accounting for 69 per cent of the global GDP, because of stimulus packages and anaemic economic growth, says a report. Many governments, especially in the developed world, have resorted to massive stimulus measures to bolster their economies since the 2008 global financial meltdown. “Public debt outstanding (measured as marketable government debt securities) stood at $41.10 trillion at the end of 2010, an increase of nearly $25 trillion since 2000. “This was the equivalent of 69 per cent of global GDP, 23 percentage points higher than in 2000. In just the past two years, public debt has grown by $9.4 trillion — or 13 percentage points of GDP,” global consultancy McKinsey said. 14. No threat to India's sovereign rating: S&P Standard and Poor's has said there is no immediate threat to India's sovereign debt rating of BBB, though loose fiscal policy and the government's inability to carry forward economic reforms could have implications in the medium-term. “We do not see an immediate impact on India's sovereign rating (BBB—/Stable) resulting from the lowering of the U.S. sovereign rating to AA+,” Standard & Poor's sovereign analyst Takahira Ogawa told. S&P recently lowered the sovereign rating of the U.S. to AA+ from AAA. The ratings are opinions that reflect the ability and willingness of the rated entity to meet financial obligations. The decision to lower the sovereign rating of the U.S. had deleterious consequences for stock markets all over the world, including India. Referring to problems with regard to high inflation and the fiscal deficit in India. 15. Dariusz Swiercz emerges champion in Open section Dariusz Swiercz of Tarnowshie Gory, Poland and Cori Deysi of Lima, Peru, won the SDAT-Ramco World junior chess championship which concluded here. Both players remained undefeated and both became the first from their countries to win the prestigious World junior championship. 16. ICC Mace to be handed over to Strauss India's nearly 20-month reign as World No. 1 Test side will formally come to an end when England captain Andrew Strauss is handed the ICC Mace after the end of the fourth and final Test of the series. Strauss will receive the ICC Mace in recognition of England's new status as the world's leading Test team. The Mace will not be presented at The Oval, the venue of the fourth match, to avoid a clash between Reliance and nPower, who are sponsoring the Test series, according to The Guardian. The Mace is plated in silver and gold and is valued at around £30,000.