The Hindu Morning Digest - August 9, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday (August 8, 2025) said he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in the U.S. State of Alaska. Earlier, Mr. Trump had said that he will meet 'very shortly' with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a potential major milestone after expressing weeks of frustration that more was not being done to quell the fighting.
Rajnath postpones U.S. visit; defence purchases unaffected
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has postponed his visit to the U.S., which was originally scheduled for the last week of August. According to sources, the visit has been deferred — not cancelled, as earlier reported — and is likely to take place within the next couple of months.
Modi, Putin discuss Ukraine amid Trump tariff row
Amidst worsening ties with the United States over India's oil imports from Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke over the telephone to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday night. According to statements from New Delhi and Moscow, the two leaders discussed Mr. Putin's upcoming visit to India for the 23rd Annual India Russia Summit, their strategic partnership, and the Ukraine conflict.
Russia is not Iran, India can't cancel oil imports on U.S. demand: experts
India cannot cancel oil imports from Russia as it did six years ago with Iran and Venezuela, given the difference in the scale and importance of the relationship, said experts, warning that the U.S.'s actions against India were damaging the relationship built over decades. In 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump had in his first term, demanded that India 'zero out' its oil imports from Iran and Venezuela. India had eventually complied with the demand before the deadline in May 2019.
EU, U.K. ask Israel to reconsider escalation in Gaza as Germany suspends some arms exports to Israel
European governments, on Friday, pushed back against the Israeli cabinet's approval of a plan to take over Gaza City. The U.K. and E.U. called for Tel Aviv to 'reconsider' its move and Germany said it would not export arms to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip. 'The Israeli government's decision to further extend its military operation in Gaza must be reconsidered,' European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen said in a statement on social media site X, as she called for an immediate ceasefire.
Day after Rahul Gandhi's 'expose', access to voter rolls hits a snag
A day after Rahul Gandhi's 'expose' on the alleged voter roll manipulations in an Assembly constituency in Karnataka, the Election Commission's website through which Assembly-wise list of electoral rolls can be downloaded was not working intermittently on Friday. However, the EC posted on social media claiming the links were up.
Irish Foreign Minister to meet Indian community members amid attacks
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris will meet representatives of the Indian community in Ireland on Monday (August 11, 2025) to assure them of safety and security, the Embassy of Ireland said on Friday (August 8, 2025), as attacks against Indian community members soared in recent weeks. In a statement, the Embassy here expressed 'shock' about the indiscriminate attacks against the members of the Indian community.
Apollo 13 moon mission leader James Lovell dies at 97
James Lovell, the commander of Apollo 13 who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering, has died. He was 97. In 1968, the Apollo 8 crew of Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders was the first to leave Earth's orbit and the first to fly to and circle the moon. They could not land, but they put the US ahead of the Soviets in the space race. During the harrowing Apollo 13 flight in April 1970, Lovell was supposed to be the fifth man to walk on the moon. But Apollo 13's service module, carrying Lovell and two others, experienced a sudden oxygen tank explosion on its way to the moon. The astronauts barely survived, spending four cold and clammy days in the cramped lunar module as a lifeboat.
Uttarkashi flash floods: Rescue efforts at Dharali continue, heavy rain forecast
Rescue and relief operations at Dharali, the village in Uttarakhand ravaged by flash floods on August 5, continued for the fourth day on Friday (August 8, 2025) amid fresh warning of heavy rainfall across the State in the next 24 hours.
Doubled U.S. tariffs to increase risks to India's growth, inflation, says Moody's
The 50% tariff imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to increase risk to India's growth and inflation, rating agency Moody's said on Friday. 'Should India continue to procure Russian oil at the expense of the headline 50% tariff rate on goods it ships to the U.S., which is currently its largest export destination, we project that real GDP growth may slow by around 0.3 percentage points compared with our current forecast of 6.3% growth for fiscal 2025-26,' Moody's said.
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