1) India slips to 105th position on Global Economic Freedom Index, 2020. Last year, India held the 79th spot in this ranking.
2) India-US hold 2+2 intersessional meeting. The Intersessional Meeting of the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue was held on Friday where the two sides discussed a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues.
3) Japanese Defence Minister Taro Kono has called for increased cooperation in the India-Pacific region to counter Chinese expansion.
4) French Defence Minister Florence Parly said France supports Indian candidature for permanent seat at the UN security council.
5) Chinese military jets penetrated Taiwan’s Air Defence Identification Zone for two consecutive days this week during a military exercise. These include SU-30 fighter, J-10 fighter and Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft. This manoeuvre was condemned by the Taiwanese government.
6) PM Modi will be virtually inaugurating 1.75 lakh houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G) in Madhya Pradesh on 12th September. Under PMAY-G, which was launched in November 2016, 1.14 crore houses have been built across the country so far.
7) In a bid to support agricultural sector amid the coronavirus pandemic, the apex agriculture financial institution, NABARD, announced its intention to disburse Rs.1.20 lakh crore crop loans to farmers to enable them to meet production expenses.
8) Five Rafale fighter jets were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force on Thursday at a glittering ceremony in the Ambala air base.
9) PM Modi to launch PMMSY. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana is a flagship scheme that aims at focused and sustained development of India’s fisheries sector.
10) The first India-France-Australia Trilateral Dialogue was held virtually on Wednesday. The meeting was co-chaired by Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Foreign Secretary of India, François Delattre, Secretary-General, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Frances Adamson, Secretary, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The focus of the dialogue was on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region.