Notes:
1971 war hero Commodore Kasaragod Patnashetti Gopal Rao dies at 94. Commodore Kasaragod Patnashetti Gopal Rao, a 1971 war hero and recipient of the Mahavir Chakra in the year 1971, passed away at the age of 94 on August 9, 2021. Rao was a recipient of the Veer Seva Medal also. He played a key role in the war with Pakistan to liberate East Pakistan that is now Bangladesh. Rao led a small task group of the Western Fleet and launched an offensive off the coast of Karachi as part of Operation Cactus Lily. He led the group into enemy waters on the night of December 4, 1971 and sunk two destroyers and a minesweeper.

Notes:
PM Narendra Modi has chaired UNSC High-Level Open Debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security” Stressing on enhancing maritime security. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8th August, 2021 called for peaceful settlement of disputes as per international law and for jointly combating maritime threats posed by non-state actors as he chaired a high-level UN Security Council open debate on “Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation” via video conferencing. PM Narendra Modi is the first Indian PM to chair UNSC meet.

Notes:
The United Nations has declared 2021 as the International Year of Peace and Trust, the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, and the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. Also, the Catholic Church has proclaimed 2021 as the Year of Saint Joseph.

Notes:
China made its newly constructed terminal operational at Lhasa airport in Tibet. This new terminal is the biggest terminal in Tibet opened to further expand the transport infrastructure in strategic Himalayan region. It will help Tibet to emerge as a global logistics hub for South Asia. New terminal would give a significant boost to passenger and cargo transport. Airport expansion project was completed at the cost of USD 603 million. It will help Tibet in becoming a global logistics hub for South Asia.

Notes:
A bill seeking to abolish as many as nine appellate tribunals, including the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), was approved by Parliament with the Rajya Sabha passing the proposed legislation on August 9, 2021. The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2021, was approved by Lok Sabha on August 3. As per the statement of objects and reasons of the bill, all cases pending before such tribunals or authorities will be transferred to the Commercial Court or High Court. The legislation also provides for uniform terms and conditions of service for chairperson and members of various tribunals.