Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag and addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of India's 76th Independence Day. The August 15 ceremony is particularly significant this year as it marks 75 years of India's Independence from British rule

Notably, this was Prime Minister's ninth address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

Here are the top quotes from PM Modi's speech at the Red Fort while addressing the nation

On freedom fighters

"Our country is grateful to Gandhiji, Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Ramprasad Bismil, Rani Laxmi Bai, Subash Chandra Bose, and all other freedom fighters who shook the foundations of the British Empire. We salute not only those who fought for freedom, but also the architects of free India such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Ram Manohar Lohia and Sardar Vallabhai Patel, amongst the many others."

The Prime Minister also said that India has been home to great thinkers like Vivekanand, Aurobindo and Rabindranath Tagore. "Our heroes like Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Lal Bahadur Shastri fought for our independence and moulded our country."

On women

Modi said that every Indian is filled with pride when they remember the strength of the women of the country - be it Rani Laxmibai, Jhalkaribai, Chennamma, Begum Hazrat Mahal.

He also gave a powerful message to the nation to take a pledge. "It's important that in speech and conduct, we do nothing that lowers the dignity of women," he said.

"I have one request to every Indian. Can we change the mentality towards our women in everyday life? The pride of Nari Shakti will play a vital role in fulfilling the dreams of India. It is important that in our speech and conduct, we do nothing that lowers the dignity of women. Respect for women is an important pillar of India's growth. We need to support our 'Nari Shakti."

On unity

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for unity among people while pointing out that sometimes the country's talent is restricted by its language barriers, urged countrymen to be proud of every language. "Sometimes our talent is restricted by language barriers. This is an example of Imperialism. When we are connected to our roots, then only can we fly high; and when we fly high, we will provide solutions to the entire world," asserted the Prime Minister in his address to the nation today.

"Community spirit has risen again in the last few years. For the last three days, the entire country has marched with tricolour," he said adding that "India has seen a lot of ups and downs in the last 75 years. There have been sorrows as well as achievements in these years. We faced natural calamities, wars and other problems. But unity in diversity became our guiding power."

On Green Jobs

Prime Minister said there are multiple employment opportunities opened with the creation of Green Jobs.

"Jai Jawan, Jai Kisaan, Jai Vigyaan, Jai Anusandhan - as we celebrate 75 years, we need to follow this mantra that was given to us by Lal Bahadur Shastri and later tweaked by Atal Bihari Vajpayee."

He also took aim at the evils and sought the people's cooperation to fight them. The Prime Minister said that the country needs to shift its mentality from "Bhai-Bhatijawad" and Parivaarwad (nepotism) and give an opportunity to the citizens who deserve it.

On corruption

The Prime Minister said that there is no place for corruption in our society and that the people of the country need to come together as a society to punish those who have propagated the evil of corruption. "Today the nation shows anger towards corruption, but not the corrupted. Until and unless, people have the mentality of penalizing the corrupt, the nation cannot progress at optimum pace."

On nepotism

"Another evil we need to come together against is nepotism. We need to give opportunities to those who are talented and will work towards the progress of the nation. Talent will be the basis of a New India. To cleanse every institute of India, let's shift our mentality from 'Bhai Bhatijawad' and Parivaarwad and give an opportunity to the citizens who deserve it."

On Panchpran

Modi also asked the citizens to focus on what he said, "In coming years, we've to focus on 'Panchpran'- First, to move forward with bigger resolves and resolve of developed India; Second, erase all traces of servitude; Third, be proud of our legacy; Fourth, strength of unity and fifth, duties of citizens which includes the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers.

On digital India

"Today, we are seeing the Digital India initiative, startups grow in the country, and a lot of talent is coming from Tier 2 & 3 cities. We have to believe in our abilities."

He said India's "techade" is here as the government is focusing on technologies such as 5G, semiconductor manufacturing and optical fibre cables. These technologies, PM Modi said, will bring about a revolution at the grassroots level.

"Governments too have to work on the knife's edge to fulfil these aspirations."

A contingent of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Aug 12 left for Malaysia to participate in a bilateral exercise named 'Udarashakti'.

The IAF in an official statement said, “Indian Air Force is participating in the air exercise with Su-30 MKI and C-17 aircraft while the RMAF will be flying Su 30 MKM aircraft. The Indian contingent departed from one of its air bases directly for their destination, the RMAF base of Kuantan.”

The four days of exercise will witness the conduct of various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces. The exercise will give an opportunity to IAF contingent members to share and learn best practices with some of the best professionals from RMAF (Royal Malaysian Air Force), while also discussing mutual combat capabilities.

The first such bilateral Air Force exercise staging the frontline Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft was conducted in 2018. The Indian Air Force Training Team was deployed in Malaysia to train Malaysian pilots on the SU-30SKM aircraft from 2008 to 2010.

Continuing its crackdown on government employees, the Lt Governor administration in Jammu and Kashmir has sacked four government employees including Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's son and arrested JKLF leader Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bita Karate’s wife on charges of being involved in 'anti-national' activities.

All four employees were dismissed from service under Article 311 of the Constitution which enables the government to sack a person employed in civil capacities under Union or a State without an inquiry.

Syed Abdul Mueed, Manager, Information and Technology at Department of Industries and Commerce, is the son of Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based chief of banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate is currently in judicial custody in terror funding cases. His wife Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services officer, was posted in the Directorate of Rural Development.

The others dismissed are Dr Muheet Ahmad Bhat, a scientist who works in the Post-Graduate Department of Computer Science at the University of Kashmir; and Majid Hussain Qadiri, who is a senior assistant professor in the Department of Management Studies at the University of Kashmir

The activities of these employees had come to the adverse notice of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as they have been found involved in activities prejudicial to the interests of the security of the State.

A couple of days after Nitish Kumar-led JD-U went into a political formation with RJD-led Mahagatvandhan, noted author and former diplomat turned politician Pavan K Varma sprang a surprise on  Aug 12 by tendering his resignation from the All Indian Trinamool Congress (AITC).

Author Salman Rushdie was attacked and stabbed on the stage at an event in New York City on Aug 12 . He was about to deliver his speech when the attacker, a 24-year-old Muslim man Hadi Matar, stormed onto the stage and stabbed the author multiple times.

Author Salman Rushdie attended the event to deliver a speech on how the US was a safe haven for exiled writers.

At around 11 am (local NY time), Rushdie was seated on stage and being introduced when the attacker, dressed in black, jumped onto the stage and stabbed the writer 21 times.

Rushdie fell down in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds, even on the side of his neck.

The attacker, later identified as 24-year-old Hadi Matar, a sympathiser of the Iranian government that had called for Rushdie's death, was caught immediately.

A bloodied Rushdie was airlifted from a field adjacent to the venue to a hospital in northwestern Pennsylvania where the 75-year-old writer underwent surgery.

Who is Salman Rushdie?

Salman Rushdie, the Mumbai-born controversial author had faced Islamist death threats for years after writing 'The Satanic Verses' in 1988 which forced him into hiding for nine years.

A year after the book's publication, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for Rushdie's execution for publishing a book with 'blasphemous content'.

Since the 1980s, Rushdie's writing has led to death threats from Iran, which has offered a USD 3 million reward for anyone who kills him.

Latvia and Estonia say they have left a Chinese-backed forum aimed at boosting relations with Eastern European countries, in what appears to be a new setback for China's increasingly assertive diplomacy.

The move follows China's boosting of its relations with Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine is seen as a possible first step in a series of moves against countries that were once part of the Soviet Union.

China has refused to criticize Russia and has condemned punishing economic sanctions imposed on Moscow by the West.

Weeks before the invasion, Chinese President and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing and declared their bilateral relations had "no limits" in a joint statement.

The move also comes after Beijing launched economic and diplomatic retaliation against another Baltic state, Lithuania, in retaliation for its expanded ties with the self-governing island democracy of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and threatens to annex by force.

China's increasing assertiveness and recent threatening military exercises near Taiwan have brought a sharp backlash from the US, the EU, Japan, Australia and others.

China set up the forum to strengthen relations with members of the EU as well as Serbia and others, partly to further Xi's signature Belt and Road campaign to build bridges, railways, power plants and other infrastructure across the Eurasian continent.

China originally styled the forum as a "17 plus one" arrangement, but the number of European partners has now fallen to 14.

India's exports rose by 2.14 per cent to USD 36.27 billion in July while the trade deficit almost tripled to USD 30 billion during the month due to over 70 per cent rise in crude oil imports.

Imports shot up by 43.61 per cent to USD 66.27 billion in the month compared to July 2021.

The trade deficit was USD 10.63 billion in July 2021.

Preliminary data released earlier this month had shown a 0.76 per cent contraction in exports at USD 35.24 billion for July.

However, exports during April-July 2022-23 rose by 20.13 per cent to USD 157.44 billion.

Imports during the four months increased by 48.12 per cent to USD 256.43 billion.

The trade deficit stood at USD 98.99 billion as against USD 42 billion during April-July 2021-22.

Imports of crude and petroleum products during July this year were USD 21.13 billion, up 70.4 per cent compared to USD 12.4 billion in July 2021.

Imports of coal, coke and briquettes shot up more than twofold to USD 5.2 billion while that of vegetable oil rose 47.18 per cent to USD 2 billion in July this year.

Inbound shipments of gold, however, declined by 43.6 per cent to USD 2.37 billion compared to 4.2 billion in July 2021.

Exports of engineering goods; petroleum products; gems and jewellery; and drugs and pharmaceuticals, contracted in July 2022 year-on-year.

On the export front, sectors which recorded positive growth include petroleum products, leather, electronic goods, and coffee.

Engineering, gems and jewellery, plastic, cashew and carpet segments witnessed a fall.

According to the data, the estimated value of services export for July 2022 is USD 24.91 billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 28.69 per cent year-on-year.

Imports are estimated at USD 15.95 billion, a growth of 40.02 per cent.

In a relief to the common man as well as policymakers, retail inflation seems to have begun moderating as the headline inflation rate measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased to 6.71% in July from 7.01% in June. It is for the first time since April 2022 that retail inflation has fallen below the 7% level.

The lower figure in July was largely driven by the easing of prices of food and beverage and miscellaneous items. While housing, pan, tobacco and intoxicant prices showed moderate growth, that of clothing and fuel continued to expand sharply year-on-year.

On a month-on-month basis, however, vegetable prices fell marginally as the food and beverages index remained flat, also benefiting from corrections in prices of edible oils, meat and fish. The drop in inflation in July was on expected lines as fears of global recession and fresh geopolitical uncertainties led to a correction in global commodity prices, easing the domestic inflation pressure.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its August monetary policy statement retained its inflation projection for 2022-23 at 6.7%. RBI is mindful of the fact that spillovers from geopolitical shocks are imparting considerable uncertainty to the inflation trajectory. The central bank also said that it is watchful of the shortfall in paddy sowing.