| Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day's biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. PM Modi lays foundation stone for Ram temple in Ayodhya In a pivotal day for Indian politics, and what is seen as an event that could shape the political narrative for years to come, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, 28 years after the demolition of the Babri Masjid that once stood at the same spot. The building of the Ram temple marks the culmination of a campaign that dominated, and polarised, the domestic political landscape for decades. Today, however, it was met by a near unanimous show of support from political parties across the spectrum. Modi was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, among others. The Prime Minister unveiled a plaque and released a commemorative postal stamp to mark the occasion. In a lengthy and emotional speech, he said a long wait has finally ended and the Ram temple will be the harbinger of a prosperous India. Some highlights from PM's speech "Our scriptures say there has been no ruler like Lord Ram. Lord Ram's policy was that motherland is bigger than heaven. It is also Lord Ram's policy that as a nation gets powerful, it becomes better at living peacefully. We have to ensure that fraternity and friendship cements the bricks of this temple. We have to respect the sentiments of everyone," Modi said. "India's faith, the collective of the people, and the strength of this collective, has been a subject of research by many across the world…Ram is the thread of India's unity in diversity," Modi said, commenting on the different traditions and names of Ram and Ramayan in different languages such as like Tamil, Telugu, Odiya, Bengali, Kashmiri, and Malayalam. Mamata, Yechury strike a different note West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was perhaps the only major politician to make an oblique reference to Hindutva politics, observing that the legacy of the country is unity in diversity and that "we must preserve this to our last breath". "Our country has always upheld the age-old legacy of unity in diversity, and we must preserve this to our last breath!," Banerjee said on social media. "Hindu Muslim Sikh Isaai Aapas mein hain Bhai Bhai! Mera Bharat Mahaan, Mahaan Hamara Hindustan (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian, all are brothers. My India is Great)," she added. Banerjee did not refer to the ceremony in Ayodhya. On the whole, the Trinamool Congress leadership has remained silent on the Supreme Court order allowing the construction of the temple and related developments. Only the Left took an unambiguously critical stance on the event, with CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury stating that the bhumi pujan for the Ram temple in the presence of the Governor and the chief minister goes against the secular, democratic character of India. Beirut blast claims more than 100, two-week emergency declared Many of you are probably familiar with this story by now, as videos of the tragic incident have gone viral on social media. A massive blast occurred in port warehouses near central Beirut on Tuesday, killing 100 people, and injuring nearly 4,000. The blast sent shockwaves that shattered windows, smashed masonry, and shook the ground across the Lebanese capital. The blast has been linked to the storage of massive quantities highly explosive material in the warehouses. Officials said they expected the death toll to rise further as emergency workers dug through rubble to rescue people and remove the dead.  This picture taken on August 4, 2020 shows a general view of destruction at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut following a massive explosion there. While Lebanon's volatile capital is no stranger to violent explosions, the city, already reeling from an economic crisis and a surge in coronavirus infections, has never seen one of this magnitude. The Lebanese government has declared a two-week state of emergency, effectively giving the military full powers in the capital. It has also approved $13 million to deal with the crisis. Lebanon's interior minister said initial information indicated highly explosive material, seized years ago and stored at the port, had blown up. Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, denied any role and offered help. Tight security in J&K on anniversary of Article 370 abrogation While much of the media focus has been on the Ram Temple ceremony, today also marks the one-year anniversary of the Modi government's decision to abrogate Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370. Tight security was maintained across the Kashmir Valley today to foil protest marches by the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).  A man cycles past a barricade set up as road blockade as a paramilitary soldier stands guard in Srinagar on August 5, 2020 on the first anniversary of revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status. NC president and Member of Parliament Farooq Abdullah is chairing a meeting of all regional parties "to chalk out the future course of action", at his residence on Gupkar Road. The move apparently is to carry forward the Gupkar Declaration signed on August 4, 2019 by the regional parties, which called for "a joint front to defend J&K's special status". However, security has been beefed up on Gupkar Road, and barricades have been set up. China calls change in J&K status 'illegal' Speaking of Article 370, China today repeated its opposition to the move, saying "any unilateral change to the status quo" in Jammu and Kashmir is "illegal and invalid". The statement from China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, in response to a question on the anniversary, reiterated Beijing's opposition to the move, which it had similarly expressed in several statements last year. "China follows closely the situation in the Kashmir region," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. "Our position is consistent and clear. This issue is a dispute left over from history between Pakistan and India. That is an objective fact established by the U.N. Charter, U.N. Security Council resolutions, and bilateral agreements between Pakistan and India. Any unilateral change to the status quo is illegal and invalid." Last year, Beijing had particularly voiced its opposition to the creation of a union territory in Ladakh, which included within its boundaries the Aksai Chin region, now occupied by China, although India had pointed out to China that the change had not altered India's external boundaries or its territorial claims in any way. Tweets amounted to 'criticism' and not 'contempt', Bhushan tells SC Noted civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan today conveyed to the Supreme Court that his tweets in June of a photograph showing Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde astride a bike and the court's role in the past six years amounted to 'criticism' and not contempt.  A file picture of Prashant Bhushan. "This is criticism... Why don't you take it objectively?" senior advocate Dushyant Dave, for Bhushan, asked a three-judge Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra. Noting that hundreds of people had tweeted the photograph of Chief Justice Bobde on the motorbike, Dave asked, "There are many amusing tweets by others... Is the court going to call them all in?" Covid watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 19,51,813 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 40,643. India on Wednesday recorded 52,509 new cases. The Health Ministry said that India registered a record 51,706 coronavirus recoveries today and that the country's recovery rate stood at 67.19%. India's death rate, it added, is now 2.09%. Is the repeated emphasis on recovery rate a useful statistic? In our latest data update episode on the coronavirus pandemic in The Hindu's In Focus podcast, we discuss the quality of data now available to us and which are the numbers truly matter. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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