Tag: Latest Affairs

NATIONAL NEWS 

BJP sends legal notice to MLAs who defected to Trinamool

Days after two party MLAs defected to the Trinamool Congress, the BJP leadership in West Bengal on Wednesday said it has issued legal notices to them. The way we have taken action against Mukul Roy, approached Speaker and taken the issue of his defection before the High Court, in a similar manner we have issued notice to Tanmoy Ghosh and Biswajit Das to explain their stand, said Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Adhikari pointed out that more than 50 MLAs of the Opposition parties have crossed floor during the regime of the TMC since 2011. The Opposition parties then [Left and Congress] did not seriously take up these defections. From the BJP, we can assure that we will take it to its logical conclusion in a democratic manner, Adhikari said, adding that the two MLAs had not been keeping in touch with the party over the past few months. Three BJP MLAs have defected to the TMC after the polls. Roy was the first to do so in June, followed by Tanmoy Ghosh (Bishnupur) on Monday and Biswajit Das (Bagda) on Tuesday. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said such defections will not affect the party. Defection is not a new phenomenon. If dozens of MLAs came from the TMC to the BJP before the Assembly polls and a few of them go back to the TMC, it is not going to affect the party, he said. The BJP leadership said some MLAs yield to the pressure of the ruling party and alleged that the police are exerting pressure on the MLAs of the Opposition parties. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh targeted Adhikari and said he was trying to hide his inefficiency by saying the MLAs who defected were not in touch with the BJP for months.

Rise in GDP for government is rising prices of gas, diesel, petrol: Rahul Gandhi 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the government over the rising price of domestic cooking gas, diesel and petrol, and alleged that an amount of ₹23 lakh crore has been earned by increasing the prices of these commodities in the last seven years. He also alleged that while sections such as farmers, the salaried class, and labourers were being demonetised, a few industrialist friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were being monetised. At a press conference, Gandhi said the government has come up with a new concept of GDP, wherein a rise in GDP means a rise in prices of Gas, Diesel and Petrol. On the one hand, there is demonetisation and on the other there is monetisation. Whose demonetisation is taking place — farmers, labourers, small traders and informal sector, MSMEs, contract workers, salaried class and honest industrialists. Whose monetisation is taking place — four-five friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said. The Congress leader alleged that a transfer of wealth is taking place from the poor and the weak to the Prime Minister’s friends. He said that the government was panicking over not being able to fulfill its promises and was surviving on fuel prices. Gandhi added that the day when the international crude oil prices rise to about $90-100, the situation will spiral out of control in India. The Congress party has been attacking the government over the rise in petrol, diesel and LPG prices and has been demanding a reduction in them by removing some of the taxes imposed by the central government. The prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cooking gas cylinders across all categories, including subsidised gas on Wednesday were hiked by ₹25 per cylinder– the third straight increase in rates in less than two months. Subsidised as well as non-subsidised LPG now costs ₹884.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi, according to a price notification of oil companies.

Maharashtra to form State Council for climate change 

Mindful of the gravity of the climate change crisis, the Maharashtra government will constitute a State Council for climate change, State Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray said on Wednesday. The council would be headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and co-chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar while an action plan to deal with climate-related challenges affecting Maharashtra would be presented before the State Cabinet within a month, Aaditya Thackeray said. Climate change is a pressing and grave issue and I believe we face a climate emergency. Today, we presented the summary of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report regarding carbon impact before the State Cabinet. After this, it was decided by the Cabinet to form a State Council on Climate Change. Henceforth, we will be presenting every month before the Cabinet, Aaditya Thackeray said. He said that the State Environment Ministry would formulate the climate action plan for concerned departments like Energy, Transport, Urban Development, and Industry, and seek the Cabinet’s approval for the same. The State Council for Climate Change will be monitoring and presenting the progress report to the Cabinet each month, Aaditya Thackeray said. Noting that weather patterns had changed dramatically in the State over the past decade, the Environment Minister said that the climatic transformation had triggered landslides with greater frequency, besides raising temperatures during the summer months and reducing the number of winter days. We recognise the importance of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the need to act now. We do not have the luxury of time. The State government has already taken multiple actions on the climate front, like adopting the EV (electric vehicles) policy, conserving the Aarey Colony green space… within a month, we will be having interdepartmental conferences where we will be finalising our goals, he said. Last week, Thackeray had launched Mumbai’s first climate action plan developed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation with technical support from the World Resources Institute India. At the time, Thackeray had said that further delays would make Mumbai unliveable in a decade’s time. Mumbai civic body chief Iqbal Singh Chahal had given sober warning at the launch of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan, remarking that 70% of the area under four administrative wards in the city, including the upmarket Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point and the Secretariat itself, could be underwater by 2050.

Afghan nationals protesting outside UNHCR office: Delhi High Court expresses concern 

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over a lack of adherence to Covid-19 appropriate norms by a large gathering of Afghan nationals protesting outside the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) office. The protestors have been seeking refugee status and resettlement options from the UNHCR. They have been saying that they have no option but to stay put outside the UNHCR office as returning to Afghanistan is not an option now. With no job opportunities and their visas expiring soon, they were worried about the future. Justice Rekha Palli asked the Centre, the Delhi government, and the police to coordinate and work out a solution so that the protest gathering does not act as a superspreader of Covid-19. The court said the situation could not be permitted to continue as the protestors could be seen sitting and standing next to each other without even wearing masks. We are also dealing with Covid-19. Look at the pictures. What if this could be a superspreader of Covid-19. You should ensure some protocol is there. Why are they not wearing masks? the court remarked. Afghan nationals hold placards during a protest outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office to urge the international community to help Afghan refugees, in New Delhi, India, September 1, 2021.  It is not the inconvenience only with which I am concerned. I am more concerned that it should not act as a superspreader of Covid-19 again. The city has barely coped with the second wave. You have to ensure that the protesters follow the Covid-19 protocols. Let them wear masks and then protest, it said. The court’s observation came while hearing a petition by the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association, which stated that the foreign nationals (refugees/asylum seekers) have gathered outside the office of the UNHCR at B Block in Vasant Vihar since August 15, including lanes and parks adjoining it, and the residents were facing difficulties due to this. The court asked the Delhi government what it had done in pursuance to the Supreme Court’s direction to frame guidelines on the issue of the right to protest so as to ensure a balance between fundamental rights and the maintenance of law and order. The association stated the residents were facing difficulties in commuting and going to markets for purchasing essential goods.  The petition also sought a direction to the Ministry of External Affairs to frame an appropriate policy for ensuring that such nuisance to the local residents does not occur on the account of foreign missions being in the vicinity of residential localities. Central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul submitted that it was not a normal situation and the residents should have some humanitarian approach and these were international issues that could not be decided overnight as they have huge international consequences. The Delhi government said there were around 500 protesters at the site and sufficient force had been deployed. The court will hear the matter again on September 3.

Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,28,54,543 with the death toll at 4,39,493. The reported breakthrough Covid-19 infections in India are well within the expected numbers if we take into account the total infections and other factors, said genome sequencing government consortium INSACOG, stressing that inoculation protects from severe illness. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said Delta continues to be the dominant lineage in India and globally. When a person gets an infection even after being vaccinated against it, it is called a breakthrough case. The number of reported vaccination breakthroughs in India are well within the numbers expected from the total number of infections, the fraction of population that is vaccinated, and the known reduction in the effectiveness of Covishield/Covaxin against infections by Delta. Vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and remain a cornerstone of public health strategy, the bulletin dated August 30 said. It said based on high stringency reclassification by INSACOG, the total number of Delta sub-lineages — Delta Plus AY.1 to AY.12 — in India are only 856 out of all samples analysed, which is much less than what is reported on some global websites. It said AY.12, which was first noted in Israel and currently driving infection in the country, which has inoculated 60% of its population, is not yet seen in India.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

To contain food prices, SriLanka declares economic emergency. 

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared an economic emergency to contain soaring inflation after a steep fall in the value of the country’s currency caused a spike in food prices. President Rajapaksa on Tuesday declared the state of emergency under the public security ordinance to prevent the hoarding of essential items, including rice and sugar. The emergency came into effect from midnight on Tuesday. The President has promulgated emergency regulations under the Public Security Ordinance on the supply of essential goods, presidential spokesman Kingsley Ratnayake told reporters. The government has appointed a former General as commissioner of essential services, who will have the power to seize food stocks held by traders and retailers and regulate their prices. The military will oversee the action which gives power to officials to ensure that essential items, including rice and sugar, are sold at government-guaranteed prices or prices based on import costs at customs and prevent hiding of stocks, Mr. Ratnayake said. The emergency move followed sharp price rises for sugar, rice, onions and potatoes, while long queues have formed outside stores because of shortages of milk powder, kerosene oil and cooking gas. The wide-ranging measure is also aimed at recovering credit owed to state banks by importers.

Biden had pressed Ghani to ‘change perception’.

In the last call between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics, but neither of them appeared to be aware of or prepared for the immediate danger of the country falling to the militants, a transcript reviewed by Reuters shows. The men spoke for roughly 14 minutes on July 23. On August 15, Mr. Ghani fled the presidential palace, and the Taliban entered Kabul. Reuters reviewed a transcript of the presidential phone call and has listened to the audio to authenticate the conversation. The materials were provided on condition of anonymity by a source who was not authorised to distribute it. In the call, Mr. Biden offered aid if Mr. Ghani could publicly project he had a plan to control the spiralling situation in Afghanistan. We will continue to provide close air support, if we know what the plan is, Mr. Biden said. Days before the call, the U.S. carried out air strikes to support Afghan security forces, a move the Taliban said was in violation of the Doha peace agreement. The U.S. President also advised Mr. Ghani to get buyin from powerful Afghans for a military strategy going forward, and then to put a warrior in charge of the effort, a reference to Defence Minister General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. Mr. Biden lauded the Afghan armed forces, which were trained and funded by the U.S. government. You clearly have the best military, he told Mr. Ghani. You have 300,000 wellarmed forces versus 7080,000 and they’re clearly capable of fighting well. Days later, the Afghan military started folding across provincial capitals in the country with little fight against the Taliban. In much of the call, Mr. Biden focused on what he called the Afghan government’s perception problem. I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban, he said. And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture. Mr. Biden told Mr. Ghani that if Afghanistan’s prominent political figures were to give a press conference together, backing a new military strategy, that will change perception, and that will change an awful lot I think. Mr. Biden’s words indicated he didn’t anticipate the insurrection and collapse to come 23 days later. We are going to continue to fight hard, diplomatically, politically, economically, to make sure your government not only survives, but is sustained and grows, he said. Mr. Ghani told Mr. Biden he believed there could be peace if he could rebalance the military solution. But he added, We need to move with speed. We are facing a full-scale invasion, composed of Taliban, full Pakistani planning and logistical support, and at least 1015,000 international terrorists, predominantly Pakistanis thrown into this, Mr. Ghani said.

 

NATIONAL NEWS 

India holds first officially confirmed meeting with Taliban; Russia, China abstain on UNSC’s Afghanistan resolution

India has held its first officially confirmed meeting with the Taliban. It took place between Indian Ambassador to Qatar Deepak Mittal and Sher Mohammed Stanekzai, head of the Political Office of the Taliban based in Doha, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a press release. Stanekzai, an ethnic Pashtun, was trained as an officer of the Afghan army during the Cold War years. He issued a statement three days ago seeking normal commercial, diplomatic and political relations with India. India had remained silent to the overture initially but held the meeting hours after the U.S. completed the military evacuation from Kabul. India has maintained that it has maintained contact with all stakeholders but this is the first time that the meeting has been confirmed and announced. Sources said India was focused on ensuring the safety of those individuals who wished to come to India but could not do so as the Taliban denied them permission to leave Kabul. Meanwhile, in a related development, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), under India’s presidency, passed the Resolution that reminded Taliban to stand by its commitment to prevent international terrorism. Resolution 2593 of the UNSC addresses India’s major concerns on Afghanistan at this time, informed sources said in New Delhi on Tuesday. But the P-5 countries (permanent members of the UNSC) remained divided over the issue. Russia and China abstained during the voting over the draft saying it divided the approach to the Afghan crisis. Russian representative at the UNSC pointed out that the author of the draft resolution, that is the U.S., has divided terrorists in Afghanistan into ours and theirs, pointing to a changing stance of the U.S. towards the Taliban and its allied Haqqani Network, which has in the past attacked both American and Indian targets in Afghanistan. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, representing India at the UNSC, highlighted the role of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed and said that these outfits should be called out and condemned, without referring to the Haqqani Network that is likely to come up at the Taliban Sanctions Committee for a discussion among the members for possible delisting.

India’s GDP grows 20.1% in April-June, but economy still far from pre-COVID level 

India’s economic growth surged to 20.1 % in the April-June quarter of this fiscal, helped by a low base of the year-ago period, despite a devastating second wave of Covid-19. The gross domestic product (GDP) had contracted by 24.4 % in the corresponding April-June quarter of 2020-21, according to data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Tuesday. The government had imposed a nationwide lockdown at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year. This year, the massive second wave of the pandemic hit the country in the middle of April, which forced states to impose fresh restrictions. However, the economy has still not returned to the pre-COVID level. In value terms, the GDP stood at ₹32,38,020 crore in April-June 2021-22, much lower than the figure of ₹35,66,708 crore in the corresponding period of the 2019-20 financial year. The GDP had shrunk to ₹26,95,421 crore in April-June last year during the nationwide lockdown. GDP at Constant (2011-12) Prices in Q1 of 2021-22 is estimated at ₹32.38 lakh crore, as against ₹26.95 lakh crore in Q1 of 2020-21, showing a growth of 20.1 %  as compared to contraction of 24.4 % in Q1 2020-21, the NSO said in a statement. According to the NSO data, gross value added (GVA) growth in the manufacturing sector accelerated to 49.6 % in the first quarter of 2021-22, compared to a contraction 36 % a year ago. Farm sector GVA growth was up at 4.5 %, compared to 3.5 % earlier. Construction sector GVA grew by 68.3 % compared to 49.5 % contraction earlier. Mining sector grew by 18.6 %, as against a contraction of 17.2 % a year ago. Electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services segment grew by 14.3 % in the first quarter of this fiscal, against 9.9 % contraction a year ago. Similarly, trade, hotel, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting grew by 34.3 % compared to 48.1 % contraction earlier. Financial, real estate and professional services grew by 3.7 % in Q1 FY22 compared to a contraction of 5 %. Public administration, defence and other services grew at 5.8 % during the quarter under review, compared to (-) 10.2 % a year earlier.

Delhi HC to hear plea challenging Asthana appointment on Wednesday

The Delhi High Court today posted the hearing on a petition challenging the appointment of Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police Commissioner and an intervention application filed in the matter by an NGO for Wednesday. On August 25, the Supreme Court had asked the High Court to decide within two weeks the plea pending before it against the appointment of the senior IPS officer as Delhi Police Commissioner. Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which filed the impleadment application, argued that the petition before the High Court, filed by one one Sadre Alam, was a copy-paste of its plea before the Supreme Court. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for CPIL, said, We have filed an intervention on behalf of CPIL. Something extraordinary has happened in the matter. The petition is a total copy-paste. Full stop, comma, exclamation mark. The court may list it tomorrow or whenever. See the kind of abuse of process of law that is done. The NGO stated that it got to know about the filing of Alam’s petition before the High Court from media reports and was surprised to see some of the paragraphs of the instant writ petition as quoted by media, as the same appeared to be copy-pasted from the applicant’s writ petition filed before the Supreme Court prior in time. The NGO claimed that the precise purpose of filing the petition by Alam seems to be only to defeat public interest by scuttling the genuine, bona fide and well-researched and deliberated PIL filed by the applicant (NGO) before the Supreme Court. The petition filed by Alam has contended that the 1984-batch IPS officer, serving as the Director General of Border Security Force, was appointed Delhi Police Commissioner on July 27, just four days before his superannuation on July 31. Alam, in his plea, argued that the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) in appointing Asthana for the post was completely illegal on multiple grounds. The plea said the appointment was in clear and blatant breach of the directions of the Supreme Court of India as Asthana did not have a minimum residual tenure of six months, and that no Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) panel was formed for appointment of Delhi Police Commissioner. The petition, additionally, argued that the appointment violates the fundamental rule which stipulates no government servant shall be granted extension in service beyond the age of retirement of sixty years.

Sidhu questions Punjab govt on ‘inaction’ against those involved in drug trafficking 

Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday questioned his party government in the State on the ‘inaction’ against those involved in drug trafficking. And the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), at its legislative party meeting held here, accused Sidhu and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh of running away from public issues. Sidhu, in a statement, said numerous tormented mothers who had lost their children due to the drug menace were waiting for the report of the Special Task Force (STF) surrounding the drugs trade. In February 2018, the STF filed a status report in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Later, the government filed before the court an opinion-cum-status report, and the matter is still in the court. Questioning the government’s ‘inaction’, Sidhu said that despite the court’s directions, nothing had been done nothing to extradite some 13 drug smugglers back to India. Leader of the Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema demanded that the one-day Assembly session, dedicated to the 400th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur on September 3, be extended for at least 15 days so that all the issues concerning people, including the agricultural crisis, expensive electricity and the mafia, can be discussed in the House. Taking a dig at Sidhu, he stated that if the ruling Congress president could not ensure an extension of the term of the coming Assembly session, then by what conscience was he still sitting in the ruling party. AAP MLA Aman Arora said that he had brought a private member’s bill to cancel the power purchase agreements and now it would be seen whether Sidhu and his fellow MLAs supported this pro-people Bill or run away from it. If Sidhu sincerely desires, the Bill to cancel the power agreements could be passed in the Assembly as he has the support of more than 50 Congress MLAs, and with the Aam Aadmi Party MLAs, there would be a majority in the House, he added.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

UNSC resolution addresses ‘key concerns’ on Afghanistan: India

Despite the abstention of two P5 countries – Russia and China – from the Indialed United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2593, the Government of India said it was a matter of satisfaction that the resolution addressed India’s key concerns on Afghanistan. P5 refers to the five permanent members of the UNSC – China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. According to official sources, the resolution, which called on the Taliban to keep their commitments on preventing terror groups in Afghanistan and urged them to assist the safe evacuations of all Afghan nationals wishing to leave the country, was the result ofa careful coordination and high-level official contacts with UNSC members, including a call to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The efforts were overseen by a special new group led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. The resolution demands that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any country or to shelter and train terrorists and plan or finance terrorist attacks. It mentions individuals designated by Resolution 1267, (which includes the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammad), said the sources, explaining why India played an active role in ensuring that the resolution went through on Monday, a day before it demitted presidency of the UNSC. Explaining the split within the P5, Russia and China said they wanted all the groups, especially the Islamic State and the Uighur East Turkestan Islamic Movement to be named specifically in the document, and listed a number of objections to the drafting of the resolution. They accused the U.S ., the U.K. and France, the sponsors of the resolution, of having rushed it through on a tight schedule while seeking to absolve the U.S. of responsibility, and distinguishing between their and our terrorists.

 

China opens first road-rail transport link to Indian Ocean. 

The first shipments on a newly-launched railway line from the Myanmar border to the key commercial hub of Chengdu in western China, that provides China a new road-rail transportation channel to the Indian Ocean, were delivered last week, state media reported on Tuesday. A test cargo through what is being called the China-Myanmar New Passage arrived at the Chengdu rail port in Sichuan province on August 27, the official China News Service reported. The transport corridor involves a sea-road-rail link. Goods from Singapore reached Yangon Port, arriving by ship through the Andaman Sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean, and were then transported by road to Lincang on the Chinese side of the Myanmar-China border in Yunnan province. The new railway line that runs from the border town of Lincang to Chengdu, a key trade hub in western China, completes the corridor. This passage connects the logistics lines of Singapore, Myanmar and China, and is currently the most convenient land and sea channel linking the Indian Ocean with southwest China, the China News Service said, adding that the oneway journey saves 20 to 22 days. China also has plans to develop another port in Kyaukphyu in the Rakhine state, including a proposed railway line from Yunnan directly to the port, but the progress there has been stalled by unrest in Myanmar. Chinese planners have also looked at the Gwadar port in Pakistan as another key outlet to the Indian Ocean that will bypass the Malacca Straits. Gwadar is being developed as part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to the far western Xinjiang region, but has been slow to take off amid concerns over security. The costs and logistics through CPEC are also less favourable than the Myanmar route with the opening of the rail transport channel from the Myanmar border right to western China’s biggest commercial hub, Chengdu. Transportation time on the railway line from the Myanmar border to Chengdu takes three days. The Irrawaddy website that focuses on Myanmar news said the route is the first to link western China with the Indian Ocean. The railway line currently ends in Lincang on the Chinese side opposite the Myanmar border trade town of Chin Shwe Haw. Plans are underway to develop Chin Shwe Haw as a border economic cooperation zone under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Irrawaddy said the route goes through Mandalay, Lashio and Hsenwi on the Myanmar side and is expected to become the lifeblood of international trade for China and Myanmar, while providing a source of income for Myanmar’s military regime.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Rockets fired at Kabul airport hit residential neighbourhood

Rocket fire apparently targeting Kabul’s international airport struck a nearby neighborhood on Monday, the eve of the deadline for American troops to withdraw from the country’s longest war after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt. The rockets did not halt the steady stream of U.S. military C-17 cargo jets taking off and landing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghan capital. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Last week, the Islamic State group launched a devastating suicide bombing at one of the airport gates that killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. The airport has been a scene of chaos in the two weeks since the Taliban blitz across Afghanistan took control of the country, nearly 20 years after the initial U.S. invasion that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks. But since the suicide bombing, the Taliban have tightened their security cordon around the airfield, with their fighters seen just up to the last fencing separating them from the runway. In the capital’s Chahr-e-Shaheed neighborhood, a crowd quickly gathered around the remains of a four-door sedan used by the attackers. The car had what appeared to be six homemade rocket tubes mounted in place of backseats. The Islamic State group and other militants routinely mount such tubes into vehicles and quietly transport them undetected close to a target. Some of the rockets landed across town in Kabul’s Salim Karwan neighborhood, striking residential apartment blocks, witnesses said. That neighbourhood is some 3 km from the airport. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Five rockets targeted the airport, said U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the American military’s Central Command. A defensive weapon known by the acronym C-RAM — a Counter- Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System — targeted the rockets in a whirling hail of ammunition, Urban said. 

Taliban didn’t take away passports: Afghan visa agency 

A week after the Government of India cancelled all existing visas for Afghan nationals wanting to travel to India, and instituted the e-visa only system after reports that Taliban gunmen had stolen many passports, the sole Indian visa agency has denied any passports have been lost or misplaced. In a letter to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), a copy of which The Hindu has seen, owners of Shahir Travel Agency, which has handled Indian visas since 2009, have asked the government to revoke the order dated August 25, and also to expedite the e-visa system to enable genuine cases of students, businesspersons, and others associated with India in the past who could need to leave Afghanistan urgently. We have written to the Government of India with our very legitimate concerns. The problem this fake news has created is that the current personnel in power [Taliban] have been accused of something they did not do and that puts all our Kabul staff in danger. Therefore, we have to publicly and vociferously refute all the fake news in the Indian media, Muhammad Karim, CEO of Shahir Travel Agency (STA), the sole Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) in Kabul, told The Hindu. According to Karim, Taliban representatives now in charge of Kabul had visited their offices, along with other offices and businesses in the city, but at no point were passports containing Indian visas taken by them or misplaced. All the visas that were issued by the Embassy were done so after complete security check in Kabul. NIC (National Informatics Centre of India) maintains details of all visa stickers issued and biometrics captured, the agency’s letter said, adding that the government could match the passport holders at any time required. MEA officials declined to comment on the letter sent by STA. They said it was unlikely that the government would revoke its decision, given uncertainty over the security situation in Afghanistan, and particularly after the deadline for all foreign troops to leave the country expires on Tuesday. As The Hindu has reported earlier, the MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) has delayed issuing any e-visas, as it is difficult to conduct security checks on applicants without local inputs as the Indian Embassy in Kabul is shut down. On August 27, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the decision to cancel thousands of visas previously issued to Afghan nationals had been made following reports of people raiding one of our outsourcing agencies, where Afghan passports with Indian visas were there, but did not mention who was responsible for the reports. Several media agencies had suggested that the worry was that a Pakistan-backed group or intelligence agencies may have taken the passports in order to use them for terror attacks in India.

NATIONAL NEWS  

Shooter Avani Lekhara and javelin thrower Sumit Antil clinch gold at Paralympics; discus thrower Vinod Kumar loses bronze 

Shooter Avani Lekhara scripted history on August 30 as she became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, firing her way to the top of the podium in the R-2 women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event in Tokyo. The 19-year-old finished with a world record equalling total of 249.6, which is also a new Paralympic record. She’s the fourth Indian athlete to win a Paralympics gold after swimmer Murlikant Petkar (1972), javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia (2004 and 2016) and high jumper Thangavelu Mariyappan (2016). Avani Lekhara became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics, firing her way to the top of the podium in the R-2 women’s 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event. In the SH1 Rifle category, shooters are able to hold a gun with arms. The athletes have an impairment in their legs, for example amputations or paraplegia. Some athletes will compete in a seated position, while others will compete in a standing position. Javelin thrower Sumit Antil clinched India’s second gold, shattering the men’s F64 category world record multiple times in a stunning Games debut performance. The 23-year-old from Sonepat in Haryana, who lost his left leg below the knee after he was involved in a motorbike accident in 2015, sent the spear to 68.55m in his fifth attempt, which was the best of the day by quite a distance and a new world record. In fact, he bettered the previous world record of 62.88m, also set by him, five times on the day. Australian Michal Burian (66.29m) and Sri Lanka’s Dulan Kodithuwakku (65.61m) took the silver and bronze respectively. The F64 category is for athletes with a leg amputation, who compete with prosthetics in a standing position. A student of Delhi’s Ramjas College, Antil was an able-bodied wrestler before his accident, which led to the amputation of his leg below the knee. A para athlete in his village initiated him to the sport in 2018. Meanwhile, discus thrower Vinod Kumar on Monday lost his F52 category bronze medal after being found ineligible in disability classification assessment by the competition panel. The 41-year-old BSF man, whose Army man father was injured during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, produced a best throw of 19.91m to finish third behind Piotr Kosewicz (20.02m) of Poland and Velimir Sandor (19.98m) of Croatia on Sunday. However, the result was challenged by some competitors. The panel was unable to allocate the athlete Vinod Kumar from NPC India with a sport class and the athlete was designated as Classification not Completed (CNC), the organisers said in a statement. The athlete is therefore ineligible for the Men’s F52 Discus medal event and his results in that competition are void, it added. F52 is for athletes with impaired muscle power, restricted range of movement, limb deficiency or leg length difference, with athletes competing in seated position with cervical cord injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, and functional disorder. Para-athletes are classified depending on the type and extent of their disability. The classification system allows athletes to compete with those with a similar level of ability. Vinod’s classification was done on August 22. 

ED records witness statement of Jacqueline Fernandez in Sukesh Chandrasekhar money-laundering case 

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday recorded the witness statement of Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez in a money laundering case against ‘conman’ Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Earlier this month, the agency seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai and 16 luxury cars, besides two kg gold, during the searches in connection with a fresh case registered by the Delhi police accusing Sukesh of cheating and extortion. The premises of Sukesh’s wife Leena Maria Paul, a small-time actress in Malyalam films who has also done some roles in Hindi movies, were also searched. The police have alleged that Sukesh had been running the racket from inside Delhi’s Rohini jail where he was lodged. He and his associates allegedly extorted about ₹200 crore from various people. It is alleged that Sukesh arranged mobile phones inside the prison. He used a number-spoofing mobile App to contact his prospective victims, posing as a senior government functionary. The accused cheated many people on the pretext of getting their jobs done. In 2017, Sukesh was arrested by the Delhi police for allegedly taking money from then AIADMK (Amma) leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran on the promise of helping him get the two leaves symbol for his faction.

Maharashtra BJP launches protest demanding reopening of temples 

Alleging that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government gave more importance to liquor bars than temples, the opposition BJP in Maharashtra staged an aggressive protest demanding the re-opening of temples on Monday. Symbolically blowing conches in their shankhnaad agitation and defying Covid-19 regulations, hundreds of BJP activists and State leaders participated in protests in key temple areas of Pune, Mumbai, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Solapur districts flouting pandemic protocols. Alleging that the MVA government was deliberately hurting sentiments of the Hindu community, BJP MLA from Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, Ram Kadam also charged that the government apparently gave permission for other religions for their festivities but was refusing to open temples. Please bear in mind, we are not advocating crowding in front of temples. But the government can certainly devise a system based on the issuance of online passes for lakhs of devotees who have not been able to offer worship at the iconic temples in Pandharpur and Shirdi. When you can make rules for beer bars, then why does this government dither when it comes to re-opening temples, said Kadam. Earlier, a police shield had been stationed outside the famous Siddhi Vinayak Temple to prevent Kadam from holding a protest there. A partner in the coalition government, the Congress hit out at the contradictory stand taken by the BJP government at the Centre and the party’s Maharashtra unit over celebration of festivals and the re-opening of temples amid the looming threat of a third wave of infections. The Congress said that despite the Modi government’s directives on restrictions on festivities, why were Maharashtra BJP leaders pressurising the MVA government to permit festivities and allow temples to be reopened.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Red flags raised on oil palm plans for northeast, Andamans

Given the widespread destruction of rainforests and native biodiversity caused by oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia, environmental experts and politicians are warning that the Centre’s move to promote their cultivation in India’s northeastern States and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands could be disastrous. Other concerns include the impact on community ownership of tribal lands, as well as the fact that the oil palm is a water-guzzling, monoculture crop with a long gestation period unsuitable for small farmers. However, the government says land productivity for palm oil is higher than for oilseeds, with the Agriculture Minister giving an assurance that the land identified for oil palm plantations in northeastern States is already cleared for cultivation. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, soon after the launch of the ₹11,040 crore National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP), Meghalaya MP Agatha Sangma warned that the focus areas were biodiversity hotspots and ecologically fragile and oil palm plantations would denude forest cover and destroy the habitat of endangered wildlife. It could also detach tribespeople from their identity linked with the community ownership of land and wreak havoc on the social fabric, said the National People’s Party. Congress leader and former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said proposals for large-scale oil palm cultivation had been studied and rejected as part of the technology mission on edible oils in the late 1980s as it was a recipe for ecological disaster. He said that the present proposal of course is designed to benefit Patanjali and Adani, both corporates with interests in edible oil expansion. The palm is an invasive species. It’s not a natural forest product of northeastern India and its impact on our biodiversity as well as on soil conditions has to be analysed even if it is grown in non-forest areas. Any kind of monoculture plantation is not desirable, said Bibhab Talukdar, a biologist who heads the Guwahati-based conservation organisation Aaranyak, advising caution in introducing oil palm.

CBI inquiry found no ‘cognisable offence’ by Anil Deshmukh 

A leaked report of a preliminary inquiry conducted by the CBI reveals that the agency had concluded that no cognisable offence has been committed by Anil Deshmukh, the former Home Minister of Maharashtra. The inquiry was conducted by a CBI team following orders by the Bombay High Court on a criminal writ petition filed by Advocate Jayshri Patil, who had lodged a complaint with Malabar Hill police station in south Mumbai in the wake of the letter written by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. In his letter, Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked former Mumbai Police API Sachin Vaze to collect ₹100 crore from hotel owners in Mumbai. However, based on this inquiry report, the CBI filed an FIR against the former minister. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) too initiated a probe against Deshmukh and has summoned him several times to appear for it. Deshmukh is, however, yet to appear before the ED. The CBI report, which has been leaked to the media and has been seen by The Hindu, has now cast doubts over the ongoing investigation by the central agency. According to sources, despite the investigation officer not finding any cognisable offence committed by Deshmukh, an FIR was registered. The CBI is yet to react on the leaked report. According to the CBI report, within two days of his reinstatement in July 2020, Vaze was posted as in charge of Crime Investigation Unit (CIU) by the then Joint CP as per the orders of Parambir Singh. He used to report directly to the police chief, bypassing all channels of hierarchy. The inquiry report stated that after the Antilia case, it came to the knowledge of the then HM (Home minister) that most of the important and sensitive cases were assigned to Sachin Vaze on the directions of Parambir Singh. He was accompanied by Parambir Singh to all the important meetings at CM’s residence. There was no personal interaction of the then HM with Sachin Vaze. There is no proof of any meeting of Sachin Vaze with the then HM at his residence apart from official briefings/purposes in the presence of other officers. There was NO proof of any demand by the then HM or his P.S. Sanjeev Palande for collection of money, the report said. It further noted that, ACP Sanjay Patil and DCP Bhujbal have confirmed in their statements that no such demand for any collection of money was ever made by the then HM directly or through his PS.

Cannot imagine Ayodhya without Ram, says President Ram Nath Kovind 

It is impossible to imagine Ayodhya without Lord Ram, said President Ram Nath Kovind as he visited the Uttar Pradesh town on Sunday to launch several cultural projects. The President also visited the makeshift Ram Janmabhoomi temple and offered prayers there. Ayodhya nagri is not just Prabhu Ram’s janmabhoomi and leelabhoomi but without Ram it is impossible to even imagine about this town, Kovind said. The President was speaking at the inauguration of the Ramayana Conclave and launch of various projects of the Department of Culture and Tourism, U.P.

Crypto money gains traction in adult industry amid OnlyFans drama, potentially paving way for mainstream adoption 

Porn stars, sex workers and others in adult entertainment were taking a closer look at cryptocurrency payments in the wake of a series of troubles with the mainstream financial system, potentially propelling digital currencies into wider use. The latest problem came earlier this month when OnlyFans announced it would ban sexually explicit content on the sex-friendly creator site, only to reverse course days later following a backlash. Nonetheless, the drama could accelerate a move to cryptocurrency to allow anonymous payments to performers outside the banking system. With stricter rules from payment processors and the recent issues with OnlyFans, it’s obvious crypto will be the solution, said British performer Adreena Winters, who is also a brand ambassador for an upcoming crypto-friendly adult content marketplace. Porn has frequently been the factor for new concepts taking off, be it VHS, online credit card payments and even the internet, so I don’t think it’s surprising it is that porn will eventually get crypto to become mainstream. Jeff Dillon, chief development officer at Nafty, a cryptocurrency platform launched this year specifically for the adult industry, said the OnlyFans saga has done more than any marketing we could ever paid for. Dominic Ford, founder of JustFor.Fans, an OnlyFans rival which accepts bitcoin, said crypto represents just a small fraction of transactions on his platform because it is more cumbersome, but suggested this could ramp up quickly if popular money transfer tools adapt. A cryptocurrency that works online and transcends borders seems an obvious evolution like email was the evolution of mail, said Ford.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

U.S. says drone kills suicide bombers targeting Kabul airport

A U.S. drone strike on August 29 struck a vehicle carrying multiple suicide bombers from Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate before they could target the ongoing military evacuation at Kabul’s international airport, American officials said. There were few initial details about the incident, as well as a rocket that struck a neighbourhood just northwest of the airport, killing a child. The two strikes initially appeared to be separate incidents, though information on both remained scarce. The strike came as the United States winds down a historic airlift that saw tens of thousands evacuated from Kabul’s international airport, the scene of much of the chaos that engulfed the Afghan capital since the Taliban took over two weeks ago. After an Islamic State affiliate’s suicide attack that killed over 180 people, the Taliban increased its security around the airfield as Britain ended its evacuation flights on August 28.

As Biden warns of more attacks, U.S. destroys car bomb in Kabul. 

The United States said itdestroyed an explosive-laden vehicle with an air strike in Kabul on Sunday, hours after President Joe Biden warned of another terror attack in the capital as a massive airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans entered its last days. A Taliban spokesman confirmed the incident, saying a car bomb destined for the airport had been destroyed – and that a possible second strike had hit a nearby house. The U.S. said it had only struck the vehicle, but added that secondary blasts indicated a substantial amount of explosive material. Local media reported there may have been civilian casualties. The strike comes after a suicide bomber from the Islamic State group on Thursday targeted U.S. troops stopping huge crowds of people from entering the airport in Kabul, from where about 1,14,000 people have been evacuated since August 15 when the Taliban swept back into power. More than 100 people. Died in the attack, including 13 U.S. service personnel, slowing down the airlift ahead of Mr. Biden’s deadline for evacuations to end by Tuesday. The operation is winding down despite Western powers saying thousands may be left behind.300 Americans remain U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said some 300 Americans still in Afghanis tan were seeking to leave the country. They are not going to be stuck, he told ABC, adding that the U.S. had a mechanism to get them out.The Pentagon said on Saturday that retaliation drone strikes had killed two highlevel IS jihadists in eastern Afghanistan, but Mr. Biden warned of more attacks from the group. The situation on the ground continues to be extremely dangerous, and the threat of terrorist attacks on the airport remains high, Mr. Biden said.Our commanders informed me that an attack is highly likely in the next 2436 hours.The IS attack has forced the U.S. military and the Taliban into a form of cooperationto ensure security at the airport that was unthinkable two weeks ago. On Saturday, Taliban fighters escorted a steady stream of Afghans from buses to the main passenger terminal, handing them over to the U.S. forces for evacuation.The troops were seen throughout the civilian side of the airport grounds and annexe buildings, while U.S. Marines peered at them from the passenger terminal roof. After a 20-year war, the foes were within open sight of each other, separated by just 30 metres.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Duty of public intellectuals to expose the lies of the state: Justice Chandrachud

Public intellectuals have a duty to expose the lies of the state, Supreme Court Justice DY Chandrachud observed, stressing that in a democratic country it is important to hold governments in check and guard against falsehoods. The SC judge was delivering the 6th Chief Justice M.C. Chagla Memorial Lecture, when he cautioned against an over-reliance on the government to provide social, political, economic, cultural and, in the current context, medical truths. He also highlighted the importance of a press that is free from influence of any kind political or economic to ensure that governments can truly be held to account for actions and policies. One cannot rely only on the State for truth. Totalitarian governments are known for their constant reliance on falsehoods to consolidate power we see there is an increasing trend among countries around the world to manipulate COVID-19 data, Justice Chandrachud said. His remarks come in the wake of concerns expressed by experts, activists and journalists that governments may have fudged Covid data to hide the true spread of infections. The phenomenon of fake news is on the rise. The WHO (World Health Organization) recognized this during the COVID pandemic calling it infodemic. Human beings have a tendency to get attracted to sensational news which are often based on falsehoods, he explained. This is the second time in this month that judges of the Supreme Court have asked the public to be cautious. On Independence Day, CJI Ramanna had criticised the functioning of the Parliament, saying there was no clarity in laws. Now we see legislations with lot of gaps, and lot of ambiguity in making laws, Justice Ramana said at the Independence Day ceremony organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association. We don’t know for what purpose are the laws being made which is creating a lot of litigation, inconvenience and loss to the government and inconvenience to the public.

ED goes after Abhishek Bannerjee

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) which comes under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, has summoned Trinamool Congress national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, also the nephew of chief minister Mamata Bannerjee, in connection with a money laundering and coal scam case. The ED, it is learnt, has also summoned Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Naroola Banerjee as well, setting the stage for another confrontation between the Centre and West Bengal. Mamata Bannerjee charged the Centre of petty, vindictive politics reminding The BJP once again of the losses suffered in the Assembly elections. When the BJP government in Delhi cannot compete with us in politics, they use agencies, Ms Bannerjee said at a recent public event. Challenging the BJP to fight against her party politically, the Chief Minister said, Why are you unleashing the ED against us. Against your one case we will raise bagfuls. We know how to fight back. We know the history of Gujarat. Stepping up the counter attack, Banerjee pointed out that allocation of rights for natural resources like coal comes under the purview of the central government. No use pointing fingers at the Trinamool for corruption in coal. It is under the Centre. What about its ministers? What about the BJP leaders who looted the coal belt of Bengal, the Asansol region, she said on the occasion of the party’s foundation day programme. PTI reports that Abhishek Banerjee, 33, who represents the Diamond Harbour seat in Lok Sabha, has been summoned to appear before the investigating officer of the case in New Delhi on September 6, while his wife  Rujira has been sent a similar summon under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for September 1. Rujira had earlier been grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case. Some Indian Police Service (IPS) officers and a lawyer linked to Abhishek Banerjee have also been summoned to appear on different dates next month in the same case, the officials said. The Bengal coal smuggling case, which had led to the arrest of several middle-men, refers to the mining and smuggling of coal worth Rs 20,000 crore across the borders of the states to Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar, allegedly with the help of government officials in collusion with politicians.

Bhavina goes for gold.

And, in the ongoing Tokyo Paralympic Games, paddler Bhavinaben Patel has her sights fixed on gold after she entered the finals beating silver medalist of Rio Olympics, Zhang Mia of China in the semi-final of the Women’s Singles Class 4 category at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games on Saturday. Bhavinaben won 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-8 in a match that lasted 34, to enter the final gold medal match. She will now face World No.1 Zhou Ying of China. Patel was quoted as saying, I don’t consider myself as disabled, I am always confident I can do anything and today I also proved that we are not behind and para table tennis is as ahead as other sports. This is a very, very, very big achievement for me. People say that to beat China (in table tennis) is impossible but I’ve proven today that nothing is impossible. Everything is possible if you want to do (it), Bhavinaben said in a video posted on Twitter by public broadcaster Doordarshan. When asked if she had expected to make it this far coming into the Paralympics, Bhavinaben told SAI Media, No, I just thought that whatever match comes, I have to give it my 100%. And that’s what I’ve been doing. When you give 100%, a medal will come.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Taliban largely seal off Kabul airport as airlift winds down

The crowds kept coming to the Kabul Airport to flee from the Taliban as the US and its allies began winding up rescue operations. Italy said its final evacuation flight had landed in Rome but that it would work with the United Nations and countries bordering Afghanistan to continue helping Afghans who had worked with its military contingent to leave the country. Our imperative must be to not abandon the Afghan people, especially women and children, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Saturday. He said 4,890 Afghans were evacuated by Italy’s air force on 87 flights, but did not say how many others were still eligible. The U.S. and its allies have said they will continue providing humanitarian aid through the U.N. and other partners, but any broader engagement including development assistance is likely to hinge on whether the Taliban deliver on their promises of more moderate rule. A U.N. agency meanwhile warned that a worsening drought threatens the livelihoods of more than 7 million people. The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization said Afghans are also suffering from the coronavirus pandemic and displacement from the recent fighting. The Taliban deployed extra forces around Kabul’s airport on Saturday to prevent large crowds from gathering after a devastating suicide attack two days earlier, as the massive U.S.-led airlift wound down ahead of an August 31 deadline. Agencies reported on the new layers of checkpoints that have sprung up on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed Taliban fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces. Areas where large crowds of people have gathered over the past two weeks in hopes of fleeing the country following the Taliban takeover were largely empty. A suicide attack on Thursday by an Islamic State affiliate killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, and there are concerns that the group, which is far more radical than the Taliban, could strike again. Many Western nations have completed their evacuation operations ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces. More than 1,00,000 people have been safely evacuated through the Kabul airport, according to the U.S., but thousands more are struggling to leave and may not make it out by Tuesday. In Kabul, hundreds of protesters, including many civil servants, gathered outside a bank while countless more lined up at cash machines. The protesters said they had not been paid for the past three to six months and were unable to withdraw cash. ATM machines are still operating, but withdrawals are limited to around $200 every 24 hours. The Taliban cannot access almost any of the central bank’s $9 billion in reserves, most of which is held by the New York Federal Reserve. The International Monetary Fund has also suspended the transfer of some $450 million. 

Biden :China still withholding ‘critical’ details on virus origins. 

President Joe Biden said on Friday that China was withholding critical information on the origins of COVID-19 after the U.S. intelligence community said it did not believe the virus was a bioweapon – but remained split on whether it escaped from a lab. The U.S ., however, does not believe Chinese officials had foreknowledge of the virus before the initial outbreak of the pandemic that has now claimed 4.5 million lives, according to the unclassified summary of an eagerly awaited intelligence report. Critical information about the origins of this pandemic exists in the People’s Republic of China, yet from the beginning, government officials in China have worked to prevent international investigators and members of the global public health community from accessing it, Mr. Biden said in a statement. To this day, the PRC continues to reject calls for transparency and withhold information, even as the toll of this pandemic continues to rise. U.S. intelligence has ruled out that the coronavirus was developed as a weapon, and most agencies assess with low confidence it was not genetically engineered. But the community remains divided on the pathogen’s origins, with four agencies and the National Intelligence Council judging in favour of natural exposure to an animal as the likely explanation, and one agency favoring the lab leak theory. Analysts at three agencies were unable to reach a conclusion. The intelligence community and global scientists lack clinical samples or epidemiological data from the earliest Covid-19 cases, it added. Mr. Biden said the U.S. would continue to work with allies to press Beijing to share more information.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Half a million more may flee Afghanistan: UNHCR

The U.N. refugee agency is gearing up for as many as half a million people or more to flee from Afghanistan in a worse-case scenario in the coming months. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said that the situation in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last week remains uncertain and may evolve rapidly, with up to 515,000 new refugees fleeing. The agency said that would add to the 2.2 million Afghans who are already registered as refugees abroad nearly all of them in Pakistan and Iran. The upsurge of violence across the country and the fall of the elected government may have a serious impact on civilians and cause further displacement, the plan said. The agency cited estimates that 558,000 people have been internally displaced within Afghanistan due to armed conflict this year alone – four in five of them women and children. UNHCR estimates that the number of displaced will rise, both internally and across border, it said. Najeeba Wazedafost, CEO of the Asia Pacific Refugee Network, in an online UNHCR news conference on Friday, warned of coming darkness in Afghanistan amid a tragically intertwined series of crises. The U.N. agency is seeking nearly $300 million for its response plan for inter-agency requirements. Meanwhile, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said today that there was no clarity on ‘any entity’ forming a government in Afghanistan, Addressing a press conference, he observed that India was waiting to see how inclusive the next government in Kabul would be. The situation on the ground was uncertain, he noted. Currently, there is no clarity on any entity forming a government in Kabul. There have been a lot of stories going around about who will be represented in the government and whether the government will be inclusive, which is another question, and whether other elements of the Afghan polity will be represented in that, he stated. Explaining that India was aware of the dialogue currently underway on government formation in Kabul, he said that the issue of recognition of the Taliban amounted to jumping the gun in view of the fluid situation.

 

New urgency in evasituation

Evacuation flights from Afghanistan resumed with new urgency on Friday, a day after a suicide bombing targeted the thousands of people desperately fleeing a Taliban takeover and killed more than 100. The U.S. warned more attacks could come ahead of next week’s end to America’s longest war. The U.S. said more than 1,00,000 people have been safely evacuated from Kabul, but thousands more are struggling to leave in one of history’s largest airlifts. President Joe Biden has pledged to continue the evacuation of Americans and others from Talibancontrolled Afghanistan, and the Pentagon said more than 12,000 people were airlifted from Kabul in the last 24 hours, as of Friday morning. More people hoping to flee arrived on Friday at the airport, though in one area Taliban fighters set up a cordon about 500 m away. Britain has evacuated almost 14,000 U.K. citizens and Afghans from Kabul in the two-week operation,but the final flights are departing on Friday. Hundreds of U.K. Troops at the airport are due to leave in the next few days. U.K. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that about 1,000 Afghans authorized to come to Britain, and about 150 U.K. citizens, have not made it to the airport and will likely be left behind. Italy’s last evacuation flight from Kabul left Afghanistan on Friday, ending the country’s airlift operation, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said. The French European Affairs Minister, Clement Beaune, said the country will end its operation soon.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Navjot Singh Sidhu’s adviser Malvinder Singh Mali quits 

Under fire for his controversial comments on Kashmir, Malvinder Singh Mali on August 27 quit as adviser to Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. However, Mali did not term it as a resignation. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Mali said, I humbly submit that I withdraw my consent given for tendering suggestions to Navjot Singh Sidhu. Mali, in another Facebook post claimed that the question of his resignation does not arise as he never accepted the post. Neither accepted any post, nor resigned from any post, Mali said in a post in Punjabi. Amid a power tussle in Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had asked Sidhu on August 22 to rein in his advisers after two of them made atrocious comments recently on sensitive issues like Kashmir and Pakistan. AICC general secretary Harish Rawat, who is in charge of Punjab affairs, had also said that the two advisers need to go. Sidhu on August 11 had appointed Mali, a former government teacher and political analyst, and Pyare Lal Garg, a former registrar of Baba Farid University of Health and Sciences, as his advisers to seek their wise counsel. In a recent social media post, Mali had waded into the issue of revocation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. He had reportedly said if Kashmir was a part of India, then what was the need to have Articles 370 and 35A. He had also said, Kashmir is a country of Kashmiri people. Garg, another adviser of Sidhu, had reportedly questioned the Chief Minister’s criticism of Pakistan. The Chief Minister had warned against such atrocious and ill-conceived comments that were potentially dangerous to the peace and stability of the state and the country.

Congress’s leadership crisis in Chhattisgarh continues; Rahul Gandhi to visit State next week

No clear announcement on the leadership question in Chhattisgarh was forthcoming at the end of a nearly four-hour-long parley between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Baghel told the reporters at the end of the meeting that on his invitation, Gandhi has agreed to come to Chhattisgarh. He ducked questions on the reported assurance given by former Congress President Rahul Gandhi to Health Minister T S Singh Deo that the term of chief ministership would be split between him and Deo. Baghel claimed that this issue was clarfiied three days back by the state in-charge PL Punia. Our state in-charge PL Punia has already amply clarified the position on this issue. Once he has spoken, what else can I say, Baghel said. Punia on Tuesday had claimed that there was no discussion on a change of leadership in the state. But Punia’s assurance did little to settle the speculation. Baghel said that during the meeting both political and administrative issues of the state were discussed. At the end of the meeting, I requested Gandhi to visit the state to see our work and he gladly accepted the invitation. He will be coming next week, Baghel said. On the question of whether he will continue as the Chief Minister, Baghel said that he invited Gandhi in his position as the Chief Minister of the state. General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal and Punia were also present at the meeting. Sources said that on Tuesday, Vadra, who was not in Delhi, could not attend the meeting and Baghel was asked to return to the capital for another round in her presence. While Gandhi is bound by his reported promise to Deo, Vadra, senior leaders claim, is in favour of continuing with Baghel. Being the party’s lead OBC face, Vadra, according to sources, expressed the view that a change in leadership just ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls where each party is pursuing the OBC vote, would send the wrong message.  Meanwhile, in a show of strength, 55 of the 70 Congress legislators who support Baghel are camping in Delhi and had two rounds of meeting with Chhattisgarh state in-charge PL Punia. By the evening, the legislators had moved to the party headquarter at 24 Akbar road. All day long the MLAs lobbied for him. On Thursday night, 26 MLAs supporting him arrived in a chartered airplane to the Capital. We went directly to Punia’s home at around 11:00 pm. He had already slept. We woke him up and told him that the decision on who should be the Chief Minister should be left to us since it is we who have to face elections and not any leader sitting in Delhi, one of the legislators said. Following the meeting between Baghel and Gandhi, the legislators have decided to return to Chhattisgarh. Gandhi is coming to Raipur and Bastar. So we have decided to return to prepare for his visit, Bilaspur MLA Devendra Yadav told. 

Mekedatu dam: Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court

The Tamil Nadu government has urgently moved the Supreme Court seeking judicial orders to restrain Karnataka from proceeding with any activity in regard to the proposed construction of a reservoir at Mekedatu across the inter-State Cauvery river. The application, drawn by advocate G. Umapathy, vetted by Tamil Nadu Advocate General R. Shanmugasundaram and filed by advocate D. Kumanan, stated that the planning of the Mekedatu project by Karnataka with a capacity of 67.16 TMC ft. and generation of 400 MW project worth ₹9,000 crore was in gross violation of the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal of February 5, 2007, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court itself on February 16, 2018. The entire objective of the Tribunal’s final decision is to ensure that the pattern of the release of water to the downstream State to meet irrigation interests is not jeopardised, Tamil Nadu said. It submitted that Karnataka unilaterally, despite the Tribunal and apex court decisions, sent a feasibility report of the Mekedatu project to the Central Water Commission (CWC), which proceeded to entertain the proposal. The proposed reservoir would result in the impounding of the flows generated in the Cauvery river from the uncontrolled catchment of the Kabini sub-basin downstream of the Kabini reservoir, the catchment of Cauvery river downstream of KRS dam, uncontrolled flows from Shimsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathy sub-basins and various other small streams, which are the sources to ensure 177.25TMC at Billigundlu, the State application stated. The proposed construction of the reservoir by Karnataka would have a cascading effect on the daily and monthly inflows during the crucial months of June to September and prejudice the livelihood of lakhs of inhabitants of Tamil Nadu depending on the flows from the upstream in Karnataka, it said. Further any new scheme contemplated should be taken up only with the consent of the other basin States as they are vitally affected by the unilateral action of the upper riparian State, Tamil Nadu pressed. The State urged the Supreme Court to direct the CWC to reject and return the detailed project report for the proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project filed by Karnataka on January 18, 2019. It also requested the court to restrain the Environment Ministry and its agencies from entertaining any application for clearance relating to the Mekedatu project.

SC urged to ‘expeditiously’ begin hearing pleas on Article 370 abrogation 

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and spokesperson of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration M.Y. Tarigami has urged the Supreme Court to expeditiously begin hearing petitions challenging the Centre’s abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories (UTs), saying the government was taking irreversible actions that may render the pending case infructuous. Several petitions, including one by Tarigami, have been waiting in the Supreme Court for nearly two years. The petitions were referred to a five-judge Bench in August 2019 by the then Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi. The case was last listed before a Constitution Bench led by Justice Gogoi’s successor, Chief Justice S.A. Bobde (now retired), on March 2, 2020. The other four judges on the Constitution Bench are Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, R. Subhash Reddy, B.R. Gavai and Surya Kant. The petitions challenged a Presidential Order of August 5 that blunted Article 370. The Article had accorded special rights and privileges to the people of Jammu and Kashmir since 1954 in accordance with the Instrument of Accession. The special status was bestowed by incorporating Article 35A in the Constitution. Article 35A was incorporated by an order of President Rajendra Prasad in 1954 on the advice of the Jawaharlal Nehru Cabinet. Parliament was not consulted when the President incorporated Article 35A into the Constitution through a Presidential Order issued under Article 370. Following the abrogation, the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Act of 2019 came into force and bifurcated Jammu and Kashmir into UTs without a Legislative Assembly. Immediately after August 5, 2019, a strict security lockdown was imposed in Jammu and Kashmir that last over a year, along with a communication blackout and months-long Internet shutdown, Tarigami, represented by advocate P.V. Dinesh, submitted.