Today's News (16th Aug 2021, Monday)

Category: News in Brief
Published: Monday, 16 August 2021 09:57

Today's News (16th Aug 2021, Monday)

by Annadatha Venkata Murali Manohar

Headlines

Afghan: Taliban says it has taken control of Presidential Palace in Kabul; Top Leader Abdul Ghani Baradar likely to be New President; Spokesman says "War Is over; Ghani leaves for Tajikistan; Women ‘Will Have Rights’, Foreigners & moneyed to be safe; With 126 passengers On Board, last Air India lands light; all commercial flights suspended from Kabul airport; US lowers Flag at Kabul Embassy, secures Airport, ATC

Taliban hold all of Afghanistan’s border posts: Officials

Afghanistan crisis: Afghani refugees in India anxious about Taliban advancing

PM Modi I-Day speech: From cooperation through people's participation to J&K Poll promise; Bats for 'Sabka Prayas', calls on 'Can Do' generation to take India forward; Speeches are twice as long as Manmohan Singh's; Vajpayee wrapped up in 30 mins; lauds doctors, scientists for world's largest vaccination drive; mistakenly says freedom fighter Matangini was from Assam in I-Day speech

Google Honours India's First woman Satyagrahi, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, with a Doodle

Telangana: Top cops Swati Lakra and Sreenivas Reddy get President Police Medal

J&K village Unfurls Tallest National Flag in Kashmir along LAC; Army joins I-Day celebrations; BSF Hoists Flag at remote Naxal Base Mohupadar for 1st time; deep inside jungles Odisha-Chhattisgarh border; BRO Hoists Tricolour at 18,300 ft in Sikkim marking 75th Independence Day

Telangana-based J Ventaka Aditya and M Adarsh Reddy topped JEE twice; achieved a 100 percentile score but have also scored 300 out 300 in JEE Mains

Study finds physical activity protects children from being overweight in adolescence

CJI NV Ramanna criticised the lack of quality debates in Parliament, calling it a sorry state of affairs; laws have a lot of ambiguity. And the courts do not know the object, intent behind enacting of law

In a 1st, Township being built for former Naxalites in Dantewada to give 'Employment; constructed to protect former naxalites as their lives would be in danger if they stayed in their respective villages

PM Kisan scheme saw 61,04,877 failed transactions b/w Feb 1, 2019 - Jun 30, 2021. Of these, only 34% transactions were reverted

Union Govt to SC: Draft Notification on Banning Plastic of less-than-100-micron thickness issued

Ministers meet at Venkaiah’s house to discuss action against MPs involved in Rajya Sabha ruckus

Shillong clamps curfew, bans mobile internet amid violence; CM house attacked, Meghalaya Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui quits amid violence over police encounter of ex-militant

16 Indian-origin top executives ‘ruling’ tech industry globally

Indian Idol 12 winner: Uttarakhand’s Pawandeep Rajan lifts the trophy; wins a car and Rs 25 lakh cash prize

Curious case of Rahul Gandhi’s Twitter absence: Unlocked but unavailable

Financial & Business News

Ola Electric's much-awaited S1 and S1 Pro e-scooters are here; starting at Rs 99,999 only

Corona Updates

World: 207,978,649; Active 17,161,492 (8.25%); Recovery 186,442,489 (89.65%); Vaccinated 4.70BN

India: 32,225,175; Active 389,542 (1.21%); Recovery 31,403,959 (97.45%); Vaccinated 543.85MN

India logs 36,083 Covid cases, 493 new deaths; active cases up by 2,446; Health Ministry - Lambda variant still being explored and had not entered India yet. For now, it was a ‘variant of interest’

Sri Lanka to import medical oxygen from India amid rise in Covid-19 cases; UK cuts Covid-19 tests’ cost for global travellers, including from India

Maharashtra records 4,797 new Covid-19 cases, 130 deaths; Telangana reports 245 new Covid-19 cases, one death; Bengal reports 12 more Covid-19 deaths, 673 fresh cases; Haryana records one death and 22 fresh cases; Gujarat added 16 new Covid cases; Madhya Pradesh sees 13 Covid-19 cases; J&K reported 97 Covid-19 cases, 2 more deaths in the last 24 hours

Gujarat crossed 4 crore cumulative Covid vaccinations, making it the third state to cross the landmark after Uttar Pradesh (5.7 crore) and Maharashtra (4.9 crore)

Andhra Pradesh extends Covid curfew till Aug 21: PTI

France records 21,172 new coronavirus cases: Reuters

Italy reports 19 coronavirus deaths, 5,664 new cases: Reuters

Telangana govt braces for third Covid wave, ups number of beds & oxygen capacity

Hyderabad: Covid-19 breakthrough infections (infection after being vaccinated) are being reported across many private hospitals in the city, but the severity of the infection is often mild to moderate. On the plus side, no deaths have been reported in vaccinated people thus far

Philippines extends Travel Ban for 10 countries, including India and nine other countries over Delta concerns

State News

A native of Gorigipudi village of Repalle in Guntur District, Hyderabad-based numismatic M Kesava Rao sets up rare display of coins, on the occasion of I-Day

Hyderabad: Transport department officials seize 11 high-end imported cars including Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Maserati, for evading road tax

Telangana high court to get more new judges soon

TSRTC gets Rs. 1000 crore from Bank of India, after the govt has given a guarantee

Celebrating 75th I-Day, Karnataka launches 11 ‘Amrith special schemes’

Independence Day 2021: Tollywood actors from Mahesh Babu, Prabhas and Ram Charan to Jr NTR and Rakul Preet Singh celebrate freedom

Shah Rukh Khan shares Independence Day greetings along with a voice note, ‘In this haven of freedom, may our country always be and our children prosper’

This independence day, "India should have freedom from excuses," says Urvashi Rautela

Indian Idol 12 winner Pawandeep Rajan: My mom was crying when I lifted the trophy

Navya Naveli Nanda gives a twist to Amitabh Bachchan's popular song 'Jahan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai' from the film 'Kaalia'

Pawan Kalyan's first-glimpse as Bheemla Nayak from Rana Daggubati co-starrer released

Bigg Boss OTT: Shamita Shetty reveals about carrying the emotional baggage of being recognised as Shilpa Shetty’s sister; “It’s not been easy growing up under that shadow”

Kareena Kapoor Khan opens up on sex during pregnancy, says 'People are not used to seeing mainstream actors talking about these things'

Sai Dharam Tej and Aishwarya Rajesh starrer Republic gets a release date

Late composer Khayyam's wife, singer Jagjit Kaur passes away, their awards and properties to be managed by trust

Nikhil Siddhartha’s next to be a spy-thriller directed by Garry BH

Five arrested in Hyderabad with Alprazolam, clandestine labs unearthed

TRS Malkajgiri MLA M Hanumantha Rao, BJP corporator V Sravan booked in Hyderabad, following accusations that workers of the parties had attacked each other during the hoisting of the tricolor at the I-Day celebrations in Hyderabad

AP Lokayukta justice P Lakshman Reddy urges people to fight corruption

Delhi: Jessica Lall’s sister Sabrina Lall dead, due to prolonged illness

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal promises to bring more government services online

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal inaugurates five flag masts on 75th I-Day

Malls in Mumbai see low footfalls owing to full vaccination rule

Maharashtra: After five months restaurants functioning after 4 pm in Thane

Karnataka has mandated that the passengers coming from Maharashtra should possess a negative RT-PCR report not older than 72 hours irrespective of vaccination status

Hyderabad: With Work from home (WFH) the new normal, demand for villas rises

Hyderabad: In-person classes for those vaccinated first

Hyderabad: CPI Telangana secretary Chada Venkat Reddy demanded that the state govt immediately take up comprehensive survey of land to put an end to litigations

Kuwait News

Kuwait Amir, Crown Prince, Premier congratulate India on Independence Day

Indian Ambassador: We are committed to continuing to expand our strong partnership with Kuwait

Indians in Kuwait celebrated 75th I-Day virtually

Cautious Optimism among policy-makers in Kuwait

Government employees return to work at full capacity after more than 1 and a half year

Kuwaitis security personnel ensure flowing traffic with full return of official work

Epidemiological situation improves, need to remain cautious

The State of Kuwait expresses its sympathy with Lebanon due to foreign explosion of a fuel tank in the town of Al-Talil in the north of the country

The Kuwaiti General Fire Force: The team participating in extinguishing forest fires in Greece returned to the homeland after the end of its mission

Executive-legislative conflict affecting KIA Operations

144,768 vaccination certificates issued abroad approved

The Misdemeanor Court sentenced a man, who pretended to be a woman, to three months imprisonment with bail payment of KD 500 to suspend the sentence

The corpse of an unidentified person which was found near a factory in Amghara with blood traces on the head had been referred to Forensics

Court of Cassation rejects plea to end detention

All government, private schools to reopen on Oct 3

The Council of Ministers will discuss the possibility of allowing direct flights to and from some countries in its next meeting

Young Kuwaiti and his girlfriend arrested for ‘violating’ decency

MP seeks details on ‘Info’ expat workers

Kuwait exits Covid-19 third wave as vaccination campaign accelerates

Kuwait reports 3 Covid deaths, 306 infections

Saudi Arabia extends validity of visit visas until Sept 30

Expats nabbed over money transfers of illegal residents

Kuwait sends emergency medical aid to Lebanon amid growing shortages

Kuwait sends oxygen to Tunisia

Specialized Technical Committee to study request for exemption from vaccination

65 low-income Indians who died of Covid in Kuwait to receive Rs. 1 lakh

Al-Mawashi Co. incurs losses in year’s 1st 6 months

The Tunisian FM expresses his thanks to the State of Kuwait for the arrival of the third plane with the airlift to help Tunisia

The Kuwaiti FM stresses the importance of building a comprehensive diplomatic personality that meets the requirements of the state and responds to the concepts of its foreign policy

The State of Kuwait strongly condemns and denounces the Houthi militia’s continued attempts to threaten the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by targeting the city of Najran with a ballistic missile*

The Council of Public Universities approves the proposed numbers that meet the conditions and percentages for admission to Kuwait University for the academic year 2021-2022

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health determines the mechanism for requesting exemption from the Covid-19 vaccination for citizens and residents whose health condition may prevent them from receiving the vaccination

The Kuwaiti team continues to advance in the Arab Table Tennis Championship in Jordan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on all Kuwaiti citizens not to visit Afghanistan at the present time as a result of the current security situation, calling on the citizens who are there to leave immediately

Boursa Kuwait announces the suspension of 9 companies from trading until their financial statements are disclosed

Kuwaiti (Interior) Ministry: Intensive security and traffic preparations coincide with the return of full shifts

International News

Haiti Earthquake: 1200 killed, 2,800 injured after horrific tremors; search for survivors on; Hospitals struggle to treat injured in massive Earthquake

Haiti hit by new earthquake with 5.8 magnitude, a day after a more powerful deadly tremor, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC)

South Korea’s Moon Jae-in says open to dialogue with Japan despite history feuds

Biden authorizes deployment of additional 1,000 troops to Afghanistan to help orderly drawdown amidst Taliban surge

The US Secretary of State discusses with the Chairman of the Afghan Reconciliation Council the latest developments in Afghanistan

Joe Biden, Donald Trump trade blame amid American ignominy

Taliban want full power after return to Afghanistan capital

Afghan leaders form council to meet Taliban

Turkey tightens security at Iran border to stop Afghan refugees

Albanian PM: We have no objection to receiving Afghan political immigrants

A fuel tank blast in Lebanon killed 28 people, 80 injured; scalding a crowd that was clamouring for gasoline in the crisis-hit country

Britain calls for two emergency meetings of the Security Council and the NATO Council to discuss the situation in Afghanistan

Canada PM Trudeau announces snap elections for Sept 20 to seek new mandate amid pandemic

Flooded Coal Mine in China's Qinghai kills one, 19 Miners still trapped; 200 Chinese police, emergency workers and experts involved

Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin to resign; end to 17-month Govt; plunging country into fresh turmoil; no clear successor; days of political horse-trading ahead as MPs seek to form a workable coalition

Sports News

India's Tokyo Olympics medallists get cash rewards from Sports Minister Anurag Thakur at IOA event in Delhi

World Archery Youth Champs: PM lauds Indian Contingent for winning 15 Medals; Komalika Bari becomes Junior Recurve World Champion, Men's and Mixed Team also win Gold Medals

Muhammad Ali's legacy continues as Grandson Nico Ali wins Pro Boxing debut

Lord's Test: Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara help India take 154-run lead on Day 4 before Moeen Ali puts England back on top; England players stepping on ball vs. India sparks "Ball-Tampering" debate

Pakistan vs. West Indies, 2nd Test series, 2021 – 1st Test, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica: West Indies scrambled a pulsating one-wicket victory over Pakistan; Pakistan see chances slip away; Score: Pak: 1st Innings 217 and 2nd innings: 203; West Indies: 1st Innings: 253; 2nd innings: 168/9; Player of the match: Jayden Seales; Shaheen Shah Afridi 4/50

If players truly believe in Test cricket, they need to appoint Virat Kohli as their spokesperson: Ian Chappell

India vs. England: If you’re scoring runs, you will be in team, says Jonny Bairstow

Legendary former West Indies cricket captain Sir Vivian Richards wishes India on its Independence Day

Germany, Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller (75), known as Der Bomber (The Bomber), passed away

EPL: Son Heung-min scores winner as Tottenham Hotspur stun Manchester City

Striker Harry Kane was left out of Tottenham Hotspur’s squad for Sunday’s Premier League encounter with champions Manchester City, as speculation about his future at the north London club intensified

Real Sociedad beat by Barcelona four in its opening match in the Spanish League

Liverpool criticises ‘offensive and inappropriate’ chant aimed at Billy Gilmour