- Details
- Category: News in Brief
- Published: Tuesday, 17 August 2021 03:30
News Digest (17th Aug 2021, Tuesday)
News Digest (17th Aug 2021, Tuesday)
by Annadatha Venkata Murali Manohar
Afghanistan News
Afghanistan crisis: Indian ambassador, some mission staff and 150 ITBP personnel still to be evacuated
Afghan: Indian Embassy shuts as staff readies for evacuation; All flights halted; 10 killed as people throng airport, several on aircraft wing in bid to flee; President Ghani flees in helicopter stuffed with cash claims Russia report
Taliban spokesman - Hope India will alter stance, as insurgents look to 'Reconstruct, form Islamic Govt; vow to create secure environment for diplomats, embassies; India at UNSC meet - Neighbours would feel safer if assured Afghan territory isn't used by terrorist groups; India offers help to Afghan Hindus, Sikhs
US President Joe Biden: "I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces; I am president of America and the buck stops with me; Will only recognise Taliban govt if women's rights respected, terrorists not harboured; Will respond with 'devastating' force if US personnel attacked
China says it is willing to develop ‘friendly relations’ with Afghanistan’s Taliban
Biden’s ‘America’s back’ vow torched as Taliban overrun Kabul
More forces to flow into Kabul airport today and tomorrow. Not seeing Taliban interfere with people travelling to airport: US deputy national security adviser
EU calls crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss Afghanistan
Making clear to Taliban that it will suffer if engages US in more hostile way: US deputy national security adviser
US deputy national security adviser says plan in place to secure Kabul airport by Monday
Taliban assured of safety to minuscule Sikh and Hindu communities
US deputy national security adviser says US remains engaged in diplomatic conversations with the Taliban in Doha
Iran new ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi says US 'defeat' in Afghanistan must usher in a durable peace in the neighbouring, war-wracked country. Iran was "closely monitoring the evolution of events in Afghanistan" and wants good neighbourly ties with it, he said.
Russian special envoy on Afghanistan says spoke by phone with US counterpart: Tass
Int'l community must remain engaged with Kabul, says Pak FM Qureshi
France to begin airlifting nationals from Kabul by Monday evening
Germany must evacuate 10,000 people from Afghanistan, Merkel tells party
Following situation on Tajik-Afghan border very closely, will provide all necessary help to Tajikistan if needed for security: Head of Russia-led security bloc
Have Taliban's assurance that it will not permit anti-China forces, that is, the Uygur Islamic militants of East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which is fighting for the separation of China's volatile Xinjiang province: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson
EU foreign ministers to hold talks on Afghanistan Tuesday: AFP quoting diplomats
China hopes Taliban will establish 'open, inclusive' Islamic govt as committed
The Taliban are in control of Afghanistan and British and NATO forces will not be returning to fight the insurgents: British defense minister
Air India's Chicago-Delhi flight diverted to avoid Afghan airspace, lands in Sharjah
Speaking on slavery, Imran Khan said becoming "mental slaves" is worse than being an actual slave.
As Kabul falls to Taliban, burqa shops of Afghanistan get busy
Kabul falls to Taliban; nations scramble to evacuate citizens and diplomatic staff
Afghan Embassy in India claims ‘lost access’ to Twitter account
As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, one question that arose was where was the resistance from the Afghan army that had been raised over nearly two decades?
Afghans have broken ‘shackles of slavery’, says Pak PM Imran Khan after Taliban seize power
International community must remain engaged with Kabul, says Pak FM Qureshi as Taliban topples Afghan govt
Afghan airspace closed for commercial flights; AI Kabul flight cancelled & US nonstops being rerouted
3 people fall off plane, some huddled on Aircraft Wing in Kabul mayhem
Left Afghanistan to avoid bloodshed, ‘big human disaster’, says President Ashraf Ghani
A horde of people run towards the Kabul Airport Terminal, after Taliban insurgents took control of the presidential palace in Kabul
Trump blames Joe Biden for Afghan crisis, seeks his resignation
US to expand its security presence at Kabul airport to 6,000 troops
Taliban confirms no danger to embassies, foreign nationals in Kabul
India plans to finish evacuation in 48 hours
Vistara’s Delhi-London flights stop using Afghanistan airspace
Washington calls on its citizens in Kabul not to go to (Hamid Karzai) airport and wait for its instructions
Biden: We did not seek to create a central democracy in Afghanistan, but rather to confront terrorism
US President: I will not get involved in an endless war, and we will not repeat the mistakes of the past in Afghanistan
The UNSC calls for the formation of a new government in Afghanistan through negotiations that is united, inclusive and representative, including the full, equal and meaningful participation of women
Washington: US President Joe Biden says that his country did not seek to ‘build the state’ and create a central democracy in Afghanistan, but has always been keen to combat terrorism that emanates from this country
Headlines
India has divergences with US on Afghanistan: EAM S Jaishankar
No good House debates, sorry state of affairs: CJI N V Ramana
India register epic win at Lord's by 151 runs to take 1-0 lead in 5 match Test series; Mohammed Siraj 4/32, pacers did the magic with bat & ball; pulled off an extra-ordinary win in dying stages of the game
Did government ever buy or use Pegasus? SC seeks detailed affidavit; Centre offers to form experts’ panel on snooping allegations
Shillong violence: Petrol bombs hurled at Meghalaya CM Conrad K Sangma’s residence
New Education Policy a means to fight poverty: PM Modi
HAL's 'Made in India' - 228 (VT-KNR) civil aircraft achieves milestone, carries out ground run and low-speed taxi trials
Dalit sarpanch kicked, manhandled by secretary in MP for hoisting Flag without him on I-Day; wife, daughter in law was also beaten while rescuing sarpanch
Aviation ministry allows 10 organs to use drones; Karnataka Govt, Mahindra & Mahindra among them; 2 organizations permitted to conduct “remote pilot training using drones; Bayer got for “drone-based agricultural research activities; use drones for agricultural spraying
Meghalaya suspends Cops who abandoned weapons amid Shillong violence; CM did not specify how many policemen were punished for deserting their arms
Finance & Business News
General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re) shuts Dubai office, will shift to Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) City in India
Shares of Devyani International Ltd, the largest franchisee of Pizza Hut, KFC and Costa Coffee in India, debuted with a huge premium of nearly 57% against its issue price of Rs. 90
SBI announces various special offers for retail customers
Petronet aims to extend long-term LNG buy deal with Qatar
Sensex rises 145 points to scale fresh peak; Nifty ends above 16,550
NSE records over 50 lakh new investors since April
Pakistan becomes smartphone exporter, first-ever ‘Manufactured in Pakistan’ devices hit global market
Twitter has once again halted its account verification programme, saying that it aims to improve the application and review process to give users that elusive blue badge
Paytm staff eye Rs. 600-crore ESOP share conversion ahead of IPO
WPI inflation eases to 11.16% in July; food, crude prices soften
Ola pushes for only electric two-wheelers by 2025
PE/VC investments touch all-time high of $9.5 billion in July: Report
PE-VC funds in electric vehicle sector up 3x this year
myTVS, a brand that operates under Ki Mobility Solutions has raised Rs. 375 crore from a fund managed by Exor, one of Europe’s leading holding companies
Business activity last week higher than pre-Covid level for first time: Report
SleepyCat raises $3.8 million
Fuel demand recovery continues in August, diesel sales 8% less than pre-Covid level
Exporters to get new duty refund scheme this week
Abolish all petrol 2-wheelers in 4 years, says Ola co-founder
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to meet PSB chiefs on Aug 25, track performance
In the post-Covid era, the supply chain is the protagonist
One Infosys – the secret to our success: Salil Parekh CEO
Saudi Aramco is in advanced talks on up to $25 billion Reliance deal; purchase of a roughly 20% stake
HDFC to raise funds from retail investors through Green Deposits to finance sustainable housing
BoM tops PSU banks in terms of loan, saving deposit growth in Q1; recorded 14.46% increase in gross advances at Rs 1,10,592 lakh crore in April-June period of 2021-22; followed by Punjab & Sind Bank
Ather Energy Co-Founder Tarun Mehta welcomes Ola Electric, calls it "Big Win" for EV Ecosystem
Corona Updates
India on Monday reported 32,937 daily new Covid cases in last 24 hours. Meanwhile, the country recorded its lowest tally of weekly Covid-19 cases in five months since mid-March, with less than 2.6 lakh infections reported in August 9-15, a drop of 6.7% from the previous week.
Ten new cases of Delta plus variant found in Maharashtra
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya arrives in Kerala to review Covid-19 situation
Union health minister to visit northeast on Aug 17 over Covid spike
Shillong: Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council militant killed during police raid
Australia extends Covid-19 lockdown in Melbourne, reinstates night curfew
German panel recommends all 12-17-year-olds get Covid-19 shot
Hong Kong reclassifies 15 countries as ‘high risk’ for Covid-19
Japan to extend Covid-19 "state of emergency" lockdown through mid-September
Iran announces record death toll for 2nd day
As Delta spreads, some travellers double up on Covid-19 vaccine in US
Daily Covid cases in US could exceed 200K in coming weeks: National Istitutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins
Covid curfew to remain in force in the state from 6am of August 17 to August 24, 6am; vaccination exercise to continue during the curfew: Uttarakhand government
Over 2.89 crore unutilized Covid-19 vaccine doses still available with states, UTs: Health ministry
Telangana reports 245 new Covid-19 cases, one death; Delhi reported 53 fresh Covid-19; Andhra Pradesh records 909 new Covid-19 cases and 13 deaths in the last 24 hours
Telangana prepared for third wave: CM K Chandrasekhar Rao
Delhi: Over 1.15 crore vaccine doses administered in city
We've sent a file to LG for his approval to set up a high-level committee for a probe to find out how many Covid patients died due to oxygen shortage. I've written to Union home minister Amit Shah, urging him to direct LG not to stop formation of the committee: Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia
School reopen in Andhra Pradesh with Covid-19 guidelines
Maharashtra faces double whammy of flood, Covid; recovery slows down in rain-hit western belt; SC gives Union Govt 4 more weeks to frame guidelines for ex-gratia to families of Covid victims
India administers record 86.29 Lakh vaccines, highest daily coverage in nearly two months; Kerala administers First dose of Covid vaccine to over half its population
Bharat Biotech working on Nasal vaccine that will work as Booster Covid-19 dose; on a combination of Covaxin followed by a nasal vaccine; Germany approves vaccinations for all above 12 years of age
World: 206,638,253; Active 17,219,326 (8.25%); Recovery 187,036,045 (89.65%); Vaccinated 4.72BN
India: 32,249,900; Active 376,528 (1.17%); Recovery 31,441,260 (97.49%); Vaccinated 543.85MN
State News
Telangana: 6.5 crore-year-old fossils found in Sitagondi forest of Adilabad
Delhi: 5 of 500 high-mast flags up, dedicated to Corona warriors
HC asks Centre, Delhi govt to respond to plea to complete quorum of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)
HC grants anticipatory bail to man accused of pronouncing triple talaq
A Delhi court sends businessman Gautam Thapar to judicial custody. He was recently arrested by Enforcement Directorate in an alleged bank loan fraud case. (ANI)
A woman, man allegedly set themselves on fire in front of Supreme Court gate number D. Area has been cordoned off. Injured persons have been taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia hospital. (ANI)
Smriti Irani shares #MondayMantra of wearing a mask and maintaining social distance but fans notice her weight loss instead
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav embarks on his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’
Telangana association of the United Kingdom (TAUK) celebrates 75th anniversary of Indian independence in London
A vibrant display of Telangana cultural heritage on I-Day
CM KCR: Will fill vacancies after new zonal policy in force
Telangana: Crop loan waiver from today
Old City on road to development
Old City ready to take out Bibi-Ka-Alam rally, the final procession of 10th day of Moharrum (Youm-E-Ashura)
Hyderabad: Slow pace of Bahadurpura flyover work adds to woes
Hyderabad: Triple talaq still on, cost of court battles keeps count low
School reopen in Naxal-dominated tribal villages in Chattisgarh after 16 years of efforts
No more free lunch, gift for MLAs in Tamil Nadu
Bihar CM announces 11 pc DA hike for govt employees, pensioners
Union ministers Munjapara, Chauhan begin Gujarat tour to interact with people
Mask rule violators in Gurugram have coughed up Rs. 7.5 crore in fines
CM Manohar Lal Khattar to flag off e-ricks to replace autos in Gurugram
Pipes laid, regular water supply to sectors along Dwarka Expressway soon
No respite from heat for Delhiities for next few days as rain unlikely before Aug 19
Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot flgs off fleet of 32 AC buses
Delhi riots: Police seek time to argue UAPA bail plea, says ‘can’t talk in air’
2021 vs. 2020: August gasps for one ‘good’ air day in Gurugram this year
Bigg Boss OTT: Neha Bhasin has a friction in her connection with Milind Gaba; tells him, 'You only keep talking to Akshara'
Pushpa and Sarkaru Vaari Paata scenes leaked online: Makers file complaint at Cyber Crime Cell
Indian Oil Corporation to reward 2,250 Class-10 topper girls from all state, central boards
No drastic hike in Andhra Pradesh school fees
With parents wary, attendance likely to be thin on partial reopening of school in Delhi
79k girls in UP school’s 746 branches complete courses amid pandemic
Ten more design resource centres being set up by NIFT: Textile ministry
J&K among country’s one of the best in education infrastructure: LG Sinha
School reopening: TN education minister to hold meeting with chief educational officers
TN schools to have 3-week bridge course for Class 9 to 12 students
Free tablets to be distributed to Class 10, 12 students: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
Casteist remark: Actor Meera Mithun in Puzhal jail till Aug 27
Celebrate Onam with Kuruthi, an edgy thriller on Amazon
Elderly population up, Tamil Nadu has second highest
Shilpa Shetty Kundra makes first public appearance post Raj Kundra's arrest, speaks about how to overcome negative thoughts during difficult times
Gujarat: A rakhi maker in Ahmedabad has made Covid-themed rakhis to raise awareness among people
Kuwait News
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received credentials of newly-assigned ambassadors of South Korea Chung Byung-ha, of Kyrgyzstan Azamat Karagulov, of Bhutan Shetem Tenzin and of Cyprus Michael Mavros.
Kuwait urges restraint on Afghanistan; The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs: We are following with great interest and concern the current situation and developments in Afghanistan, calling on all Afghan parties to exercise maximum restraint in order to prevent bloodshed and provide full protection for civilians and the safe exit of stranded diplomats and foreign nationals
The Kuwaiti Cabinet holds its weekly meeting at Seif Palace under the chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister
Indian Handloom week in Kuwait concluded at Al Sadu House
Back to the ‘good old’ days of traffic rush
Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Shaya Al-Shaya: Establishing a company to ensure food security
Two years permit for staff at Ministry of Education
MP Osama Al-Shaheen queries safety of escalators
Kuwait reviews request to resume direct flights to US, Morocco and Maldives
Kuwait prepares to put a check on future outbreaks
Firefighting: Rescued a fisherman whose hand got stuck in a fishing vessel’s winch
Afghan Americans transit in Kuwait
Kuwait reports four deaths, 343 new infections of Coronavirus
Assets of Future Generation reserves fund increased by 30% in three years
Foreign minister stresses the importance of building a comprehensive diplomatic personality
Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Communication and Information Techonology, Dr. Rana Al-Fares announced the launch of “EASY” application
KD 121.279 million in revenue from fines, penalties and confiscation during the past year 2020-2021
Minister of Communications Affairs: The government’s Sahel application will be launched in 13 destinations, in its first phase, soon
The Kuwaiti Cabinet assigns the Ministry of Finance to form a committee to cover the country’s sovereign credit rating
Kuwaiti Finance Minister makes contact with his counterpart in the Republic of Portugal on bilateral relations between the two countries and regional and international developments
The Ministry of Education: The sectors of the Ministry are working hard to achieve the readiness of schools in their various educational stages
The Kuwait Olympic Committee comments the election of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cycling Club as Vice President of the Asian Cycling Federation
The Kuwaiti Cabinet directs government agencies to reduce spending from the 2021-2022 budget by no less than 10 pc*
The Kuwaiti national team wins three medals in the Arab Table Tennis Championship, bringing the total to silver and 6 bronze
Completion of the Civil Service procedures for approving the front-row reward lists for 26 government agencies
International News
Malaysia’s Muhyiddin says resigned after losing confident of parliament
Bamako, Mali: Three soliders killed in NE Mali explosion
12 killed in Karachi grenade attack, Covid infectivity rising in Punjab
Pak achieved nuclear capability ‘within seven years’ of India carrying out its first nuke test in 1974: President Arif Alvi
China most distrusted nation, says survey of Indian youth
China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs
Lava streams from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi in new eruption
Four Palestinians killed in shootout with Israeli forces
Turkey evacuates some flooding victims; death toll hits 62
Lava streams from Indonesia’s Mount Merapi in new eruption
SL Prez demoted health minister who publicly endorsed sorcery, magic potions to battle Covid-19, as infections and deaths hit record highs
Iran has made progress in its work on enriched uranium metal; despite Western warnings that such work threatens talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal
Greece wildfires: Strong winds blowing in the area near the national park of Sounion were fanning the flames and hampering firefighting efforts
Tunisian President Kais Saied confirms that the government in his country will be formed soon, stressing that he will seek to establish a system that ‘expresses the will of the Tunisian people
Khartoum: Chairman of the Sovereign Council in Sudan, Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan, pledges his country to recover the remainder of the Al-Fashqa area adjacent to the Ethiopian border, whether through negotiation or any other options
Washington: The Civil Protection Agency in Haiti announced that the death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit the death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit the country on Saturday has risen to 1,400, amid expectations that it will rise with the arrival of a strong storm, accompanied by flooding, which makes relief operations more difficult
Sports News
Another overseas Test, another flourish from India's lower order. Jasprit Bumrah's day began as a batter in a hostile environment; by the end of the day, he and Mohammed Shami had turned the pressure around on England so swiftly and clinically that the hosts, who were in control of the game coming into the last day, folded in the final hour as India went 1-0 up in the series.
India 364 (Rahul 129, Rohit 83, Anderson 5-62) & 298 for 8 dec. (Rahane 61, Shami 56 n.o., Wood 3-51) beat England 391 (Root 180 n.o., Bairstow 57, Siraj 4-94) & 120 (Root 33, Siraj 4-32, Bumrah 3-33) by 151 runs
Bumrah and Shami, endless mindgames, and England's great malfunction. It's difficult to recall a more self-destructive passage of play from England than on the fifth morning of the Lord's Test
PM Narendra Modi meets India Olympic contingent; fulfils promise, has ice-cream with PV Sindhu
Honoured to attend I-Day celebrations at Red Fort: Neeraj Chopra
Organisers bar spectators from Tokyo Paralympics over virus
Vinesh Phogat sends apology to Wrestling Federation of India
What next for Indian hockey after the historic high of the Tokyo Olympics? Harendra Singh on the potential road ahead
Sreejesh receives Rs. 1 crore cash reward announced by NRI businessman UAE-based VPS Healthcare’s Chairman and Managing Director Dr Shamsheer Vayalil
Manner of rejigging of roles from men’s team to women’s side was disrespectful: Sjoerd Marijne, chief coach of outgoing Indian women’s hockey team
Congrats to athletes but Olympics is no place to look for national validation: Chetan Bhagat
Devendra Jhajharia, India’s other javelin legend, hails Neeraj Chopra’s feat
India vs. England: Virat Kohli hasn’t really played well, says Sunil Gavaskar
India vs. England, 2nd Test: England players stamping ball with spikes raise eyebrows, Vikram Rathour feels ‘not deliberate’
Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera contracts Covid-19 ahead of South Africa series
Taliban love and support cricket, I don’t see game suffering under their rule: ACB CEO Hamid Shinwari
Afghanistan will play T20 World Cup, preparations are on: Media manager Hikmat Hassan
Slow left-arm orthodox bowler Shams Mulani to lead 14-member Mumbai on Oman Tour
If Cricket Australia (CA) to move on from Justin Langer as Coach, do it sooner rather than later, says Adam Gilchrist
Novak Djokovic clocks 334 weeks at number one in ATP rankings
Danii Medvedev dominates Reilly Opelka to win ATP Toronto Masters
Roger Federer to undergo more knee surgery, will be out ‘for many months’
Former India defender Chinmoy Chatterjee dies