The United States has safely evacuated more than 5,500 American nationals from Afghanistan including about 50 people in the last day and there are nearly 250 Americans who are trying to leave the war-torn country, the State Department said on Sunday.

 

Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan's government collapsed and the Taliban seized control on August 14.

 

The Taliban insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

 

"Nearly 5,500 American citizens and likely more have been safely evacuated from Afghanistan since August 14. This includes an additional roughly 50 individuals in the last day," a State Department spokesperson said.

 

The official said there remain up to approximately 250 Americans in Afghanistan who are trying to leave the country.

 

"Our team on the ground continues to coordinate assistance around the clock for this group, while taking the current security situation into account. Some may already be at HKIA or in the process of being guided there, and all have information on how to reach us," the official said.

 

"Additionally, we have been in regular contact with a group of roughly 280 individuals who have self-identified as Americans in Afghanistan but who remain undecided about whether to leave the country or who have told us they do not intend to depart," said the spokesperson.

 

Meanwhile, scores of countries led by the United States in a joint statement, said that they are all committed to ensuring that their citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with them, and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan.

 

"We have received assurances from the Taliban that all foreign nationals and any Afghan citizen with travel authorisation from our countries will be allowed to proceed in a safe and orderly manner to points of departure and travel outside the country," the joint statement said.

 

"We will continue issuing travel documentation to designated Afghans, and we have the clear expectation of and commitment from the Taliban that they can travel to our respective countries. We note the public statements of the Taliban confirming this understanding," it said.  -- PTI

The United States carried out a missile strike on Islamic State militants in Kabul on Sunday, US officials said.

The officials told news agency, Reuters the strike targeted suspected ISIS-K terrorists, a group that was responsible for a suicide bomb attack outside the airport gates on Thursday.

The attack by ISIS-K, a branch of Islamic State, killed at least 90 Afghans and 13 American troops as a huge evacuation operation was underway following the Taliban's seizure of Kabul on August 15.

The Army on Sunday said the security situation in the Kashmir valley is under control and there is nothing to worry about the fallout of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

 

The General Officer Commanding of the Army's 15 Corps, also known as the Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General D P Pandey, said this to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Srinagar.

"This is a playground and I do not want to comment about the outsiders. But remember, the security situation here is in our control and there is nothing to worry about it," he said, replying to a question on the challenges for the security establishment in Kashmir in the wake of Afghanistan's takeover by the Taliban.

The GOC was the chief guest at the final match of the Kashmir Premier League cricket tournament, which was played at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium.

Lt Gen. Pandey appealed to the youngsters in the valley to focus on sports and hoped that Kashmir will produce an Olympic gold medallist like Neeraj Chopra in the future.

"Today, National Sports Day is being celebrated and there could not have been a great day for this final than today. I take this opportunity to appeal to the youth to focus on every sport and not cricket so that god willing, a Neeraj Chopra comes to the fore from here," he said.

The Army officer said sports teaches discipline and the youngsters of Jammu and Kashmir, who have a lot of talent, should use it to earn a name for themselves.

He asked them to learn from the success story of former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan, who was also present on the occasion.

"Like you and me, he (Pathan) rose from a small village and reached here with his hard work. I am sure all of you will learn from him and move forward to become good citizens, good sportsmen with full discipline and earn a name for the country," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Pathan said there is a lot of talent in Jammu and Kashmir.

"I learnt that from Irfan (Pathan, Yusuf's brother who was roped in by the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association as a player-cum-mentor for the cricket team of the Union Territory). Two to three boys were selected and played in the IPL as well. This is a good sign that there is talent is here. The way the Army has organised the tournament, which has been played by 200 teams, it is worth appreciation and it will encourage the talent," he said.

Pathan said the Army is working hard to encourage youngsters and its efforts will bear fruits.

"People here are working to take cricket forward. Everyone wants IPL matches, national and international games to be played here. Obviously, it will happen once the infrastructure is there," he said. -- PTI 

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra transport minister Anil Parab for questioning in the money laundering case registered against former state minister Anil Deshmukh and others, officials said on Sunday.

 

Parab, also a minister of parliamentary affairs in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, has been asked by the ED to depose before the investigating officer of the case at the agency's office in south Mumbai on Tuesday, they said.

 

Deshmukh has already skipped at least five summonses issued to him by the ED in this case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

 

The probe pertains to the criminal investigation being carried out by the ED in the alleged Rs 100 crore bribery-cum-extortion racket in the Maharashtra police establishment that led to Deshmukh's resignation in April.

 

The ED case against Deshmukh, who was earlier the home minister in the MVA government, and others came after the CBI booked him in the corruption case related to allegations of at least Rs 100 crore bribe made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

 

Deshmukh had said Singh made the allegations against him after he was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner. 

In a tweet, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, "Well done. As soon as the Jan Ashirwad Yatra concluded, Anil Parab has been served ED notice as expected. The central government has begun its work. The epicenter of the earthquake was Ratnagiri. Parab is the district guardian minister. Understand the chronology. Will fight legal battle legally. Jai Maharashtra." 

        

Recently, Union minister and BJP leader Narayan Rane was arrested from Ratnagiri for his comment that he would have slapped Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Rane, a bete noire of Sena and Thackeray, had made the remark during his Jan Ashirwad Yatra.

        

The BJP has been targeting Parab over his "disproportionate assets" and his alleged role in the arrest of Rane. -- PTI

Cumbersome ease of doing business at the grass-root level and high cost of doing business is affecting the animal spirits of the private sector, according to a survey by industry chamber CII released on Sunday.

   

However, it said that significant recovery in corporate performance is expected in 2021-22 as the government's pro-growth initiatives and announcements have helped nurture the animal spirits of the sector, according to a CII survey.

 

"Responding to the question on what is affecting the animal spirits of the private sector, majority of the CEOs (51 per cent) indicated that ease of doing business was still cumbersome at the grass roots, followed by cost of doing business (other than capital cost) being high, as indicated by 32 per cent of the CEOs," CII said in a statement.

 

About one-third of the CEOs indicated that the current capacity is still in excess of demand, it added.

 

The survey also said about 46 per cent of the 117 CEOs, who participated in the survey, expected more than 10 per cent revenue growth of their respective company in the first half of the current fiscal as compared to the first half of pre-pandemic year 2019-20.

 

"The CEOs' poll clearly indicates significant recovery in corporate performance with both topline (revenue) and bottomline (profit) growth expectations to be better than the pre-pandemic levels.

 

"The government's pro-growth initiatives and announcements have helped nurture the animal spirits of the corporate sector which has seen the worst economic shock of our lifetime," it added.

 

On exports, it said the majority of the CEOs polled indicated that countries including the US and Canada will post significant growth in the first half of the current fiscal year, followed by Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific.

 

"About 70 per cent of the CEOs polled expected inflation to be up to six per cent during the year 2021-22, which is within RBI's inflation range and should help RBI retain low interest rates to promote growth," it said. -- PTI

Facing flak from opposition parties for excluding Jawaharlal Nehru from a poster celebrating the 75th year of independence, the Indian Council of Historical Research said the controversy over the issue is "unnecessary" as other posters being released in the coming days will feature Nehru.

   

"We are not trying to undermine anyone's role in the movement," a top ICHR official said, dismissing criticism on the issue, and added the poster was one of the many released as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.

 

The ICHR, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, has been running a series of lectures and seminars on the theme of the Independence struggle under the 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebration.

 

"This is only one of the posters released as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. There will be several others and Nehru will be featured in them... controversy around this is unnecessary," the ICHR official told PTI.

 

As part of the lecture series, the council has invited various historians and academicians to speak on different topics related to India's freedom movement.

 

Opposition parties had targeted the government for the exclusion of the image of the country's first prime minister from the poster and suggested that it had been done deliberately.

 

Jairam Ramesh, Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Khera were among the Congress leaders, who took to social media and shared the screenshot of the ICHR website showing photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, B R Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Madan Mohan Malviya and Veer Savarkar while Nehru's picture was missing.

 

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at the ICHR, accusing it of bowing to hate and prejudice, and asked whether it would omit Henry Ford while celebrating the birth of the motor car or Wright brothers while celebrating the birth of aviation. -- PTI

A Muslim scrap dealer was allegedly threatened and forced to chant 'Jai Shri Ram' by two men at a village in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district, following which the police have arrested the accused duo, an official said on Sunday. 

          

The incident occurred on Saturday and two purported videos of it have gone viral on social media. 

        

Talking to reporters, R K Rai, Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), Mahidpur, said, "The incident happened on Saturday when scrap dealer Abdul Rasheed, a resident of Mahidpur town who has been doing this business here for a long time, went to Sikli village under Jharda police station area to collect some scrap in his mini truck."

        

However, Rasheed was forced to leave the village and also threatened against doing his scrap business in the area. When he left the village, two men intercepted him at Pipliya Dhuma, manhandled him and forced him to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. The man somehow got out from there after giving in to their demand, he said.

        

Jharda police station in-charge Vikram Singh Ivne said that an offence was registered against the two accused, identified as Kamal Singh (22) and Ishwar Singh (27), for disturbing communal harmony, and they were arrested. 

        

The duo was booked under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion), 505 (2) (public mischief), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), among others.

        

Meanwhile, two videos of this incident went viral on social media, which drew the ire of several netizens. 

        

In one purported video, the two men were seen throwing scrap from the victim's four-wheeler and asking him not to enter the village again, while another video shows them threatening and forcing him to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'. It shows them asking him how he dared to enter their village and the victim chanting the slogan as told by the accused.

        

Reacting to the incident, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath said that similar incidents had earlier occurred in Indore and Dewas in the state. 

        

"Has it been happening under a specific agenda? The government is watching everything as a mute spectator. An atmosphere of anarchy is being created in the entire state and the law is being mocked," he said while demanding a strict action against the accused who are "disturbing peace" in the state. 

        

Minister for Medical Education Vishvas Sarang said the state government was taking strict action in all such incidents. 

        

"We are committed to taking action and preventing such incidents. But the questions remain as to why such videos are being made viral from the social media department of Congress. Whether the Congress is behind making such videos and spreading them?" he said.

        

It is a matter of investigation whether these incidents are planned, the minister added. -- PTI  

The income tax department on Sunday extended the deadline for various compliances, including filing of statement for equalisation levy and remittances.

          

The deadline for filing the Equalisation Levy statement in Form-1 for the Financial Year 2020-21 has been extended till December 31, against the original due date of June 30.

        

The quarterly statement in Form 15CC to be furnished by authorised dealers in respect of remittances made for June and September quarter, can now be filed by November 30 and December 31 respectively. The original due date for filing this statement was July 15 and October 15 respectively.

        

In a statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes said on consideration of difficulties reported by the taxpayers and other stakeholders in electronic filing of certain forms it has been decided to further extend the due dates for e-filing of these forms.

        

In a separate statement, the CBDT announced extending the deadline for making payments under the direct tax dispute resolution scheme Vivad Se Vishwas by a month till September 30. However, taxpayers have the option to make payments till October 31, with an additional amount of interest.

        

Also, the due dates for electronic filing of forms related to intimation by pension funds and sovereign wealth funds too have been extended.

        

Intimation to be made by Pension Fund and sovereign wealth fund in respect of  investment made in India for the June and September quarter, which is required to be furnished by July 31  and October 31, would now have to be furnished by November 30 and December 31 respectively.

        

The CBDT also extended the due date for uploading of declarations received in Form 15G/15Hfor the June and September quarter till November 30 and December 31 respectively. The original due dates were July 15 and October 15 respectively.

Fifteen persons were injured, five of them seriously, after an LPG cylinder exploded and caused a minor fire at a shanty in Mumbai's Dharavi slum on Sunday, an official said.

       

Of the five persons who have suffered critical injuries in the incident, one is an eight-year-old boy, the fire brigade official said. 

        

The mishap occurred in Shahu Nagar locality of the slum in the afternoon, he said. 

        

"An LPG cylinder kept just outside one of the shanties exploded and led a level one (minor) fire. Fifteen persons suffered burn injuries and they were admitted to the nearby Sion Hospital. Three fire engines that were rushed to spot brought the blaze under control," the official said, adding that police personnel and civic staff are present at the spot. 

        

"Out of the 15 injured, 10 persons - seven males and three females - are out of danger, but five others are in a critical condition and two of them have suffered 50 to 60 per cent injuries. Those in critical condition are three males, including an eight-year-old boy, and two females," he added. 

        

During the probe, the fire brigade personnel found that gas was leaking from the cylinder and hence it was kept outside the shanty, the official said. -- PTI 

The last remaining United Kingdom troops began landing back from Kabul in Britain on Sunday, ending the country's 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan where the Taliban have seized power.

 

The Taliban insurgents stormed across the country on August 15, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, two weeks before the United States was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.

 

A Royal Air Force plane left Kabul airport on Saturday night and arrived at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, including with British ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Laurie Bristow who had been assisting the evacuation process.

 

Vice-Admiral Sir Ben Key, who ran the UK's evacuation dubbed Operation Pitting, said there was a "sense of sadness that we haven't done all we would have wished".

 

In a video posted on Twitter on Sunday morning, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the end of Operation Pitting was the "culmination of a mission unlike anything we've seen in our lifetimes", and that British troops and officials had "worked around the clock to a remorseless deadline in harrowing conditions".

 

"They have expended all the patience and care and thought they possess to help people in fear for their lives, said Johnson. "They've seen at first hand barbaric terrorist attacks on the queues of people they were trying to comfort, as well as on our American friends. They didn't flinch. They kept calm. They got on with the job," he said.

 

In a letter to the armed forces community, Johnson acknowledged the fall of Kabul to the Taliban would have been hard for them to watch and "an especially difficult time for the friends and loved ones of the 457 service personnel who laid down their lives" during the war.

 

He noted that the UK's involvement in Afghanistan "kept Al Qaeda from our door for two decades and we are all safer as a result".

 

Paying tribute to the efforts of UK forces since 2001, he added: "Though we would not have wished to leave in this way, we have to recognise that we came in with the United States, in defence and support of the US and the US military did the overwhelming bulk of the fighting.

 

"Together with our allies in America and Europe and around the world, we will engage with the Taliban not on the basis of what they say but what they do, Johnson said.

 

Describing the conclusion of the military campaign launched by former British prime minister Tony Blair as a time for reflection, Johnson reiterated a previous statement that if the new regime in Kabul wanted diplomatic recognition, or to unlock the billions that are currently frozen, they will have to ensure safe passage for those who wish to leave the country, to respect the rights of women and girls and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming an incubator for global terror.

Writing in  The Sunday Telegraph, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK was ready to consider sanctions against the militants -- but this would "depend on the choices the Taliban make on key issues" -- including on enabling safe passage out of the country.

 

The UK government has said it intends to re-establish a diplomatic presence in Kabul "as soon as the security and political situation in the country allows".

 

Downing Street said the number of people evacuated from Afghanistan included about 2,200 children, with the youngest born to an Afghan refugee on one of the evacuation flights.

 

About 5,000 British nationals and their families were airlifted, alongside more than 8,000 Afghan former UK staff and their families and those considered at risk from the Taliban.

 

It has been the UK's largest military evacuation since World War II.

 

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said he thought between 800 and 1,100 eligible Afghans would be left behind, along with around 100 to 150 Britons -- although he said some of those were staying willingly. -- PTI 

Police in Mathura have filed an FIR after some people threatened a Muslim dosa seller and vandalised his cart because his business was named after a Hindu deity.

 

A video clip of the incident circulating on social media showed the men tearing down the board which said 'Shrinath dosa corner'.

One of the men was heard saying Hindu people will mistakenly come to eat his stall.

Another man was heard in the purported video asking the dosa seller why he was not using a Muslim name for the stall.

The group also chanted a slogan calling "Krishna devotees" to "purify" Mathura.

The incident took place on August 18 at Vikas Bazar under Kotwali Police Station area, when a few men accosted Irfan, the dosa seller.

The police registered a case on Saturday under section 427 (mischief causing damage) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code against unknown people.

 

"Deterrent action would be taken against the law breakers," SP city Martand Prakash Singh said, adding the hunt for the accused is on. -- PTI 

President Ram Nath Kovind and his family members Sunday offered prayers to Ram Lalla at a makeshift temple in Ayodhya.

 

The president also planted a sapling and was presented with a miniature replica of the upcoming Ram temple.

Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya also offered prayers to Ram Lalla. 

The Congress on Sunday claimed the Investigation Officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation had found no role of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in the allegations of collecting Rs 100 crore raised by ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh and closed the inquiry but the central agency "overrode" the report as part of a "conspiracy". 

                 

Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant has demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the "conspiracy" by the CBI to "override" the report of the IO. 

He also said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should "take the responsibility and resign immediately".

         

An FIR was registered against Deshmukh and some unidentified persons on April 24 this year on charges of corruption and misconduct following a preliminary enquiry (PE) that the CBI conducted in compliance with the high court's order.        

              

Singh had alleged that Deshmukh had asked some police officers to collect Rs 100 crore per month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Deshmukh resigned in April after the PE was ordered but denied the allegations. 

                

"The Investigation Officer of the CBI in the PE had concluded that there is no role of Anil Deshmukh ji in the so called Rs 100 cr collection allegation by former CP Parambir Singh and had closed the inquiry," Sawant tweeted.

               

"We demand an SC-monitored inquiry into this conspiracy to find out at whose behest the CBI changed its stand by overriding the report of the IO (Investigation Officer)? The HC had only asked for a Preliminary Enquiry (against Deshmukh) but filing an FIR by misguiding the high court is a huge crime of the CBI," he said in another tweet.

               

Deshmukh, a senior Nationalist Congress Party leader, had said the ongoing CBI inquiry against him was illegal since the central agency had not taken prior sanction from the Maharashtra government to prosecute him.

                

Sawant said this is a "clear example as to how these agencies have become political weapons of the Modi government to target their opponents". 

              

"Even courts misguided, rules are bent, inquiries kept unending. Such conspiracies happen only in Autocracy. High time Entire nation comes together in saving our democracy," Sawant alleged.

              

He said a "conspiracy" by the Modi government to target Anil Deshmukh and "defame" the MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi), of which the Congress is one of the constituents, has been exposed.

              

NCP national spokesman and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik demanded the CBI clarify the "exact status" of the Anil Deshmukh case. -- PTI

Touching cheeks of a child without sexual intent would not attract the offence of sexual assault, the Bombay High Court said while granting bail to a 46-year-old man accused of sexually abusing an eight-year-old girl.

                  

A single bench of Justice Sandeep Shinde on August 27 granted bail to the accused Mohammad Ahmed Ulla arrested on July 2020 by the Rabodi police in the neighbouring Thane district.

                

"In my view, touching the cheeks without a sexual intent would not attract the offence of 'sexual assault', as defined under Section 7 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act," the high court said.

                

"Primary evaluation of the material on record does not suggest that the applicant allegedly touched the cheeks of the victim with a sexual intent," it added.

               

Justice Shinde, however, clarified in the order that the observations made by him should be construed as the opinion only for bail in this matter and the same shall not in any way influence the trials in other matters.

               

According to the prosecution, Ulla allegedly called the girl inside his meat shop where he touched her cheek, opened his shirt, and was about to open his pant. A woman, who had seen the accused taking the girl to his shop, went to the spot after growing suspicious.

              

An FIR was registered and Ulla was arrested. He is presently lodged at the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai. 

He was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

            

Ulla in his bail plea said he was falsely implicated in the case by his rivals in business. He claimed that he had no criminal antecedents and was running the meat shop and living in that area for since long. -- PTI 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was discharged from Sawai Man Singh hospital on Sunday two days after undergoing an angioplasty.

 

Gehlot had underwent angioplasty at hospital here on Friday. 

There was 90 per cent blockage in one of his coronary arteries and a stent was placed successfully.

The 70-year-old Congress leader has been advised to take rest for the next few days and he will be under the supervision of doctors at his residence.

 

While at the hospital, the chief minister met some patients to know about their health and after being discharged, thanked his staff, doctors, and others.

 

"I have reached my official residence safely. I would like to thank all the staff including all the doctors, nursing staff, ward boys, sweepers of SMS Hospital who took good care of me," Gehlot tweeted.

 

He further said, "I have seen that the hospital staff deserves praise for the effort made in SMS to serve all the patients well."

 

Angioplasty is a procedure to open clogged heart arteries.

 

Gehlot had tested positive for coronavirus in April this year and after recovery in May, he was facing post-Covid issues.

 

Gehlot had complained of heaviness in his chest and pain in neck following which an ECG was conducted and it was normal. -- PTI 

Ayodhya is nothing without Lord Ram, President Ram Nath Kovind said on Sunday as he visited the city, where a Ram temple is under construction.

"Without Ram, Ayodhya is not Ayodhya. Ayodhya exists where there is Ram. Lord Ram resides permanently in this city, and hence in the true sense, this place is Ayodhya," the president said while inaugurating a Ramayan conclave there.

He was also scheduled to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi construction site where the temple is coming up, after a historic verdict by the Supreme Court in 2019.

Apparently referring to his name, Kovind said, "I feel that when my family members named me, they were possibly having the feeling of respect and affection towards Ram Katha and Lord Ram, which is seen in the common public."

Elaborating further on Ayodhya, the President said, "The literal meaning of Ayodhya is the one with whom it is impossible to wage a war. Owing to the courage and power of Raghuvanshi kings Raghu, Dileep, Aj, Dashrath and Ram, their capital was considered unconquerable. Therefore, the name of this city as 'Ayodhya' will always remain relevant."

Highlighting the love of Lord Ram towards tribals, he said, "During his days of exile, Lord Ram did not call armies of Ayodhya and Mithila to fight the war. He gathered the Kols, Bheels, Vaanars and formed his army. In his campaign, he included 'Jatayu (vulture)'. He strengthened love and friendship with the tribals."

A postal cover of the Ramayan conclave was also unveiled by the President on the occasion.

Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, and Union Minister of State for Railways and Textiles Darshana Vikram Jardosh were also present. -- PTI  

Amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Director-General of Civil Aviation on Sunday extended the suspension on scheduled international commercial passenger flights till September 30, 2021, said a circular by the office of DGCA.

However, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis. 

This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA, the circular further said . 

"In a partial modification on a circular dated June 26, 2021, the competent authority has further extended the validity of the circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger service to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 30th September 2021," stated the DGCA circular. 

"This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA. However, International Scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis," further stated the circular.

In a bid to enhance accessibility to passengers belonging to the transgender community, the DMRC has allowed them access to separate toilet facilities at its metro stations, which were hitherto meant only for persons with disability, officials said on Sunday.

 

Besides, any transgender who wishes to use gender-based toilet as per self-identified gender can also continue to do so, they say.

 

At present, Delhi Metro has 347 such separate toilets across its stations, a senior official said.

 

"In its efforts to provide safe space and prevent gender discrimination against transgenders, Delhi Metro on a priority basis has designated its existing toilets meant only for 'Divyangjans' so far, to be accessible for the transgenders too," the DMRC said in a statement.

 

To guide transgenders to these toilets, bilingual signages (English and Hindi both), along with symbols for both categories -- 'Persons with Disability' and 'Transgenders' -- have been installed adjacent to these toilets.

 

The provisions of section 22 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, mandates adequate welfare measures for the transgender persons at all public buildings including public toilet facilities.

 

The Delhi Metro network spans about 390 km with 285 stations (including the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Corridor and Rapid Metro, Gurgaon). -- PTI 

The first commercial batch of Covaxin was released on Sunday from the new plant of Bharat Biotech at Ankleshwar in Gujarat's Bharuch district by Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

                  

"Vaccination is the most important thing to strengthen the country's fight against coronavirus. Released the first commercial batch of #COVAXIN from Bharat Biotech's plant at Ankleshwar, Gujarat today. This will increase the supply of vaccine in the country and will help the vaccine reach every Indian," Mandaviya tweeted soon after the event.

                

The government had earlier this month given approval to Bharat Biotech's Ankleshwar-based manufacturing plant to produce anti-COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin. 

                

In May, Bharat Biotech announced that it planned to produce an additional 200 million doses of Covaxin at its subsidiary's Ankleshwar-based facility. The Hyderabad-based firm had noted that it would utilise the manufacturing plant of its wholly-owned unit, Chiron Behring, to add another 200 million doses of Covaxin. 

               

India administered 63.09 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccination in a nationwide drive till Sunday morning, as per the data released by the Union health ministry. -- PTI 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the 80th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme and applauded India's Yuva Shakti. 

In his address, PM Modi said, "India's youth is giving emphasis to quality. Today's youth does not want to walk on the pre-decided road. They want to step into the unknown world. Their destination is new, their goal is new, their path is new and their desire is new. Once our youth gets determined, they work hard to achieve that goal. They start working day and night on it."

"When it comes to sports, it is natural that the entire young generation is seen in front of us in our minds and when we look closely at the young generation, we see that a big change is visible. The mind of the youth is evolving and today's young mind wants to do something new from the worn-out old ways, wants to do it differently," said Modi. 

The Prime Minister also lauded India's space sector and said that India's space sector reforms have captured the imagination of the youth, informed a tweet by PMO India.

"Not long ago, India opened its space sector and on seeing that, the youth of our generation grabbed the opportunity and took benefitted from it. The students of colleges, universities, young people working in private sector stepped forward as well. And I am sure that in the coming days, a large number of such satellites will be used by our youth. Our students, our colleges, our universities, students are working in labs in this regard," PM Modi said.  -- ANI

At least 880 more people, including 166 children, tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 57,522, a health department official said on Sunday.

          

The death toll rose to 212 as three fresh fatalities due to the infection were reported during the period, he said. 

        

At least 166 children, six health professionals and a Border Security Force jawan were among the new patients, the official said. 

        

Aizawl district reported the highest number of fresh cases at 386, followed by Mamait at 138 and Lunglei at 118.

        

The daily positivity rate was at 8.32 per cent as the new cases were detected from 10,575 sample tests. 

        

Eight new patients have travel history, while the remaining 872 were found to have locally contracted the disease, the official said.

        

Mizoram now has 8,342 active cases, while 632 people were cured of the disease on Saturday, taking the total number of recoveries to 48,968.

        

The recovery rate among Covid-19 patients in the state currently stands at 85.12 per cent.

        

The northeastern state has conducted more than 8.34 lakh sample tests for Covid-19 till date.

        

Over 6.54 lakh people have been inoculated till Saturday with 2.35 lakh of them having received both doses of the vaccine, state immunisation officer Dr Lalzawmi said. 

        

Meanwhile, a study revealed that late diagnosis contributed to at least 50 per cent of recent COVID fatalities in the state, a Zoram Medical College official said.

        

Experts of ZMC examined 174 COVID patients who died at the facially recently.  

        

"We have found that 50 per cent of the 174 patients who succumbed to COVID-19 did not go for tests soon after they developed symptoms," ZMC Director John Zohmingthanga said. 

        

At least 133 of them were not inoculated and 30 had received the first dose of the vaccines, he said, adding that 23 had no comorbidities. -- PTI 

The Taliban on Saturday sealed off Kabul airport in order to prevent large crowds from leaving the war-torn country as final NATO evacuation flights left Afghanistan.

New layers of checkpoints sprang up on roads leading to the airport, some manned by uniformed Taliban fighters with Humvees and night-vision goggles captured from Afghan security forces, reported Euronews.

The massive US-led airlift wound down ahead of an August 31 deadline of the Taliban. 

Britain too began bringing its troops home from Afghanistan, as a Royal Air Force plane carrying soldiers landed at the RAF Brize Norton airbase northwest of London.

The troops are part of a contingent of 1,000 that has been based in Kabul to help run the airlift, reported Euronews.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised Friday to "shift heaven and earth" to get more people from Afghanistan to Britain by other means, though no concrete details have been offered.

Italy's final evacuation flight of refugees from Afghanistan also landed at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport. 

The Italian Air Force C-130J with 58 Afghan citizens aboard arrived Saturday morning, some 17 hours after it departed from the Kabul airport and after a planned stopover, reported Euronews. 

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday hit out at the ICHR for omitting the photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru from the first digital poster to celebrate the 75th year of India's Independence, and said the explanation given is ludicrous.

He accused the member secretary of the Indian Council for Historical Research (ICHR) of bowing to hate and prejudice and asked him whether he would omit Henry Ford while celebrating the birth of the motor car or Wright brothers while celebrating the birth of aviation.

Ford was the first to invent the motor car and the Wright brothers were credited for building and flying the world's first aircraft.

"ICHR Member-Secretary's explanation for the omission of Jawaharlal Nehru from the first digital poster to celebrate 75 years of independence is ludicrous," he said on Twitter.

"After bowing down to prejudice and hate, it is best the Member-Secretary shuts his mouth," he also said.

"If he was celebrating the birth of the motor car, will he omit Henry Ford? If he was celebrating the birth of aviation, will he omit the Wright brothers? If he was celebrating Indian science, will he omit C V Raman," Chidambaram asked in a series of tweets.

The exclusion of Nehru's image from the poster of the 'Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations by the ICHR has triggered a controversy with opposition parties slamming the government for it and dubbing it as "petty and atrocious".

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday arrested actor Armaan Kohli in connection with a drugs case, an official said.

Kohli was questioned by the NCB on Saturday after banned drugs were allegedly recovered from his house here.

An NCB team raided Kohli's house on Sunday evening and later took him to the agency's office in south Mumbai as some narcotics were found at his house, an official had said.

Sources on Sunday said a small quantity of cocaine was found at Kohli's residence, following which a case was registered against him and he was arrested. 

A drug peddler, Ajay Raju Singh, was also arrested under the NDPS Act. 

As a part of the Air-Bubble agreement, the flight operations between India and Bangladesh are set to resume after four months of suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The operations will resume from September 3, 2021, the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) informed. "The air bubble may be resumed w.e.f. 03.09.21 till resumption of scheduled international passenger flights," MoCA letter read.

Before announcing the operation of flights, the Indian government has imposed a number of restrictions for flights with limited passengers and strict health protocols.

"Passengers travelling from Bangladesh to India shall be mandatorily subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival at the Indian airports concerned (port of entry). Therefore instead of a blanket restriction of 140 passengers per aircraft it is proposed that the capacity may be restricted to a specific percentage of the installed seat capacity of the aircraft (say 90 per cent or 95 per cent)," MoCA Said.

Flights under the air bubble will start with seven per week, for any country carrier.

"This ministry has examined the proposal in consultation with the health authorities of India and would like to propose resumption of operations under the Air Bubble with 7 flights per week (for carriers of either country)," Indian aviation ministry said.

However, travellers holding tourist visas will not be allowed to travel to India.

"Government of India rules would be applicable to such passengers, as amended from time to time. It may be noted that passengers holding tourist visas are not allowed to enter India as on date," MoCA Letter read.

I want to thank my coach, family members and friends for their constant support: Para-paddler #BhavinaPatel 

She won a Silver medal after losing the Women's singles class 4 final at Tokyo Paralympics

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Bhavina Patel and congratulated her on winning the Paralympics Silver medal. Modi lauded her efforts and told her that she has scripted history. He wished her the very best for her future endeavours.

At home, in Gujarat's Mehasana, Bhavina's father said the family will organise a grand welcome upon her return to India.

"She has made us proud, we will give her a grand welcome on her return. We will celebrate as she won a silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics," Hasmukhbhai told ANI.

World number one Zhou Ying overwhelmed Bhavina Patel in straight sets by 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6) in just 19 minutes. With this silver medal Bhavina became the first medal winner for India in this edition of the Games.

Zhou Ying has now become one of the most decorated para-paddlers in China. The 32-year-old is now 6 time Paralympic gold medalist.

She won two medals in each of the singles and team events during the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic campaigns and now one in Tokyo 2020.

Although she missed out on the podium in singles at the 2016 Rio games, she managed to get to glory in the team event.

The Chinese paddler is also a 6-time World Championship medalist. Her medals include 1 silver and 5 gold medals. She is one of the best paddlers in Asia, having won 14 Asian Championship medals and 5 Asian Games gold medals.

No person was injured in the incident but the jeep was badly damaged, a police official said. 

Gadkari was returning from a function when the incident took place near his residence.

A truck driver applied brakes when the signal turned red at Chhatrapati Square and the police jeep leading the convoy of seven vehicles rammed into it, the official said.

Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Saturday took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he recalled that the latter linked the black cap, a traditional headwear from Uttarakhand, worn by Koshyari to the RSS and thought that Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar was from the Sangh.

Addressing a book launch event in the national capital, the Maharashtra governor said that the government will have to deal with the similar situation witnessed in Parliament's recently concluded monsoon session when people like Rahul Gandhi are leading the opposition. "Rahul Gandhi asked me (then BJP MP) why do you wear a black cap? I told him people wear it in Uttarakhand. He says 'no, no, you are from RSS'. I said I am from RSS but the cap is from Uttarakhand. People have been wearing it there before RSS was born," the former Uttarakhand chief minister recalled.

"A few months later, Rahul Gandhi again asked me why you wear a black cap. I asked him have you read anything about RSS? He said 'yes, yes, I have read Savarkar', Piyush ji you will have to live with this when such people are in leadership," he said.

"Though Savarkar is a Hindutva ideologue, he was never in the RSS," he added.

While Koshyari mocked Rahul Gandhi, he praised Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

"During a Parliamentary debate on the environment, Ramesh, who was the environment minister then, urged the Chair to give me more time to speak as he liked the content," the Maharashtra governor recalled.

"When the Chair disallowed the request, forcing me to wrap up his speech, Ramesh came to me and said that he would reply to the debate the next day instead of the same day as scheduled," he added.

Indian table tennis player Bhavinaben Patel signed off with a historic silver medal in her maiden Paralymic Games after going down 0-3 to world number one Chinese paddler Ying Zhou in the women's singles class 4 final here on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Patel's impressive run at the Games ended with a 7-11 5-11 6-11 loss to Zhou, a two-time gold medallist, in the women's singles summit clash which lasted 19 minutes.

Patel had suffered a loss to Zhou in her first group stage match earlier in the week.

Up against an opponent, who has five Paralympic medals to her name including gold medals in singles at Beijing and London, Patel seemed to struggle as she couldn't execute her strategy.

Patel, who was diagnosed with polio when she was 12 months old, had defeated world no 3 Miao Zhang of China 7-11 11-7 11-4 9-11 11-8 in the semifinal showdown on Saturday.

In the quarterfinal on Friday, Patel had defeated 2016 Rio Paralympics gold medallist and world number two Borislava Peric Rankovic of Serbia to assure a medal and script history. 

External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the latest developments in Afghanistan.

The conversation came two days after a suicide bombing just outside the Kabul airport killed 13 American troops and around 170 Afghan people.

"Spoke to US Secretary of State Blinken. Continued our discussions on Afghanistan. Also exchanged views on the agenda of UNSC," Jaishankar tweeted.

On his part, the US Secretary of State said he and Jaishankar discussed shared priorities of the two countries including continued coordination on Afghanistan.

"Spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today to discuss our shared priorities including continued coordination on Afghanistan and in the United Nations. Look forward to continuing to deepen our partnership," Blinken said on Twitter.

Separately, spokesperson in the US State Department Ned Price said Blinken and Jaishankar agreed to remain "closely coordinated on shared goals and priorities to deepen the US-India partnership."

Following the Kabul bombing, India said the attack reinforced the need for the world to stand unitedly against terrorism.

The Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pentagon on Friday said it carried out a drone strike in the Nangarhar province in Afghanistan against an IS-K planner of the Kabul attack.

India on Friday said it is carefully monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and that its primary focus is to bring back the Indians who are still in that country.