TALIBAN AT KANDAHAR GATES, INDIA PULLS OUT NATIONALS FROM CONSULATE IN CITY

With Taliban forces having advanced to within a few kilometres of Kandahar, India has evacuated Indian staff and personnel from its consulate in the southern Afghanistan city.

New Delhi is watching the situation in Mazar-e-Sharif in the north of the country, where it has a consulate. If the situation deteriorates, Mazar-e-Sharif could be the next place from where Indian officials and staffers will be evacuated.

As of Sunday, there were no Indian diplomats or other staffers at the Indian consulates in Kandahar, Herat, and Jalalabad — there were only about 15-20 Afghan staffers at each of these locations.

The Indian embassy in Kabul though, was still functioning with Indian diplomats and Afghan staffers.

About 50 Indian diplomats and staffers were evacuated from Kandahar on Saturday. The official spokesperson of the Ministry, Arindam Bagchi, said on Sunday that the evacuation was a “temporary measure”, and that the Kandahar consulate had not been shut down.

Last Tuesday, the Indian embassy in Kabul had said there were no plans to shut the embassy or the consulates in Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif.

The same day, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay had briefed Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the situation in his country.

Two days ago, the Ministry had said India was carefully monitoring the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and its implications on the safety and security of Indian nationals.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi will be headed to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, this week for a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). They are expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

India has major stakes in ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan. It has invested nearly $ 3 billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country. India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned, and Afghan-controlled.

AVG DAILY VACCINATIONS DROP ON SUPPLY, HESITANCY ISSUES

There is a dip in average daily vaccination against Covid-19 which fell to 37.23 lakh doses in the week of July 05-10 from over 61.14 lakh doses in the week starting June 21 and nearly 42 lakh doses in the following week (June 28-July 04), Co-Win data shows.

While the decline in vaccination has raised concerns, the govt is expecting to maintain a daily average of 40-45 lakh doses in July with an estimated supply of at least 12 crore doses this month, an official source said. According to the source, the slow down in vaccination is primarily because of some disruptions at Bharat Biotech’s Bengaluru plant.

Co-Win data shows the decline is mainly driven by less number of people initiating first dose and a lower uptake in rural areas. Between June 25-30, the number of daily doses administered in rural areas were in the range of 9.9 lakh-40.43 lakh. However, it dropped to 8 lakh-38.08 lakh doses between July 1-9.

In urban areas, the daily doses varied from 8.25 lakh-31.80 lakh doses during June 25-30, whereas during July 1-9, around 7.6 lakh -27.85 lakh doses were given.

“The combination of progressive reopening and declining vaccination numbers is dangerous. We are not really protected against the current delta variant until we fully vaccinate 60-70% of the population by December. For that we need to administer 90 lakh to 1 crore doses per day, says Dr Arvinder Soin, chairman, Medanta Liver Transplant Institute.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 4,45,673

New Cases in last 24 hours: 37,666

Recovered in last 24 hours: 39,722

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -2,776

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 720 (4,08,792)

Daily Tests (Friday): 18,43,500

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 2.2%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 22.7% / 5.5%

BILLIONAIRE RICHARD BRANSON REACHES SPACE IN HIS OWN SHIP, AND BACK SAFELY

Swashbuckling entrepreneur Richard Branson hurtled into space aboard his own winged rocket ship Sunday in his boldest adventure yet, beating out fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos.

The nearly 71-year-old Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space tourism company reached an altitude of about 53 miles over the New Mexico desert — enough to experience three to four minutes of weightlessness and see the curvature of the Earth — and then safely glided back home to a runway landing.

“Seventeen years of hard work to get us this far,” a jubilant Branson said as he congratulated his team on the trip back.

Branson became the first person to blast off in his own spaceship, beating Bezos by nine days.

With about 500 people watching, including Branson’s wife, children and grandchildren, a twin-fuselage aircraft with his space plane attached underneath took off in the first stage of the flight.

The space plane then detached from the mother ship at an altitude of about 8 ½ miles and fired its engine, reaching the edge of space. The entire flight up and back aboard the sleek white ship, named Unity, took just under 15 minutes.

Virgin Galactic conducted three previous test flights into space with crews of just two or three.

Bezos sent Branson his wishes for a safe and successful flight, though he also took to Twitter to enumerate the ways in which he believes his company’s rides will be better.

Bezos’ Blue Origin company intends to send tourists past the so-called Karman line 62 miles above Earth, which is recognized by international aviation and aerospace federations as the threshold of space.

But NASA, the Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration and some astrophysicists consider the boundary between the atmosphere and space to begin 50 miles up.

Virgin Galactic already has more than 600 reservations from would-be space tourists, with tickets initially costing USD 250,000 apiece. Blue Origin is waiting for Bezos’ flight before announcing its ticket prices.

Musk’s SpaceX, which is already launching astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA and is building moon and Mars ships, is also competing for space tourism dollars. But its capsules will do more than make brief, up-and-down forays; they will go into orbit around the Earth, with seats costing well into the millions. Its first private flight is set for September.

As paret of Branson’s crew, aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla on Sunday became the third Indian-origin woman to fly into space, after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BIDEN BACKS TRUMP REJECTION OF CHINA'S SOUTH CHINA SEA CLAIM

The Biden administration on Sunday upheld a Trump-era rejection of nearly all of China’s significant maritime claims in the South China Sea.

The administration also warned China that any attack on the Philippines in the flashpoint region would draw a U.S. response under a mutual defense treaty.

The stern message from Secretary of State Antony Blinken came in a statement released ahead of this week’s fifth anniversary of an international tribunal’s ruling in favour of the Philippines, against China’s maritime claims around the Spratly Islands and neighbouring reefs and shoals. China rejects the ruling.

Sunday’s statement reaffirms that position, which had been laid out by Mr. Trump’s secretary of state, Mike Pompeo.

“Nowhere is the rules-based maritime order under greater threat than in the South China Sea,” Mr. Blinken said, using language similar to Mr. Pompeo’s. He accused China of continuing “to coerce and intimidate Southeast Asian coastal states, threatening freedom of navigation in this critical global throughway.”

XI, KIM VOW TO STRENGTHEN TIES

The North Korean and Chinese leaders expressed their desire on Sunday to further strengthen their ties as they exchanged messages marking the 60th anniversary of their countries’ defence treaty.

In a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said it is “the fixed stand” of his govt to “ceaselessly develop the friendly and cooperative relations” between the countries, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

Mr. Xi said in his message that China and North Korea have “unswervingly supported each other,” according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency. “The world has recently seen accelerating changes unprecedented over the past century,” Mr. Xi said. “I wish to ... lead bilateral relations to unceasingly rise to new levels to the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.”

North Korea has been expected to seek greater support from China, its major ally and aid benefactor, as it grapples with economic hardship exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic and crippling U.S.-led sanctions over its nuclear weapons program. China, for its part, sees preventing a North Korean collapse as crucial to its security interests and would need to boost ties with North Korea and other traditional allies amid fierce rivalry with the United States, some experts say.

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KEJRIWAL PROMISES 300 UNITS OF FREE POWER TO EVERY FAMILY, IN UTTARAKHAND

If elected to power in Uttarakhand, the Aam Aadmi Party will give free electricity up to 300 units per month to every family, waive old bills and give free electricity to farmers, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday.

Making the announcements in the hill state where assembly elections are due next year, Kejriwal said his govt has done it in Delhi and can do it in Uttarakhand also as the state generates power. "These things are guaranteed if we come to power in the state. If we can do it in Delhi, then why can't we do it in Uttarakhand, which not only produces electricity but also gives it to other states," Kejriwal said at a press conference in Dehradun.

"There will be no power cuts. Free electricity doesn't mean long outages. When we took over in Delhi 7-8 hours long power outages were common. We set that right," said the AAP leader who recently promised free electricity to every household in Punjab that consumes up to 300 units of power if his party forms govt in the state next year.

SITHARAMAN HOSTS TEA PARTY UNION CABINET’S WOMEN MEMBERS

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hosted high tea for the women members of the recently revamped Union Cabinet on Sunday evening. BJP president later joined the 11 lady members of the Union Cabinet, a gesture that was appreciated by Sitharaman.

While Sitharaman and Smriti Irani are Cabinet Ministers, the other nine are Ministers of State.

Besides Sitharaman and Irani, the tea party also included Meenakshi Lekhi, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Anupriya Patel, Renuka Singh, Annapurna Devi, Pratima Bhoumik, Bharati Pawar, Shobha Karandlaje and Darshana Jardosh.

Though many of them are well known names, there are those who have made a mark in state politics such as Jardosh, the new Minister of State for Railways & Textiles. She reduced the last two polls in Surat to a no-contest by picking up 75 % of the votes. Annapurna Devi, the new MoS for Education, was a four term RJD MLA who crossed over to the BJP after losing the 2014 assembly polls. Pratima Bhoumik is the first Tripura resident and second woman from North East to be a Union Minister.

Bharati Pravin Pawar, another MoS, is the daughter-in-law of a eight-term NCP MLA from Maharashtra.

Anupriya Patel was the only non-BJP woman MoS to join the party. Chief of the Apna Dal that was launched by her father, Patel won her first election in 2012 in alliance with the pro-Muslim Peace Party but enetered into an alliance with the BJP which has fetched her the Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019.

CONGRESS QUELLS CHHATTISGARH LEADER ROW FOR NOW

Trouble in the Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress appears to have subdued for now with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel meeting the top brass in the capital today and told to continue focusing on Covid response and governance.

It is reported that Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo has been camping in Delhi to remind the party high command of the 2018 promise that Bhupesh Baghel and he would share the CM term for 2.5 years each. Deo has, however, denied the reports, saying he was in Delhi for health reasons.

Baghel said the party high command had instructed him to take oath as the CM and he did that. “When they say someone else will be the CM, then it’ll be so. But such arrangements happen in coalition govts. The Congress has a three-fourths majority in Chhattisgarh,” he said. For now, the Chhattisgarh woes of the Congress appear addressed even as fronts remain open in Punjab, Karnataka and Rajasthan.

PM INVITES PEOPLE’S NOMINATIONS FOR PADMA AWARDS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday invited people to send nominations for the Padma Awards 2022 that are announced on the eve of Republic Day every year.

Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, “India has many talented people, who are doing exceptional work at the grassroots. We don’t see or hear about them often. Do you know such inspiring people? You can nominate them for People’s Padma. Nominations are open till September 15 at padmaawards.gov.in.”

The Padma awards are one of the highest civilian honours in India and are conferred in three categories – Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).

The awards are presented on the recommendations of the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the PM every year.

TWITTER ABIDES BY RULES, NAMES GRIEVANCE OFFICER

Twitter today named its resident grievance officer in India to comply with the information technology rules that came into effect from May 25. The US social media giant appointed Vinay Prakash as the India grievance officer, sharing his coordinates on its website to enable users to make complaints and report violations.

The appointment came days after Twitter told the Delhi High Court that it would soon name an interim grievance officer and follow up with a regular appointment in eight weeks.

New IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Sunday reviewed the new rules and termed them “empowering”. Vaishnaw took to Koo to say: “Reviewed the implementation and compliance of the Information Technology Rules, 2021, along with my colleague Rajeev Chandrasekhar ji. These guidelines are empowering and protecting users and will ensure a safer and responsible social media ecosystem in India.”

ZOMATO’S ₹60K CR IPO VALUATION CREATES BUZZ

The valuation of food delivery major Zomato, which is going public through an IPO with an indicative market capitalisation of around Rs 60,000 crore, has been a topic of much discussion on social media with questions being raised if it’s really worth that much.

People shared mixed views. For some, a tech-enabled company should be valued differently than a traditional one despite its losses. For others, the IPO is an opportunity for venture capital and private equity investors to offload their liability to retail investors. Then there are those that believe Indian food tech companies will reflect valuations earned by global peers like DoorDash to a significant extent.

Zomato’s IPO is set to be open from July 14 to July 16 at a price band of Rs 72-76. The offer size is about Rs 9,375 crore.

Interestingly, the Zomato IPO’s valuation at about Rs 60,000 crore is equivalent to the combined market value of all the quick service restaurants (QSRs) listed on Indian bourses. Its value is also more than the market value of all the listed hospitality chains operating in the country, taken together. This second list includes the behemoth like Indian Hotels that runs the iconic Taj chain of hotels in India and abroad, and also Oberoi Hotels.

India has half a dozen listed QSRs with a combined market value of more than Rs 60,710 crore and about 20 listed hospitality companies with an aggregate market capitalisation of nearly Rs 44,000 crore.

Paytm Money is allowing investors to apply in the forthcoming offer for Zomato on a 24x7 basis. The move is aimed at providing convenience to those willing to apply in IPOs but usually do not get the time to do so during market hours.

DJOKOVIC WINS WIMBLEDON FINAL

The debate will rage on but Novak Djokovic believes he is the best player in the modern era after claiming a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam title by beating Italy's Matteo Berrettini in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.

By adding a sixth Wimbledon title to the second French Open he won last month and the ninth Australian crown he earned in February, the 34-year-old Serb has put together a sensational year which has moved him alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the list of men's Grand Slam winners – 20 titles for each of the three.

With Swiss Federer close to his 40th birthday and Spaniard Nadal, 35, having lost his grip on Roland Garros after losing to Djokovic this year, the Serb is destined to forge ahead.

Djokovic also holds the record for most weeks ranked number one on the ATP rankings -- 328 and counting after surpassing Federer's mark of 310 weeks in March.

Incredibly, when Djokovic won his second Grand Slam title in 2011, Federer already had 16 and Nadal nine.

EURO 2020: ITALY CROWNED CHAMPIONS AFTER SHOOTOUT WIN OVER ENGLAND

Italy won the European Championship for the first time since 1968 as Gianluigi Donnarumma saved two England penalties en route to a 3-2 shootout win after the teams had fought out a 1-1 extra-time draw at a raucous Wembley on Sunday.

The giant keeper saved from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after Marcus Rashford hit a post, as Federico Bernardeschi, Leonardo Bonucci and Domenico Berardi all scored for the Italians.

Luke Shaw had given England a dream start with a superb goal after two minutes but Italy, who offered almost nothing in response in the first half, gradually took command as the hosts sat back and levelled through Bonucci after 67 minutes.

It was the first final to be decided on penalties since Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in 1976 and will be wildly celebrated in Italy after they lost in the final in 2000 and 2012.

It was nevertheless heartbreaking for most of the 67,000 Wembley crowd as England came up short in their first major final since they won the World Cup 55 years ago.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. - Dale Carnegie

OFF TRACK

A minister in a little church had been having trouble with the collections. One Sunday he announced, "Now, before we pass the collection plate, I would like to request that the person who stole the chickens from Farmer Condill's henhouse please refrain from giving any money to the Lord.  The Lord doesn't want money from a thief!" 

The collection plate was passed around, and for the first time in months everybody gave.