PM MODI CHAIRS TOP MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN AS TALIBAN ENTER PANJSHIR VALLEY

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to discuss the situation in Afghanistan shortly after the Taliban captured the main road and some administrative buildings on the floor of the Panjshir Valley amidst accusations of Pakistani aerial assistance to scatter the National Resistance Front (NRF).

At a press conference to announce the “defeat” of the Panjshir rebels, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid again assured an inclusive government which will not depend on any outside force, including Pakistan. But NRF leader Ahmad Massoud, in an audio message, alleged that it was Pakistan’s ISI spy agency which had assisted and egged on the Taliban to fight against the Panjshiris.

However, both Massoud and Amrullah Saleh had melted in the rugged mountainside but the NRF’s media face Fahim Dashti and a prominent commander Gen Abdul Wudod Zara were killed on Sunday night allegedly by a Pakistani drone.

The meeting chaired by PM Modi is also to have taken note of the presence of ISI chief in Afghanistan amid government formation talks by the Taliban with reports suggesting differences between the Taliban and Haqqani network on the name of Haibatullah Akundzada as the supreme leader.

The meeting also deliberated on the measures to be taken for full and safe evacuation of Indian nations from Afghanistan and the minorities who might want to come.

THERE’S NO RESPECT FOR SUPREME COURT JUDGMENTS, CJI TELLS CENTRE

Taking a strong exception to the enactment of the Tribunals Reforms Act that reduced the tenure of chairmen and members of various tribunals, the Supreme Court on Monday said its judgments were not being respected by the government.

"The Centre appears hell-bent on not respecting the Supreme Court's orders," a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said commenting on the recently enacted Tribunals Reforms Act, which has provisions identical to the earlier law struck down by the top court.

The Bench was hearing a petition filed by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh challenging the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021, on the grounds that its provisions were inconsistent with the top court's decision in the Madras Bar Association's case.

"It is clear that you don't want to respect the judgments of this court. Now we have the option to stay the Tribunal Reforms Act or close down tribunals or we ourselves appoint the people, or the next option is initiate contempt of courts act. These are three options," the Bench said posting it for further hearing.

The CJI, however, said, "We don't want confrontation with the government and we are happy with the way Supreme Court judges were appointed. These tribunals are collapsing with no members or chairperson.”

IT WAS NOT ‘KISAN MAHAPANCHAYAT’ BUT POLITICAL RALLY, SAYS BJP

A day after the Muzaffarnagar ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’, the BJP on Monday accused BKU (Tikait) leader Rakesh Tikait of “defaming” farmers by politicising the issue and giving it “religious tones to appease a particular community” for political interests .

BJP Kisan Morcha chief Rajkumar Chahar alleged that Tikait is “fulfilling his political ambition by riding on the shoulders of innocent farmers” as the majority of participants at the “political rally” yesterday were cadres of the SP, the RLD and communist parties. “Otherwise what were communist leaders and their supporters like Yogendra Yadav, Medha Patkar, Atul Anjan were doing there,” he questioned.

“It is wrong to call the political rally a ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’. A ‘mahapanchayat’ is never one sided, it is a dialogue, a debate on issues. What happened yesterday was a political rally by political leaders for personal political gains by communalising and appeasing a particular community. Why else did Tikait chant ‘Allah-ho-Akbar’ from the stage there,” questioned Chahar.

When pointed out that Tikait had also chanted ‘Har Har Mahadev’, the BJP’s Fatehpur Sikri MP challenged him to make “his political supporters from the minority community chant ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ from the stage”. “By chanting Allah-ho-Akbar, Tikait has made his political agenda clear,” he claimed.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday voiced support for the protesting farmers and said they are fearless and standing resolutely.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 3,85,934

New Cases in last 24 hours: 30,170

Recovered in last 24 hours: 42,969

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -13,089

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 290 (4,41,075)

Daily Tests (Sunday): 14,10,649

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 2.8%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 39.5% / 12.1%

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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IRAN SLAMS PAKISTAN’S ROLE IN PANJSHIR VALLEY, WANTS PROBE

Iran fired the first salvo against Pakistan’s overt involvement in Afghanistan’s internal matters when it questioned reports of Pakistani military presence in the Panjshir valley, where Taliban said it has overcome resistance to its rule, on Monday.

"Last night's attacks are condemned in the strongest terms…and the foreign interference …. must be investigated,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh told journalists on Monday. “We are investigating it.”

Iran has openly objected to Pakistan virtually running the show in a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Pakistan’s ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed had landed in Kabul to oversee government formation and to iron out disputes besides ensuring key roles for allies like the Haqqani network.

Though Iran has been much more welcoming of the Taliban lately, Monday’s statement indicates it may not be ready to give up its influence over the resistance either, comprising as it is of mainly of Tajiks and some other minority groups.

The Taliban on Monday asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs as it confirmed that ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met the insurgent group’s de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul, amidst efforts to finalise a government in the war-torn country.

“This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers’ problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit to Kabul) and we accepted,” said Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban’s Cultural Commission.

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KERALA NIPAH SCARE: 251 CONTACTS ISOLATED, 11 WITH SYMPTOMS

A day after a 12-year-old boy in Kozhikode succumbed to Nipah virus disease, 251 persons in the victim’s contact list have been isolated and a habitat of fruit bats — considered a reservoir of the zoonotic virus — has been found in the victim’s locality. The source of infection remains unclear.

The government has sounded an alert in Kozhikode and nearby districts of Malappuram and Kannur. Health Minister Veena George said to ensure that none of the boy’s contacts is left out, a door-to-door survey will be conducted in the area which has been declared a containment zone.

After a review meeting, the health minister told the media in Kozhikode that of the 251 persons quarantined, 11 have developed symptoms of the infection. “However, all of them, including those who had exhibited symptoms from Sunday, are stable,’’ said the minister.

ED ISSUES LOOKOUT NOTICE AGAINST ANIL DESHMUKH

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a 'lookout' circular against former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Anil Deshmukh, officials said.

The notice is issued in connection with the alleged Rs 100-crore corruption and laundering case lodged against him.

The 'lookout' circular will effectively prevent Deshmukh from fleeing the country since he has skipped at least five ED summons to join the probe.

Officials say it's only a matter of time before Deshmukh faces arrest in the cases filed against him following the complaint lodged by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The Supreme Court has declined any interim protection to Deshmukh from coercive action by the ED or CBI.

Last week, Deshmukh - who quit from the Uddhav Thackeray cabinet in April - moved the Bombay High Court, where the matter is pending hearing.

CENTRE SAYS MAJORITY OF DEATHS IN UP'S FIROZABAD DUE TO DENGUE

A central team comprising officials from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and national Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) were sent to Firozabad (U.P.) to investigate the cause of a  fever outbreak and deaths among children there.

In a letter to the UP chief secretary, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the central team has found that majority of cases of viral fever and deaths among children in Firozabad were due to dengue, a few cases were of scrub typhus and leptospirosis.

Children are dying of viral fever and dengue, but Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is making false claims of “all is well”, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav alleged on Monday. There is an outcry in the state due to dengue and viral fever. There are huge crowds in hospitals, and children are dying due to a lack of proper and timely treatment, he said in a party statement. The BJP government is, however, not paying attention to the collapsed health services in the state, he added.

FORMER UP GOVERNOR BOOKED FOR SEDITION OVER REMARKS AGAINST YOGI GOVT

Former Uttar Pradesh governor Aziz Qureshi has been booked for sedition over his alleged derogatory remarks against the Yogi Adityanath government in the state, police said on Monday.

The FIR was lodged following a complaint by BJP leader Akash Kumar Saxena. In his complaint, Saxena alleged that after visiting Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's house and meeting his wife Tazeen Fatma, Qureshi made derogatory statements against the Yogi Adityanath government and compared it to a “blood-sucking demon”.

"The statement can create tension between two communities and create unrest in society," Saxena said in his complaint. Qureshi was booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion, race), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 124A (sedition), and 505(1)(B) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public), a senior police officer said.

Qureshi (81) is a senior Congress leader and had served as the governor of Mizoram from 2014 to 2015. He also had charge of Uttar Pradesh for some time.

PARL PANEL RAISES CONCERNS WITH SEBI OVER HIGH RETAIL PARTICIPATION

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has drawn the attention of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to the growing role of retail investors in equity markets and discussed its impact on market functioning.

The panel is learnt to have also cautioned the regulator on speculative trading activity, which could lead to a spike in volatility.

“We discussed a wide variety of issues on Monday with Sebi, ranging from regulatory scope, surveillance, to recent policy measures. The committee discussed the functioning of the capital markets in light of the recent volatility and what needs to be done to ensure markets continue to function smoothly through different market conditions. We also spoke extensively on capital flows into the capital markets coming from different sources, including foreign and retail investors and domestic institutions," Jayant Sinhasaid.

Retail participation in the equity market has reached an inflection point due to a low-interest rate regime. With the prospect of economic growth, the years ahead will see more people tapping into the merits of trading and investments in our markets, added an expert.

SUPREME COURT REFUSES TO DEFER NEET-UG EXAM SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 12

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to defer the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET)-UG examination, scheduled for September 12, saying it does not want to interfere with the process and it will be "very unfair" to reschedule it.

A bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said if students wanted to appear in multiple exams, then they needed to prioritise and make a choice as there might never be a situation where everyone is satisfied with the date of exams.

The apex court, however, said the petitioners would be at liberty to make a representation before the competent authorities on the issue and the same might be decided at the earliest in accordance with the law.

"The arguments which you (counsel for petitioners) are canvassing may not be relevant for 99 per cent candidates. For one per cent candidates, the entire system cannot be put on hold," the bench, also comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and CT Ravikumar, told advocate Shoeb Alam who was appearing for the petitioners.

When Alam said that around 25,000 students would be appearing in either improvement or supplementary examinations for Class 12, the bench observed that only around one per cent candidates go for that.

Alam argued that medical entrance exam NEET-UG 2021 be deferred as many other examinations are scheduled around September 12. "If you are to appear in multiple examinations, then you need to make choice," the bench said, adding, "You have to prioritise."

ROW OVER JAVED AKHTAR’S ‘RSS-TALIBAN’ REMARK

In a bid avoid ‘untoward incidents’, Juhu Police has deployed a team of cops outside the residence of lyricist Javed Akhtar in Mumbai, after he allegedly compared the RSS with the Taliban.

Stating that right-wing all over the world had an uncanny similarity, Akhtar recently told a news channel that the Taliban and RSS shared a fascist ideology. He further said that the Taliban was “more empowered with weapons, but the view, outlook, and ideology are mirroring each other.”

Akhtar also criticised Indian Muslims who supported the return of Taliban in Afghanistan. “I don’t remember their statement verbatim, but by and large the sentiment was that they welcomed the return of Taliban in Afghanistan. But these people are a miniscule part of the Muslim population of our nation. Most of the Muslims I spoke to were shocked and appalled by such statements,” he said.

Shiv Sena on Monday said Akhtar was “completely wrong” in comparing the RSS with the Taliban. “How can you say those who favour the concept of a Hindu Rashtra are of Talibani mindset? We don’t agree with this,” stated an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

BAHRAIN RELAXES TRAVEL NORMS FOR INDIANS

Bahrain has relaxed travel norms for Indians withdrawing it from the Red List.

This means that in addition to the Indian residents of Bahrain, Indian nationals with valid visas are now eligible to enter Bahrain.

India was removed from the Red List of Bahrain on September 3, days after Minister of State MEA V Muraleedharan visited the country and held bilateral talks with Rashid Alzayani, the foreign minister there.

The travel of Indians will be subject to the presentation of a negative RTPCR test certificate with a QR code before boarding the plane, administered within 72 hours of departure; undergo three RTPCR tests, on arrival, the fifth day and the tenth day after arrival.

Those found positive would need to quarantine for ten days at their residence or a licensed government facility.

U.S. OPEN: SINGLE DOWN TOP LAST 8s, EXCEPT ONE MATCH

British teenager Emma Raducanu continued her dream run at the U.S. Open on Monday by overwhelming American Shelby Rogers 6-2 6-1 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final.

Going through qualifying to get to the last eight at a major is a stunning accomplishment by itself, but the 18-year-old has done it without dropping a set.

Raducanu, who burst onto the scene this year by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in her first Grand Slam appearance, has gone one better at the U.S. Open in dominant fashion.

After a 6-0 6-1 hammering of Sara Sorribes Tormo in the third round Raducanu was nearly as ruthless against Rogers, dispatching the last American in the women’s draw in 66 minutes.

Quarter finals Line-ups

Men’s Singles

(SRB) N. Djokovic [1] vs (ITA) M. Berrettini [6]

(GER( A. Zverevm [4] vs (RSA) L. Harris

(CAN) F. Auger-Aliassime [12] vs (ESP) C. Alcaraz

(NED) B. Van de Zandschulp vs (RUS) D. Medvedev [2]

Women’s Singles

(GBR) E. Raducanu vs (SUI) B. Bencic [11]a

(CZE) K. Pliskova [4] vs (GRE) M. Sakkari [17] OR (CAN) B. Andreescu [6]

(UKR) E. Svitolina [5] vs (CAN) L. Fernandez

(CZE) B. Krejcikova [8] vs (BLR) A. Sabalenka [2]\

INDIA WIN OVAL TEST, GO UP 2-1 IN THE SERIES

Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja destroyed England’s middle order with splendid bowling to fashion an emphatic 157-run victory for India in the fourth Test, at The Oval in London, on Monday.

Chasing 368 for victory on Day 5, England were well-placed at 131 for 2 in the opening session, but lost six wickets after lunch with Bumrah and Jadeja wreaking havoc.

The hosts were eventually all out for 210, handing India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

The final Test, in Manchester, commences September 10.

Bumrah (22-9-27-2) was exceptional with his in-swinging balls and teasing yorkers while Jadeja (30-11-50-2) exploited the rough patches on the track to tilt the game India's way.

England lost six wickets for 62 runs in the second session and were all out post-tea.

Shardul Thakur (8-1-22-2) too played a leading hand in the victory, taking the key wicket of rival skipper Joe Root ((36 off 78 balls) and Umesh Yadav (18.2-2-60-3) completed the formalities with the second new ball, dismissing Chris Woakes (18), Craig Overton (10) and James Anderson (2).

Scores at end of Day 4 : India 191 & 466; England 290 & 210

Man Of The Math – Rohit Sharma

INDICATORS

Sensex 58,297 (+167), Nifty 17,378 (+54), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 56272.2

(US markets were closed yesterday on account of Labour Day Holiday)

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GBP 0.72 /US$, Euro 0.84 /US$, Jap.Yen 109.83 /US$, Aus$ 1.34 /US$, Sing 1.34 /US$, Bang Taka 83.62 /US$, Can$ 1.25 /US$, Mal Ring 4.14 /US$,

Pak Re 166.29 /US$, Phil Peso 49.87 /US$, Russian Rouble 72.92 /US$, NZ$ 1.40 /US$, Thai Baht 32.42 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.56 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 52,806

Dollar Index 92.12 Brent Crude 72.47 BDI 3,822.

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,824 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,753 / 4,653, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 69,600

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The urge to save humanity is almost always only a false face for the urge to rule it. - H.L. Mencken

OFF TRACK

The new music teacher at a boys school just organized a band, and the principal decided the band should make its debut at the annual function just round the corner. The music teacher felt the band was not yet was ready. So, on the big day, he tapped the music stand for attention and nervously hissed at his wards: “If you don’t sure of your part, just pretend to play.”

Then he brought his baton down with a magnificent flourish – and the entire band gave forth with a crashing silence.