MODI-BIDEN BILATERAL ON SEPT 24 TO FOCUS ON AFGHAN CRISIS, TERROR, TRADE

Developments in Afghanistan, ways to stem radicalism, extremism and cross-border terrorism and further expansion of India-US global partnership will figure prominently in the bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden in Washington on September 24, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said on Tuesday.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on September 23. This will be the first meeting between the two leaders.

Biden and Modi are also expected to discuss ways to boost trade and investment ties, strengthening defence and security collaborations and clean energy partnership, Shringla said. A day after meeting Biden and attending the Quad Summit at the White House, PM Modi will address the UN General Assembly on September 25, besides attending various events hosted on its sidelines. These will include an event on Covid hosted by Biden where Modi is expected to announce the resumption of Vaccine Maitri.

NSA Ajit Doval and the Foreign Secretary will accompany PM Modi on his US visit, while Jaishankar is already in the US. Shringla dismissed concerns that Quad could take a backseat with the emergence of AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) military pact aimed at containing China in the South and East China Sea as well as in Taiwan Strait. “Quad and AUKUS are not groupings of the same nature. Quad is plurilateral with a shared vision for the Indo-Pacific. AUKUS is not relevant to Quad, nor will it have an impact on it,” he said.

RECOGNISE COVISHIELD OR EXPECT RECIPROCAL ACTION, INDIA TELLS UK

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has urged new UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss for an early resolution of the quarantine issue in “mutual interest” even as Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla described London’s recent decision not to recognise Covishield as “discriminatory” and hinted at reciprocal action if amends were not made.

Jaishankar flagged the new British rules to Truss during a meeting in New York. The new rules stipulate self-isolation for 10 days for incoming Indian travellers vaccinated with Covishield. India’s other vaccine, Covaxin, is not in the contention at all since it is yet to be recognised by the WHO.

“Have raised the discriminatory nature of UK vaccine recognition for AstraZeneca but not Covishield. Discussions on, but if they do not satisfy us, we would be well within our rights to take reciprocal action,” observed Shringla.

“The non-recognition of Covishield is a discriminating policy and impacts our citizens travelling to the UK. The EAM has raised the issue strongly with the new UK Foreign Secretary,” said Shringla at a pres conference. “I am told that certain assurances have been given that this issue would be resolved,” he added.

SAARC: MINISTERS’ MEET CALLED OFF AS PAKISTAN WANTS TALIBAN AT TABLE

THE SAARC foreign ministers’ meeting, which was planned to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York this week, has been called off over Afghanistan’s participation.

Pakistan is learnt to have proposed that a Taliban representative should also be part of the meeting. The proposal was shot down by the remaining members. This was in view of the fact that the new Taliban regime has not yet been recognised by governments across the world, and they have also not approached the UN for credentials.

Nepal’s foreign ministry on Tuesday sent a letter to the SAARC secretariat, saying that “due to the lack of concurrence from all member states as of today, the informal meeting of the SAARC council of ministers proposed to be held in person on September 25 on the sidelines of the 76th UN General Assembly session will not take place.”

R-VALUE IN INDIA DROPS BELOW 1 IN MID-SEPTEMBER

R-value, which reflects how rapidly coronavirus pandemic is spreading, dropped to 0.92 by mid-September after spiralling over 1 by August-end, according to researchers.

However, the R-values of major cities, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, are over 1. The R-value of Delhi and Pune are below 1.

The R-values of Maharashtra and Kerala are below 1, giving a much needed relief to these two states with the highest number of active cases.

The R-value was 1.17 by the end of August. It declined to 1.11 between September 4-7 and since then it has remained under 1.

“The good news is that India’s R has continued to be less than 1, as is that of Kerala and Maharashtra, the two states having the highest number of active cases,” said Sitabhra Sinha of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai.

According to the data, the R-value of Mumbai stands at 1.09, Chennai 1.11, Kolkata 1.04, Bengaluru 1.06.

The Reproduction number or R refers to how many people an infected person infects on average. In other words, it tells how ‘efficiently’ a virus is spreading.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 2,95,107

New Cases in last 24 hours: 27,329

Recovered in last 24 hours: 34,148

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -7,204

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 385 (4,45,801)

Daily Tests (Monday): 14,13,951

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 1.8%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 45.7% / 15.7%

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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CANADA PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU SET TO STAY IN POWER BUT MISSES MAJORITY MARK

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will remain in power in Ottawa, but his ruling Liberal Party has been unable to secure the majority mark it had desperately sought in the Canada elections that were held on Monday.

Justin Trudeau himself had initiated the call for snap polls in mid-August in a bid to turn his minority government into a majority one. But the projected results of the 2021 Canada elections have turned out to be almost a replay of the 2019 polls when the Liberals settled for a minority government.

A party will have to win at least 170 out of 338 seats in Canada’s House of Commons to form a majority government.

Trudeau's Liberal Party won 158 seats, Conservatives 119. Jagmeet Singh-led New Democratic Party (NDP) won 27 seats, most from Ontario, hub of Indian immigrants. As many as 17 Indian-origin politicians have made it to the House of Commons.

HAVANA SYNDROME: THE MYSTERIOUS ILLNESS STRIKES CIA CHIEF’S TEAM MEMBER ON INDIA VISIT

A member of CIA Director William J. Burns’ team experienced symptoms in line with the so-called ‘Havana syndrome’ during the team’s visit to India earlier this month, CNN reported late Monday.

The mysterious neurological illness, which first struck US diplomats and spies in 2016 and is speculated to be caused by microwave strikes, may result in dizziness, headaches, hearing and memory loss, among other symptoms.

The incident left the CIA director “fuming”, setting off “alarm bells” internally in the US government, the report said, citing multiple unnamed sources. The affected member in Burns’ team had to receive medical attention.

The New York Times also reported that the CIA is currently investigating the incident, with officials struggling to “determine the cause”.

The Havana syndrome gets its name from the Cuban capital, where the first cases among US diplomats and CIA officials emerged in December 2016, according to the Wall Street Journal. In September 2017, WSJ had reported: “19 American officials at the U.S. Embassy in Havana have been affected by sonic harassment attacks with the union representing the diplomats saying symptoms include mild traumatic brain injury, hearing loss and other symptoms.”

In the absence of any known reliable medical treatment, alternatives like meditation, breathing exercises and intensive therapy are generally considered to treat patients, according to American medical website MedicineNet.

TALIBAN BANS IPL BROADCAST IN AFGHANISTAN

The Taliban-ruled Afghanistan has banned the broadcast of the hugely popular Indian Premier League in the country over the presence of "female audience and spectators" in stadiums.

Former Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) media manager and journalist M Ibrahim Momand said the live broadcast of IPL matches was banned due to possible "anti-Islamic" content.

"Taliban have warned that Afghan media outlets should not broadcast the Indian Cricket League due to girls dancing and the presence of female audience and spectators in stadiums."

Top Afghanistan cricketers like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman are taking part in IPL 2021.

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RAHUL: CANNOT IGNORE NEW PARADIGM ON LAC

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said India was facing a new paradigm on the borders, which it could not afford to ignore.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi quoted the media report which mentioned security establishment sources as saying that China appeared to have built at least 10 air bases along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal, besides ramping up infrastructure close to the Indian frontier.

Tweeting a news report on China building border infrastructure, the former Congress president quoted the media report which mentioned security establishment sources as saying that China appeared to have built at least 10 new air bases along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh, besides ramping up infrastructure close to the Indian frontier.

“We are facing a new war paradigm on our borders. Ignoring it won’t work,” Rahul tweeted tagging the report.

Rahul has repeatedly criticised the government for its handling of the border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries that erupted on May 5 last year following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

KARGIL WAR VETERAN VR CHAUDHARI TO BE NEXT AIR FORCE CHIEF

Air Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari will be the next Air Force Chief. He will take over from Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, who retires on September 30, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.

Chaudhari was commissioned in the IAF’s fighter stream in December 1982. He has flown a variety of fighter and trainer aircraft, including missions during Op Meghdoot (Siachen) and Op Safed Sagar during the Kargil conflict with Pakistan in May-July 1999. At present, he is IAF Vice Chief and has in the past commanded the Western Air Command.

KARNATAKA MULLS LAW TO REGULATE RELIGIOUS CONVERSION: HOME MINISTER

The Karnataka government was considering enacting a law to regulate religious conversion, as a ruling BJP MLA said his own mother has converted to Christianity falling prey to inducement, state home minister Araga Jnanendra said on Tuesday.

"The issue (of religious conversions) has come to the government's notice, converting people from one religion to another by inducing them is a punishable offence. We will keep vigil on such activities.

There is a wide network working on religious conversions across the country," Jnanendra said in his reply in the assembly.

There have been serious discussions regarding controlling such religious conversions, by bringing in a bill or in any other form.

AN ALLAHABAD MAHANT’S DEATH: DISCIPLE DETAINED

All aspects related to Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad president Mahant Narendra Giri’s death are being probed and the guilty will not be spared, said UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday as police detained a disciple of the seer in Haridwar.

The seer, who was the president of the largest organisation of sadhus in India, was found hanging by his disciples at Baghambari Math in Allahabad on Monday.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded a judicial probe by a sitting high court judge.A purported suicide note was also found, in which the seer had written that he was mentally disturbed and upset with one of his disciples, police had said. In the suicide note, the mahant is said to have expressed worries that some morphed images of his may emerge showing him in compromising position with some woman. He also denied allegations that he stole money.

Adityanath, who rushed to Allahabad to pay his respects to the seer, told reporters that the case will be solved soon. Every single aspect connected with the case will be exposed and the guilty will be punished, he added.

Meanwhile, ADG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar in Lucknow said the state police detained the seer’s disciple Anand Giri on Monday night from Haridwar. He has been accused of abetting the suicide.

ED BEGINS PROBE INTO 3,000-KG HEROIN HAUL

The Enforcement Directorate has initiated a probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) into the recent seizure of a record 3,000-kg heroin from two containers at the Mundra port in Gujarat.

According to officials, the case pertains to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seizing 2,988.21-kg Afghan heroin from the Mundra port in Kutch district on September 15. It is considered to be one of the biggest seizures across the globe, they said. The officials said the consignment was estimated to be worth Rs 21,000 crore.

Officials in the DRI said the consignment had been imported by Aashi Trading Company, registered in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, as semi-processed talc stones. The narcotic is stated to be of Afghanistan origin and was shipped from Bandar Abbas Port in Iran.

TWO MORE INDIAN BEACHES GET COVETED INTERNATIONAL ‘BLUE FLAG’ CERTIFICATION

In yet another recognition of India’s commitment to protect and conserve the pristine coastal and marine ecosystems through holistic management of the resources, the globally recognised and the coveted international eco-label “Blue Flag” has accorded the Blue Flag Certification for two new beaches this year—Kovalam in Tamil Nadu and Eden in Puducherry beaches—according to an official statement by the Environment Ministry.

A waving “Blue Flag” is an indication of 100% compliance to stringent criteria set by the Foundation for Environment Education in Denmark (FEE), which accords the globally recognised Blue Flag Certification

It has also given re-certification for eight nominated beaches Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda- Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha and Radhanagar- Andaman and Nicobar, which were awarded the Blue Flag, last year

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav called it “another milestone in India’s journey towards a clean and green India” led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

GLARE AT AMAZON’S HUGE LEGAL EXPENSES IN INDIA

US e-commerce giant Amazon, which is said to be investigating alleged bribes paid by its legal representatives in India, spent a staggering Rs 8,546 crore or $1.2 billion in legal expenses for maintaining a presence in the country during 2018-20, sources said.

While the company declined to comment on the legal fee issue, traders body CAIT claimed that Amazon spending 20 per cent of its revenue on lawyers was questionable.

"The whopping amount spent under legal professional fees clearly shows how Amazon and its subsidiaries are misusing their financial muscles to bribe and manipulate Indian government officials," CAIT national secretary general Praveen Khandelwal wrote to Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

Without offering any proof for his claim, he demanded a CBI inquiry.

On Monday, a report by Morning Context stated that Amazon has initiated an investigation against some of its legal representatives for allegedly bribing Indian government officials.

Its senior corporate counsel has reportedly been sent on leave in this matter.

The company had stated that it takes allegations of improper actions seriously and investigates them fully to take appropriate action.

PAKISTAN 'USED AND BINNED' BY 'WESTERN BLOC', SAYS PCB CHIEF RAJA

Pakistan have been "used and binned" by the "Western Bloc", the country's cricket board chairman Ramiz Raja said on Tuesday, adding that he thinks Australia will join New Zealand and England in cancelling their tour of the South Asian country.

England on Monday called off their men's and women's teams tour of Pakistan next month citing the "mental and physical well-being" of the players.

It followed New Zealand's abrupt abandonment of their tour minutes before the opening fixture in Rawalpindi on Friday following a security alert from their government.

"How I wish today that I was still a YouTuber, rather than the chairman of the cricket board, because I would have absolutely taken on New Zealand and England unabashedly," Raja told a virtual news conference. "It's the feeling of being used and then binned -- that is the feeling that I have right now," the former Pakistan captain said.

"I certainly feel that we are up against a western mindset, a Western bloc."

IPL MATCH No. 32: RAJASTHAN ROYALS SNATCH THRILLING WIN OVER PUNJAB KINGS

Fast bowler Karthik Tyagi bowled a sensational last over as Rajasthan Royals pulled off an incredible two-run victory over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League match, in Dubai, on Tuesday.

Punjab required four runs off the last six balls, but Tyagi dismissed Nicholas Pooran (32) and Deepak Hooda (0), conceding only one run, to snatch victory for the Royals from the jaws of defeat.

Punjab ended their innings at 183 for 4, chasing 186 for victory.

Sanju Samson's side was seemingly down and out when the Punjab Kings opening pair of Mayank Agarwal (67) and KL Rahul (49) put on 120 runs in 11.5 overs.

With Aiden Markram (26 not out) and Nicholas Pooran (32) going strong, it looked like it would be only a matter of time when Punjab would wrap up the match. In the end though they made a mess in the last over.

Earlier, the 22-year-old Arshdeep Singh (5/32) complemented his senior pro Mohammed Shami (3/21) well as the duo shared eight wickets to help Punjab bowl out Rajasthan for 185 in exactly 20 overs after they were going strong at 169 for 5 in 17 overs.

This was Rajasthan’s 4th win from 8 matches. For Punjab, it was their 6th loss in 9 matches.

INDICATORS

Sensex 59,005 (+514), Nifty 17,562 (+165), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 68,706

Nasdaq 14,746 (+32) Dow 33,919 (-51), S&P 4,354 (-4)

US$-Rs. 73.58 GBP-Rs. 100.56, Euro-Rs. 86.30, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.02, Can$-Rs. 57.52, Aus$- Rs. 53.35

GBP 0.73 /US$, Euro 0.85 /US$, Jap.Yen 109.40  /US$, Aus$ 1.37 /US$, Sing 1.35 /US$, Bang Taka 83.71 /US$, Can$ 1.27 /US$, Mal Ring 4.18 /US$,

Pak Re 168.29 /US$, Phil Peso 50.10 /US$, Russian Rouble 73.17 /US$, NZ$ 1.42 /US$, Thai Baht 33.34 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.48 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 42,197

Dollar Index 93.21, Brent Crude 74.83 BDI 4,410

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,778 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,633 / 4,533, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 63,800

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard

OFF TRACK

Jean-Paul Sartre is sitting at a French café, revising his draft of Being and Nothingness. He says to the waitress: “I’d like a cup of coffee, please, with no cream.”

The waitress replies: “I’m sorry, Monsieur, but we’re out of cream. How about with no milk?”