Here are the top 5 news updates of September 3, 2021:
Amid concerns in India that Afghan soil under the Taliban regime can be used for terrorist activities against it, the insurgent group has said it has the right to speak out in favour of Muslims anywhere, including in Kashmir, though it does not have a policy of conducting "armed operations" against any country. Suhail Shaheen, Taliban spokesman for its political office in Doha, in an exclusive interview to BBC on Thursday, said: "We will raise our voice and say that Muslims are your own people, your own citizens and they are entitled to equal rights under your law." As Muslims, it was the group's right to speak out for Muslims living in Kashmir and any other country, Shaheen said while speaking from Doha.
Praveen Kumar had a personal best of 2.05 metres in Men's High Jump T64. So, when the 18-year-old World No. 3 from New Delhi missed his first attempt at 2.01 metres at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, there were some concerns in the Indian camp. But those fears proved unfounded as Kumar went on to clear 2.07 to win a silver medal, bagging India's 11th medal in the Tokyo Paralympic Games -- two gold, six silver, and three bronze. Meanwhile, soon after clinching a silver medal at Tokyo Paralympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Praveen Kumar and congratulated him for his win at the event.
The Union government has said that no cases of 'MU' variant of coronavirus have been detected from over 51,000 samples analysed so far in India. This new coronavirus variant 'MU' was identified first in Colombia in January. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated the MU strain of coronavirus as a 'variant of interest'. The Indian Council of Medical Research Director General Dr. Balram Bhargav said, "We are closely monitoring the new coronavirus 'Variants of Interest' named MU and no case has been detected so far in India". The WHO has warned that the new MU variant shows signs of possible resistance to the vaccines.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has stressed the need for a time-bound action plan to ensure tap water connection to every rural household by 2024. He was speaking at a review meeting of the Jal Jeevan Mission, under which the state government is aiming to provide more than 1.42 crore water connections in rural areas by 2024, of which 65 per cent target has been achieved. The Jal Jeevan Mission, a central scheme, aims to provide tap water connections to every rural household in the country by 2024. Thackeray said his government will not let the water scheme suffer due to paucity of funds.
Equity benchmark Sensex surged 277 points to close above the 58,000-mark for the first time today, driven by gains in index major Reliance Industries amid a largely positive trend in global markets and sustained foreign fund inflows. The 30-share Sensex settled 277.41 points or 0.48 per cent up at its lifetime closing high of 58,129.95. It touched an intra-day record of 58,194.79. Similarly, Nifty advanced 89.45 points or 0.52 per cent to its all-time closing peak of 17,323.60. During the session, it touched a record of 17,340.10.
