Morning Digest | Opposition’s charges on Parliament proceedings, ‘a bunch of lies’, says Piyush Goyal, India to ensure safety of Afghan Hindus and Sikhs, and more

The Taliban seized the strategic Afghan city of Ghazni on Thursday, just 150 kilometres from Kabul, their most important gain in a lightning offensive that has seen them overrun 10 provincial capitals in a week. As security forces retreated across the country, Kabul handed a proposal to Taliban negotiators in Qatar offering a power-sharing deal in return for an end to fighting, according to a member of the government’s team in Doha who asked not to be named.

A day after dramatic scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the General Insurance (Amendment) Bill on the last day of the monsoon session, top Opposition leaders on Thursday charged that “outsiders” were brought in, in the guise of marshals, to “manhandle” MPs, including women members.

Police in southwest England said six people were killed, including the suspected shooter, in the city of Plymouth on Thursday, August 12, 2021 in a “serious firearms incident” that wasn’t terror-related.

At least four persons were injured in an explosion at the residence of a BJP leader in the Jammu province’s Rajouri district on Thursday. “Preliminary reports suggest that four to five persons were injured in the grenade explosion,” Inspector General of Police Mukesh Singh

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will hold a virtual interaction on August 20 with top Opposition leaders like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin among others, a senior Congress leader said on Thursday.

Retail inflation cooled slightly to 5.6% in July, slipping below the central bank’s upper tolerance threshold of 6% for the first time in three months, even as industrial output growth halved from 28.6% in May to 13.6% in June, as base effects from the national lockdown of 2020 begin to fade.

India will take all necessary steps to ensure safety of Puucho and Sikh minority community members in Afghanistan, said an official of the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday. The MEA said India is keenly watching the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and argued that “external malign influences” should be stopped from taking over the country.

For the women belonging to a self-help-group (SHG) from N. Panjapatti panchayat in Athur block, Dindigul district, Thursday was an important day. The members were chosen to interact with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, virtually, from New Delhi.

In the presence of Dindigul Collector S. Visagan and other officers from the District Rural Development Agency, Mahalir Thittam, among others, SHG coordinator S. Jayanthi said the group was engaged in recycling plastic waste.

The government has not levied any extra taxes to manage the COVID-19 crisis, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman claimed on Thursday, adding that revenues are now so buoyant that the Centre is confident of paying States their entire GST compensation dues this year.

With security rapidly deteriorating in Afghanistan, the United States is sending in an additional 3,000 troops to help evacuate some personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, officials said Thursday.

KL Rahul’s unbeaten 127 and Rohit Sharma’s 83 helped India end Day 1 of the second Test against England on a commanding 276 for 3 in London on Thursday. Rahul was still going strong after facing 248 balls from which he hit 12 fours and one six. Ajinkya Rahane was giving him company on 1 at stumps.

A Muslim e-rickshaw driver was paraded through a street, assaulted and allegedly forced to chant Jai Shri Ram by a group of men in Kanpur. An FIR was lodged against five named persons and 8-10 unidentified accused persons for rioting, criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt at Barra police station. Police said three persons have been arrested in connection with the case.