Morning Digest: New terror outfit claims responsibility for Poonch attack; attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh should stop, says UN, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

October 19, 2021 08:13 am | Updated 08:19 am IST

Bangladeshi Hindus stage a demonstration in Dhaka on October 18, 2021 to protest against the fresh religious violence against Hindus in the country.

Bangladeshi Hindus stage a demonstration in Dhaka on October 18, 2021 to protest against the fresh religious violence against Hindus in the country.

New terror outfit claims responsibility for Poonch attack

A new terrorist group on Monday released an eight-minute video about the ongoing encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch region along the Line of Control (LoC), in which nine soldiers have been killed so far.

Bangladesh violence needs to stop: UN

The attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh are against the values enshrined in its Constitution and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government needs to ensure an impartial inquiry into the incidents, the UN said on Monday. Communal tension continued to remain high in Bangladesh as violence spread to northern district of Rangpur during the weekend.

Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. chief interlocutor for Afghanistan, steps down

Some two months after the U.S.’s chaotic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan,  Zalmay Khalilzad, America’s chief negotiator  in what was meant to be an  Afghan peace settlement , has resigned. Mr. Khalilzad, an Afghan-American, was appointed in 2018 by former U.S. President Donald Trump and continued to hold the position in the Biden administration.

CBSE announces date sheet for first term of class 10 and 12 board exams

The  Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)  will hold its first term board examination for major subjects for Class 12 students from December 1 to 22. For Class 10 students, the major subject examinations will begin on November 30 and run till December 11.

Apple launches faster chips, MacBook Pro laptops, Airpods at October event

We really thought the 2021 quota of Apple Events (and kidney jokes) were over, but some held out hope for the announcement of new MacBooks – and they were right. Shortly after the ‘California Streaming’ virtual keynote (reviews coming soon on the new iPhone 13 models, Watch Series 7 and 9th Gen iPad), the California tech giant surprised us with another keynote titled ‘Unleashed’.

FTA talks back on track as Jaishankar, Israeli counterpart meet

India and Israel agreed to resume long-pending negotiations on a free trade agreement , as External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid in Jerusalem on Monday. Both leaders also joined a virtual quadrilateral meeting with Mr. Lapid, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed.

With dams brimming, Kerala sets up panel to regulate discharge

Amid  havoc caused by torrential rains over the past week leading to floods and landslips , the Kerala Government has constituted an  expert committee to regulate the release of water  from 81 dams across swollen rivers.

Army trains officers along LAC in Tibetology

With a view to orienting its officers and men posted  along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)  in Tibetan culture and also preparing them to better understand the information warfare, the Army has begun a course in Tibetology in a tie-up with the  Central Institute of Himalayan Cultural Studies  in Arunachal Pradesh. The first batch with 15 participants was held from March to June this year.

L&T is lowest bidder for Common Central Secretariat project

Construction and infrastructure giant Larsen and Toubro Ltd. emerged as the lowest bidder for the contract for construction and  maintenance of the first three buildings  of the  proposed new Common Central Secretariat (CCS) , according to the financial bids opened on Monday.

Shah chairs meet on internal security threats

Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a conference on Monday that “deliberated on various internal security challenges and discussed ways to tackle them firmly.”

Part-time staff not entitled to seek regularisation: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has held that part-time employees are not entitled to seek regularisation as they are not working against any sanctioned post in the Government.

Integrated unmanned road map for Navy launched

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday launched an ‘Integrated Unmanned Road Map for Indian Navy’ at the second edition of the Naval Commanders; Conference that commenced on Monday. This will outline all the unmanned aerial and underwater platforms and efforts of the Navy as part of its force modernisation.

Microsoft says it warned Bill Gates about flirting in 2008

Microsoft executives in 2008 warned Bill Gates to stop sending flirtatious emails to a female employee but dropped the matter after he told them he would stop, the company revealed on October 18.

Iran says U.S. should lift sanctions to prove it wants talks

Iran’s President said on October 18 the United States should lift the sanctions on his country to prove it is serious about restarting stalled nuclear talks in Vienna.

T20 World Cup warm-up | Rahul, Kishan power India to seven-wicket win over England

KL Rahul's brutal yet elegant fifty sealed the second opener's debate while his opening partner Ishan Kishan also grabbed the opportunity as India warmed-up nicely with a seven-wicket win over England in the opening practice match ahead of the T20 World Cup.

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