Morning Digest | At least 6 killed in Pune building collapse; Islamic State chief blows himself up amid U.S. raid, and more

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February 04, 2022 07:59 am | Updated 08:13 am IST

People inspect a destroyed house following an operation by the U.S. military at the Syrian village of Atmeh, Idlib Province on February 3, 2022.

People inspect a destroyed house following an operation by the U.S. military at the Syrian village of Atmeh, Idlib Province on February 3, 2022.

Islamic State chief Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi blows himself up amid U.S. raid

The leader of the Islamic State (IS/ISIS), Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, died in a U.S. counter terrorism operation in Idlib province, in northwestern Syria, President Joe Biden announced on Thursday.

At least 6 killed after slab of under-construction building collapses in Pune

At least six workers were killed and several more injured after a portion of an under-construction building collapsed on them in Pune’s Yerwada area late Thursday, Februry 3, 2022, night.

Chandrayaan-3 set for August launch

India plans to execute the Chandrayaan-3 mission this August, Minister Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Chandrayaan-3 mission is a follow-up of Chandrayaan-2 of July 2019, which aimed to land a rover on the lunar South Pole.

India announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

Terming China’s decision to field a People’s Liberation Army soldier involved in the June 2020 Galwan clashes as the torchbearer for the Winter Olympics Games in Beijing as “regrettable”, India announced a diplomatic boycott of the games just ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday.

2 crore graduates register in eSHRAM unorganised worker portal

Just over 2 crore people who declared that they held a graduation degree or higher education have signed up for the Centre’s portal for unorganised sector workers since it was launched in August 2021, according to a government written response in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Pegasus, jobs come up in Lok Sabha debate

The Pegasus spyware, special status for Bihar and protests over unemployment were among the key issues that figured in the Lok Sabha on Thursday during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

Explained | The FTA talks between India and the United Kingdom

The story so far: Last month, India and Britain launched trade talks in Delhi, with an aim to finalise a free trade agreement (FTA) as soon as possible. The proposed pact with Britain could help double bilateral trade by 2030, a Government statement said, after talks between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and U.K. Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly election | U.P. riot-free since 2017, now preferred destination for investment: Adityanath

Claiming success in controlling crime in the State, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on February 3 accused his predecessors of failing to undertake “police reforms and modification” as the latter wanted to use the department as their “personal tool”.

Akhilesh takes on U.P. CM on law and order

Referring to the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Buladanshahr, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Singh took on the BJP government for its poor track record on the law and order in the State.

Tamil Nadu Governor returns Bill against NEET

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi has returned to the Assembly Speaker a Bill seeking to dispense with NEET-based admissions for undergraduate medical degree courses, the Raj Bhavan said on Thursday. The Bill adopted by the Assembly in September sought to admit students to UG medical degree programmes on the basis of Plus Two scores.

Third COVID-19 wave saw younger in-patients, better outcomes

The third COVID-19 surge saw younger in-patients with lesser proportions of all symptoms (and mainly sore throat), lesser use of drugs, and significantly improved outcomes, said the Health Ministry on Thursday.

Digvijaya questions PM’s silence on Haridwar hate speech

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Thursday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the Haridwar Dharm Sansad (religious conclave), where calls were made for genocide against Muslims last year. Mr. Singh said “super rich tax” should be imposed on corporates and business people who made a fortune during the COVID-19 pandemic.

HC stays Haryana’s 75% law for reservation to locals in private jobs

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday stayed the Haryana government’s law guaranteeing 75% reservation to locals in private sector jobs.

Indian-American body urges Biden to reject appointment of Masood Khan as Pak envoy to U.S.

A top Indian diaspora group urged U.S. President Joe Biden to reject the appointment of Masood Khan as Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States, alleging that the diplomat is a sympathizer and supporter of terrorist groups.

No rationale for lowering 30% tax on crypto profits: Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj

The government is open to resolving genuine problems and reservations of crypto-trading players arising from the new taxation regime for virtual digital assets, but is of the firm view that there is no economic rationale for lowering the proposed 30% tax on profits from crypto assets’ trading.

Meta shares sink 20% as Facebook loses daily users for the first time

Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc's shares plunged more than 20% late on Wednesday after the social media company posted a weaker-than-expected forecast, blaming Apple's privacy changes and increased competition for users from rivals like TikTok.

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