DH Evening Brief: September 7, 2021

Here are the top headlines this evening.

India continues to 'lag way behind' in Covid vaccination: Fitch Ratings

Fitch Ratings on Tuesday said India continues to "lag way behind" in Covid vaccination, and the negative outlook on sovereign rating signifies the rising debt-to-GDP ratio. In April 2021, Fitch affirmed India's sovereign rating at 'BBB-' with a negative outlook. The outlook was changed to 'negative' from 'stable' in June last year on grounds that the pandemic had significantly weakened the country's growth outlook and exposed the challenges associated with a high public-debt burden. Read more

BJP's strategy to douse 'Jat' anger: A university in Aligarh after 'Jat' king

In a move aimed apparently at dousing the anger in the electorally-influential 'Jat' community, which is at the forefront in the ongoing farmers' agitation against the new farm laws, the BJP government in the state has decided to establish a university in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh town, about 400 kilometres from here, after Mahendra Pratap Singh, a 'Jat' king, who still commandshuge respect in the community. Read more

Chhattisgarh CM's father arrested for 'evict Brahmins' from India remark

The Raipur Police have arrested Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's father Nand Kumar Baghel from Delhi in a case registered against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks against a community, an official said on Tuesday. Read more

Badruddin Ajmal to ask Muslims in Assam to stop eating beef

Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, the chief of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) has said he would ask Muslims in Assam to give up beef, a move that could help the BJP-led government's drive to regulate sale and consumption of beef in the state. Read more

In Pics: A curtain divides female & male students in Afghanistan

Students across Afghanistan have started returning to universityclassroomsafter the Taliban stormed to power, and in some cases, females have been separated from their male peers by curtains or boards down the middle of the room. See pics

Cairn to drop cases against India within days: CEO

UK-based Cairn Energy PLC on Tuesday said it will drop litigations to seize Indian properties in countries ranging from France to the US, within a couple of days of getting a $1 billion refund resulting from the scrapping of a retrospective tax law. Read more

Deity is owner of land attached to temple, priest cannot be treated as 'Bhumiswami': SC

A priest cannot be treated as Bhumiswami (owner of land) and the deity is the owner of the land attached to a temple, the Supreme Court has ruled.It added that the law is clear on the distinction that the Pujari is not a Kashtkar Mourushi, (tenant in cultivation) or a government lessee or an ordinary tenant of the maufi lands (land exempted from payment of revenue) but holds such land on behalf of the Aukaf Department (relating to 'Devasthan) for the purpose of management. Read more

Protesting airstrikes in Panjshir, people throng Kabul streets chanting 'death to Pakistan'

Chanting "death to Pakistan", Afghan protesters, including women, took to the streets of Kabul on Tuesday, as they claimed that Pakistani jets conducted airstrikes in Panjshir province, according to a media report. Read more

In a first, Bitcoin becomes legal tender in El Salvador

El Salvador on Tuesday becomes the first country in the world to accept Bitcoin as legal tender, despite widespread domestic skepticism and international warnings of risks for consumers. Read more

Mehbooba Mufti 'placed under house arrest', calls out 'fake' claims of normalcy

Minutes after being placed under house arrest, regional PDP president and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said that New Delhi was concerned about rights of Afghan people while “denying the same to Kashmiris.” Read more

Power supply to Karnataka's rural households in 100 days: Energy Minister V Sunil Kumar

Karnataka Energy Minister V Sunil Kumar on Tuesday announced a new programme in which all rural households devoid of electricity will be given connections in the next 100 days. Read more

Losing is bad enough but it now comes with death threats, say players

As if a fourth round 6-2 6-1 thrashing at the US Open was not hard enough to deal with, American Shelby Rogers said that she would most likely have to contend with death threats on social media following Monday's loss to Emma Raducanu. Read more

Hindus & Muslims in India have common ancestors: Bhagwat

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Monday said that Muslims in India do not need to have any fear as Hindus don’t hold enmity towards anyone. Hindus and Muslims in India have common ancestors and it is a well-known historical fact that Islam came to India along with invaders and this fact shouldn’t be concealed, he said. Read more