Indian Sub-continent

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) A possible third wave of coronavirus may peak in November if a new variant, more virulent than the Delta, emerges and becomes fully active by September end, a scientist involved in the mathematical modelling of pandemic said on Monday.

At the same time, the third wave may not see the number of new cases going as high as the second wave and is more likely to be on the lines of the first wave.

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The government has called an all-party meeting on Thursday on the developments in Afghanistan.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will brief the floor leaders of political parties on the present situation in Afghanistan in the in-person meeting.

Lucknow, Aug 23 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has refused to allow a suspended Muslim policeman keep a beard while in service, saying it violates official orders and he can't seek protection under Article 25 of the Constitution.

The Lucknow Bench of Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan passed the order on a writ petition filed by police constable Mohd Farman, who was suspended in November last year for maintaining a beard despite being told to shave it.

Muzaffarnagar, Aug 24 (PTI) A 16-year-old girl was allegedly raped after being abducted by two men in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl's parents, she was raped by a man identified as Sanjiv Kumar who abducted her with the help of his friend on Monday.

The girl has been sent for medical examination, a police official said, adding a case has been registered against two persons including Kumar.

Mumbai, Aug 24 (PTI) Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut on Tuesday demanded that BJP leader Narayan Rane should "show some respect for the Constitution" and step down as Union minister after being arrested.

Rane was arrested on Tuesday afternoon over his remark that he would have slapped Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter's ignorance of the year of India's independence.

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced a Rs 6 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that will look to unlock value in infrastructure assets across sectors ranging from power to road and railways.

She also said the asset monetisation does not involve selling of land and it is about monetising brownfield assets.

Projects have been identified across sectors, with roads, railways and power being the top segments.

Kanpur: An elevated road stretching between UP Stock Exchange in Civil Lines and Ghantaghar Chauraha will be constructed. This will undoubtedly change the traffic infrastructure in the city. 

The officers concerned have formulated this scheme of raising an elevated road to mitigate a durable remedy to the multiple problems. 

The road users welcoming the decision have felt relief from crowded roads during peak hours.

Kanpur: Surge in rates of dry fruits has been noticed in the market here. Speaking on this matter, Alankar Omar, Vice president of Nayaganj dry fruits market, said, " The prices of dry fruits here have increased as imports from Afghanistan have been disrupted."

Adding his points he went on saying, "We know a bit about the crisis of that country. We import pistachio, almond, fig, dried apricots from Afghanistan. The prices have increased by almost 15-20 per cent."

Kanpur: A second-year B.Tech student, from a private engineering college in Rooma here, has developed a new solar-powered air conditioner in a bid to give an eco-friendly alternative to the existing ACs. 

Sharing his concept with the college teachers he got ample support from them. According to the student S Singh, this prototype will be suitable for use in e-rickshaw as it neither consume electricity nor engine oil.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 23 (APP): Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said Pakistan desires a better future for Afghanistan and supports a conducive environment to help the Afghan people achieve the goals of development and prosperity.

He stressed that international community must restore ties with Afghanistan for the betterment of its people.

The foreign minister in a statement stressed that the protection of the lives of the people in Afghanistan and the sanctity of human rights was of utmost importance.