Morning digest | Regional NSAs to arrive in Delhi today for dialogue on Afghanistan; CBI not taking up Rafale kickbacks probe despite documents, claims French portal, and more

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

Regional NSAs to arrive today for dialogue on Afghanistan

Security Czars of Russia, Iran and five Central Asian countries will arrive in Delhi on Tuesday ahead of the “Delhi regional security dialogue” on Afghanistan chaired by National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, who will also meet his counterparts bilaterally.

CBI not investigating Rafale ‘kickbacks’, claims Mediapart

French portal Mediapart has alleged that Dassault paid at least €7.5 mn to middleman Sushen Gupta from 2007 to 2012 through “overbilled” IT contracts with a shell company to secure the €7.87 bn deal Rafale deal with India. Despite the existence of related papers since October 2018, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has not yet taken up a probe, it alleged.

Tamil Nadu rain updates | Water level touches 119 feet in Mettur, flood warning issued

With the water level touching 119 feet at the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur and the discharge at 20,000 cusecs, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has issued a flood warning asking people residing in the low-lying areas along the banks of the River Cauvery to move to safer locations on Tuesday.

Four children die in hospital fire in Bhopal

At least four infants died in a fire that broke out in the special newborn care unit (SNCU) of Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital here on Monday night, prompting the government to order a high-level probe into the incident.

No respite for Chennai as new Bay system gathers pace

For the second day, many parts of Chennai were inundated as intermittent showers continued through Monday. However, the water level had receded at several locations that had reported severe inundation on Sunday. However, the city and its neighbouring districts are likely to face more days of intense rains.

SpaceX crew begins return voyage from International Space Station

Four astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station in April for a long-duration science mission began their return voyage to Earth on Monday as theirSpaceX Crew Dragon capsule separated from the orbiting laboratory for a flight home.

Obama slams Russia, China for ‘lack of urgency’ on climate

Barack Obama expressed confidence at U.N. climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he called a “dangerous lack of urgency” in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

In Virat Kohli’s last match as T20I captain, India beat Namibia by nine wickets

India gave head coach Ravi Shastri a parting gift with a convincing victory against qualifier Namibia and end its disappointing ICC T20 World Cup campaign on a winning note. The nine-wicket triumph meant that Virat Kohli also ended his stint as the T20I captain with India finishing third in its six-team group.

UNESCO picks Srinagar as ‘creative city’

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has picked up Srinagar among 49 cities as part of the creative city network under the Crafts and Folk Arts category.

N. Srinivasan had more faith in my coaching abilities than I had on myself: Ravi Shastri

Former BCCI president N. Srinivasan had "more faith" in his coaching abilities and outgoing Indian team head coach Ravi Shastri thanked the Tamil Nadu strongman in earnest while stating that he performed his duties without any vested interests.

As Zika cases rise in U.P., doctors urge travel curbs

With a rise in the number of Zika virus cases in Uttar Pradesh, doctors have advised that people should avoid all non-essential travel to areas reporting cases. Currently close to 90 persons, including 17 children, have tested positive for the virus from the State.

‘Annual post-monsoon’ pressure pushed up power deficit: Government

India’s power deficit this year ‘spiked marginally’ to 1.2% due to the ‘annual post-monsoon pressure’ on output, the government said in a statement on Monday, asserting that the deficit has been ‘near about wiped out’ in recent years.

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