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Afghanistan: 6 killed, several injured after suicide bombers strike inside Kabul’s VIP area

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: 6 killed, several injured after suicide bombers strike inside Kabul’s VIP area

At least 6 people were killed, and 7 other people have suffered severe injuries after suicide bombers struck the Afghanistan capital Kabul on Tuesday night. The coordinated bomb and subsequent gunfight, reportedly launched by the Taliban, was intended to target the Afghan Defence Minister and several lawmakers in the country’s capital Tuesday.

According to the reports, a massive blast occurred in Afghanistan’s capital city of Kabul on Tuesday evening. The blast was reportedly a suicide attack carried out using a car bomb around 8 pm in downtown Kabul, close to the ‘Green Zone’ – one of the most secured regions in the city.

As per the Afghan media, the blast occurred at Ansari Square in Shahr-e Naw in northwest Kabul. The rescue operations are underway between PD4 and PD10 in the area that houses Afghanistan’s acting Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi and the country’s former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum.

Besides the residence of high profile individuals, several embassies, government buildings and the homes of top Afghan officials are also situated in the area.

According to journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, three suicide bombers blew themselves up in Kabul resulting in damages to properties, cars. A gunfight also broke between the terrorists and the Afghan national forces. Many civilians are believed to be injured in the terror attack. Dostum was also not home during the attack.

It was reported that some gunmen were even seen entering the home of Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. However, as per Kaul, the Afghan Defence Minister was not present at his residence during the attack.

Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi also posted a tweet following the attacks on Tuesday, “Do not worry, everything is fine!”

The attacks came days after the Taliban had tried to take control of three major cities of Afghanistan – Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gah. The fighting between Afghan National Forces and the Taliban has escalated since last week, with the Taliban trying to capture three major cities in southern and western Afghanistan. It was reported that the Taliban had also made an attempt to capture Kandahar airport by launching rocket attacks.

Since the withdrawal of the US troops, the Taliban have made rapid gains in rural areas of Afghanistan. However, lately, the Taliban, backed by Pakistan Army, is also taking over important districts and urban centres, creating a ground for further escalations in a country that is already ravaged by decades of war.

According to estimates, the Taliban is controlling nearly 223 districts in Afghanistan, while the Afghan government has control over only 68 districts. As many as 116 districts are still contested, including Lashkar Gah.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has blamed the hasty decision of the United States to pull out its troops for the worsening violence in his country and urged lawmakers to back a national effort against the Taliban.

Watch Dr Amit Thadani in a tête-à-tête with OpIndia on being a frontline warrior, possibility of a third wave and misuse of lockdown

OpIndia Staff
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Watch Dr Amit Thadani in a tête-à-tête with OpIndia on being a frontline warrior, possibility of a third wave and misuse of lockdown

“No big wave expected in Mumbai,” said Dr Amit Thadani- a frontline warrior from Mumbai in an exclusive candid conversation with OpIndia.

In conversation with OpIndia English Editor Nirwa Mehta, Dr Thadani opened up about his experience with the first and second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, shared some feel-good stories and commented on the possibility of a third wave. 

Dr Thadani asserted that regions that have already been adversely affected in the previous waves like Mumbai and Delhi might see some sporadic rise in new Covid-19 cases but not a lethal wave of the pandemic. With this, Dr Thadani also remarked on the impractical imposition of the lockdowns. “Lockdowns are not a substitute to containment but being used as one. The Centre has been asking states to open up unless the situation is worrisome. Especially the fully vaccinated population must be allowed to carry on with their normal lives,” he said.

Sharing some feel-good stories of people recovering from Covid-19 and going back home, Dr Thadani advised on remaining cautious while resuming normal lives. 

Watch here. 

‘I will rape you like I rape my daughter’: Former senior George Soros aide accused of sexual assault during BDSM sessions at ‘sex dungeon’

OpIndia Staff
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‘I will rape you like I rape my daughter’: Former senior George Soros aide accused of sexual assault during BDSM sessions at ‘sex dungeon’

Howard Rubin, a former money manager for George Soros, is being accused of having committed violent acts and sexual assault against several women, including Playboy playmates, a report published in the New York Post said. The report said Rubin carried out sadomasochistic sex sessions at his specially constructed ‘sex dungeon’ in his Manhattan apartment.

Rubin, an erstwhile close aide of global order manipulator George Soros, is facing a civil trial, with six of his seven alleged victims demanding compensation of at least $18 million. The New York Post, which had accessed court documents, revealed that Rubin used his hidden luxurious midtown Manhattan penthouse for carrying out BDSM practices against his victims.

In one of his BDSM sessions, Rubin allegedly beat a woman’s breast so viciously that “her right implant flipped”, the documents show. Reportedly, the injury was so severe that the woman’s plastic surgeon refused to operate on her.

Another victim of Rubin’s brutality said the Wall Streeter told her, “I’m going to rape you like I rape my daughter”. Following that, Rubin had forceful sexual intercourse with the lady. It is worth mentioning here that Rubin has three children with his estranged wife, including at least one daughter.

Rubin is said to have paid $5,000 per BDSM session to his partners but the victims claim they did not agree with his level of abuse and violence. The women claim that Rubin went beyond the boundaries of acceptable BDSM sessions and agreements they signed before sex, and physically assaulted them.

The allegations against the ignominious financier first surfaced in November 2017, brought by Mia Lytell, Amy Moore and Stephanie Caldwell. Lytell and Moore are former Playboy Playmates, while Caldwell is a model who worked at a Miami strip club. However, later four other victims also came to the fore and levelled grave allegations of abuse, violence and sexual assault against the former right hand of George Soros. The lawsuit also states that Rubin got one plaintiff “addicted to drugs”.

Among them, however, one has dropped out of the suit for reasons unknown and another has reached a settlement and backed off.

John Balestriere, the counsel representing the alleged victims of the financier, said the women believed that Rubin would play some “mild fetish games” with them and “perhaps take photos”. None of them, he claimed, expected to be bounded and “to be actually thrashed”. When the women let out a “scream of a cry of protest” during the kinky sessions, Rubin would simply become more violent, the lawsuit said. The court papers also revealed that women were given little time to review the modalities of the non-disclosure agreement.

The allegations of sexual assault against Howard Rubin are starkly similar to those filed against another financier, Jeffrey Epstein. Rubin, like Epstein, has been accused of abuse by many women in the past, but the cases were settled. Though the first case of sexual abuse was filed against Rubin in November 2017, the financier’s wife, with whom he lived for 36 years, filed for divorce earlier last month.

Howard Rubin categorically denies allegations of sexual abuse and violence

The Wall Streeter, who was one of the highest-ranking managers at Soros Fund Management, has categorically refuted the accusations. Through a motion filed by his lawyer, Rubin has alleged that all the women signed a non-disclosure agreement and gave their consent to violent sex with the risk of injury. Violation of the agreement carried penalties of up to $500,000, the motion said.

The court papers submitted by the disgraced financier show that he had sent text messages to one of the women in order to ensure that she understood the pains associated with a BDSM session. “It’s total BDSM. Most girls love it and come back for more. But I just like to be up front about everything,” one of the text messages sent by Rubin as submitted in the court read.

While the lawsuit against Rubin said he got one of the complainants addicted to drugs, an insider who spoke to the New York Post rejected the claim as baseless. The source said that the Wall Streeter possibly administered painkillers during sessions that were misconstrued as drugs. “If they had [other] drugs, they were provided by people other than Howie”, the insider said.

One of the former colleagues who worked with Rubin at the Soros Management Fund said he considered Rubin as ‘high-strung, aggressive and does not hold back his feelings. He was a trader whose ego was tied up in being the biggest swinging d**k on Wall Street.’  

Rubin started his career in mortgage-backed securities at Salomon Brothers in 1982. He later joined the Mortgage Department at Bear Stearns, serving as a Senior Managing Director and the Head of the CMO Trading Desk before retiring in 1999 as one of the preeminent men on Wall Street. In 2008, he came out of the woodwork to manage a Mortgage-Backed Securities Fund for financier George Soros, run by Soros Fund Management, LLC. He quit the firm in 2015. 

George Soros and his penchant of fuelling anti-India narrative

Rubin served as a money manager to an organisation owned by global manipulator George Soros. A Hungarian-American businessman and a self-proclaimed philanthropist, George had vowed to ‘fight nationalists’ and conservative governments worldwide, which he often refers to as ‘authoritarian governments’. During the course of his life, if there is one thing George Soros has hated the most, it is India and its nationalist government led by Prime Minister Modi.

Through his Open Society Foundation, which started its operations in India first in 1999 by offering scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian institutions, Soros has made great strides in creating disorder within India. In the name of running philanthropic activities, the left-wing international organisation led by Soros has begun to spread its tentacles across the country by his active support to anti-India elements operating inside India.

In the last few decades, George Soros has time and again has shown his desperation to wage war against the nationalist government in India through various networks funded by him comprising of NGOs, media, intelligentsia, etc.

Regarding his philanthropy work, Soros’s OSF grasped a stronghold in India during the Obama regime. Ever since its entry into India, OSF has tried to interlope in the internal affairs of the nation through the vast and interconnected network of organisations funded by George Soros. These organisations play a vital role in manipulating the original narrative and take the help of the judiciary and media to hinder the national interest.

New York Gov Andrew Cuomo, brother of CNN anchor Chris ‘Fredo’ Cuomo, sexually harassed multiple women, investigation finds

OpIndia Staff
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New York Gov Andrew Cuomo, brother of CNN anchor Chris ‘Fredo’ Cuomo, sexually harassed multiple women, investigation finds

Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, state attorney general Letitia James said on Tuesday. The comments were made on the basis of an investigation that was conducted after allegations surfaced against the Governor last year.

The investigation concluded that his administration was a “hostile work environment”, “rife with fear and intimidation.” Two outside lawyers were roped in for the investigation. Andrew Cuomo is the brother of CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, often called ‘Fredo’ by his critics.

Letitia James said at a press conference that Andrew Cuomo “sexually harassed multiple women, and in doing so violated federal and state law.” According to James, the report presents “a deeply disturbing, yet clear, picture” in a “a toxic workplace.”

In addition to state government employees, Cuomo also harassed women outside of it. On at least one occasion, he and his associates attempted to retaliate against one woman who accused him of misconduct.

One accuser had said that apart from kissing her in his office, Cuomo “would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs.” Andrew Cuomo has regularly denied any wrongdoing on his part and claimed that he never harassed or abused anyone.

Under pressure to resign amidst the allegations, he had insisted that he would not resign. Apart from the sexual misconduct allegations, Cuomo is also accused to have given an order in connection of the Covid-19 pandemic that directly contributed to the death of senior citizens in nursing homes.

Subsequently, he was accused of covering up the actual number of deaths. Despite the allegations, he penned a book on ‘leadership’ during the Covid-19 pandemic and remains a darling of the mainstream media.

Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state to administer 5 crore Covid vaccines, administers over 25 lakh jabs in a day

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh becomes the first state to administer 5 crore Covid vaccines, administers over 25 lakh jabs in a day

Uttar Pradesh government has pulled off the remarkable feet of vaccinating over 25 lakh people against Covid-19 on August 3 (Tuesday) at the time of writing this report, making it the first state ever to achieve a milestone of administering 5 crore vaccines in total so far. 

Taking to Twitter, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath congratulated the authorities and the people of the state for crossing the landmark of 22 lakh doses on Tuesday. He thanked PM Modi for his guidance and the people of the state for their active participation, without which attaining this milestone would not have been possible, Tweeted Yogi Adityanath in Hindi.

He ended his post by reminding people that the Covid-19 vaccine is your only “Suraksha kawach” (safety shield) against the deadly pathogen, and urged everyone to take their jab “Tika jeet ka”, and help defeat Covid-19.

The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh had set itself the target of making a new vaccination record on Tuesday. The state government aimed to administer 20 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses in a single day. For this mega campaign, more than 12,000 vaccination centres are operating in the state.

Uttar Pradesh CM had instructed officials to triple the state’s daily Covid vaccination rate in a month

After announcing ‘Mission June’, a massive Covid vaccination drive starting June 1, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had instructed state officials on June 4 to triple the state’s daily Covid-19 vaccination rate in a month.

The CM had given new directives to boost the immunisation drive, according to a government statement. “Every action necessary should be done to increase daily vaccination capacity”, instructed Yogi Adityanath at a high-level Covid-19 review meeting on June 4.

The CM had stated, “The current capacity needs to be boosted by three times within a month.” Vaccination is currently being carried out at 6,000 locations, and more than 14.68 lakh people have been vaccinated since the commencement of Mission June on Tuesday. This includes the 3.94 lakh vaccinations administered on June 4 itself.

According to this calculation, the three-fold goal would have entailed giving out more than 10 lakh vaccines a day, however, due to its constant perseverance, the UP administration under the guidance of Yogi Adityanath, within no time, achieved way beyond its own set targets.

‘India’s left is wedded to Islamic right’: Nitin Gupta Rivaldo speaks on the cancer of Grooming Jihad

OpIndia Staff
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‘India’s left is wedded to Islamic right’: Nitin Gupta Rivaldo speaks on the cancer of Grooming Jihad

Comedian Nitin Gupta ‘Rivaldo’ is back with yet another video expounding on the ideology that fuels and whitewashes the scourge of grooming jihad in India.

In the second part of his exclusive video series for OpIndia, Nitin Rivaldo speaks about the support from the leftist intelligentsia in normalising and rationalising the incidents of forced religious conversions of Hindu, Christian, Sikh girls into Islam.

“India’s left is wedded to the Islamic right. The leftists in India are mental converts. This is why they support and promote forced religious conversions of non-Muslim girls in India. This is the reason they have no qualms with Hindus being driven out of Kashmir,” Rivaldo said.

Taking a sarcastic jibe at the leftists, Rivaldo said they try to whitewash the incidents of love jihad by describing it as some sort of ‘internal struggle’. It is part of the series of videos Nitin Rivaldo has featured in on OpIndia.

You can watch the entire video here:-

In the first episode, comedian Nitin Gupta ‘Rivaldo’ had unravelled the modus operandi of forceful conversions of minor girls and patterns being used to oppress and convert the Dalit community.

In the first part of his second exclusive video for OpIndia, he touches upon topics like the historical and ongoing religious persecution and systematic violence against Hindus especially Hindu girls by radical Islamists and the penchant of the pseudo feminists and secularists, who choose to maintain a stoic silence over rampant incidents of forced conversions of Hindu girls, but outrage when people raise voices against the phenomenon.

While NCP’s Nawab Malik says ‘Adani’ board outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj airport has ‘hurt sentiments’, here’s a video that shows ‘his sentiments’

OpIndia Staff
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While NCP’s Nawab Malik says ‘Adani’ board outside Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj airport has ‘hurt sentiments’, here’s a video that shows ‘his sentiments’

A video of Shiv Sena goons damaging the ‘Adani’ signboard near Mumbai’s international airport went viral on social media. Reportedly, several Shiv Sainiks on Monday barged into the landscaped garden at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), uprooted the Adani signboard and planted saffron flags. 

Taking the political gimmick to the next level, Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant was quoted by ANI as saying, “Airport’s name is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport. They wrote ‘Adani Airport’. Have you bought it? Shivaji Maharaj is the country’s pride. They have done the vandalism. 2-3 people don’t follow laws.”

NCP leader Nawab Malik gave out a similar statement inviting a backlash. “Mumbai airport has been named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Adani group took over management control of the airport but the way ‘Adani Airport’ was displayed in front of statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, hurt people’s sentiments,” remarked Malik. 

However, here’s a video showing how much he revers Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 

In this video supposedly from 2020, several NCP leaders can be seen chanting “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj ki jai,” however, Malik can be seen standing stiff. The video is once again going viral after Malik claimed that Adani had installed ‘Adani Airport’ signboard in front of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue. 

Has the Adani Group actually bought the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport?

Adani Group, which has been on the hit-list of the ‘andolanjeevis’ in the recent past, was accused of acquiring the ownership of the Mumbai airport. However, contrary to rumors and allegations, the airport is not ‘owned’ but the Adani group has taken over the management of Mumbai International Airport, from the GVK Group. 

In response to the allegations, the spokesperson of Adani Airports Holding Limited (AAHL), the group’s flagship company for airports business and Adani Enterprises’ wholly-owned subsidiary, assured that the company had merely replaced the previous branding(GVK) with Adani Airports branding and that no change has been made to CSMIA’s name.

“The branding at CSMIA is in compliance with the norms & guidelines of the Airport Authority of India (AAI). AAHL will continue to adhere to all the guidelines laid out by the government in the interest of the aviation community at large”, the Adani Airport spokesperson added.

Two BJP workers found dead in Bengal, one found hanging with his hands tied behind his back, another found dead in a pond

OpIndia Staff
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Two BJP workers found dead in Bengal, one found hanging with his hands tied behind his back, another found dead in a pond

There seems to be no end to the spasm of violence that erupted in West Bengal following an emphatic victory of Trinamool Congress in the assembly elections that were held earlier this year. In continuance with the spate of violence unleashed against political opponents in the state, two BJP workers were found dead under mysterious circumstances in different parts of West Bengal.

BJP worker Indrajit Sutradhar was found hanging from the ceiling of a room with his hands tied from behind in an abandoned building at Khoirasol in the Birbhum district. The body has been sent for autopsy, police officials investigating Sutradhar’s death said.

Police officials claim prima facie it appears to be a case of murder but the autopsy report will confirm the exact cause and circumstances.

The BJP has chalked up the gruesome murders to the ruling TMC, alleging that miscreants sheltered by the party are responsible for the killings of their workers.

According to the family members of Sutradhar, the middle-aged BJP worker was missing since Monday night. They also said that he had “personal enmity with some locals”.

Another BJP worker, Tapan Khatua (45) was found dead at Egra in Purbo Medinipur district earlier today. His body was fished out of a pond in the region, a police officer privy to the details revealed. The BJP and the family of Khatua blamed the ruling party for his death.

However, the local TMC leadership has dismissed the allegations, stating Sutradhar was killed due to a personal feud and Khatua was suspected to have committed suicide. The police have ordered investigations to probe into the deaths of the BJP workers.

Post-poll violence in West Bengal

Ever since Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress came back to power in West Bengal, violence has become the order of the day. BJP workers and other opposition leaders have been hunted down and killed after the results were declared on May 2, 2021. Even the National Human Rights Commission made scathing remarks on the prevailing culture of political violence in West Bengal. Similarly, the National Commission for SC/ST also blasted the West Bengal government for violence that has been unleashed against the tribal communities following the TMC victory.

Post-poll violence has become a leitmotif of news emerging out of Bengal following the declaration of results. Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers while the accused were said to be the supporters of the TMC party. More than 30 BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.

The violence unleashed against them also forced hundreds of BJP party workers and supporters to flee their villages along with their families. They crossed over to Assam where they have been provided temporary shelter under supervision by minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. It is not just the BJP but even CPI(M) which has accused the TMC of killing its workers. Reports of attacks on BSF jawans have also emerged in the media.

Taliban captures TV and radio stations in Afghanistan to broadcast threats and warnings and to also propagate the ‘Voice of Shariah’

OpIndia Staff
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Taliban captures TV and radio stations in Afghanistan to broadcast threats and warnings and to also propagate the ‘Voice of Shariah’

Taliban has upped its ground offensive ever since the US has started withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan. For the last five days, fierce fighting has broken out in three major cities in the south and west Afghanistan, namely Herat, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar, as Taliban militants seek to seize them from government forces. According to Hindi daily Navbharat Times, the Taliban, on August 2 (Monday) captured a radio station in Lashkar Gah.

The Helmand TV station, located in Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand province, is operated by state-run Radio and Television Afghanistan. The report suggests that the Taliban have taken over the TV station to broadcast threats and warnings and to also propagate the Taliban’s Voice of Shariah.

Media gagged as Taliban terrorists do not want their injustices exposed

Meanwhile, other media houses have reported that the Afghan information ministry has confirmed that as many as 4 television and 11 radio stations in the city had been seized and has stopped broadcasting after receiving threats from the Taliban. Only the aforementioned TV station had been operating and streaming Islamic programming.

The radio stations were reportedly captured as a retaliation to the US airstrikes, which the latter has intensified against the Taliban in a bid to halt the terrorists’ advances on a number of major Afghan provincial capitals, especially in District 1 of southern Helmand province. 

“Terrorists do not want the media to publish the facts and expose their injustices,” the Ministry of Information and Culture said.

Taliban terrorists using civilians as shields

It is also being reported that the Taliban terrorists are hiding in civilian homes and using them as shields. Because of this many ordinary civilians are having to bear the brunt of the Afghan officials. Many such houses where officials suspect the Taliban terrorist might be hiding have been bombed in the past few days. Following these strikes, nine dead bodies and eight wounded were sent to Lashkar Gah’s emergency hospital on Monday.

Herat, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah under seige

Over the past 72 hours, US airstrikes have targeted Taliban positions around the cities of Herat, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah, a senior Afghan security official said on Monday.

While Navbharat Times has reported that as many as seven Taliban terrorists were neutralised in the airstrikes conducted by the US on August 2 (Monday), a report by Hindustan Times said that the Afghan defence ministry had informed that at least 40 Taliban terrorists have been killed in a US airstrike in Lashkar Gah city.

However, the Afganistan defence ministry tweeted on Sunday that as many as 300 Talibani terrorists have been killed and hundreds wounded in operations by Afghanistani security forces in different provinces since Saturday. “254 Taliban terrorists were killed and 97 wounded as a result of ANDSF (Afghanistan National Defence and Security Forces) operations in Ghazni, Kandahar, Herat, Farah, Jowzjan, Balkh, Samangan, Helmand, Takhar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Kabul & Kapisa provinces during the last 24 hours. Also, 13 IEDs were discovered & defused by #ANA,” read the Tweet.

As a result of these clashes, as many as 330,000 Afghans have been displaced and at least 30,000 flee their homes every week to escape the Taliban rule. 

Since the US troops began the last stage of their withdrawal from Afghanistan in early May, the Islamic terrorist organisation has seized control of much of rural Afghanistan, but they are facing resistance as they try to capture the provincial capitals.

General Sami Sadat, the Afghan general, who has been leading the battle against the Taliban in the southern province of Helmand, has warned of “devastating” consequences for global security if the Taliban win in their fight against government forces.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has raised concerns over the security of civilians, caught between the clash.

Referring to the Afghan national army, UNAMA Tweeted on August 3 (Tuesday): “Deepening concern for Afghan civilians in #Lashkagah as fighting worsens. Latest reports show 118 civilians injured & 40 killed within last 24 hours as Taliban continue ground assault & Afghan Army attempts to repel. UN urges immediate end to fighting in urban areas. #Afghanistan”.

India’s manufacturing sector sees the strongest rate of growth in July in recent months: IHS Markit survey

OpIndia Staff
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India’s manufacturing sector sees the strongest rate of growth in July in recent months: IHS Markit survey

As per the IHS’s recently released monthly Survey, India’s manufacturing sector witnessed the strongest growth in the manufacturing sector in July in the last three months. 

Asserting the strongest growth rate, the seasonally adjusted IHS Markit India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose from 48.1 in June to 55.3 in July. It is imperative to note that in PMI parlance, a score above 50 signifies expansion while a score below 50 denotes contraction.

Enhanced demand conditions and easing of some local COVID-19 restrictions with a decline in new cases are said to be the reason for improved performance.

Pollyanna De Lima, Economics Associate Director at IHS Markit said, “It’s encouraging to see the Indian manufacturing industry recover from the blip seen in June.”

“Output rose at a robust pace, with over one-third of companies noting a monthly expansion in production, amid a rebound in new business and the easing of some local COVID-19 restrictions,” she added. 

Hopeful about the improving conditions, Lima noted, “Should the pandemic continue to recede, we expect a 9.7% annual increase in industrial production for the calendar year 2021.”

The IHS survey also observed that Indian firms foresee output growth in the year ahead. The end of the pandemic will also result in increased sales to support the upturn, as per reprts.

“The overall level of positive sentiment rose from June’s 11-month low, but remained historically subdued as some companies were concerned about the path of the pandemic,” the survey noted.

Rebound in factory activities

As the impact of the second wave of the pandemic receded, businesses ramped up manufacturing activities. Exports too witnessed a healthy rise as orders grew at the fastest rate since April.

While the threat of a third wave continues to loom, the re-opening of the economy has led to higher demand and sales. 

Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Care Ratings remarked, “Looking ahead we can expect it to remain over 50 but may not deviate much from the July level as the index is based on comparisons with the previous month. July being high, August would not show much of an uptick.”

He believes the manufacturing sector in India has gotten over the negative effects of the lockdown.

Marginal increase in employment

A marginal increase in recruitment in July ended the 15-month sequence of job shedding. “Although marginal, the rise in employment was the first since the onset of COVID-19. With firms’ cost burdens continuing to rise, however, and signs of spare capacity still evident, it’s too early to say that such a trend will be sustained in coming months,” Lima said commenting on the employment situation. 

“Operating conditions in India improved during July, after growth was halted by the escalation of the pandemic in June. Output, new orders, exports, the quantity of purchases, and input stocks all returned to expansion territory, while a marginal increase in employment ended a 15-month sequence of job shedding,” the data analytics firm noted.

RBI to keep interest rates unchanged

On the inflation front, Lima said, “Policymakers will welcome evidence that inflationary pressures are starting to abate. Firms signaled the slowest increases in input costs and output charges for seven months.”

“Hence, we expect the RBI to keep interest rates unchanged in its August meeting as it continues to support growth,” she added. 

Experts suggest that amid constant fears of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and hardening of retail inflation, the Reserve Bank is likely to maintain the status quo on interest rates. 

In a pattern being followed from the time India was hit by the pandemic, reports suggest the RBI will continue to watch the developing macroeconomic situation for some more time before taking any decisive action on monetary policy.

IMF slashed growth projection

Discounting the signs of recovery, the International Monetary Fund last week slashed economic growth projection for FY22 to 9.5% from 12.5% estimated in April. It cited a slow recovery in consumer confidence after the second wave as the reason. 

However, India’s chief economic advisor Krishnamurthy Subramanian hit back at the International Monetary Fund for downgrading the country’s growth projection, saying it’s “significantly off the mark.”

Speaking to CNBC Subramanian claimed that the IMF’s assessment was driven by “saliency bias”. He alleged that more focus was given to striking information while data that is comparatively less remarkable was ignored. He said India dismissed the downgrade assessment.

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