Wednesday, September 9, 2026
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Royal Enfield forays into Argentina to expand market in Latin America

New Delhi (NVI): Argentina became the first country in 119 years to produce Royal Enfield brand motorcycle models outside the headquarters installed first in England and then – since 1955 – in the city of Chennai, India, which will allow to increase the motorcycle market.

Royal Enfield is an Indian motorcycle manufacturing brand with the tag of “the oldest global motorcycle brand in continuous production”, and is exported to over 50 countries with top markets being Colombia, Indonesia and Thailand.

President Of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, inaugurated the new plant of Royal Enfield motorcycles in Province of Buenos Aires along with the Governor of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof.

The new stage of production was presented at the Campana plant during the event.

“President @alferdez inaugurated the new plant of @royalenfield motorcycles in Province of Buenos Aires. This marks the first time in 119 years that Royal Enfield bikes are manufactured outside their own plants in India,” the Indian Embassy in Argentina tweeted.

The Simpa industrial group is carrying out an investment of USD 700 million to begin manufacturing in the plant it owns in the Buenos Aires town of Campana, three models of Royal Enfield brand motorcycles, alos creating more than 100 new jobs.

The President highlighted the fact that the production launched today “is made with Argentine components and in the midst of a pandemic” and once again pondered that this time “calls for this type of courage and confidence” from businessmen and their workers.

With a local market configuration that focuses on units below 200cc, the group anticipates that the new investment will allow production of some 3,000 motorcycles per month in 2021, which at the moment are intended only for the domestic customer, and does not evade a long-term project for export to the region.

-CHK

COVID cases in India climb to 43 lakh, death toll at 73,890

India’s COVID tally tops 10.34 million with 16,505 new cases
(File/ Representational image)

New Delhi (NVI): At least 89,706 new cases of coronavirus and 1,115 deaths have been reported in India in the last 24 hours.

The total number of coronavirus cases in India crosses 43 lakh-mark and now stands at 43,70,128, with 73,890 deaths due to the pandemic, Union Health Ministry said.

So far, 33,98,844 patients have recovered all over the country, while active cases stands at 8,97,394. With this, the recovery rate also improves further to 78 per cent.

In terms of total number of cases, Maharashtra continues to be the worst affected state with 9,43,772 coronavirus cases followed by Andhra Pradesh with 5,17,094 cases, Tamil Nadu with 4,74,940 positive cases.

The other worst affected states includes Karnataka (4,12,190), Uttar Pradesh (2,78,473) and Delhi (1,97,135).

In terms of fatalities, Maharashtra tops the tally with 27,407 deaths followed by Tamil Nadu (8,012), ministry said.

The death toll in the national capital surged to 4,618 while another 1,70,140 patients have recovered so far, healthy ministry data shows.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 5,18,04,677 samples tested up to September 8. Of these, 11,54,549 samples were tested yesterday.

Apart from this, ICMR trials on Convalescent Plasma said Convalescent Plasma Therapy was not associated with reduction in mortality or progression to severe COVID-19.

-RJV

Govt issues SOPs for partial reopening of schools for class 9-12 from Sept 21

J&K: Srinagar administration to upgrade 180 govt-run schools
(File/Representational Image)

New Delhi (NVI): The Union Health Ministry today said that partial resumption of activities in schools for students of classes 9-12 will be allowed from 21 September, while issuing guidelines in this regard amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, only schools outside the containment zones will be allowed to open, as per the health ministry guidelines.

Assemblies, sports and events, which can lead to overcrowding, are strictly prohibited in the schools that are opting to start operations. The government also said that online or distance learning shall continue to be permitted and shall be encouraged.

“Students of class 9th to 12th shall be permitted to visit their school on voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers. This will be subject to written consent of their parents/guardians. Such visits and teacher – student interaction must be organized in a staggered manner,” state the standard operation procedures (SOPs) issued by the health ministry.

“Students of class 9th to 12th shall be permitted to visit their school on voluntary basis for taking guidance from their teachers. This will be subject to written consent of their parents/guardians. Such visits and teacher – student interaction must be organized in a staggered manner,” as per the standard operation procedures (SOPs) issued by the health ministry.

Apart from that,students, teachers and employees living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the school. Students, teachers and employees shall also be advised not to visit areas falling within containment zones as per the health ministry guidelines adding that the schools that were used as quarantine centres will be properly sanitized and deep cleaned before partial functioning is resumed.

With record spike of 1,355 Covid cases, J&K’s tally close to 50,000

Over 3,200 cops COVID positive in J&K and 15 succumbed to virus
File photo

Abid Bashi

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir today reported a record spike of 1,355 Covid-19 cases, including 79 travelers, taking the total number of positive cases in the Union Territory to 45,925.

Of the total 45,925 cases, 32,722 are from Kashmir and 13,203 from Jammu division. The UT health officials said that among new cases, 570 belong to Kashmir division while 785 are from Jammu division, adding that the total number of positive cases in Kashmir has reached 32,722 including 25,937 recoveries.

Total number of positive cases in Jammu division has reached 13,203 including 7,314 recoveries and 113 deaths. It is pertinent to mention here that since the past five days, J&K is witnessing a huge spurt in Covid-19 positive cases with Jammu continuing to take the lead, which otherwise wasn’t the case earlier as Kashmir would lead in the number of positive cases since the outbreak of pandemic.

The officials said that total number of active cases in J&K is 11,859 including 6,083 from Kashmir division and 5,776 from Jammu division.

With 491 more recoveries, the tally of total recoveries in the UT has reached 33,251 which is 72.40 percent of the total cases.

“Cases tested positive in J&K include 210 from Srinagar, 35 from Baramulla, 31 from Pulwama, 94 from Budgam, 44 from Anantnag, 32 from Bandipora, 53 from Kupwara, 10 from Kulgam, 16 from Shopian and 45 from Ganderbal in Kashmir division while as 785 from Jammu division include  483 from Jammu, 55 from Rajouri, 31 from Kathua, 59 from Udhampur, 20 from Samba, 07 from Ramban, 35 from Doda, 43 from Poonch, 17 from Reasi and 35 from Kishtwar,” as per the daily Covid bulletin.

As per the daily Covid bulletin, 4,91,348 persons in the UT are under observation while 38,659 persons have been kept under home quarantine. Apart 11,859 persons are in isolation.

In addition to this, 3,83,440 persons have completed surveillance period and 56,575 persons are under home surveillance.

So far, results of 1,107,406 samples are available out of which 1,061,481 tested negative while 45,925 have tested positive. Among positive cases, 11,859 are active and 33,251 persons have recovered.

-ARK

Afghanistan remembers Ahmad Shah Massoud, “Lion of Panjshir”

New Delhi (NVI): As Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are set to hold peace talks in the Qatari city of Doha soon, Afghanistan remembers Ahmad Shah Masood, an anti-Taliban resistance leader who sacrificed his life for the liberty and freedom of his country.

Described as one of the greatest guerilla leaders of the 20th century, Massoud has been compared to Josip Broz Tito, Ho Chi Minh, and Che Guevara. He was assassinated at the instigation of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in a suicide bombing on September 9, 2001, just two days before the attacks against the United States.

He was nicknamed as “Lion of Panjshir” as he successfully managed to repeatedly defend his local Panjshir Valley from being taken by the Soviets and thereafter by the Taliban.

It is because of Massoud’s charismatic character and bravery that Panjshir province, the home of the late Afghan leader is considered one of the two safest provinces in the country.

Afghan envoy to India Tahir Qadiry paid tribute to the Afghan freedom fighter in a tweet: “19 years ago today, #Afghanistan lost a charismatic freedom fighter, Ahmad Shah Massoud. As we commemorate the martyrs’ week, remembering Afghanistan’s National Hero & all other martyrs & heroes who have made ultimate sacrifices for the liberty & freedom of AfghanistanFlag of Afghanistan.”

Massoud was posthumously named “National Hero” by the order of President Hamid Karzai after the Taliban were ousted from power.

He was a powerful guerilla commander during the resistance against the Soviet occupation between 1979 and 1989. In the 1990s, he led the government’s military wing against rival militias and, after the Taliban takeover, was the leading opposition commander against their regime, which he fought against until his assassination in 2001.

Following the rise of the Taliban in 1996, Massoud, who rejected the Taliban’s fundamentalist interpretation of Islam, returned to armed opposition until he eventually fled to Kulob, Tajikistan, strategically destroying the Salang Tunnel on his way north.

He became the military and political leader of the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or Northern Alliance, which by 2000 controlled only between 5 and 10 percent of the country.

However, on a day when Afghanistan remembers the great leader, Taliban launched an attack on the Shahr-e-Ghulghula area of Abshar district of Panjshir province, considered one of the safe provinces in the country.

The Taliban have taken hostages, local officials were quoted as saying by TOLO news, and security forces from the center of Panjshir have been sent to the area.

Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on Twitter said that Taliban fighters in the Abshar area of Panjshir damaged a fortification and detained “3 troopers,” saying: “Clearance operation still ongoing.”

“The Taliban have taken 10 local people hostage and have transferred them to a mosque,” Mohammad Sahrab Sahrabi, the district governor of Abshar was quoted as saying by the Afghan news website.

There has been an increase in Taliban attacks in the past few days even as the stage is all set for intra-Afghan peace talks. The process of prisoner swap with the Taliban, a major obstacle in intra-Afghan talks, has largely been completed by Thursday, as per reports.

-ARK

Kejriwal launches e-filing consumer complaint system to help Delhiites

Lockdown
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi (NVI): Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today inaugurated the Delhi government’s e-filing consumer complaint system, which aims to help Delhiites during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

While launching the system, the CM said, “I am confident that the e-filing consumer complaint system will be of much help to the people in Delhi who can now file their complaints online from their homes.”

“I also hope that other states will take inspiration from Delhi and replicate the same for addressing the grievances of people in their respective states,” he added.

Delhi’s Consumer Affairs Minister Imran Hussain and top government officials of the Consumer Affairs Department were present during the inauguration of the E-filing consumer complaint system.

It may be noted that in July, Delhi became the second state to launch an e-RTI portal that will enable citizens to file online Right to Information (RTI).

Maharashtra is the first state to launch the online RTI platform.

-CHK

India’s Covid-19 deaths per million at 53, among lowest in the world

positivity rate
Health secretary Rajesh Bhushan

New Delhi (NVI): India’s coronavirus fatalities per million population are 53 which is the lowest compared to the world average of 115 deaths per million, said Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Union Health Ministry.

Speaking at a media briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country, Rajesh Bhushan said the case fatality rate (CFR) has been continuously declining.

“Case fatality rate is continuously declining. It was at 2.15 per cent in the first week of August, now it stands at 1.7 per cent,” he said.

Moreover, there are 14 states and UTs that have less than 5,000 coronavirus cases, Bhushan said, adding that, India’s COVID-19 cases per million are 3,102, which is among the lowest in the world.

“People should also come forward to get themselves tested for COVID-19 if they have symptoms,” Bhushan said.

He further said, most affected states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu account for 70 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in India.

“28 states and UTs have COVID-19 case fatality rate lower than national average of 1.7 per cent, Bhushan added.

So far, India’s death toll stands at 72,775, while the overall tally of coronavirus cases in the country has reached to 42,80,423, the Health Ministry data shows.

-RJV

Pet cat goes missing at Delhi Airport; reunited with family after 4 days

Nala, the cat was found in the cargo hold area at IGI airport.

New Delhi (NVI): A pet cat had an adventure of a lifetime after it jumped out of an Air India aircraft and went missing at Delhi International Airport. After a four day search operation, the cat was finally reunited with its owner at the airport.

Passenger Aastha Shah, the pet parent of Nala, an 8-month-old pet cat, was travelling with her two cats to Delhi from Bengaluru on an Air India flight.

Both cats were being transported in IATA certified pet carriers. When the plane landed in Delhi, the passenger was informed that one of the cats was missing from her carrier during transit at the IGI Airport, Delhi.

It became apparent that one of the pet carrier boxes had come undone in the plane’s cargo compartment. The cat managed to slip out of the plane and was lost in the vast space of the Delhi Airport premises.

The Airport authorities and GMR immediately launched a search operation for the missing feline along with Wildlife SOS for the missing cat.

Wildlife SOS (WSOS) is a non-profit charity established in 1998 with the primary objective of rescuing and rehabilitating animals in distress across India.

The Wildlife SOS team placed food bait at several locations across the airport to lure out the missing cat. After four days of tracking the cat’s whereabouts, she was eventually found scared and hiding in a cargo hold area. It took several hours to ease out the terrified and hungry cat from its hiding place before being reunited with her owner.

Aastha Shah on being reunited with her lost cat said, “My cats are my family and I would move heaven and earth for their safety and welfare. House cats struggle to survive on their own for long and the thought of my cat lost in the busy Delhi airport had me in tears. I’m extremely grateful to Wildlife SOS for returning my beloved Nala to me.”

Nala reunited with her owner at the Delhi airport.

“This incident showed me that compassion is not dead and people will still go the extra mile to help a stranger desperately searching for her missing cat,” she added.

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “We are glad we could help find the missing cat and reunite her to the family. Losing a pet is akin to losing a family member and we can understand the trauma of both the pet and the pet parent. We are grateful to the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and GMR for their support and cooperation in making this rescue operation a success.”

-CHK

PM Modi inaugurates Patrika Gate in Jaipur

Patrika Gate in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Patrika Gate in Jaipur, Rajasthan, via video conferencing.

The iconic gate has been built by the Patrika Group of Newspapers on the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg in Jaipur.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the Gate reflects the culture of Rajasthan and shall turn into a major domestic and international tourist attraction.

PM Modi also released two books, the Samvad Upanishad and Akshar yatra, written by the chairman of Patrika Group of Newspapers.

Referring to the two books, PM Modi said they are a true representation of Indian culture and philosophy and that authors play a great role in educating the society.

“The views espoused in the Vedas are timeless and are meant for the entire humankind. He wished that Upanishad Samvad and Akshar Yatra are read widely,” he added.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for our new generation not to get away from serious knowledge. He termed the Vedas and Upanishads as not only embodiments of spiritual knowledge but also of scientific knowledge.

PM also highlighted the necessity of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to provide toilets to the poor, to prevent them from many diseases. He also spoke about the importance of Ujjwala scheme that aims at protecting mothers and sisters from smoke and about Jal Jeevan mission to provide water to every house.

Lauding Indian media for their unprecedented service to the public and their contribution in raising awareness about Corona, Modi said it has been actively disseminating government’s actions at the ground level and also bringing out flaws in them.

He mentioned that the world listens to India more carefully now. In such a situation Indian media also needs to be global. Indian institutions should also give different literary awards of international stature.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Governor Kalraj Mishra and Gulab Kothari, were also present at the event.

-CHK

Three LeT OGWs arrested in J&K’s Bandipora

The three arrested OGWs with incriminating material (Pic via arrangement)

Abid Bashir

Srinagar (NVI): Three Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of banned Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist outfit were held by J&K police today and incriminating material was recovered from them in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

A senior police officer said that police station Hajin received information from reliable sources that some miscreants at the behest of local active militants of LeT have hoisted Pakistani flags in main market Hajin.

“They wanted to create fear psychosis and incite anti-national feelings among the locals of Hajin town,” the officer said.

He said that in this regard, an FIR under relevant sections of law was registered and an investigation was initiated.

“During the course of investigation, three OGWs identified as Mujeeb Shamas, Tanveer Ahmad Mir and Imtiyaz Ahmad Sheikh-all residents of Mir Mohalla, Hajin were arrested who admitted their involvement in the crime,” the officer said.

He further said that a hand grenade, cloth, sewing machine and other incriminating material used in preparing flags were also recovered from them and further investigation is underway.

-ARK

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