A look at what is making headlines today:
1. Union ministers, Arvind Kejriwal visit ailing Jaitley at AIIMS
Several Union ministers including Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani and Jitendra Singh, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited AIIMS on Sunday to enquire about the health condition of former finance minister Arun Jaitley, who is on life support system. Jaitley, 66, was admitted to the hospital on August 9 after he complained of breathlessness and restlessness. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has not issued any bulletin on Jaitley's health condition since August 10, and several prominent leaders have been visiting the hospital since to know about his wellbeing.
2. Defiant Iran prepares for oil tanker to leave Gibraltar with Indian crew
An Iranian oil supertanker released from detention by Gibraltar authorities earlier this week could be ready to sail on with its Indian crew on board soon, in defiance of a US warrant after the British territory's government said it was unable to seek a court order to detain the vessel.
3. Grand celebrations to mark 100 years of Afghanistan independence
The capital city of Kabul has been decorated and a host of big events planned for Monday, including the inauguration of the restored Darul Aman Palace, to commemorate 100 years of Afghanistan's independence. The iconic palace, restored over a period of nearly one year, is slated to be inaugurated by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. "We will complete 100 years of our independence tomorrow as it was on August 19, 1919 that we had achieved our freedom. Entire country is celebrating the occasion and grand celebrations are lined up in Kabul on Monday," he told PTI.
4. Ex-defence officers and bureaucrats move SC against Centre's decision on Article 370
A group of former defence officers and bureaucrats have moved the Supreme Court challenging the presidential orders and the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The fresh plea has been filed by former member of the Home Ministry's Group of Interlocutors for Jammu and Kashmir (2010-11) professor Radha Kumar, former IAS officer of Jammu and Kashmir cadre Hindal Haidar Tyabji, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Kapil Kak, major general (retd) Ashok Kumar Mehta, former Punjab cadre IAS officer Amitabha Pande and ex-Kerala cadre IAS officer Gopal Pillai, who retired as Union home secretary in 2011.
5. Mulan may face boycott in China after its actress supports Hong Kong protests
Chinese-born Mulan star Liu Yifei called the Chinese measures in Hong Kong as oppressive, coming under fire with #BoycottMulan trending in social media. Hong Kong streets were turned into rivers of umbrellas on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of people marched through heavy rain down a major road in the Chinese territory, where massive pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity. Organisers said at least 1.7 million participated. The assembly was peaceful, with no reports of violence, making for a rare calm weekend in a protest movement that has been marked by violent clashes with police.
6. Restrictions reimposed in parts of Srinagar after protests reported
Restrictions were reimposed in Srinagar on Sunday, after protests were reported at certain parts of the city. Government spokesman Rohit Kansal said the restrictions were eased in 35 police station areas of the valley. However, several places witnessed clashes between groups of youth and security forces, leading to reimposition of the curbs, PTI reported. Earlier, restrictions imposed on people's movement and communication links in Jammu and Kashmir are being eased out in a phased manner.
-Inputs from PTI
