LATEST LAC TALKS LASTED 15 HOURS

A day after XIV Corps Commander Lt General Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang

Military Region Commander Major General Liu Lin held talks for nearly 15

hours on disengagement of troops along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh,

sources said the two sides had been able to "break the ice" on the standoff

at Pangong Tso. The talks that began at 11 A.M on Tuesday went on till 2

A.M. on Wednesday.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said:

"Chinese and Indian border troops held the fourth round of commander-level

talks on July 14. Building on the common understanding reached at the

previous three rounds of commander-level talks and corresponding

implementation work, the two sides achieved progress in further

disengagement between border troops as well as easing the situation at the

western sector of the China-India boundary. We hope India will work with

China to implement our consensus with concrete actions and jointly safeguard

peace and tranquility in the border areas."

While there was no official statement from either the Indian government or

the Army on the talks in Chushul, the China Study Group, the government's

apex advisory body on China, met in the evening for deliberations on the

future course of action.

The China Study Group, which is headed by National Security Advisor Ajit

Doval and has top officials of the security establishment as its members,

was to take up the outcome of discussions between the Corps Commanders.

PM PITCHES FOR 'ACTION-ORIENTED' AGENDA AT EU-INDIA SUMMIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pitched for bringing out an

"action-oriented" agenda to further expand ties between India and the

27-nation European Union within a stipulated time frame.

In his inaugural remarks at the 15th EU-India summit, the prime minister

said he was committed to enhance ties with the grouping, noting that a

long-term strategic perspective should be adopted to boost the relationship.

The European Union delegation at the summit is headed by President of the

European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen.

ARMED FORCES GET SPECIAL POWERS FOR URGENT PURCHASES WORTH RS 300 CRORE

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has delegated powers to armed forces

for progressing urgent capital acquisition up to Rs 300 crore to meet

immediate operational requirements of the armed forces.

The decision was taken at the DAC meeting chaired by the Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Wednesday. An official statement said the

decision was taken considering the security environment prevailing along the

Northern Borders and the need to strengthen the Armed Forces.

The statement further stated that the decision will shrink the procurement

timelines and ensure placement of orders within six months and commencement

of deliveries within one year.

STUDY PREDICTS INDIA'S POPULATION TO PEAK TO 1.6 BILLION IN 2048

Scientists have predicted that India's population may peak to about 1.6

billion in 2048, and decline by 32 per cent to around 1.09 billion in 2100,

when it is also expected to be the world's most populous country.

The analysis, published in the journal The Lancet, used data from the Global

Burden of Disease Study 2017, and applied novel models to project future

global, regional, and national population for 183 countries, including

India, US, China, and Japan, and their mortality, fertility, and migration

rates.

According to the researchers, including those from the University of

Washington in the US, there may be dramatic declines in working

age-populations in countries such as India and China, which they said may

hamper economic growth and lead to shifts in global powers.

They said the world could be multipolar at the end of this century, with

India, Nigeria, China, and the US the dominant powers. "This will truly be a

new world, one we should be preparing for today," the scientists noted.

According to the study, the numbers of working-age adults in India is

projected to fall from 762 million in 2017 to around 578 million in 2100,

compared to that of China where numbers of workers are estimated to decline

from 950 million in 2017 to 357 million in 2100.

It said India might be one of the few - if only - major power in Asia to

protect its working-age population over the century. "It is expected to

surpass China's workforce population in the mid-2020s, rising up the GDP

rankings from 7th to 3rd," the scientists noted in a statement to the press.

COVID-19 DASHBOARD - (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 9,69,780 (+32,607) / 1,36,91,659 (+2,34,201)

Total Deaths 24,929 (+614) / 5,86,821 (+5,600)

Total Recovered 6,13,735 (+20,647) / 80,37,178 (+1,89,952)

Active Cases 3,31,116 (+11,346) / 50,67,660 (+38,649)

TOP IMPACTED NATIONS SO FAR: (AND SOME OF INDIA'S NEIGHBOURS)

Country, Total Cases / Total Deaths / Recovered Cases / Active

Cases

1 USA 36,16,747 / 1,40,140 /

16,45,962 / 18,30,645

2 Brazil 19,70,909 / 75,523 /

12,55,564 / 6,39,822

3 India 9,70,169 / 24,929 /

6,13,735 / 3,31,505

4 Russia 7,46,369 / 11,770 /

5,23,249 / 2,11,350

5 Peru 3,37,724 / 12,417 /

2,26,400 / 98,907

6 Chile 3,21,205 / 7,186 /

2,92,085 / 21,934

7 Mexico 3,17,635 / 36,906 /

1,99,129 / 81,600

8 South Africa 3,11,049 / 4,453 /

1,60,693 / 1,45,903

9 Spain 3,04,574 / 28,413 / N/A

/ N/A

10 UK 2,91,911 / 45,053 / N/A

/ N/A

11 Iran 2,64,561 / 13,410 /

2,27,561 / 23,590

12 Pakistan 2,55,769 / 5,386 /

1,72,810 / 77,573

17 Bangladesh 1,93,590 / 2,457 /

1,05,523 / 85,610

107 Sri Lanka 2,671 / 11 /

2,001 / 659

TOP IMPACTED INDIAN STATES SO FAR

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 2,75,640 / 1,11,801 /

1,52,613 / 10,928

Tamil Nadu 1,51,820 / 47,343 / 1,02,310

/ 2,167

Delhi 1,16,993 / 17,807 / 95,699 /

3,487

Karnataka 47,253 / 27,849 / 18,467 /

933

Gujarat 44,648 / 11,222 / 31,346 / 2,080

Uttar Pradesh 41,383 / 14,628 / 25,743 /

1,012

Telangana 39,342 / 12,957 / 25,999 /

386

Andhra Pradesh 35,451 / 16,621 / 18,378 /

452

West Bengal 34,427 / 12,747 / 20,680 /

1,000

Rajasthan 26,437 / 6,405 / 19,502 /

530

Haryana 23,306 / 5,320 / 17,667 /

319

Bihar 20,173 / 6,483 / 13,533 / 157

Assam 19,755 / 6,810 / 12,889 / 53

Madhya Pradesh 19,643 / 5,053 / 13,908 /

682

Odisha 14,898 / 4,321 / 10,476 / 101

Jammu and Kashmir 11,666 / 5,123 / 6,337 /

206

Kerala 9,554 / 4,880 / 4,634 / 36

Punjab 8,799 / 2,711 / 5,867 / 221

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

TANKER SOUGHT BY U.S. 'HIJACKED' OFF UAE

An oil tanker sought by the U.S. over allegedly circumventing sanctions on

Iran was hijacked on July 5 off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a

seafarers organisation said Wednesday.

Satellite photos showed the vessel in Iranian waters on Tuesday.

It wasn't immediately clear what happened aboard the Dominica-flagged MT

Gulf Sky, though its reported hijacking comes after months of tensions

between Iran and the U.S.

David Hammond, the CEO of the United Kingdom-based group Human Rights at

Sea, said he took a witness statement from the captain of the MT Gulf Sky,

confirming the ship had been hijacked.

"We are delighted to hear that the crew are safe and well, which has been

our fundamental concern from the outset," Hammond said.

US TOUGHENS STANCE AGAINST CHINA; CHINA URGES US RETHINK ITS HONG KONG

POLICY

China on Wednesday warned the US that it will definitely hit back with

sanctions if Washington goes ahead with the implementation of President

Donald Trump's 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act' to end the preferential treatment to

the former British colony.

President Trump has signed an executive order to end the preferential

economic treatment for Hong Kong after China introduced a controversial

national security law in the Asian trading hub to curb autonomy and

democratic freedoms.

Reacting to Trump's announcement of signing the 'Hong Kong Autonomy Act',

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the US should not

implement it.

"We urge the US side to correct its mistake, not to implement the so-called

'Hong Kong Autonomy Act' and immediately stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs

and China's internal affairs in any way," she told a media briefing. "This

act smears our law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region (HKSAR). If the US insists on going on the wrong path,

China will definitely hit back," she said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the United States would

support countries that believe China had violated their maritime claims in

the South China Sea, but he suggested it would do so through diplomatic

rather than military means. "We will assist them, whether that's in

multilateral bodies, whether that's in ASEAN, whether through legal

responses," he said.

Pompeo also said that the US would impose visa restrictions on certain

employees of Chinese tech companies like Huawei that provide "material

support" to regimes engaging in human rights violations and abuses globally,

further straining bilateral ties. "Telecommunications companies around the

world should consider themselves on notice: If they are doing business with

Huawei, they are doing business with human rights abusers," Pompeo said.

Pompeo also said the administration is finalizing plans to minimize data

theft from the popular Chinese video streaming app TikTok, although he

stopped short of saying it would be banned outright.

CHINA WARNS UK: 'DUMPING' HUAWEI WILL COST YOU

China warned British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday that his

decision to ban Huawei from the 5G network would cost Britain dearly in

investment, casting the move as the result of politicised pressure from US

President Donald Trump.

Hours after Johnson ordered Huawei equipment to be purged from the nascent

5G network by the end of 2027, Trump claimed credit for the decision and

said that if countries wanted to do business with the United States they

should block Huawei.

In Beijing, the foreign ministry cast Britain as "a relatively small place"

that was becoming subservient of the United States.

"Does the UK want to maintain its independent status or be reduced to being

a vassal of the United States, be the US' cat's paw?" Chinese foreign

ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. "The safety of Chinese investment in

the UK is being greatly threatened."

THE REST

========

GEHLOT SLAMS THE DOOR, BUT LEADERSHIP KEEPS A WINDOW OPEN FOR SACHIN PILOT

Even as Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot Wednesday made a frontal attack on Sachin

Pilot, who has been removed as deputy CM and state party president, the

party's central leadership is keeping its doors open for him.

In his first such remarks against Pilot, without mentioning him by name,

Gehlot said the former deputy CM was "involved" in the BJP's "conspiracy" to

topple his government and claimed proof of "horse-trading" by him. He also

said Pilot had risen in the party ranks without the kind of work leaders of

his generation had put in.

After Gehlot's statement, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala reiterated

this, adding that Pilot was welcome back provided he left "the Haryana BJP

government's hospitality (MLAs backing Pilot are staying in hotels in

Haryana)".

Sources in Delhi said both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are keen to

accommodate Pilot, and that Ahmed Patel was talking to him.

Pilot however reiterated that he is not joining the BJP.

ONLY GOD CAN SAVE US FROM COVID-19: KARNATAKA HEALTH MINISTER

Karnataka health minister B. Sriramulu on Wednesday said only divine help

could save the state from the onslaught of covid-19. Responding to questions

raised over the state government's tackling of the crisis, Sriramulu said,

"Only God can save us, and we have to bring in caution on our own."

The B.S. Yediyurappa-led state government has imposed a week-long lockdown

in its capital Bengaluru (urban and rural districts) to contain the spread

of the virus and is trying to overhaul its entire covid-19 response system.

Adding to the long list of challenges is the apparent discord between

several cabinet ministers, including Sriramulu, medical education minister

K. Sudhakar, and revenue minister R. Ashok, which is leading to confusion

within departments and officials.

IIT DELHI LAUNCHES 'WORLD'S MOST AFFORDABLE DIAGNOSTIC KIT' FOR COVID

Claimed to be the world's most affordable diagnostic kit for coronavirus, a

low-cost test kit developed by the IIT Delhi was launched on Wednesday.

According to IIT officials, the base price of the RT-PCR assay developed by

IIT Delhi is Rs 399. Even after adding the RNA isolation and laboratory

charges, the cost per test will go up to Rs 650 and will be considerably

cheaper compared to currently available kits in the market. It can deliver

results within three hours.

HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' launched the test kit named

"Corosure" which will now be available for use at authorised testing labs.

Referring it to as world's most affordable COVID-19 diagnostic kit, the HRD

Minister said the innovation is a step towards "Make in India".

The kit Corosure has been commercialised by Newtech Medical Devices.

According to the team at IIT Delhi, the current testing methods available

are "probe-based", while the one developed by them is a "probe-free" method,

which reduces the testing cost without compromising on accuracy.

GOOGLE INVESTS $4.5 BILLION IN INDIA'S RELIANCE JIO PLATFORMS

During its 43rd Annual General Meeting (AGM), Reliance announced that Google

has become the latest high-profile firm to back India's Reliance Jio

Platforms. The search giant is investing $4.5 billion for a 7.73% stake in

the top Indian telecom network, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani

said on Wednesday.

Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries has raised about $20.2

billion in the past four months from 13 investors by selling about 33% stake

in the firm.

Jio's fundraising spree has left behind the cumulative investments made in

India's technology sector in the whole of 2019, which stood at $9.36

billion.

As part of Wednesday's strategic announcement, Google and Reliance Jio

Platforms will work on a customized-version of Android operating system to

develop low-cost, entry-level smartphones to serve the next hundreds of

millions of users, said Ambani. These phones will support Google Play and

future wireless standard 5G, he said.

Mukesh Ambani threw his hat into the ring on Wednesday by declaring Reliance

to be a contender with its own 5G network solution. Experts say that Google,

Facebook and the others will provide Reliance with the software and

technological support it needs for its 5G networks.

Reliance also showcased a new Mixed Reality solution, called Jio Glass. RIL

has stated that the new Jio Glass is designed for teachers and students to

enable 3D virtual rooms and conduct holographic classes via the Jio Mixed

Reality service in real-time. Apart from this, they can also be used to

perform virtual meetings.

HIGH PROFILE HACK AT TWITTER

A series of high-profile Twitter accounts were hijacked on Wednesday, with

some of the platform's top voices--including U.S. presidential candidate Joe

Biden, reality television show star Kim Kardashian, former U.S. President

Barack Obama, billionaire Elon Musk, and rapper Kanye West, among many

others--used to solicit digital currency.

Nearly two hours after the first wave of hacks, the cause of the breach had

not yet been made public. In a sign of the seriousness of the problem,

Twitter took the extraordinary step of preventing at least some verified

accounts from publishing messages altogether.

It was not clear whether all verified users were affected but, if they were,

it would have a huge impact on the platform and its users. Verified users

include celebrities, journalists, and news agencies as well as governments,

politicians, heads of state, and emergency services.

Twitter did not offer clarification but said in a statement that users "may

be unable to tweet or reset your password while we review and address this

incident."

KIRSTEN REVEALS HOW DHONI CANCELLED A TEAM TRIP AS COACH WASN'T ALLOWED

ENTRY

Former India captain MS Dhoni and then Team India coach Gary Kirsten'a

partnership produced some great results for the team. From becoming the top

Test playing nation in the ICC rankings for the first time to winning the

ICC World Cup in 2011, Kirsten and Dhoni's understanding helped the team.

Speaking about Dhoni in a recent interview Kirsten pointed out that Dhoni's

loyalty made him one of the most impressive people the South African had

ever met. "One of the most impressive people I have met, he is a great

leader of people, he's got incredible presence as a leader, but the most

important thing is that he is loyal," Kirsten said about Dhoni on The RK

Show on YouTube.

"I'll never forget, just before the World Cup, we were invited in Bangalore

to go to the flight school, to go and kind of have a look at that.

Obviously, we had a couple of foreigners in our support staff, and we got

word back on the morning before the whole team was meant to go - and

everyone was looking forward to the event - that the three South Africans,

which were myself, Paddy Upton and Eric Simmons, weren't going to be allowed

into the flight school because it was seen as a potential security risk.

"So MS cancelled the whole event. He just said, 'These are my people. If

they're not allowed in, none of us are going'. And that was what he was

about," Kirsten said.

INDICATORS

Sensex 36,052 (+19), Nifty 10,618 (+11), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

64,036

Nasdaq 10,550 (+62) Dow 26,870 (+228), S&P 3,227 (+29)

US$-Rs. 74.99 GBP-Rs. 94.44, Euro-Rs. 85.60, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.41, Can$-Rs.

55.30, Aus$- Rs. 52.52

GBP 0.79 /US$, Euro 0.87 /US$, Jap.Yen 107.01 /US$, Aus$ 1.42 /US$, Sing

1.38 /US$, Bang Taka 83.14 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.26 /US$,

Pak Re 166.18 /US$, Phil Peso 49.42 /US$, Russian Rouble 70.90 /US$, NZ$

1.52 /US$, Thai Baht 31.48 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 26.78 /US$, Norway NOK 9.31

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 9,191

Dollar Index 96.07 Brent Crude 43.56 BDI 1,696

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,809 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,890 / 4,791

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 52,130

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close;

Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose. -

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Village Blacksmith)

OFF TRACK

A construction worker routinely complained about the contents of his lunch

box.

"I'm sick and tired of getting the same old thing!" he shouted one day.

"Tonight I'll set my wife straight."

The next day the men could hardly wait until lunch time to hear what

happened.

"You bet I told her off," the bricklayer boasted. "I said, 'No more of the

same old stuff. Be creative!' We had one heck of a fight, but I got my point

across."

He had indeed. In front of an admiring audience, he opened his lunch box to

find that his wife had packed a coconut- and a hammer.