DISENGAGEMENT AT LOC: INDIA SAYS PROCESS NOT YET COMPLETED

Reacting to China's statement that troops had "disengaged in most

localities" in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday

said even though some progress had been made, the disengagement process had

not been completed yet.

"Some progress has been made, but disengagement process not yet been

completed. We expect that Chinese side will sincerely work with us for

complete disengagement and de-escalation," MEA spokesperson Anurag

Srivastava said.

The MEA's reactions comes hours after Chinese ambassador to India Sun

Weidong said border troops of both countries "have disengaged in most

localities" and China was not a strategic threat to India.

The remarks from both sides come ahead of the fifth round of talks, likely

later this week, between Corps Commanders of the two armies.

Chinese troops have so far been reluctant to step back further from Pangong

Tso and Patrolling Point 17A at Gogra, two of four friction points along the

Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Sources had earlier said that around 50

troops each on both sides are still within a kilometre of each other at this

location.

TIES WITH INDIA FRAGILE, NEED TO AVOID CONFRONTATION: CHINESE ENVOY

The Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong on Thursday compared India-China

ties to "glass" and said neither side wanted the Galwan Valley incident to

happen.

But the envoy stuck to the stand that Indian troops were to blame for having

adopted an aggressive stance on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since April

this year. He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Institute of

Chinese Studies headed by former Indian envoy to China Ashok Kantha.

Sun disagreed with the opinion of former Indian envoys to Beijing that

India-China ties were at a turning point after the Galwan Valley clash. "At

this critical moment, we should handle relations cautiously and resolutely

avoid the whirlpool of suspicion and confrontation. Our relations today are

hard-earned and should be cherished all the more," he observed while asking

them not to jump to conclusions on the basis of "temporary differences and

difficulties".

Besides reiterating the views already made by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang

Yi and the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Sun cautioned against India's

imposition of punitive measures on Chinese trade and investment. "Our

economies are highly complementary, interwoven and interdependent. Forced

decoupling is against the trend and will only lead to a 'lose-lose'

outcome," he said.

In an attempt to shift the goal posts, the envoy said the "invisible virus"

rather than China is the threat for Indians and offered assistance now and

in the future when the vaccine is developed.

COMMITTED TO PROTECT KULBHUSHAN JADHAV'S LIFE: INDIA

India on Thursday said it was committed to protecting the life of Indian

death row convict Kulbhushan Jadhav amid reports that the Islamabad High

Court has constituted a two-member bench to hear a review petition in his

case.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava was replying to a

batch of questions relating to the case including reports that Islamabad

High Court has constituted a bench to hear a review petition filed by the

Pakistan government in the case. "We reserve our position in the matter

which includes the right to avail of further remedies," Srivastava added.

India has been attacking Pakistan for failing to provide it unhindered and

unimpeded consular access to Jadhav as mandated in a judgment by the

International Court of Justice.

Srivastava said Pakistan had blocked all avenues for an effective remedy

available for India in the case.

In a unilateral move, Pakistan filed the petition in the Islamabad High

Court on July 22 seeking appointment of a "legal representative" for Jadhav.

However, the main parties, including the Government of India, were not

consulted ahead of the filing of the application by the Ministry of Law and

Justice under an ordinance which was enacted on May 20.

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

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 16,38,927 (+54,742) / 1,74,74,691 (+2,88,764)

Total Deaths 35,786 (+783) / 6,76,759 (+6,559)

Total Recovered 10,59,093 (+37,425) / 1,09,37,771 (+2,40,974)

Active Cases 5,44,048 (+16,534) / 58,60,161 (+41,231)

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

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

Cases

1 USA 46,34,985 / 1,55,285 /

22,84,965 / 21,94,735

2 Brazil 26,13,789 / 91,377 /

18,24,095 / 6,98,317

3 India 16,39,350 / 35,786 /

10,59,093 / 5,44,471

4 Russia 8,34,499 / 13,802 /

6,29,655 / 1,91,042

5 South Africa 4,82,169 / 7,812 /

3,09,601 / 1,64,756

6 Mexico 4,16,179 / 46,000 /

2,72,187 / 97,992

7 Peru 4,07,492 / 19,021 /

2,83,915 / 1,04,556

8 Chile 3,53,536 / 9,377 /

3,26,628 / 17,531

9 Spain 3,32,510 / 28,443 / N/A

/ N/A

10 UK 3,02,301 / 45,999 / N/A

/ N/A

11 Iran 3,01,530 / 16,569 /

2,61,200 / 23,761

13 Pakistan 2,77,402 / 5,924 /

2,46,131 / 25,347

16 Bangladesh 2,34,889 / 3,083 /

1,32,960 / 98,846

115 Sri Lanka 2,814 / 11 /

2,333 / 470

TOP IMPACTED INDIAN STATES SO FAR

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 4,11,798 / 1,48,150 /

2,48,615 / 14,729

Tamil Nadu 2,39,978 / 57,959 / 1,78,178

/ 3,841

Delhi 1,34,403 / 10,743 / 1,19,724

/ 3,936

Andhra Pradesh 1,30,557 / 69,252 /

60,024 / 1,281

Karnataka 1,18,632 / 69,699 / 46,694

/ 2,230

Uttar Pradesh 81,039 / 32,649 / 46,803 /

1,587

West Bengal 67,692 / 19,900 / 46,256 /

1,536

Telangana 60,717 / 15,640 / 44,572 /

505

Gujarat 60,285 / 13,695 / 44,176 / 2,414

Bihar 48,001 / 16,042 / 31,673 / 285

Rajasthan 40,936 / 11,038 / 29,231 /

667

Assam 38,408 / 9,230 / 29,081 / 94

Haryana 34,254 / 6,497 / 27,340 /

417

Madhya Pradesh 30,968 / 8,454 / 21,657 /

857

Odisha 30,378 / 10,427 / 19,746 / 205

Kerala 22,304 / 10,056 / 12,159 / 71

Jammu and Kashmir 19,869 / 7,662 / 11,842 /

365

Punjab 15,456 / 4,577 / 10,509 / 370

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

DONALD TRUMP WANTS US ELECTIONS TO BE POSTPONED

The United States woke up on Thursday (July 30) to a series of tweets by

President Donald Trump suggesting that the upcoming presidential election

should be delayed on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???"

Trump tweeted.

For months, several state governments in the US have been contemplating

mail-in voting due to public health concerns that in-person voting may lead

to an increase in infection cases.

Michael Beschloss, a historian of US presidential history, says such a move

would "violate American law". John Adams, the second President of the United

States (1797-1801) wrote in 1811 that the United States has "a Government of

Laws and Not of Men", says Beschloss.

Which means that his early-morning tweet notwithstanding, Trump may not

actually have the authority to do what he suggested - unless Congress allows

it, which is unlikely given that the Democratic Party controls the House of

Representatives, no matter how much Trump or the Republicans might want a

postponement.

The date for the presidential election, however, is set by law, on November

3. That means it would require lawmakers to come to a consensus on delaying

the election. According to the Congressional Research Service, "under the

Twentieth Amendment, the incumbent President's term ends at noon on January

20th. There are no provisions of law permitting a President to stay in

office after this date, even in the event of a national emergency, short of

the ratification of a new constitutional amendment."

Trump would, therefore, be obligated by law to leave office on January 20,

2021, unless he is reelected. There are no exceptions to this rule.

FACEBOOK, GOOGLE TOLD THEY MUST PAY AUSTRALIAN MEDIA FOR NEWS

Australia's government has ordered Facebook and Google to share revenue

generated from news articles in what it says is a world-first move --

opening up another front in the regulatory and political pushback against

the digital giants.

The two companies will have to negotiate with traditional media on

remuneration in good faith, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said Friday. If no

agreement is reached there will be a binding arbitration process and

penalties for breaching the code will be up to A$10 million ($7 million), he

said.

The move is about ensuring a "level playing field" for Australian media

companies, Frydenberg said. The draft code, which is open to consultation

until Aug. 28 before being legislated later this year, will initially only

apply to Google and Facebook but could be extended to other digital

companies in the future.

Traditional media firms have long complained their content is being

exploited by digital platforms without due compensation. As newspapers and

broadcasters hemorrhage jobs, their complaints have garnered more political

support.

THE REST

========

EX-SAMATA PARTY PRESIDENT JAYA JAITLY, TWO OTHERS GET 4-YEAR JAIL

A Court on Thursday awarded 4-year jail term to ex-Samata Party president

Jaya Jaitly and two others for corruption in a 2000-01 case related to a

purported defence deal saying they "compromised the entire defence system of

the country". Special CBI judge Virender Bhat also awarded four-year jail

term to Jaitly's former party colleague Gopal Pacherwal and Major General

(Rtd) SP Murgai in the case, Murgai's advocate Vikram Panwar said.

"There should be zero tolerance towards corruption in defence procurement

deals as these have direct bearing upon an independence and sovereignty of

our country," the court said, adding that the crime committed by the

convicts was of "highest degree".

The court, in an in a camera proceeding, imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each on

all three convicts and directed them to surrender before it till 5 pm on

Thursday itself.

The order was stayed by the Delhi High Court later in the day.

The three accused were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in

the purported purchase of hand-held thermal imagers. The case stemmed from

'Operation Westend' sting aired by news portal Tehelka in January 2001.

The trial court said the convicts were no laymen but persons of status and

means, and had not committed the crime due to any ignorance or lack of

knowledge or under any duress.

"On the contrary, the crime was committed by them in pursuance to a well

hatched conspiracy and upon due deliberations with each other," the court

said, terming the crime as "a very serious" and "having grave ramifications

so far as the defence of our country is concerned."

The convicts took money from the representative of a fictitious firm without

bothering to ascertain whether the firm was actually in operation and

whether the product of the said firm sought to be inducted in the Indian

Army was worth it, the court observed.

CEC SUNIL ARORA ON BIHAR ELECTIONS

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has said virtual election rallies

may become a new normal amid restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic,

but ruled out the Election Commission considering online voting as an

alternative for Bihar Assembly elections later this year.

Arora said the EC is preparing on all levels to safely conduct elections on

Bihar's 243 Assembly seats by November 29. "We are making necessary changes

in the polling procedures considering the safety of voters and polling

agents, so that we can ensure protocols of social distancing, sanitisation,

and wearing of gloves/masks," he said.

On the EC's preparedness to conduct safe elections, Arora said the

commission will limit the number of voters at a polling station to 1,000 and

to ensure this, additional polling stations will be designated. Security and

polling equipment will be arranged accordingly, he said.

Arora also said optional postal voting service will be provided to citizens

above the age of 80 years, specially-abled persons, people working in

essential services, and COVID-19 patients in quarantine at home or hospital.

On online voting as an option for polling, the CEC said, "The commission has

not yet decided on online voting as an alternative. Election campaigning has

also become difficult given the challenges posed by the pandemic. The

commission is discussing the matter with national and state-level parties."

On the virtual rallies, Arora said the commission has asked parties to send

their recommendations by July 31. "Anybody can access digital platforms.

Given the health-related risks, virtual rallies can become a necessity

during this time," he said.

The CEC also said the commission is prepared to tackle the challenges posed

by paid news and fake news articles on social media. He said during the

nomination filing, a candidate will have to mention his social media

handles.

MAHARASHTRA TRADERS' BODY SEEKS SHARAD PAWAR'S INTERVENTION

A day after the Maharashtra government issued new operational guidelines for

Mission Begin Again in the state, the traders' community sought Nationalist

Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar's intervention.

A delegation of the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM), which

is an umbrella outfit of 781 registered trade associations, on Thursday met

Pawar in South Mumbai, with their demand that shops be permitted to remain

open from Monday to Saturday. The FAM had earlier written to Chief Minister

Uddhav Thackeray over the demand, even threatening to launch a

"non-cooperation protest" if it wasn't met on or before August 1 onwards.

But the relaxation was not announced by the government on Wednesday when the

latest guidelines for opening of public and economic activity were

announced.

Extending the lockdown in the state by another month, Thackeray's government

has retained tighter lockdown rules as compared to the Centre. As far as

economic activity is concerned, the only major relaxation announced is the

reopening of shops in malls and restaurants from August 5 onwards.

UGC REFUSES TO RELENT ON SEPT 30 DEADLINE FOR FINAL YEAR EXAMS

Refusing to relent on the September 30 deadline for conducting the final

year examinations of universities and colleges, the University Grants

Commission (UGC) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the decision was

taken "after due deliberation by taking into account and balancing all

relevant factors".

In an affidavit filed in the top court, the UGC said its circular was issued

to "protect the academic future of students" while keeping in mind their

"health and safety".

The affidavit has been filed in response to petitions challenging the UGC's

July 6 circular for allegedly being arbitrary as it mandated conducting

examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

POLICYMAKERS DELIBERATING ON PRIORITY LIST FOR COVID-19 VACCINE RECIPIENTS

Policymakers are actively holding deliberations to identify groups of people

who will first receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it is developed, officials

said. Speaking at an international symposium on Novel Ideas in Science and

Ethics of Vaccines against COVID-19 pandemic, Officer on Special Duty (OSD)

in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Rajesh Bhushan said

prioritising who should get the vaccine first is a topic being discussed

both within and outside the government.

"There is an emerging consensus that frontline workers are the people who

have the best claim over who should get the vaccine first. But while that

question engages us and there is no finality on the question, the issue of

who will be on the priority list and who comes after frontline healthcare

workers and that is if they come first then who are the people that would

follow them," he said.

He said deliberations are on whether it will be the elderly or it will be

people with co-morbidities or whether it will be people placed in

socio-economic disadvantage whose immunity has been weakened because of

prolonged exposure to poverty and malnutrition.

"So, these are the questions presently engaging the policymakers within the

Government of India," he said.

RHEA CHAKRABORTY MOVES SUPREME COURT

Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty has alleged before the Supreme Court that

actor Sushant Singh Rajput's father has used his "influence" in roping her

in the FIR lodged at Patna in Bihar accusing her of abetment of suicide of

his son.

Rajput, aged 34, was found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment in

suburban Bandra in Mumbai on June 14 and since then the Mumbai police has

been probing the case keeping in mind various angles.

"The Petitioner is an actress and is into acting since 2012. In the peculiar

facts and circumstances of the present case, the Petitioner has been falsely

implicated in the present case filed at the instance of Krishna Kishore

Singh-father of the deceased," Rhea's plea said.

Rhea in her plea admitted that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput

and has been in deep trauma due the death of the actor and moreover getting

rape and death threats.

She said, "It is pertinent to mention that the deceased and petitioner were

in live-in relationship since a year up till June 8, 2020 when the

petitioner had temporarily shifted to her own residence in Mumbai."

Rhea said that even if there is an iota of truth in the case registered by

Rajput's father, the jurisdiction to probe the offence would still lie with

the Bandra Police Station.

INDICATORS

Sensex 37,736 (-335), Nifty 11,102 (-100), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

64,267

Nasdaq 10,587 (+45) Dow 26,314 (-226), S&P 3,246 (-12)

US$-Rs. 74.61 GBP-Rs. 97.18, Euro-Rs. 87.96, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.31, Can$-Rs.

55.66, Aus$- Rs. 53.43

GBP 0.76 /US$, Euro 0.84 /US$, Jap.Yen 105.00/US$, Aus$ 1.39 /US$, Sing 1.37

/US$, Bang Taka 83.18 /US$, Can$ 1.34 /US$, Mal Ring 4.23 /US$,

Pak Re 166.48 /US$, Phil Peso 49.08 /US$, Russian Rouble 73.18 /US$, NZ$

1.50 /US$, Thai Baht 31.35 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 27.51 /US$, Norway NOK 9.08

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 11,026

Dollar Index 92.66 Brent Crude 43.17 BDI 1,348

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,969 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,211 / 5,111

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 66,060

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. - Abraham

Lincoln

OFF TRACK

A man walks past a beggar every day and gives him Rs.20 and that continues

for a year. Then suddenly the daily donation changes to Rs. 10. "Well," the

beggar thinks, "it's still better than nothing."

A year passes in this way until the man's daily donation suddenly becomes

Rs. 5 a day.

"What's going on now?", the beggar asks his donor. "First you give me Rs. 20

every day, then Rs. 10 and now only Rs.5. What's the problem?"

"Well," the man says, "last year my eldest son went to an Engineering

college. It's very expensive, so I had to cut costs. This year my eldest

daughter also went to a medical college, so I had to cut my expenses even

further.

"And how many children do you have?" the beggar asks.

"Four," the man replies.

"Well," says the beggar, "I hope you don't plan to educate them all at my

expense."