LAC STAND OFF: RAJNATH MAKES A STATEMENT IN RAJYA SABHA

Underlining that there is a mismatch between what China says and does,

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Rajya Sabha Thursday that India will not

back down from taking "any big and tough step" in its interest, and that

there will be no change in the "traditional and well-defined" patrolling

pattern of Indian soldiers along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh.

Citing operational reasons for not giving detailed replies to questions from

members, Singh, responding to a query from Congress leader and former

Defence Minister AK Antony, said there will be no change in the patrolling

pattern of Indian soldiers.

With all Opposition parties backing the government, the Congress, which had

been demanding a full-fledged discussion on the issue, did not register any

protest.

Singh also agreed to Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu's suggestion that he consider

meeting some prominent leaders in his chamber and brief them on the ground

situation. "They are all our people. Everybody is interested in country's

unity, safety and security, irrespective of parties. They should also know

the actual position. So, in fitness of things, if the government briefs them

also, taking them into confidence, then that will be an ideal situation,"

Venkaiah Naidu told Singh after his statement.

Earlier, the Defence Minister briefed the House on how and when the present

crisis began, and the diplomatic and military steps taken by India to

resolve the issue.Singh said the "situation this year is very different,

both in terms of scale of troops involved and the number of friction points"

but maintained that India "remain committed to the peaceful resolution of

the current situation".

Referring to Singh's statement that diplomatic and military engagements with

the Chinese are continuing, Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma said, "we

hope that the diplomatic channels will be exhausted for disengagement and

de-escalation" and asked "do we understand that restoration of the status

quo ante will remain non-negotiable and the final objective for India."

Rajnath Singh replied that the position on status quo has been clarified in

his statement and that he has taken "cognizance" of what Sharma said.

LOK SABHA PASSES 2 AGRI SECTOR BILLS, A UNION MINISTER RESIGNS

Amid widespread protest by farmers across the country, the Lok Sabha passed

two more farm sector-related Bills.

This even as Shiromani Akali Dal, a part of the ruling NDA combine,

protested against the bills. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, a Union minister and

Akali MP, resigned from the union Cabinet.

The Congress and almost the entire Opposition opposed the Bills terming them

as 'anti-farmer'.

The House passed the two Bills - 'The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce

(Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020' and the 'Farmers (Empowerment and

Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020'.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, the President of the Akali Dal and MP from Ferozepur,

said "the Bills will ruin what we have created as agriculture infrastructure

in Punjab in the past 50 years". He opposed the Bills vehemently.

Ravneet Singh Bittu, Congress MP from Ludhiana opposed the Bills and termed

these as 'black laws'. He asked the Central Government, "why are you

intervening, agriculture is a state subject".

Justifying the Bills, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare

Narendra Singh termed them as 'revolutionary'. "Farmer will be free to sell

produce anywhere and to anyone, freeing him from selling the produce only at

the designated 'mandi'. Sales done outside the mandi will attract no tax of

Centre or state governments."

The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), will remain in states,

Tomar said, adding that Bills should not be criticised for political

reasons. "The Minimum Support Price (MSP) system will continue and no

contract will be allowed between private trader and farmer that can affect

land holding of farmer. Even in case of dispute, the land of the farmer

cannot be sold to recover any damages. Contract will not lead to taking over

of land. If the corporates build some infrastructure, it will only benefit

the farmer in the end. Licence, Inspector Raj will end, corruption will end,

and farmers and traders will be free to buy and sell anywhere in the

country," Tomar said.

'DEEPLY CONCERNED' BY ONION EXPORT BAN: BANGLADESH TO INDIA

In the latest strain in ties between New Delhi and Dhaka, onions have taken

centre stage.

Bangladesh has officially conveyed its "deep concern" over India's abrupt

decision to ban the export of onions. This has been communicated through a

note verbale by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry to the Indian High

Commission in Dhaka.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen Thursday said the Indian

Ministry of External Affairs is very "repentant" for not informing

Bangladesh beforehand while imposing a ban on onion exports.

Momen said that there was an understanding between the two countries that

information would be conveyed in advance when it comes to such steps. It

would have been better had Bangladesh been informed about the abrupt

decision beforehand, he said.

Bangladesh has reached out to Turkey to compensate for the onion shortage

that may be caused by India's ban.

Last October, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had lamented India's ban on onion

exports.

"I wish you had informed us before suddenly putting a halt in export of

onions. I had to tell my cook I have no other option but to have my food

without onions. I would request India to please inform us beforehand while

taking such an action. After all, we are neighbours," Hasina had said in

Hindi at a programme in India.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

U.K. DEFENDS PLANNED BREXIT LAW

The British government struggled on Thursday to overcome American opposition

to its plans to breach the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the European

Union, after Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden became the latest

U.S. politician to express alarm.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's move to break parts of the EU divorce deal

relating to Northern Ireland has triggered fears it could undermine the 1998

Good Friday peace accord that ended decades of violence between Irish

nationalists and British unionists.

"We can't allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern

Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit," Mr. Biden tweeted.

"Any trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. must be contingent upon respect

for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period," he

wrote.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is in Washington this week, and has

been trying to assuage American concerns that a pending government Bill

would undermine Northern Ireland peace, if passed by lawmakers.

Mr. Raab insisted the U.K. has an "absolute" commitment to the Good Friday

Agreement. He described Britain's planned law as "precautionary" and

"proportionate."

US PROVIDED SUPPORT TO INDIA DURING BORDER CRISIS WITH CHINA: WHITE HOUSE

OFFICIAL

The US provided "strong and unambiguous support" to India during its current

border crisis with China, which is engaged in increasingly aggressive

behaviour throughout the Indo-Pacific even during the coronavirus pandemic,

a senior White House official said on Thursday.

From a bilateral perspective, China's recent actions on the LAC with India

has further reinforced the importance of the US-India strategic partnership,

Lisa Curtis, the deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, said in a

virtual panel discussion organised by Carnegie Endowment for International

Peace think-tank.

"Whether it was cutting off Vietnam's access to its fishing waters,

undermining Hong Kong self-rule, deploying military submarines to threaten

Japan or contesting Indian territorial sovereignty along the LAC, Beijing

has engaged in increasingly aggressive behaviour throughout the

Indo-Pacific, even as the global community has grappled with coronavirus

pandemic," Curtis said.

THE REST

========

OPPOSITION LEADERS MEET PRESIDENT, SEEK IMPARTIAL PROBE INTO DELHI RIOTS

A delegation of top leaders from five Opposition parties on Thursday called

on President Ram Nath Kovind and sought a probe into the Delhi riot cases by

a Commission of Inquiry headed by a sitting or retired judge. The leaders

submitted a joint memorandum to Kovind.

The delegation included Congress party treasurer and MP Ahmed Patel, CPI(M)

chief Sitaram Yechury, CPI president D Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and RJD MP

Manoj Jha.

In the memorandum, the leaders complained that the Delhi Police was acting

in a partisan manner. It is implicating those who participated in anti

CAA-NRC-NRR agitation, and political leaders opposed to ruling BJP

dispensation at the Centre.

They alleged that the police was shielding BJP leaders, including Union

Minister Anurag Thakur and MP Parvesh Verma, and Kapil Sharma who made hate

speeches calling for violence before the outbreak of the riots.

IF YOU WANT GUIDELINES, REGULATE DIGITAL MEDIA FIRST, CENTRE TELLS SC

The Centre urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to confine the matter

regarding the Sudarshan TV show Bindass Bol, whose telecast had earlier been

stayed by the Court, to the channel alone, and not lay down "any further

guidelines" for the entire mainstream media.

In an affidavit, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting added that

however "if" the "Court decides to undertake the exercise, it should first

be undertaken with regard to digital media as there already exist sufficient

framework and judicial pronouncements with regard to electronic media and

print media".

A three-judge Bench of the Court had on September 15 restrained Sudarshan TV

from airing the remaining episodes of the show, which it had been promoting

with the hashtag UPSC_Jihad. While doing so, it had hinted that it plans to

set up a panel to suggest guidelines for electronic media.

The government said that in the event of the court proceeding with the

exercise, "there is no justification to confine this exercise only to

mainstream electronic media", and stressed the influence of digital media.

Media, it pointed out, "includes mainstream electronic media, mainstream

print media as well as a parallel media namely digital print media and

digital web-based news portal and YouTube channels as well as 'Over The Top'

(OTT) platforms. while in mainstream media [whether electronic or print],

the publication / telecast is a one-time act, the digital media has faster

reach from wider range of viewership / readership and has the potential to

become viral because of several electronic applications".

CONGRESS LED UDF WALKS TIGHTROPE OVER MINORITY VOTES IN KERALA

Even as Kerala Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel was questioned by the

NIA on Thursday in connection with the probe into the gold smuggling case

and Opposition Congress and BJP kept up their demands for his resignation,

the protests look set to be a tightrope walk for the Congress-led UDF, which

has high stakes in the minority vote-bank.

Kerala is due for Assembly polls next year, and Jaleel has indicated that he

is being hunted for having accepted religious texts meant for distribution.

According to investigators, the minister had accepted packets of the Quran

and food kits directly from the consulate and ferried the consignment to his

constituency - Thavannur, in Malappuram district - in a government vehicle.

Although Jaleel has admitted that he had accepted the religious texts from

the consulate, the investigating agencies are trying to ascertain whether

any contraband was smuggled under the guise of religious books. The

Opposition has questioned impropriety of a minister taking initiative in

distributing religious texts to his community members.

But the minister looked to turn the tables on Congress ally Indian Union

Muslim League (IUML), saying that he is ready to send back packets of the

Quran if IUML chief Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal wants them not to be

distributed. The IUML, he asserted, should do justice to the word "Muslim"

in its name.

COURT ORDERS CASE AGAINST ARUN SHOURIE FOR HOTEL SALE BY ATAL GOVT

A Special CBI Court in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district has ordered the

registration of a criminal case against former Union minister Arun Shourie,

retired IAS officer Pradip Baijal and three others, after prima facie

finding offences such as criminal conspiracy and cheating proved against

them in relation to the sale of a luxury hotel in Rajasthan dating back to

2002.

In an order dated September 15, the court of Special CBI Judge Pooran Kumar

Sharma rejected a closure report filed by the CBI in the matter of the sale

of Laxmi Vilas Palace Hotel, Udaipur.

The court also directed the District Collector, Udaipur, to take possession

of the hotel, now known as The LaLit Laxmi Vilas Palace, appointing the

officer as the receiver of the property.

Shourie said he would appeal against the order in the Rajasthan High Court.

Expressing surprise over the charges being brought up after 18 years, he

said, "The process of disinvestment was challenged in the Rajasthan High

Court earlier and the HC said there is no evidence of any undervaluation.

The CBI too had closed the case saying there was no evidence of any

wrongdoing. My name was not there in the original FIR and we have no idea

how it has been added now."

Shourie said, "It is pertinent to note that none of these decisions of

disinvestment were taken by me or by any officials personally but by the

Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment headed by then Prime Minister Shri A B

Vajpayee and which comprised the then Finance Minister among others. Also, a

lot has been floated about the valuation and there seems to be a

misunderstanding. There is a difference when an establishment is evaluated

when it has closed and when it is running with all its losses and

liabilities."

Questioning the arrest warrant against him, Shourie said, "A Supreme Court

judgment states that there has to be a summons, a bailable warrant and if

both of these are disregarded, then a non-bailable arrest warrant should be

issued in serious cases."

NO PLAN TO EXCLUDE HUAWEI, ZTE FROM 5G INFRA CONTRACTS: SANJAY DHOTRE

In a new twist to the saga over whether Chinese companies Huawei

Technologies and ZTE can supply telecom gear, Minister of State for

Electronics and Information Technology Sanjay Dhotre said the government had

no plan to exclude them from 5G network infrastructure contracts.

Dhotre was giving a written reply to MPs' queries in Parliament on

Wednesday.

The announcement quells fears among some telcos that Chinese players might

be banned from participating in 5G trials and roll outs. The Department of

Telecommunications (DoT), while deposing before the IT parliamentary

committee, had said a final decision on their fate would be taken by the

Home Ministry. As a result, leading Indian telcos, taking their cue from the

DoT, put in additional applications for collaboration with OEMs in cities

where they had already given applications based on tie-ups either with

Huawei or ZTE for 5G trials.

The telcos put in additional applications against the backdrop of growing

escalation in border tensions between India and China, accompanied by a

strong movement to ban Chinese products.

VIRAL LOAD DECIDES COVID MORTALITY, US STUDY SHOWS

As countries grapple with the unpredictable outcomes of Covid-19 in

patients, a US study has concluded that viral load may hold the key to

whether a person survives the infection.

The pre-print study, submitted to the journal Cancer Cell, was conducted by

the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center and Columbia

University, on Covid-19 patients who had cancer and those who did not. And

the outcomes were similar in both sets of patients, with viral load having a

direct impact on mortality.

Viral load refers to the amount of virus found in each unit of a sample. In

an RT-PCR test, for example, the number of cycles that are run before the

virus is detected give a measure of the viral load - the lower the number of

cycles, the higher the viral load.

They said it was important to highlight viral load in Covid patients' test

reports, to enable doctors to take the right calls on their treatment.

"As a community, we've only begun to understand the relationship between

SARS-CoV-2 viral load and outcomes. Currently, this quantitative information

is not given to patient care teams, and providers only know if a patient's

test is positive or negative," Michael Satlin, senior author of the study,

said in a statement.

Last month, a study in The Lancet too had said there is a definite

correlation between viral load and Covid mortality, but this new study has

established that viral load as a predictor of outcome could be independent

even of existing comorbidities.

BOLLYWOOD STANDS UP WITH URMILA MATONDKAR AFTER KANGANA'S COMMENTS

Many actors and filmmakers from the industry yesterday praised Urmila

Matondkar's vast body of work after Kangana Ranaut controversially slammed

her as a "soft porn star".

Matondkar had called out Ranaut's claims about nepotism in the industry and

Bollywood being riddled with a drug problem.

In an interview with Times Now on Wednesday night, Ranaut called her a "soft

porn star" who is not known for her acting.

Ranaut's comments were met with criticism from the industry, with many

hailing Matondkar's consistent "grace and dignity" throughout her career of

over 25 years.

Ranaut, who has been in the headlines for her provocative statements,

claimed that the "liberal brigade" was falsely equating being a porn star to

"something derogatory". The actor said she fails to understand the outrage

since a former porn star was "accepted" by the country at large.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what

you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

OFF TRACK

When her late husband's will was read, a widow learnt he had left the bulk

of his fortune to another woman.

Enraged, she rushed to change the inscription on her spouse's tombstone.

"Sorry, lady," said the stone cutter. "I inscribed 'Rest in Peace' on your

orders. I can't change it now."

"Very well," she said grimly. "Just add, 'Until We Meet Again'."