GALWAN CLASHES LEFT INDIA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA 'PROFOUNDLY DISTURBED':

JAISHANKAR

Delivering his sharpest comments yet on China since the Moscow meeting last

month with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, External

Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Friday said the border stand-off in eastern

Ladakh is a "very sharp departure" with a "very deep public" and "very major

political" impact. Stressing that the Galwan incident on June 15, when 20

Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese soldiers were killed in

violent clashes, has left the bilateral relationship "profoundly disturbed",

Jaishankar said the massing of troops at the border has created a "very

critical security challenge".

The Union Minister underlined that he has not got any "reasonable

explanation" from his Chinese counterpart on China's behaviour along the

LAC. He also said China has been "unsympathetic" to India on major trade

issues like market access and "negative" on a "lot of international issues

like the Nuclear Suppliers Group".

Jaishankar, who is usually very calibrated in his remarks, made these

comments in an hour-long discussion on his book, "The India Way: Strategies

for an Uncertain World", with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,

under the aegis of Asia Society. Rudd is the President of Asia Society

Policy Institute, a think tank with offices in the US, Hong Kong and

Australia among other places. The Minister's comments reflect the sense of

frustration in New Delhi over the lack of progress with China after seven

rounds of military talks, six rounds of diplomatic talks, and at least three

separate bilateral meetings at the level of NSA Ajit Doval, Defence Minister

Rajnath Singh and Jaishankar with their Chinese counterparts over the last

five months.

In response to questions by Rudd, Jaishankar was candid. "What happened this

year, of course, was a very sharp departure. Now it's not just a sharp

departure from the conversation, it's a sharp departure over a course of the

relationship over 30 years.and the massing of a large amount of Chinese

forces on the border was, you know, clearly contrary to all of this

[agreements since 1993]," he said.

CONGRESS BACKS J-K ALLIANCE; BJP SLAMS IT

A day after six mainstream J-K parties formed The People's Alliance for

Gupkar Declaration to press for the return to pre-August 5, 2019, status of

J-K, Congress veteran and former Home Minister P Chidambaram welcomed the

development saying the "arbitrary and unconstitutional decisions taken on

August 5, 2019, should be rescinded."

He said the coming together of mainstream regional parties of J-K to fight a

constitutional battle to restore the rights of the people of Jammu, Kashmir

and Ladakh is a development that must be welcomed by all the people of India

"The central government must stop looking at the mainstream parties and the

people of JK as secessionist or anti-national," he said.

J-K Congress chief Ghulam Mir had, however, not attended the meeting held at

former state CM Farooq Abdullah's Gupkar residence where six parties - NC,

PDP, People's Conference, JK People's Movement, ANC and CPM - were

represented.

Stating that anger in the Kashmir Valley was not against the saffron party

or the Centre but against "Muftis and Abdullahs", the BJP on Friday trashed

the political alliance.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta, who was in Srinagar in

connection with the upcoming Panchayat elections, said "anti-national

efforts by divisive forces" will not be tolerated anymore in the Valley.

Dismissing reports of "simmering anger" against the BJP and the Centre in

the Valley, Gupta said the reach, scope and acceptance of the saffron party

were increasing.

PM MODI: WILL SOON DECIDE ON REVISING MIN AGE OF MARRIAGE FOR WOMEN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday that the government will take a

decision soon on revising the minimum age of marriage for women once it

receives a report from the committee constituted for this purpose.

"Necessary discussion is going on to decide what should be the ideal age of

marriage for daughters. I also get letters from such conscious daughters

across the country who ask to decide it quickly, and ask why the committee's

report has not come yet. I assure all those daughters that the government

will take action on the report very soon.," Modi said.

On June 2 this year, the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development set

up a task force to examine the possibility of increasing the age of marriage

for women from 18 to 21 as a measure to lower Maternal Mortality Ratio and

improve nutritional levels, apart from other initiatives.

Section 5(iii) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 sets 18 years as the minimum

age for the bride and 21 for the groom. Child marriages can be declared void

at the request of the minor. The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the

Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 also prescribe 18 and 21 years as

the minimum age of consent for marriage for women and men, respectively.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

NAWAZ SPEAKS UP AGAINST THE ARMY, AGAIN

Pakistan Muslim League (N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Friday accused the security

establishment of being behind his ouster as Prime Minister and for bringing

Imran Khan to power.

According to Dawn, the former Prime Minister was addressing the Pakistan

Democratic Movement's (PDM) first power show in Gujranwala via video link

from London. Top opposition leaders gathered to take part in the

anti-government campaign.

The comments come post the Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI

chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed in a meeting with members of the opposition

"counselled them" to not drag the military into the political issues.

Nawaz Sharif spoke about being labelled "a traitor" and said that it was not

the first time that dictators used this term to oust civilian leaders

"because they talk about the law and Constitution". "Who are patriots? The

ones who destroyed the Constitution, who broke the country into two halves."

Sharif further asked why Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa -- who announced that he

was stepping down as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information

and Broadcasting -- not facing any cases for reportedly "amassing assets

beyond known sources of income".

UK PM JOHNSON SAYS TIME TO GET READY FOR 'NO DEAL' BREXIT

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday issued a stark warning that

the UK must now prepare for the prospect of no post-Brexit Free Trade

Agreement with the European Union.

In a statement from Downing Street, Johnson said that he was making a

judgment call on the UK-EU trade negotiations as the January 1, 2021,

deadline for the end of the ongoing Brexit transition period was now only 10

weeks away and the crucial European Council summit this week failed to come

up with promising answers.

"We always knew that there would be change on January 1 whatever type of

relationship we had. And so now is the time for our businesses to get ready,

and for hauliers to get ready, and for travellers to get ready," said

Johnson.

"So with high hearts and complete confidence we will prepare to embrace the

alternative. And we will prosper mightily as an independent free trading

nation, controlling our own borders, our fisheries, and setting our own

laws," he said.

THE REST

========

CHIRAG ONLY A VOTE CUTTER, SHOULD STOP CONFUSING: BJP

AS Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan continues reiterating his

admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ties with the National

Democratic Alliance at the Centre, even while attacking the JD(U) and Nitish

Kumar, the BJP Friday stepped up its efforts to distance itself from him.

"Chirag Pawan wants to create confusion. In Bihar, the BJP, JD(U), VIP

(Vikassheel Insaan Party) and HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha) are in the NDA.

We do not have any alliance with the LJP nor is it a part of the NDA. Chirag

Paswan should not be confused nor spread confusion," BJP general secretary

in-charge of Bihar Bhupender Yadav tweeted.

The BJP also fielded Union minister Prakash Javadekar to take on Paswan. "We

want to make it clear that we have no relations with the LJP and we do not

like this politics of spreading confusion," he told the media in Delhi.

Saying the NDA would win three-fourth majority in the state, Javadekar said,

"The LJP is nothing but a vote katua (vote eater), and is not going to make

any impact."

FARM FIRES INCREASE IN PUNJAB, HARYANA DESPITE ASSURANCES

This year, the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana has gone unabated

primarily because of the reluctance of the local administration to act

against offenders due to ongoing farmer protests in the two states.

The result: Delhi and its neighbouring areas are grappling with

deteriorating air quality that could aggravate the Covid-19 pandemic in the

region, officials said.

On Thursday, Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh claimed that

Delhi's air pollution problem was because of local factors, but data from

the Punjab University's Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana, shows a three-fold

spike in stubble burning incidents in Punjab as compared to 2019 , with just

six farmers booked for farm fires.

Haryana has done slightly better that Punjab with 71% more stubble burning

incidents for same period.

NO BENEFIT OF REMDESIVIR IN REDUCING COVID DEATHS: WHO STUDY

The large, multi-nation 'Solidarity' clinical trial coordinated by the WHO

to find an effective treatment for the novel coronavirus infection has

concluded that four commonly used re-purposed drugs have little or no effect

on patients admitted in hospital with Covid-19.

The trial, carried out in 405 hospitals in 30 countries including India,

looked at four drugs or their combinations - remdesivir, developed

originally to treat Ebola; anti-malaria drug HCQ; ritonavir/lopinavir,

licensed for treatment of HIV; and interferon beta 1a, used to treat

multiple sclerosis.

"No study drug definitely reduced mortality (in unventilated patients or any

other subgroup of entry characteristics), initiation of ventilation or

hospitalisation duration," the research paper, which is yet to be peer-

reviewed, said.

The aim of the trial was to determine whether the four re-purposed drugs

could moderately affect in-hospital mortality and whether any effects

differed between moderate and severe cases of the disease.

WOMAN HAS RIGHT TO RESIDENCE IN 'SHARED HOUSEHOLD': SC

The Supreme Court has clarified the legal position on "shared household"

under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 that has often been a matter of

dispute between woman victims of and their in-laws' families.

Giving a liberal interpretation to "shared household", a three-judge Bench

headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan ruled a woman was entitled to claim right to

residence in a "shared household" where she had been living with her husband

even if the said house belonged to his relatives.

"In event, the shared household belongs to any relative of the husband with

whom in a domestic relationship the woman has lived, the conditions

mentioned in Section 2(s) (of The Protection of Women From Domestic Violence

Act, 2005) are satisfied and the said house will become a shared household",

it said.

The top court overruled a 2006 verdict of a two-judge Bench in SR Batra

versus Taruna Batra that had restrained a woman from claiming right to live

in the house belonging to her mother-in-law on the ground that the house in

question was not her husband's.

SC MOVED ON HC ORDER ASKING 'MOLESTER' TO GET RAKHI TIED BY COMPLAINANT

The Supreme Court Friday asked Attorney General K.K. Venugopal's assistance

in a plea filed by nine women lawyers to set aside a Madhya Pradesh High

Court order granting bail to an accused in a molestation case on the

condition that he requests the complainant to tie him a rakhi.

A bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar agreed to hold a detailed hearing in

the matter after senior advocate Sanjay Parekh, representing the nine

lawyers, said the high court's "weird" bail order had trivialised the

offence of molestation.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court had on 30 July granted bail to the accused,

with the condition that he and his wife shall visit the complainant's house

with a rakhi on 3 August and a box of sweets. The court had also asked the

accused to give Rs 11,000 to the complainant as a "customary ritual",

usually offered by the brothers to sisters on rakhi and also seek her

blessings. He was asked to further promise the complainant that he would

"protect her to the best of his ability for all times to come".

Parekh told the court that the high court's order was a gross trivialisation

of the trauma suffered by the complainant, and claimed that the

"extraordinary" situation has pushed the women lawyers to approach the top

court.

HONG KONG BARS AIR INDIA, VISTARA FLIGHTS TILL OCT 30 AFTER PASSENGERS TEST

POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

Hong Kong has banned Air India and Vistara flights from October 17 to 30

after a few passengers on their flights tested positive for COVID-19 post

arrival, a senior government official said on Friday.

This is the third time that Air India flights from India have been banned by

the Hong Kong government for bringing passengers who tested positive for the

infection after arrival. Previous bans were during September 20-October 3

and August 18-August 31.

Passengers from India can arrive in Hong Kong only if they have a COVID-19

negative certificate from a test done within 72 hours prior to the journey,

according to rules issued by the Hong Kong government in July.

Moreover, all international passengers are required to undergo a post-flight

COVID-19 test at the Hong Kong airport.

WHATSAPP PAY GEARS UP TO TAKE ON RIVALS GOOGLE PAY, PHONEPE AND PAYTM

With Facebook hoping to get the RBIs permission for WhatsApp Pay soon, the

company is bracing itself up to take on its rivals Google Pay, Walmart's

PhonePe, Alibaba-backed Paytm, and Amazon Pay in the growing UPI-based

digital payments market.

According to industry estimates, the biggest player is Google Pay with over

a 40 per cent market share, closely followed by PhonePe. Facebook has

complied with the RBI's rules on data localisation. This, experts say, was a

key reason for the delay in getting the green signal, though the company

declined to comment on this issue.

However, Abhijit Bose, head of Indian operations, said: "We are keen to

launch WhatsApp Payments in the country and will continue to work with the

government, local banks, and other institutions to understand their

requirements, drive innovation, and provide financial services, inclusivity,

and empowerment across the socio-economic spectrum."

PICTURE OF NEWBORN BABY 'TRYING TO REMOVE' DOCTOR'S MASK IS DECLARED AS

'PICTURE OF THE YEAR'

A picture of a newborn baby trying to 'remove' a doctor's surgical mask has

gone viral amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undoubtedly, people are waiting for pre-pandemic times to return, when it

was safe to step out without fear, and a mask. In this situation, this old

picture of a baby girl trying to tear off her doctor's mask becomes quite

relatable.

A UAE-based gynaecologist Dr Samer Cheaib shared the picture on Instagram.

The picture shows the newborn's hand clasping around her doctor's mask,

trying to pull it off his face to reveal the huge smile underneath it.

"We all want a sign that we are going to take off the mask soon," Dr Cheaib

wrote while sharing the pic on Instagram and Facebook.

IN COVID CLOUD, A SILVER LINING FOR INDIAN FOOTBALL

Last October, British footballer Gary Hooper became the "best-ever signing"

of Wellington Phoenix, a club from New Zealand that plays in Australia's

A-League. With nearly 200 goals in the premier leagues of England and

Scotland as well as the Champions League, Hooper was the highest-paid player

on the club's roster. Then, the pandemic struck.

Today, the 32-year-old centre forward is part of the Indian Super League

(ISL) side Kerala Blasters FC, which will pay him Rs 1.5 crore for eight

months' service. Hooper isn't the only player from Down Under who has been

lured to the ISL, which will be held in a bio-secure environment in Goa

starting next month. As A-League clubs deal with pandemic-induced financial

distress, the ISL teams have been able to sign players who, in pre-Covid

times, would be beyond their budgets.

"In terms of the quality of foreign players, this is the best seen in Indian

football," says Mandar Tamhane, the chief executive of former ISL champions

Bengaluru FC. "When we are interacting with prospective players, they want

to come to India maybe because they know and are aware of how good the

league is getting and obviously there is good money too. These are all good

players who have played at a very good level and done exceedingly well."

IPL: MUMBAI INDIANS BEAT KKR BY 8 WICKETS

Mumbai Indians defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in Abu Dhabi

yesterday.

Chasing a target of 149, MI completed the job with opener Quinton de Kock

playing a fine innings of 78 off 44 balls.

Earlier, KKR's pace spearhead Pat Cummins top-scored with an unbeaten

36-ball 53 while new captain Eoin Morgan remained not out on 39 off 29 balls

to push the total to 148.

Eoin Morgan hailed Dinesh Karthik's decision to step down as captain of the

IPL side as an "incredibly selfless" act of putting the team ahead of an

individual. Karthik handed over the reins to his deputy Morgan hours before

the match. "Yes, I was surprised as was everybody. Yesterday, DK informed he

wants to step back and focus on his batting as he feels that is the best

option for the team," Morgan said in an interview with Darren Ganga.

Each team has played 8 matches so far - Mumbai have won their 6 while KKR

have won 4.

INDICATORS

Sensex 39,983 (+255), Nifty 11,762 (+82), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

49,441.51

Nasdaq 11,672 (-42) Dow 28,606 (+112), S&P 3,484 (+0)

US$-Rs. 73.25 GBP-Rs. 94.87, Euro-Rs. 85.84, UAE Dhm-Rs.19.93, Can$-Rs.

55.50, Aus$- Rs. 55.50

GBP 0.77 /US$, Euro 0.85 /US$, Jap.Yen 105.31 /US$, Aus$ 1.40 /US$, Sing

1.35 /US$, Bang Taka 83.26 /US$, Can$ 1.31 /US$, Mal Ring 4.14 /US$,

Pak Re 162.24 /US$, Phil Peso 48.65 /US$, Russian Rouble 78.00 /US$, NZ$

1.51 /US$, Thai Baht 31.16 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 28.03 /US$, Norway NOK 9.32

/US$

Bitcoin - USD 11,332

Dollar Index 93.70 Brent Crude 42.93 BDI 1,561

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,899 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,053 / 4,953

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 61,600

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

There are two ways to slide easily through life; to believe everything or to

doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking. - Alfred Korzybski

OFF TRACK

A man was sitting next to me in one of the two "husband chairs" in a ladies'

clothing store.

After 30 minutes and five outfits, the fellow's wife came out of the

changing room again.

He looked at her and immediately said: "That looks good on you. Get that

one."

"Honey," she replied, "this is what I was wearing when we came in."