VALLEY PARTIES OPEN TO DISCUSSIONS WITH DELIMITATION PANEL

With the Delimitation Commission set to visit Jammu and Kashmir next week, key mainstream political parties in the Valley including the National Conference and the People’s Conference are likely to participate in the discussions with the Commission. The Commission is scheduled to visit J&K between July 6 and July 9 and hold discussions with political parties, public representatives and officials of the UT administration for redrawing of boundaries of Assembly seats.

People’s Conference Chairman Sajad Lone said if invited, the party will meet the members of the Delimitation Commission. “We are not averse to joining the process of delimitation but it has to be fair and transparent, not only between the two regions (Kashmir and Jammu) but also within the regions,” he said.

The PDP has said the matter of participation will be discussed only after an invitation is extended.

Sources said three National Conference leaders, who are Associate Members in the Delimitation Commission, are likely to attend the next meeting of the Commission.

Congress state unit chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir says that during the all-party meeting in New Delhi on June 24, almost all non-BJP parties had said that delimitation should be conducted after an Assembly is in place. “However, the Union Home Minister said it is a requisite process before restoration of statehood and any electoral process. We even brought up the apprehensions surrounding delimitation but the HM said there are set procedures and formulas for such a process and the commission will follow that,” Mir said.

Mir said if the process was kept fair, and once there was an official initiation, the Congress would participate. The party is also scheduled to hold internal discussions in this regard on Saturday.

SOME EUROPEAN UNION NATIONS TO PERMIT ENTRY TO COVISHIELD-VACCINATED

Pressed by nations, including India, whose citizens have taken shots of Covishield vaccine, at least 10 European countries have decided to permit them entry.

The Serum Institute of India (SII), they pointed out, is confident that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will recognise the AstraZeneca doses made in India.

It currently recognises AstraZeneca doses made in Europe, US, South Korea and China but not those manufactured by SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.

The EU digital certificate, which recognises only four vaccines and none of those produced in India, is recognised by all 27 EU member states plus Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

Of these 31 countries, nine have decided to accept Covishield, as and when they open their borders to citizens of countries hit by deadly Covid variants. India is one of the countries on the list.

These nine countries are Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and Estonia.

India and the powerful 55-nation African Union have called upon the EU authorities to accept the Indian version of AstraZeneca vaccine called Covishield.

The EU said it’s working to ensure its digital certificate is compatible with similar products in non-EU countries. If it is satisfied that a non-EU certificate complies with EU “standards and systems”, it can decide to accept it across all 27 nations plus four.

At the same time, the Indian government has told the EU that it plans to institute a reciprocal policy for recognition of the EU Digital Covid Certificate. If and when Covishield and Covaxin are included in the EU Digital Covid Certificate, India will reciprocally exempt the concerned EU member state from mandatory quarantine.

NO INFILTRATION ACROSS LoC AFTER FEBRUARY CEASEFIRE WITH PAK: ARMY CHIEF

Four months after India and Pakistan announced to “strictly observe all agreements on ceasefire” along the LoC, Army Chief General MM Naravane on Thursday said there had been a marked change since the ceasefire agreement as there had been no infiltration from across the LoC and all parameters of violence had dropped.

Speaking at a seminar, he touched upon the ceasefire understanding reached by Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan on February 26.

He said there would be forces that do not want peace to prevail. Since the latest ceasefire all parameters of violence like terror incidents in the valley had come down, he said, adding that sporadic incidents had occurred.

General Naravane, without referring to the recent drone attack on the air base at Jammu, said the offensive use of drones had changed the war scenario. The Indian Army, he said, had identified technology that is being followed up.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 5,04,473

New Cases in last 24 hours: 46,481

Recovered in last 24 hours: 58,793

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -13,169

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 857 (4,00,332)

Daily Tests (Wednesday): 19,21,450

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 2.5%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 20.7% / 4.5%

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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XI GIVES A DEFIANT SPEECH TO MARK CPC CENTENARY

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned on Thursday that anyone who tries to bully China “will face broken heads and bloodshed,” in a defiant speech hailing the country’s rise that elicited loud cheers from a carefully chosen crowd at a celebration of the centenary of the founding of the ruling Communist Party. In unusually forceful language, Xi appeared to be hitting back at the US and others that have criticised the rising power’s trade and technology polices, military expansion and human rights record. In an hour-long speech, he also said the nation must stick to its one-party rule, emphasising the communists’ role in lifting China to global prominence.

Xi, who heads the party and is thought to be considering a third term starting next year, received the biggest applause when he said the party had restored China’s dignity after decades of subjugation to Western powers and Japan in the 19th and 20th centuries, and turned it into the world’s second largest economy in recent decades.

Xi declared that China had restored order in Hong Kong following anti-government protests in 2019 and reiterated the Communist Party’s determination to bring self-governing Taiwan under its control. Both policies have been widely criticised by Western democracies. Xi also said the party would retain absolute control over the military, which now has the world’s second-largest annual budget after the US.

PAKISTAN ACCEPTS ‘CHINESE VERSION’ OF TREATMENT OF UIGHUR MUSLIMS

The US and the EU, besides many other countries, have accused China of committing genocide against the Uighurs in resource-rich Xinjiang, and called for an international probe by human rights groups.

Speaking to Chinese journalists as Beijing marked the centenary of the ruling Communist Party, Pakistan PM Imran Khan said the Chinese version on the Uighur issue was completely different from what was being reported in Western media.

“Because of our extreme proximity and relationship with China, we actually accept the Chinese version,” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

“It is hypocritical. There are much worse human rights violations taking place in other parts of the world… But Western media hardly comment on this,” the prime minister said, lashing out at Western media for highlighting the Uighurs” situation and Hong Kong.

Khan also praised the Communist Party of China (CPC), calling it an “alternative” to Western democracy.

“Until now, we had been told that the best way for societies to improve was through Western democracy…The CPC has introduced an alternative model and they have beaten all Western democracies in the way they have highlighted merit in society,” he said.

THE REST

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ON DOCTORS’ DAY, PM HAILS THEIR ‘HEROIC’ EFFORTS DURING PANDEMIC

Addressing the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on National Doctors’ Day, the PM said doctors were “incarnations of God” and the government was committed to their safety.

The PM cited changes made to the laws last year to safeguard doctors on duty and lauded medical practitioners for constant fine tuning of India’s clinical response to Covid, a dynamic disease, which was mutating.

Crediting them with India’s Covid mortality rate of 1.3 per cent, among the lowest worldwide, the PM also urged doctors to create awareness regarding the benefits of yoga in overall wellbeing.

“Can the IMA work in mission mode to create awareness about yoga, conduct science-based research to evaluate its benefits and publish the results in international journals for the world to take note?” asked the PM. The PM said doctors’ day (which marks the birth and death anniversary of legendary physician BC Roy) represented the finest values of medicine.

IT IS FOR PARLIAMENT TO REIN IN PARTISAN SPEAKERS: SC

The Supreme Court on Thursday said it was for Parliament to legislate and provide a timeframe for adjudication of disqualification petitions against legislators by Speakers, who of late have adopted a partisan approach to keep decisions on such pleas pending for long periods to benefit the ruling dispensation.

Dealing with a PIL which sought a direction to Speakers to expeditiously dispose of disqualification petitions, a bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy said, “How can we make a law providing timeframe for Speakers to decide disqualification petitions? It is a matter for Parliament to deliberate and decide.” The petitioner had argued that delayed decisions negated the mandate of the Constitution’s anti-defection provisions.

READY TO TALK TO FARMERS, BUT NOT ON REPEAL: NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar yesterday said the three central agriculture laws would bring revolutionary changes in the lives of farmers, and made it clear that the government was ready to hold talks with the protesting cultivators, except on the demand for repeal.

Tomar claimed most parts of the country, most of the unions as well as farmers supported these laws. His statement comes a day after BJP workers and anti-farm law protesters clashed in Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, in which some people from both sides suffered injuries.

NO PROOF OF IRREGULARITIES IN LAND DEALS: RAM TEMPLE TRUST

Members of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust on Thursday gave themselves a clean chit in connection with the allegations of corruption and fraud in land purchases, claiming that no evidence of irregularities was found by a “team of experts who scrutinised all the documents related to the land deals”.

Speaking to mediapersons after a three-day meeting of the Trust members, Treasurer Govind Dev Giri said that the Trust will not get into any “media trial” and will answer only to “competent authorities” if and when asked for the proof.

Giri said that all the documents related to the land purchases “show full transparency and honesty”.

CITIZENS HAVE A RIGHT TO FEED STRAY DOGS: DELHI HC

Holding citizens the right to feed stray dogs, the Delhi High Court has said those exercising this right should take care and caution to ensure that it does not impinge on others’ rights and cause harassment or nuisance.

“No hindrance, whatsoever, shall be caused to the persons in carrying out any activities in respect of the street dogs at the said spot... If any of the street dogs is injured or unwell, it shall be the duty of the RWA to secure treatment for such dogs by the vets made available by the MCD or privately from the funds of the RWA,” Justice JR Midha said in a recent verdict.

Describing animals as “sentient creatures with an intrinsic value”, the HC said, “Animals have a right under law to be treated with compassion, respect and dignity and their protection was the moral responsibility of each and every citizen including the government and NGOs.

The order came in a case of dispute between two residents of a locality on the issue of feeding stray dogs. Laying down guidelines on feeding of stray dogs, the HC said it shall be the duty of RWA or Municipal Corporation and all government authorities, including enforcement authorities such as police to provide assistance and ensure that no hindrance was caused to the caregivers or feeders of community dogs and every canine had access to food and water in the absence of caregivers.

ZYDUS SEEKS NOD FOR WORLD’S FIRST PLASMID DNA COVID VAX

Homegrown healthcare and pharmaceutical major Zydus Cadila has applied for emergency use authorisation (EUA) to the office of the DCGI for ZyCoV-D, its plasmid DNA vaccine against Covid. Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA, which contain the origin of replication and therefore are self-replicative.

“As the first-ever plasmid DNA vaccine for human use, ZyCoV-D has proven its safety and efficacy profile in our fight against Covid. The vaccine, when approved, will help not only adults, but also adolescents in the 12-to-18-years age group,” said Dr Sharvil Patel, MD, Cadila Healthcare Ltd, the flagship of the Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila Group. ZyCoV-D is a plasmid DNA vaccine which, when injected, produces the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and elicits an immune response mediated by the cellular and humoral arms of the human immune system, which play a vital role in protection from the disease as well as viral clearance.

ZyCoV-D has also been tested on adolescents between 12 and 18 years in India. Around 1,000 subjects were enrolled and the vaccine was found to be safe and very well-tolerated, similar to that seen in the adult population. Zydus is currently setting up a new facility to manufacture the vaccine.

TAURANI ACQUITTED IN GULSHAN KUMAR MURDER CASE

Nearly 24 years after the crime, the Bombay HC on Thursday upheld the acquittal of film producer and Tips Industries co-founder Ramesh Taurani in the 1997 murder case of music baron Gulshan Kumar, but confirmed the conviction of co-accused Abdul Rauf Merchant. A Division Bench of Justices SS Jadhav and NR Borkar quashed the acquittal of Rauf’s brother and another accused in the case, Abdul Rashid Merchant, and sentenced him to life term noting that Rashid was one of the persons who shot at Kumar.

MAHARASHTRA, GUJARAT., KARNATAKA IN RACE TO WOO TESLA

To get Tesla, the world’s premium electric carmaker, set up its manufacturing unit in their state, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra are keen to roll out the red carpet. Gujarat is offering an estimated 1,000 hectares in Mundra on the Kutch coast.

On January 8, the electric vehicle manufacturer set up its India office by registering Tesla India Motors and Energy Private Limited in Bengaluru.

P Anbalagan, Chief Executive Officer, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation, says: “The government of Maharashtra and Tesla officers had four meetings, and the last one was nearly 7-8 months back. We also offered them land so that they could start production facilities in Maharashtra as there are already several auto companies in the state.” But ince their last interaction in 2020, Maharashtra has not received any correspondence from the company.

On January 12, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said Tesla would set up a research and development unit in Karnataka but later deleted the tweet. In February, he put out a statement that Tesla would open its electric car manufacturing unit in Karnataka. He mentioned Tesla following the announcement of the creation of an industrial corridor at Tumakuru, around 60 km from Bengaluru, at a cost of Rs 7,725 crore to generate 2.8 lakh jobs.

HOW LONG WILL TELCOS KILL EACH OTHER: MITTAL

Airtel chief Sunil Mittal said on Thursday that the telecom industry should stop “killing each other”, and consider raising tariffs immediately as they are all “gasping for breath”.

Mittal said that while the Indian market has seen data and voice usage shoot through the roof, tariffs are still to see any action, leaving the companies in a financial mess.

The aggressive launch by Reliance Jio in September 2016 had literally broken the back of the telecom industry as Mukesh Ambani made a re-entry into the business by making voice free and offering data at dirt-cheap prices. Airtel went through losses for a series of quarters thereafter, while Vodafone Idea are in the middle of deep losses and financial mess despite merging operations.

“Ten operators gone out of business, two merged together... gasping for breath right now… How long can you keep on killing each other? The point is, you have a return on capital — even by the best operator — at low single-digit and most of them (are) struggling,” he said.

He said that while Airtel feels that tariffs need to go up, it still “can’t do it unilaterally” as the company needs to be mindful of moves by the competition. Jio, which now leads the Indian telecom market, has been maintaining its hyper-aggressive stance and has not given any clear indications about a consumer tariff raise.

FEDERER BECOMES OLDEST MAN IN THIRD ROUND IN 46 YEARS

Roger Federer became the oldest man in 46 years to reach the Wimbledon third round on Thursday with a straight sets win over Richard Gasquet. Federer, 39, defeated his French rival 7-6 (1), 6-1, 6-4 to make the last 32 for the 18th time. Australia’s Ken Rosewall was 40 when he made the third round at the All England Club in 1975. Federer, the eight-time champion, beat Gasquet for the 19th time in 21 meetings and will take on Cameron Norrie of Britain.

INDICATORS

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GBP 0.72 /US$, Euro 0.84 /US$, Jap.Yen 111.38 /US$, Aus$ 1.33 /US$, Sing 1.34 /US$, Bang Taka 83.30 /US$, Can$ 1.24 /US$, Mal Ring 4.15 /US$,

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Bitcoin - USD 33,184

Dollar Index 92.57 Brent Crude 75.94  BDI 3,338

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,779 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,719 / 4,619, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 74,100

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The only skills you need to be an entrepreneur is an ability to fail. - James Altucher

OFF TRACK

Bob, a 70 year old extremely wealthy widower, shows up at the Country Club with a breathtakingly beautiful 25 year-old blonde who knocks everyone's socks off with her youthful sex appeal and charm. She hangs on Bob's arm and listens intently to his every word.

His buddies at the club are all envious. They corner him and ask, "Bob, how'd you get the trophy girlfriend?"

Bob replies, "Girlfriend? She's my wife!"

They're knocked over, but continue to ask. "So, how'd you persuade her to marry you?"

Bob says, "I lied about my age."

His friends are fascinated, "What do you mean? Did you tell her you were only 50?"

Bob smiles and says, "No, I told her I was 90."