INDIA TO BOYCOTT BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS CEREMONIES

India on Thursday announced that its top diplomat in China will skip the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics while describing as "regrettable" the Chinese side fielding a military officer involved in the Galwan Valley clash as its torchbearer for the mega sporting event.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Chinese side has chosen to politicise an event like the Olympics and that the charge d'Affaires of the Indian embassy in Beijing will not be attending the opening or the closing ceremony. The charge d'affaires at the embassy is the senior-most diplomat at present as ambassador-designate Pradeep Kumar Rawat is yet to take charge.

Qi Fabao, the People's Liberation Army regiment commander involved in the June 15, 2020, clash with India in Galwan Valley, was chosen by China to carry the Winter Olympic torch in Beijing on Wednesday, according to China's state-run Global Times newspaper.

Soon after the announcement by the ministry of external affairs, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said that Doordarshan's sports channels will not live telecast the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

India's move comes over two months after it expressed support for China in hosting the Beijing Olympics during a meeting of foreign ministers under the framework of Russia-India-China trilateral.

Meanwhile, Australian newspaper The Klaxon on Wednesday carried a report which said China's losses in the Galwan Valley clash were much higher than reported with many soldiers drowning while crossing a fast-flowing river in darkness. It cited findings by unnamed researchers and mainland Chinese bloggers in the report and said they have declined to be named on security grounds, but their findings appear to "shed significant light on the saga".

MEA DECLINES TO COMMENT ON REPORTS OF PM VISITING PAK NEXT MONTH

The Ministry of External Affairs said it does not comment on observations from private individuals when asked to react to claims by a leading Pakistani businessman Mian Muhammad Mansha that backchannels are working between Pakistan and India that will hopefully yield good results.

“If things improve between the two neighbours, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could visit Pakistan in a month,” he told a gathering of businessmen at the Lahore Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday.

But the MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi neither confirmed nor denied the claim and instead said it was not the practice of South Block to comment on statements by private individuals.

The Chairman of the Lahore-based Nishat Group warned that there will be disastrous consequences if the Pakistan economy did not improve and advised Islamabad to improve trade relations with India. “Europe fought two great wars, but ultimately settled for peace and regional development. There is no permanent enmity,” he observed in this context.

WON'T ENDORSE RAHUL GANDHI'S REMARKS ON INDIA'S FOREIGN POLICY

The US has said that it does not endorse Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy had strengthened the Pakistan-China relationship.

“I certainly would not endorse those remarks,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, when asked to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s observation in Parliament on Wednesday that the government’s foreign policy was a failure because it had brought China and Pakistan together. “I will leave it to the Pakistanis and the PRC to speak to their relationship,” he said and pointed out that there was no need for the US to be concerned for other countries to choose between America and China.

COVID WAVE CONTRACTS, CENTRE SAYS STATES CAN DECIDE ON SCHOOL REOPENING

Noting a contraction in the third wave of Covid 19 and consistent decline in new cases over 14 days, the government on Thursday said it was up to the states and district administrations to decide on reopening of schools, while following the guidelines issued by the education ministry earlier.

“Overall there is a contraction in the spread of the infection which is heartening. There are 268 districts in India with under 5 per cent positivity. These can now move in the direction of non Covid care, school opening and other activities. Declining trend of pandemic allows us to think of these options,” Member, Health NITI Aayog, VK Paul said.

As of today, schools are fully open in 11 states, partially (higher classes) in 16 and closed in nine states.

Health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said 34 states were recording decline in cases and positivity and only two were recording high case and positivity surge—Kerala has seen positivity rise from 13.3 pc one month ago to 47 pc now and Mizoram from 17 pc to 34.1 pc.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST /Feb 4

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Thursday 1,49,394

Active Cases 14,35,569 (-98,352)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,00,055 (631)

Total Vaccination: 168.47 Crores (+55,58,760)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BIDEN SAYS ISLAMIC STATE LEADER KILLED DURING US RAID IN SYRIA

The leader of the violent Islamic State group was killed, blowing himself and members of his family up, during an overnight raid carried out by US special operations forces in northwestern Syria, President Joe Biden said Thursday.

The raid targeted Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who took over as head of the militant group on October 31, 2019, just days after leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died during a US raid in the same area. Biden said al-Qurayshi died as al-Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb that killed himself and members of his family, including women and children, as US forces approached.

The operation came as IS has been trying for a resurgence, with a series of attacks in the region, including an assault late last month to seize a prison in northeast Syria holding at least 3,000 IS detainees, its boldest operation in years.

“Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said. He said al-Qurayshi had been responsible for the prison strike, as well as genocide against the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014.

US special forces landed in helicopters and attacked a house in a rebel-held corner of Syria, clashing for two hours with gunmen, witnesses said. Residents described continuous gunfire and explosions that jolted the town of Atmeh near the Turkish border, an area dotted with camps for internally displaced people from Syria’s civil war.

Biden said he ordered US forces to “take every precaution available to minimize civilian casualties”, the reason they did not conduct an airstrike on the home.

First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women. US officials said they did not have a sure sense of how many family members were with al-Qurayshi when the explosive detonated. US forces collected DNA, which later confirmed al-Qurayshi’s death, officials said.

The operation marked a military success for the United States at an important time after setbacks elsewhere - including the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal - had led allies and opponents to conclude US power globally was weakening.

WHO SEES PAUSE, EVEN END OF PANDEMIC FOR EUROPE

The WHO on Thursday offered Europe hope of a “long period of tranquility” and even “enduring peace” in the war on coronavirus, with a growing list of nations lifting almost all Covid curbs. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge spoke of “a ceasefire that could bring us enduring peace”, with high vaccination rates, the milder Omicron variant and the end of winter in sight.

“This context leaves us with the possibility for a long period of tranquility,” he told reporters. This was “not to say that (the pandemic) is now all over”, but “there is a singular opportunity to take control of the transmission”, he added. “Even with a more virulent variant (than Omicron) it is possible to respond to new variants that will inevitably emerge — without re-installing the kind of disruptive measures we needed before,” Kluge said. He cautioned that the optimistic scenario required countries to pursue vaccination campaigns and surveillance to detect new variants.

Sweden joined the move towards scrapping most coronavirus restrictions.

After Britain and Ireland, Copenhagen on Tuesday lifted most domestic Covid-19 restrictions, followed later in the day by Norway. France on Wednesday loosened several restrictions imposed to curb the latest Covid-19 surge.

But Germany is still grappling with record infection numbers fuelled by Omicron and now recommending a fourth vaccine for at-risk groups. Israel last month became the first country to roll out fourth Covid-19 shots, initially to the elderly and healthcare workers, and since to all vulnerable people over 18. Denmark, Hungary and Spain are also offering fourth jabs to high-risk groups, as are others including Chile and Brazil.

THE REST

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GOVT WANTS TO ALTER HISTORY; FEARFUL OF FUTURE, MISTRUSTS PRESENT: MOHUA MOITRA

TMC MP Mohua Moitra on Thursday hit out at the government saying that it wants to alter history, is “fearful of the future” and “mistrusts the present”, adding that while the president, in his address, spoke about freedom fighters, it was just “lip service”.

Participating in the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, she referred to the government’s recent announcement of installing a statue of Subhash Chandra Bose beneath the canopy at India Gate and asked if the iconic leader would have approved of the Dharma Sansad in which hate speeches were made.

Moitra, who is known for her fiery speeches in Parliament, continued in her usual manner, with the Chair even asking her to calm down and speak with “less anger”.

“You fear a future India which is comfortable in its own skin, which is comfortable with conflicting realities... You are not content with just our vote, you want to get inside our heads, inside our homes, to tell us what to eat, what to wear, who to love. But your fear alone cannot keep the future at bay,” she said.

SC REFUSES TO POSTPONE GATE EXAMINATION

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a petition seeking postponement of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering Exam (GATE) commencing from February 5.

A Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud said interfering in the examination process just 48 hours before it was due to commence could create chaos and uncertainty. The top court said it's a policy matter on which the government authorities concerned should take a decision.

GATE 2022 Examinations are scheduled to take place in offline mode on February 5, 6, 12 and 13.

Stating that nine lakh students were appearing for GATE at hundreds of centres, the petitioners accused the authorities of not issuing Covid-appropriate guidelines for conducting the test.

"The plea for postponement of GATE 2022 examination just 48 hours before scheduled date on February 5 is replete with potential for chaos and uncertainty in lives of students. There is no overarching reason why this court should under Article 32 (of the Constitution) supplant the role of authorities," the top court said declining the plea.

HIJAB-CLAD GIRLS DENIED ENTRY TO COLLEGE IN UDUPI

Muslim girl students of the government pre-university college at Kundapur in Udupi district, who reached the institution wearing hijab (headscarf) were stopped at the gate by the college principal on Thursday. The principal informed the students that they are not allowed to wear hijab inside the classrooms and asked them to remove the head dress and enter classes.

The students argued with the principal and told him that the government order on status quo has not mentioned the Kundapur college. The principal told them that the circular issued by the government applies throughout the state.

The college had witnessed a grave situation on Wednesday when around 100 Hindu boys came to classes wearing saffron shawls to protest against the girls' wearing hijabs inside classrooms.

A meeting called by Kundapur MLA Halady Srinivas Shetty with the Muslim girls and their parents had failed to reach a consensus on Wednesday, with the parents insisting that their children had the right to wear hijabs.

Meanwhile, state Fisheries Minister and Udupi district-in-charge S Angara told reporters in Udupi that the status quo ordered by the state government disallowing hijabs inside classrooms will continue till the committee appointed to study the issue submits its report.

SHOTS FIRED AT AIMIM CHIEF ASADUDDIN OWAISI VEHICLE IN UP POLL CONVOY

Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had a close call Thursday when shots were fired at a vehicle he was travelling in while returning to Delhi from Meerut after campaigning for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Police said two persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the incident.

Owaisi later said the bullets punctured a tyre and he had to switch vehicles. He said he would meet the Lok Sabha Speaker and write to the Election Commission of India.

According to police, four shots were fired at the vehicle. There was no injury to any person in the incident which took place around 5.30 pm at Chhajarsi toll plaza near Pilkhuwa in Hapur district. Sachin Sharma, a resident of Badalpur in Gautam Buddh Nagar, was arrested from the spot and police said an unlicensed pistol had been recovered. A white Alto car too has been seized. Sharma’s alleged accomplice, identified as Shubham of Saharanpur, had fled from the spot but was arrested later.

Officials said Sharma, who was still being questioned, told police that he was angry with Owaisi over his speeches.

SHIPPING CORP, BPCL AMONG CPSES TO BE PRIVATISED IN FY23

The government will move ahead with strategic sale of Shipping Corporation, BEML and BPCL in the next financial year, besides IPO of three public sector companies, including ECGC, a top government official said.

The 2022-23 Budget has projected a disinvestment target of Rs 65,000 crore for next financial year. This is significantly lower than the estimated Rs 1.75 lakh crore budgeted for 2021-22. In the revised estimates, the target for 2021-22 has been cut to Rs 78,000 crore.

Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey said the next year's target would be met by a mix of minority stake sale in CPSEs, listing of CPSEs and strategic sale.

"We have got multiple financial bids for Pawan Hans, we have to go further on that process. Shipping Corp, BEML and BPCL are in financial bids stage. HLL Lifecare and PDIL are in EoI stage. Besides, next fiscal we will go for listing of ECGC, WAPCOS and National Seeds Corporation and some minority stake sale, but there we might have less bandwidth," Pandey said.

SERUM INSTITUTE URGES MANDAVIYA TO REDUCE GAP FOR PRECAUTION DOSE

Serum Institute has urged Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to consider reducing the gap between the second and the precaution dose of Covishield from current nine months to three, in line with Centre’s revised guidelines for officials on election duty, official sources said on Thursday.

The Pune-based firm also requested the minister to allow it to administer Covishield’s precaution dose for all individuals aged above 18 years.

In a letter to Mandaviya, Prakash Kumar Singh, director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at SII, is learnt to stated that the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is being administered within 6 months of the second dose in various countries and this schedule is giving very good results to control the infection. Singh also mentioned that private companies, educational institutions, social organisations, central government organisations as well as public undertaking companies etc are continuously requesting the firm for the third dose of Covishield for their staff members and families.

He referred to Union Health Ministry’s letter dated January 21 according to which the precaution dose can be administered 3 months after the second dose of the vaccine was given to officials and staff deployed on election duty in the poll-bound states of Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

For this, necessary changes have been made on the CoWIN portal to facilitate early administration of the precaution dose.

RISE OF THE SOUTH: TELUGU CINEMA SETS INDIAN BOX OFFICE ON FIRE

Telugu cinema has zoomed through the pandemic, doing better business at the box office than any other cinema in India. Allu Arjun-starrer Pushpa (Telugu) is the highest-grossing film of 2020 and 2021 after Tanhaji (Hindi).

Telugu cinema’s share in box-office revenues has risen to 29 per cent, higher than Hindi’s 27 per cent and Tamil cinema’s 17 per cent share, according to the Ormax Box Office Report 2020 and 2021, shared exclusively with Business Standard.

The combined contribution of the four south Indian languages -- Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada -- to the domestic box office soared to 59 per cent in 2020-21 from 36 per cent in 2019 while Hindi’s fell from 44 per cent to just 27 per cent.

As theatres, which bring in over two-thirds of a film’s revenue, remained shut for large periods during the Covid-19 pandemic, the business crashed. The cumulative gross box office of 2020 and 2021 is just Rs 5,757 crore, as against Rs 11,000 crore in 2019 alone.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. - Bertrand Russell

OFF TRACK

Two friends meet in the street. The one man looked rather forlorn and down in the mouth. The other man asked, "Hey, how come you look like the whole world caved in?" 

The sad fellow said, "Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me ten thousand dollars." 

"I'm sorry to hear about the death, but a bit of good luck for you, eh?" 

"Hold on, I'm just getting started. Two weeks ago, a cousin I never knew kicked the bucket and left me twenty thousand, free and clear." 

"Well, you can't be disappointed with that!" 

"Yep. But, last week my grandfather passed away. I inherited almost hundred thousand dollars." 

"Incredible... so how come you look so glum?" 

"Well, this week...nothing!"