NEED TO SCRUPULOUSLY FOLLOW EXISTING PACTS: INDIA ON EASTERN LADAKH ROW

India on Thursday once again pressed China for "scrupulously" following the existing agreements on the management of the LAC, three days ahead of the 16th round of military talks on the eastern Ladakh border row.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said it is essential that "appropriate agreements between India and China of 1993 and 1996 are scrupulously followed".

He was replying to a question on the lingering row in eastern Ladakh during a media briefing.

Bagchi also referred to a statement by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to emphasise that India will never accept any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo along the LAC.

India has been pressing for quick disengagement of troops from all the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh, insisting that peace and tranquillity along the border are prerequisites for progress in overall ties.

The two sides are set to hold the 16th round of high-level military talks on July 17 to resolve the issues in the remaining friction points in eastern Ladakh.

The last round of talks between the Indian Army and the Chinese People's Liberation Army took place on March 11.

The situation in eastern Ladakh figured prominently in last week's talks between EAM Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Bali. At the one-hour meeting in Bali on the sidelines of a conclave of foreign ministers of the G20 nations, Jaishankar conveyed to Wang the need for early resolution of all the outstanding issues in eastern Ladakh.

FIRST ‘I2U2’ SUMMIT ZEROES IN ON FOOD SECURITY, CLEAN ENERGY

The first ‘I2U2’ summit on Thursday zeroed in on two specific projects with initial investments of $1.33 billion to give Indian farmers guaranteed access to Middle East markets and set up a clean energy project in Gujarat to make India the supply chain hub of renewable energy.

The projects are among half a dozen identified by the Sherpas of the four countries at the virtual summit between PM Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Israel PM Yair Lapid.

The leaders discussed innovative ways to ensure long-term and more diversified food production and food delivery systems that can better manage global food shocks. To this end, the UAE will invest $2 billion to develop food parks in India with expertise from the US and Israel to maximise crop yield and, in turn, help tackle food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East.

“The vision and agenda of ‘I2U2’ is progressive and practical. By mobilising the mutual strengths of our countries—capital, expertise and markets—we can accelerate our agenda and contribute significantly to the global economy,” the PM observed while addressing the summit.

AFTER OPPOSITION OUTRAGE, SPEAKER SAYS NO WORD BANNED, BUT DISPLAY DECORUM

After the Opposition outrage over the alleged censorship of parliamentarians in the wake of the Lok Sabha publishing a compendium of “unparliamentary words”, Speaker Om Birla today said there was no ban on the use of any word and the list only featured expressions and words deemed unparliamentary and expunged over the years by presiding officers of the national and state legislatures.

“There is no cause to mislead the country. No word has been banned from usage. It has been the practice since 1954 to publish expressions that presiding officers of the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state Assemblies have considered unparliamentary and, hence, expunged from records. This is not the first time the Lok Sabha has published this list. There is an 1,100-page dictionary also of such words which everyone is well advised to read,” Birla said.

The Speaker’s statement came after the Congress, TMC and the Shiv Sena termed the list a “gag order” for MPs, alleging that the words termed unparliamentary were mainly the ones the Opposition had been using with reference to the govt.

PRESIDENTIAL POLL: JMM ANNOUNCES SUPPORT TO DROUPADI MURMU

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Chief Shibu Soren on Thursday said his party will support NDA presidential nominee Droupadi Murmu in the July 18 election, ending weeks of suspense. It is for the first time that a tribal woman has got an opportunity to become President of India, he said.

Soren directed all MPs and MLAs of the JMM to vote for Murmu on July 18, the date for the Presidential elections.

JMM which is allied to the Congress has 30 MLAs in the state legislature. While Murmu’s victory is ensured even without the Jharkhand-based party’s support, the decision by the JMM chief is a shot in the arms for the NDA candidate.

Yashwant Sinha yesterday claimed that the BJP was carrying out ‘Operation Kamal’, under which it was allegedly offering “huge money to non-BJP MLAs” to ensure its presidential candidate’s win as it is afraid of the outcome of a free and fair election.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / July 15

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Thursday  20,038

Active Cases 1,39,073 (+2,997)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,25,604 (30)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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ON RUN, GOTABAYA IN SINGAPORE, RESIGNS; PROTESTERS LEAVE COLOMBO GOVT BUILDINGS

A day after he fled Sri Lanka, disgraced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flew from the Maldives to Singapore and later sent his resignation to the Lanka Speaker.

Confirming the arrival of Rajapaksa, the spokesperson for the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Gotabaya is there on a private visit. “He has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum,” it said.

The Singapore police asked the public and visitors to “abide by our local laws” and warned that “action will be taken against anyone participating in a public assembly that is illegal”.

Confirming that Gotabaya has sent his resignation by email, a statement issued by the office of Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said: “The Speaker wishes to inform that an official statement on this would be made tomorrow (Friday) after the verification process and legal formalities.”

Around 6 pm, anti-Gotabaya protesters at the Prime Minister’s office trooped out as security personnel of the Sri Lankan Air Force and Army regained charge of the building.

The Lanka media, meanwhile, reported that Gotabaya’s brothers, former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and ex-finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, had informed the Supreme Court that they will not leave the country until a petition filed against them is heard on Friday.

SUNAK LEADS IN 2ND LAP TOO, BRAVERMAN OUT

Rishi Sunak topped the second round of voting by Conservative MPs in the Tory leadership race on Thursday with 101 votes while the only other Indian-origin candidate, attorney general Suella Braverman, was knocked out of the contest. Junior trade minister Penny Mordaunt came second with 83 votes, followed by foreign secretary Liz Truss with 64 votes. Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch was fourth with 49 votes and chairman of the foreign affairs committee Tom Tugendhat was fifth with 32 votes. These five candidates have made it through to the third round of voting, which will take place on Monday.

THE REST

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KERALA REPORTS INDIA'S FIRST MONKEYPOX CASE, CENTRE RUSHES HIGH-LEVEL TEAM

India reported its first case of monkeypox on Thursday, with a Keralite who returned from the UAE testing positive for the virus, prompting the Centre to rush a high-level multi-disciplinary team to collaborate with the state health authorities in instituting public health measures.

The case was confirmed through the testing of the samples of the symptomatic person at the National Institute of Virology, Pune, state Health Minister Veena George said.

The country's first case of the virus was reported on a day when the Centre asked states to ensure screening and testing of all suspect cases at points of entry and in the community as part of India's preparedness against the disease.

All samples of the infected persons have been tested positive, she said, confirming the country's first case of the rare virus. All measures have been taken to prevent the spread of the disease, the minister said, adding there was no cause for concern.

According to the WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) with symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients, although it is clinically less severe.

Monkeypox virus can spread from person-to-person through:

direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids;

respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, such as kissing

touching items (such as clothing or linens) that previously touched the infectious rash or body fluids

BJP FUMES AFTER BIHAR SENIOR COP COMPARES PFI WITH RSS

The BJP flew off the handle on Thursday after a senior IPS officer in Bihar sought to draw a parallel between its parent body RSS and an Islamic extremist organisation, a network of which was recently busted in the city.

Patna senior superintendent of police Manavjit Singh Dhillon courted trouble for having said that Popular Front of India members arrested from Phulwari Sharif in Patna underwent “physical training similar to what happens in RSS shakhas (branches)”.

BJP leaders, including high-ranking ones like former Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and ex-deputy CM of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, expressed outrage, while others questioned the police officer's soundness of mind and demanded his sacking.

“I condemn the irresponsible and despicable utterance of the SSP of Patna, my parliamentary constituency, who has sought to compare the PFI, a known terrorist organisation, to a nationalist organisation like the RSS,” fumed Prasad, who represents Patna Sahib in Lok Sabha.

According to Dhillon, a raid was conducted in Phulwari Sharif following a tip-off about “Islamic radicalisation” inside a premise owned by a retired police official of Jharkhand, where many people, some of them from far-off Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were undergoing “normal physical training, not armed training”. Altogether 26 people have been named in the FIR out of whom three, including the owner of the house, have been arrested since Wednesday night, said the SSP, adding, recoveries from the spot include propaganda material that spoke of “turning India into an Islamic state”.

SC FINES PETITIONER WHO SOUGHT PROBE BY CBI INTO 2009 DANTEWADA KILLINGS

Imposing a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on the main petitioner, the Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a petition seeking a CBI probe into alleged torture and extrajudicial killings by the Chhattisgarh Police and Central forces during anti-Maoist operations in Dantewada in 2009.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and J B Pardiwala said “the filing of charge sheets at the conclusion of the investigation into the various FIRs” lodged in connection with the alleged incidents “would indicate that the alleged massacre was at the end of the Naxalites (Maoists)”.

It said: “The materials collected in the form of the charge sheets substantiate the case put up by the respondents that the villagers were attacked and killed by the Naxalites. There is not an iota of material figuring in the investigation on the basis of which even a finger can be pointed towards the members of the police force.”

The bench imposed an “exemplary” cost of Rs 5 lakh on the main petitioner Himanshu Kumar to be submitted within four weeks.

The petition was filed on the alleged killing of 17 people in separate incidents in Dantewada on September 17 and October 1, 2009.

NASAL SPRAY LOWERS COVID VIRAL LOAD BY 94 PER CENT IN 24 HOURS: LANCET STUDY

A nasal spray administered in high-risk adult COVID-19 patients in India reduced viral load by 94 per cent within 24 hours and 99 per cent in 48 hours, according to the results of Phase-3 trial of the drug published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal.

The study on Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS) was conducted by Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company Glenmark in 306 vaccinated and unvaccinated adults with symptomatic mild COVID-19 across 20 clinical sites in India.

The trial evaluated a seven-day treatment of NONS plus standard of care versus placebo nasal spray and standard care in patients with symptomatic COVID-19. NONS was self-administered six times daily as two sprays per nostril for seven days.

The study was conducted during the Delta and Omicron surges. The research found that high-risk patients who received NONS had significant reduction in viral load within 24 hours, which was sustained over seven days of treatment.

Viral load was reduced by 93.7 per cent within 24 hours and by 99 per cent within 48 hours of treatment with NONS. Similar results were observed in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations, the authors said.

“The robust double-blind trial demonstrated significant efficacy and remarkable safety of NONS,” Monika Tandon, Senior VP & Head - Clinical Development, Glenmark, and one of the authors of the study said.

NONS was launched in India under the brand name FabiSpray in February, after it received manufacturing and marketing approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) as part of the accelerated approval process.

Nitric Oxide blocks entry into the nasal passage, kills the virus, and stops its replication, which is why viral load is reduced so rapidly with NONS, the statement said.

‘TWITTER TAKEDOWN ORDERS IN INDIA ARE PROPORTIONAL TO USER BASE’

India’s orders for content blocking and takedowns issued to Twitter comprise just 7% of the cumulative legal demands received by the microblogging platform in the decade up to 2021, and are “proportional” to the expanding user base of the San Francisco-based company in the country, according to an official review.

“India’s 17,338 legal demands between 2012 and 2021 account for 7% of the global legal demands (amounting) to 225,076 worldwide,” an internal report prepared by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) stated, while noting that Twitter has 23. 6 million users in India — its third largest user base globally. “India is 7% of Twitter's global user base and so is the volume of removal requests, (from India),” according to the official analysis.

SINGER DALER MEHNDI SENT TO JAIL IN 2003 IMMIGRATION FRAUD CASE

A court yesterday dismissed the appeal of singer Daler Mehndi against two-year jail sentence in a 2003 human trafficking case. Mehndi, who was present in the court, was arrested and sent to jail.

Mehndi and his brother Shamsher Singh were accused of illegally sending people abroad by charging “passage money” in 2003. In 2018, the Judicial Magistrate First Class held Mehndi guilty and sentenced him to two years in jail. However, they were granted bail. Later, he filed an appeal in the sessions court. Shamsher died during the course of the trial.

Yesterday, Additional Sessions Judge HS Grewal dismissed Mehndi’s appeal, following which he was taken into custody. As per an FIR registered in 2003 at the Sadar police station, it was alleged that Mehndi brothers had taken 10 persons to the US as their troupe members in 1998 and 1999. These persons were “dropped off” illegally in the US.

SUSHMITA SEN IS DATING LALIT MODI

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen is dating businessman and IPL founder Lalit Modi. Lalit professed his love for the Bollywood diva on Thursday through social media. Sharing a series of clicks on Twitter, Lalit said that he is dating Sushmita and intends to tie the knot soon.

Lalit posted several photos with Sushmita with the caption, “Just back in london after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my #better looking partner @sushmitasen47 – a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon.”

In another tweet, Lalit Modi clarified that he and Sushmita Sen aren’t married yet. He wrote, “Just for clarity. Not married – just dating each other. That too it will happen one day.”

2ND ODI AT LORD’S: TOPLEY TOPPLES INDIA

Indian top-order fell like nine pins as Reece Topley's 6 for 24 headlined a fine England bowling performance in a series-levelling 100-run win while defending a modest target in the second ODI at the Lord's on Thursday.

With parity restored in the three-match series, the decider at the Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday promises to be a mouth-watering contest.

When the Indian bowlers put up another impressive show to bowl out England for 246 in 49 overs, little did one know that the visiting batters would inexplicably implode for a paltry 146 in 38.5 overs in the face of nice seam and swing bowling from Topley.

Topley's figures were the best by an Englishman at the 'Mecca of Cricket'.

Having won the first game by 10 wickets, the Indian team couldn't have comprehended that the wheels of fortune would turn so swiftly.

With Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant all back in the dressing room just after the first Powerplay and only 31 runs on board, there was only one possible result.

Suryakumar Yadav (27), Hardik Pandya (29) and Ravindra Jadeja (29) did try their bit but the scores would certainly provide a bigger picture of the kind of plight Indian batters endured during the chase.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No other technique for the conduct of life attaches the individual so firmly to reality as laying emphasis on work; for his work at least gives him a secure place in a portion of reality, in the human community. - Sigmund Freud

OFF TRACK

An annoyingly self-righteous man went to the doctor for a check-up. He said, "I feel terrible. Please examine me and tell me what's wrong with me."

"Let's begin with a few questions," said the doctor. "Do you drink much?"

"Alcohol?" said the man. "I'm a teetotaller. Never touch a drop."

"How about smoking?" asked the doctor.

"Never," replied the man. "Tobacco is bad and I have strong principles against it."

"Well, uh," asked the doctor, "do you have much of a sex life?"

"Oh, no," said the man. "Sex is sin. I'm in bed by 10:30 every night... always have been."

The doctor paused, looked at the man hard, and asked, "Well, do you have pains in your head?"

"Yes," said the man. "I have terrible pains in my head."

"OK," said the doctor. "That's your trouble. Your halo is on too tight."