JAISHANKAR MEETS BLINKEN, DISCUSSES LANKA, ASEAN

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh on Thursday. The meeting comes at a time when US-China tension is high over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, which took place on the margins of an ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Blinken referred to concerns over “challenges” in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific.

“A warm conversation to start meetings on the sidelines of ASEAN Ministerial in Phnom Penh. Discussed the ever strengthening India-US relationship and the global situation with US Secretary of State @SecBlinken,” Jaishankar tweeted.

"We are both strong proponents of ASEAN centrality. We have a shared vision together for a free and open Indo-Pacific that we work on in so many different ways every single day,” Blinken said. “And of course, we have some immediate challenges that we’re both concerned with, to include the situation in Sri Lanka, Burma, and a number of other hot spots,” he said. “So I very much look forward to once again being able to go through a number of these issues with my friend, and then we’ll both head over to our meetings.”

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that Jaishankar and Blinken “exchanged views on global and regional issues, including Russia’s brutal aggression against Ukraine and the implications it has had on food insecurity around the world”.

JUSTICE UU LALIT WILL BE THE NEW CJI

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana Thursday recommended to the government the name of Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor.

Elevated directly to the Supreme Court from the Bar in August 2014 — only the sixth lawyer to be so honoured —Justice Lalit will take over as the 49th CJI after the incumbent retires on August 26. He has a short term in office and will retire on November 8, 2022.

An official communication said CJI Ramana “personally handed over a copy of his letter of recommendation dated 03.08.2022” to Justice Lalit Thursday “morning”.

It also “recalled” that the CJI’s Secretariat received a communication dated August 3 from the office of the Union Minister of Law and Justice requesting him to recommend the name of his successor “yesterday (03.08.2022) at 2130 hrs”.

As per convention, the incumbent CJI recommends the name of his successor only upon receiving the communication from the Law Ministry urging him/her to do so.

Enrolling as an Advocate in June 1983, Justice Lalit has been a key part of the country’s jurisprudential journey in the last couple of decades, initially as a lawyer and then as judge. His father U R Lalit was an Additional Judge of the Delhi High Court.

PARLIAMENT ERUPTS OVER ED SUMMONS TO KHARGE

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Thursday following serial disruptions over Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, which the party slammed as “an intimidation tactics”. The government, on the other hand, rejected the allegations, saying it did not interfere with the functioning of law enforcement agencies.

The political face-off commenced as soon as the Houses met, with Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Kharge informing members that he had been asked to appear before the ED at 12.30 pm. He asked if it was fair for the agency to summon him when the session was on. Other Opposition leaders alleged that the central probe agencies were being misused.

“Congress leaders should face the law instead of running away,” leader of Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said after Kharge’s charge that ED summons were meant to “demoralise and frighten the Congress”. Minutes before presenting himself before the ED, which resumed search operations at the office of Young Indian (YI), holding company of Congress-owned National Herald newspaper which had been sealed yesterday, Kharge said in the RS, “If we carry on like this, will our democracy live? Will we function as per our Constitution? This is being done purposely to demoralise, destroy and intimidate us.”

Goyal rejected the accusations as baseless. “Whatever the Leader of the Opposition has said is totally baseless. The matter has gone to the Supreme Court. Congress leaders are on bail and they and the LoP should follow the law instead of running away.... Their government used to interfere in the functioning of law-enforcement agencies,” said Goyal.

SC ASKS EC NOT TO DECIDE ON SHINDE CAMP'S PLEA

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday said it would decide by August 8 whether to refer the issues arising out of the recent Maharashtra political crisis to a Constitution Bench.

“We will take a call by Monday whether to refer the matter to a five-judge Constitution Bench,” a three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana said.

The Bench asked the Election Commission not to take precipitate action on Eknath Shinde faction’s plea to be declared the real Shiv Sena and given the party symbol. The EC may give reasonable adjournment to the Uddhav Thackeray faction to file their reply in view of the pendency of the case before the top court, it said.

During the hearing, the CJI said, “We cannot totally ignore the political party; it will be a danger to democracy.” On July 20, the SC had hinted at sending the petitions relating to Maharashtra political drama to a Constitution Bench, saying the constitutional issues, including split, the merger of a political party, defection, and disqualification might require consideration by a larger bench. On Wednesday, it had asked the Shinde faction to redraft its submissions on petitions of the rival faction on constitutional issues arising out of the political crisis in the state.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Aug 4

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Wednesday  19,893

Active Cases 1,36,478 (-579)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,26,530 (53)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

TAIWAN: CHINA DRILLS VIOLATE UN RULES

In the wake of China deploying scores of planes and firing live missiles near Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen of the self-ruled island said that Taiwan will never be knocked down by challenges. In a recorded video message to the people of Taiwan, she said, “We are calm and not impetuous, we are rational and not provocative, but we will also be firm and not shirk. ” Taiwan said 11 Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missiles had been fired in nearby waters — the first time since 1996. Taiwan officials said the drills violated UN rules, invaded its space and threatened free air and sea navigation.

Taiwan has been self-ruled since 1949, when Mao Zedong’s communists took power in Beijing after defeating Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang nationalists in a civil war, prompting the KMT-led government to retreat to the island. The military activity followed US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unannounced visit of support to Taiwan in defiance of warnings from China.

RUSSIA JAILS US BASKETBALL STAR FOR 9 YEARS ON DRUG CHARGES

A Russian court sentenced US basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia, a ruling that President Joe Biden called “unacceptable”. Griner was arrested in mid-February, and her case threw the Texan athlete into the geopolitical maelstrom triggered when President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, propelling US-Russian relations to anew post-Cold War low.

Griner’s sentencing could now pave the way for a US-Russia prisoner swap that would include the 31-year-old athlete and an imprisoned Russian who was once a prolific arms dealer.

Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women’s National Basketball Association star, was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 with the cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. While she pleaded guilty, she said she had neither intended to bring a banned substance to Russia nor to hurt anybody.

Biden called on Russia to release Griner immediately and said his administration would continue to work for her release.

UKRAINE UNDER ATTACK IN EAST; NATO SAYS RUSSIA MUST NOT WIN

Ukraine said on Thursday it had been forced to cede some territory in the east of the country in the face of a Russian offensive. Ukraine said the Russian offensive looked like an attempt to force it to divert troops from the south where Kyiv’s forces are trying to retake territory and destroy Russian supply lines. Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday the war was the most dangerous moment for Europe since WWII and that Russia must not be allowed to win it.

THE REST

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J&K SEES FALL IN MILITANT ATTACKS, BUT SHIFT IN RECRUITMENT STRATEGY REMAINS A WORRY

Three years since the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, recruitment into militant ranks remains a cause of concern for the security apparatus in the Union Territory.

Since 2019, more than 690 militants have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir, 132 of them this year. In the same period, 527 individuals joined militant ranks.

J&K Director General of Police Dibag Singh attributed the recruitment numbers in large measure to “social media and internet-based propaganda” while raising concern that the recruitment age had been lowered to include school dropouts.

The recruitment figure was 143 for 2019, rose to 172 in 2020 before falling again to 136 in 2021. For 2022, till July 31, 76 individuals have joined the militancy.

Senior security officials said about half the militant recruits are “uncategorised”. As such, security forces “sometimes find out that an individual has joined an outfit only after an incident,” said an official. So, they cannot be referenced against any existing database.

FOUND NEW RS 2.25 CRORE TRAIL LINKED TO SANJAY RAUT: ED TO COURT

After questioning Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in custody for four days, the ED on Thursday claimed that a fresh trail of proceeds of crime of Rs 2.25 crore was revealed to be linked to the redevelopment of a chawl project in a northern suburb of Mumbai. The ED had last week said that Raut and his family were direct beneficiaries of Rs 1.06 crore linked to the case.

The additional amount allegedly revealed in the last four days includes Rs 1.17 crore paid in cash transactions to land owners from whom Raut bought the land in Alibag. The remaining Rs 1.08 crore was found to have been received in the bank accounts of Raut’s wife, Varsha, the ED claimed. Varsha has been summoned by the ED.

The court noted that there has been “remarkable progress” in the case and sent Raut to custody of the ED till Monday. The agency had sought the leader’s custody for eight more days.

The ED case relates to Patra Chawl, where it is claimed that instead of providing houses for displaced residents, directors of HDIL and others cheated them.

SC ASKS GOVT TO KEEP INFORMED MISSING ARMY MAN’S MOTHER OF STEPS TAKEN

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to apprise an 83-year-old mother quarterly about the steps taken to trace her son, Captain Sanjit Bhattacharjee, who has been missing in action and is said to be lodged in a jail in Pakistan for over 25 years.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and JB Pardiwala noted that the petition has been moved by the aged mother of the army officer, who wants the government to take some steps to trace the whereabouts of her son. "We impress upon the Union of India to take appropriate steps to trace the whereabouts of Captain Sanjit Bhattacharjee and apprise his mother on a quarterly basis about the steps taken", the bench said.

It noted the submission of additional solicitor general KM Nataraj that efforts are being made through diplomatic and other channels to know the whereabouts of Captain Sanjit Bhattacharjee.

DELHI HC SLAPS RS 10 LAKH COST ON NGO FOR 'BLACKMAIL' PIL

The Delhi high court has slapped Rs 10 lakh costs on an NGO which had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging unauthorised construction in New Delhi, saying it was unfortunate that the noble forum of PIL was being used for blackmailing citizens.

The high court said it was "sheer abuse of the process of law" as suppression of facts has been admitted by the NGO and it is a settled proposition of law that a person who does not come with clean hands is not entitled to any relief whatsoever.  

”In the considered opinion of this court, the present petition is nothing but a sheer abuse of the process of law, and therefore, this court is of the opinion that the present petition deserves to be dismissed at the admission stage itself with costs of Rs 10 lakh to be paid to the Army War Widows Fund within a period of 30 days from today,” a bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said in its July 29 order which was made available on Wednesday.

The MCD counsel informed the court that the same petitioner had earlier also filed a petition in June and when the court was inclined to impose cost the NGO withdrew the petition. When the petitioner's counsel was confronted with the situation, he admitted that the property involved in this petition was the same which was involved in the earlier PIL and he had not mentioned this fact in the plea. 

CCI APPROVES AXIS BANK’S ACQUISITION OF CITIBANK’S CUSTOMERS

The Competition Commission of India last week approved Axis Bank’s acquisition of the consumer banking operations of Citibank, NA and Citicorp Finance (India) Ltd. The deal thus crossed another hurdle and moved a step closer to fruition after Axis Bank had announced its plan to acquire Citibank’s consumer businesses for Rs 12,325 crore in March.

The acquisition comprises Citi’s credit cards, unsecured and secured lending portfolios, wealth management, private banking and retail deposit businesses. The deal also includes the sale of Citicorp Finance (India) Limited. Axis Bank would acquire around 1.2 million retail customers of Citibank India, including 40,000 wealth and private banking clients, which would help it enhance its presence in the highly competitive urban retail market.

CWG 2022: SREESHANKAR WINS SILVER IN LONG JUMP

Murali Sreeshankar clinched a silver in the men's long jump event to give India a second medal in athletics at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday.

The 23-year-old national record holder soared to 8.08m in his fifth attempt to finish second behind Laquan Nairn of Bahamas in a nerve-wrecking men's long jump final.

Nairn also had a best jump of 8.08m but his second best of 7.98m was better than 7.84m of

Jovan van Vuuren (8.06m) of South Africa took the bronze.

Sreeshankar had gone into CWG as gold medal favourite on the basis of his season's and personal best of 8.36m, which had put him in joint second ranking in the world this season.

But he struggled in his first four jumps regarding his landing on the foot board. He was outside the medal contention at the end of the fourth round as he was at sixth place at that stage but his fifth attempt of 8.08m took him to the second place.

In a dramatic final round jump, he seemed to have crossed the 8m mark -- which would have given him a gold -- but to his and the Indian contingent's disappointment, his foot landed 2cm ahead of the line on the foot board.

The final attempt was thus ruled as a foul and Sreeshankar had to settle for a silver.

Sreeshankar's silver was the best among Indian male long jumpers in the CWG. Suresh Babu had won a bronze in the 1978 edition.

Among the women, Prajusha Maliakkal won a silver in the 2010 edition in Delhi, while legendary Anju Bobby George bagged a bronze in 2002.

On Wednesday, Tejaswin Shankar had won a bronze in men's high jump to open India's medal account in athletics in this CWG.

India are still placed 7th, with 5 Golds, 7 Silvers and 7 Bronze medals.

CWG 2022: BOXERS ENSURE SEVEN MEDALS FOR INDIA

Two new stars emerged as debutants Sagar Ahlawat and Jasmine Lamboriya joined the seasoned Amit Panghal as India confirmed seven medals in boxing at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on Thursday.

Rohit Tokas, who turned 29 on August 1, notched up a dominating 5-0 win over Xavier Mata'afa-Ikinofo of Niue to also progress to the last four stage and assure of the seventh medal for India from the ring.

The biggest find was Ahlawat in the men's +91kg super heavyweight category as the 22-year-old continued his dream run in his international debut to dish out another superlative show and book a semi-final clash with Ifeany Onyekwere of Nigeria. Having defeated former Olympian Maxme Njieyo of Cameroon by a 5-0 unanimous verdict in his opening round, Ahlawat had it easy in the quarters as he landed powerful blows on Seychelles' Keddy Evans Agnes to make the semi-finals with an identical scoreline.

For Jasmine, however, it was a tough fight and she had to give it her all after a dominating first round to prevail over New Zealand's Troy Garton by a 4-1 split verdict in the women's lightweight (60kg) quarter-final.

A day after India confirmed three medals -- Nikhat Zareen (50kg), Nitu Ganghas (48kg) and Mohd Hussamudin (57kg) -- former World Championship silver medallist Pangal started the proceedings for the country at the National Exhibition Centre, defeating Scotland's Lennon Mulligan by a dominating 5-0 margin.

In the men's 48-51kg flyweight category, it was an unanimous verdict in favour of the Indian southpaw, who had won a silver medal during the last edition in Gold Coast.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

OFF TRACK

A retiree was given a set of golf clubs by his co-workers. Thinking he'd try the game, he asked the local pro for lessons, explaining that he knew nothing whatever of the game.

The pro showed him the stance and swing, then said, "Just hit the ball toward the flag on the first green."

The novice teed up and smacked the ball straight down the fairway and onto the green, where it stopped inches from the hole. "Now what?" the fellow asked the speechless pro.

"Uh... you're supposed to hit the ball into the cup." the pro finally said, regaining his composure.

"Oh great! NOW you tell me." said the beginner in a disgusted tone.